to think Covid is changing people in unusual and disturbing ways?

[tttigress]

Have you noticed Covid changing you friends? Effecting their mental health?

Couple of examples of friends who have been very vocal on social media:

Friend1:
previously: quite left wing, into animal rights.
now: sees Covid as a scam, posting stuff from right ring/conspiracy oriented sites, attended a protest where people like David Icke was in attendance, many comments about "do your own research, don't listen to the main stream media"

Friend2:
previously: quite relaxed (maybe too relaxed), bit of a stoner, bit of a drinker, life of the part, quite sociable.
now: hardly leaves the house due to Covid, thinks people should wear masks at all times - even when outside, thinks people are taking Covid nowhere near seriously enough, thinks the media is underplaying Covid, thinks doctors are underplaying Covid etc. Although they think their life is in imminent danger from Covid still smokes and drinks at home

I am am bit concerned about the mental health crisis Covid could be causing

It's turned me into a human bowling ball

Stripped, and not noticed the absence of the tens of thousands? of professional workers from their research areas and industries. And missed the baseline research published from journals and institutes from which this drew. I'm so dim. That must be why I've not been picked. Feels like PE at school.

I still recall someone lecturing a terminally-ill friend dying from pancreatic cancer who'd spent the entirety of their professional life researching in the field before diagnosis that cancer was all a con by big pharma.

People obsessed with COVID lurking around every corner and yet smoking 50 a day, morbidly obese and drinking alcohol like it’s water.

Omg, yes. "I must lose weight as I'm at a higher risk of death from Covid".....you were already at higher risk from death by diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, but that was fine apparently!

It's the "mask versus manners" that gets to me. Early in the whole thing we needed to keep 2 metres apart and people were generally quite good about it, in shops they would stop to let others pass by, smile and say "no you go first".

then we needed to have masks on and every idiot thinks this means they can stand inches away, push past, not talk, not say "excuse me".

Maybe they are smiling in an ironic fashion but who can tell what's happening behind the masks?

I'm not sure it's changed people so much as highlighted the foolish and the selfish.

I know a few people who have become less confident over the months, but hopefully that will pass when we're all vaccinated.

I think it has really grown division in society.

I feel like people who have everything, steady income/house/cottage/family/WFH jobs have really shown how much they don't give a shiny shit about people who have to work for low wages/work in public/live alone/rely on group activities for socializing.

It's changed my opinions of people to realize how many are just looking after themselves and don't care about others.

Acorn, so in any of the posts from people certain or worried about chips, has anyone said anything even vaguely likely or evidence-based about how such a device (not necessarily a chip as I presume they're using 'chip' as a short-hand for any tech) could or would work and not be noticed?

user8888, did any of those maintain a layer of social signalling, claps for the NHS and such like, fund raising walks and so on to add hypocrisy to the self-interest?

It's changed my opinions of people to realize how many are just looking after themselves and don't care about others

Definitely this. I’ve seen some nicer elements of people shopping for others, sharing books, jigsaws etc but I’ve seen far more selfish behaviour sadly and suspect more to come in December under the guise of Christmas. So many not distancing, refusing to wear masks, meeting others when it’s not allowed, can’t count to six or not sure what outdoor means etc.

Only on Mumsnet, nobody I know in real life is “sobbing and shaking” or putting cheese into coffee instead of milk.

Everyone I know in real life is getting on with things.

Acorn, I'm not saying things couldn't have progressed but how far from this starting point could things have improved without anyone noticing or working on it?

www.popsci.com/my-boring-cyborg-implant/

And not noticeable not just on administration but when anyone has an X-ray/CT/MRI or if in the blood then blood test or when donating blood?

Where does the Bill Gates conspiracy nonsense originate?
I’ve only ever heard it on here. Never heard anyone say a bad word about him otherwise. (Well, except from people that worked at IBM. Lol!)

@Zilla1

Acorn, so in any of the posts from people certain or worried about chips, has anyone said anything even vaguely likely or evidence-based about how such a device (not necessarily a chip as I presume they're using 'chip' as a short-hand for any tech) could or would work and not be noticed?

oh goodness I don't think of people posting here

I think of people working in science and one guy in the army - we had a lot of talk about this a couple of years ago.

I think the chip has come a long way since that 2016 article.

to be clear, I don't think the vax has a chip in it. I'm just saying, I understand why people do.

[quote e1y1]@AcornAutumn. No I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen anything like that and I am in one of the worst hit areas of the UK (6th worst town at one point).

Are you in the UK?

There was supposedly (I didn’t see them as I didn’t go out besides for work), Police doing vehicle checks to check why people were travelling.

But what you describe, absolutely not.[/quote]
I'm in London

it was well documented that police were asking people what they were doing on the Tube.

my station had signs up saying "if you are not an essential worker, GO HOME"

I had to comfort a crying teenager who was on a care visit to her grandma, while i was on a care visit to my mother

May be worth thinking about the effect this sort of messaging has on people when you can't avoid it. Also what happens when you see 17 police cars just on your jogging route to the park and in the park.

Have you got big markers painted everywhere for distancing? Like even on residential streets?

my late father was a doctor. Granted, I'm not. But I know this. None of these measures are about infection control. Ditto a scotch egg with your cocktail!

I better leave this thread because it's stressing me out. Bye all.

Acorn, I read your post as 'you understand why people do', not that you necessarily do. I know technology has progressed but just the magnitude of improvement required and across many dimensions would be astonishing. I was interested if anyone who'd said it to you had indicated anything about how it could work even in theory. IRL for me, they never have and when gently and non-confrontationally asked, don't really understand anything to do with science at all in my experience (even basic secondary school science like electricity, EM and size).

Where does the Bill Gates conspiracy nonsense originate?

Basically, he once gave a speech about how we should be prepared for a pandemic (in 2016), his Foundation were one of the companies that sponsored a pandemic simulation in September 2019, and he gave another speech saying that with vaccines we could reduce population by 15%. He obviously meant that childhood vaccination in poor countries -> less children die in childhood -> people have less children because they're not worried that half of them will die. But some have taken it to mean "vaccines will kill off 15% of the population".

Also he invests and gives funding to a lot of pharma companies.

It's changed me. I feel like a failure as a parent for sending my children to schools rife with Covid. My one son caught it at school and I feel guilty now for sending him to that particular school.

It's made me look differently on friends and loved ones who don't care about masks/rules and think it's all a conspiracy theory.

I always knew that investment in Education is not a national priority and this has shown me how little the powers that be really think of schools.

The only 'positive' I can glean is that the anxieties I thought I had about flying pale into insignificance. The real threat is here, in repeated self isolations and separation from family.

If we get some respite I hope to be able to take my family abroad, as we've not been for a decade. I have learnt that life really is short, seeing school staff I work with in hospital due to Covid.

Oh and his foundation gave LOADS of money to Neil Ferguson's team at Imperial College who did all the Covid modelling. TBH it's a clever investment scheme, give companies money as a "charitable donation" while owning shares in those companies, then when those companies do research that pays off, your shares pay dividends.

He's a billionaire, he likes money. But I doubt he wants to personally microchip Sandra from Woking.

I think a lot of people were living on a knife edge before Covid happened, so yes, that on top of everything else is a disaster.

Re. conspiracy theorists/generalised loony behaviour I definitely think Trump's time in office has made them feel validated, more entitled to spout their wacky theories whereas once they might have still believed their shit but not been so quick to go around mouthing it because they would have known they'd be laughed at.

Middleager, would that be: 'I always knew that investment in Education is not a national priority and this has shown me how little the powers that be really think of [state] schools'?

@Zilla1

Middleager, would that be: 'I always knew that investment in Education is not a national priority and this has shown me how little the powers that be really think of [state] schools'?

Yes!

Conspiracy theories are people's way of trying to make sense of chaos. There's no rhyme or reason to why things happen, or even to why we're here at all but that concept is too frightening for people to handle so they attribute false meaning where there is none. Same principle applies to religious belief. There's no afterlife, no God or orchestrator in charge of our souls. When we die, we die. There's no meaning to our existence - none whatsoever. Our actions are essentially purposeless. That's too scary for us to deal with, so we create an afterlife, and a spiritual entity (or entities depending on which religion one ascribes to) who masters our fate and looks after us.

The end

I agree, Middleager. shame though.

I do wonder whether the 'powers that be' might have jeopardised their base with business after COVID and Brexit, even taking account the direct award of contracts worth £billions to some firms in England and Wales.

@Livelovebehappy

I reckon once all this vaccination is out of the way, and we’re back to normality, there’s going to be a lot of demand for mental health services. I think a lot of people’s anxiety levels have gone through the roof this year, and for some it’s not going to go away for a long time.

There already is massive demand for MH support. From my perspective and purely anecdotal (as an NHS and private practice therapist), a lot of people with anxiety problems found the first Lockdown doable because they could avoid a lot of the things they found distressing (agoraphobia, social anxiety etc) but of course avoidance is the big friend of anxiety and ultimately makes it worse. I found a lot of referrals came forward as things started opening up again in the summer. There are a lot more OCD and health anxiety referrals but also a lot more generalised anxiety; worrying about different elements of the current situation; the unknown, vulnerability, the lack of control, which is often where conspiracy theories plant their roots. I’ve seen more referrals for depression, usually people who haven’t struggled before but who have lost jobs or had family break ups that have crystallised during the current situation even if there were problems before. That’s from a primary care perspective and I’m sure there’s much more to add for people who are secondary care patients; It must have been a huge challenge for patients and MH staff alike and I’m sure there will be some unwelcome outcomes from trying to cope during COVID. I think you’re right @Livelovebehappy, it will continue for some time after things are back to normal/the new normal.