Sad that the pandemic didn't make us better

[Pennyforyourthoughtsplease]

Those first few weeks were terrifying, but we made it through. Many worse off. Isn't it sad that coming through a global pandemic, we didn't become kinder, more appreciative and less materialistic; realising what really matters. If anything, I've noticed a significant shift these last few years where people have become more selfish and entitled. What happened?!

I agree.

I also think any other Tory leader would have responded a lot sooner. Especially Jeremy Hunt or Michael Gove, the two most likely ones to have been leader instead of Boris Johnson.

Anything to challenge those whilst behind the wheel is certainly seen as if violating their human rights. Though nothing new, I remember the objections to being required by law to wear a seat belt.

Except a lot of those people(or at least a very vocal part) were coming from a very individualistic and selfish perspective, rather than community mindedness. It was all about “I’m doing lockdown so much better than you” and deriding ,shaming and shutting down anyone who struggled. It was all about self righteousness and look at me clapping and noticing who isn’t out clapping and judging. It was about policing and reporting others and calls of “put the army in the streets “. It was about shaming and berating a pregnant woman for having a snack on a bench outside. It was about anything BUT community.

Beautifully put, TooBigForMyBoots

In fairnesss I get the "response to public demand" up to a point given the competitive public doommongering that went on, the shrieks of "granny killers" and the countless other stupidities, but leading should involve doing the right thing rather than the (temporarily) popular thing

Fat chance of that though, once they spotted the vast opportunities for gouging

I shared your sentiment. Out of something so catastrophic, I really hoped life would change for the better. It feels like human nature has only become worse. We've become more selfish, entitled and desensitised...so sad. When I do allow myself to watch the news now, I just keep thinking, "have we learnt nothing?". 😔

Absolutely nothing, but some people actually believe the Tories are responsible for all of the evil in the world.

(I vote Lib-Dem BTW).

TBF, the Tory Party had been in power for nearly ten years when the pandemic hit. Ten years in which they cut services to the bone with Austerity, and inflicted Brexit on the country.

Because of them, we were weakened, divided and suspicious. Then we got sicker, the "oven ready" Deal turned out to be wishful thinking and we discovered that they were laughing at us all along while doing whatever they wanted.

Not only were they awful and ineffectual in government, they broke the law, they broke the Social Contract, they broke the UK.

They say a fish rots from the head and that explains why we did not improve.

The thing is that the restrictions simply went on too long. There was a sense of community and a common goal at first, but after the "Eat out to spread covid" fiasco, people started to realise it was all bollocks. Then students were conned into signing up to Uni courses and Uni accommodation on the "promise" of blended learning which in a lot of Unis simply didn't happen and they ended up virtual prisoners in their own tiny student flats. Huge numbers of self employed and freelancers who were prevented from working or suffering drastic sales losses were excluded from covid support schemes and lost their businesses, savings or even their homes. The initial lockdown was right, albeit too late, but that should have given everyone, especially authorities, organisations, NHS, schools, etc, a bit of breathing space to make changes and adaptations for a longer term set of restrictions. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, so further lockdowns were needed (or so they claimed) with no real purpose. Remember at first it was to "flatten the curve" but then with no explanation it morphed into "aiming for close to zero deaths" - a completely different aim that meant draconian restrictions and two more lockdowns were "needed" without any justifying nor logical actual "need".

@JacquesHarlow re So much of Britain is a venal society.
Natalie HAS to have enough money for her two holidays a year, and her Kia Sportage at £350 / month so that Evie-Mae can get to her "activities".
Anything which gets in the way of that is considered an abrogation of human rights.
If Natalie's paying for that from her earned salary, who are you to question that? And if she's paying for it from unearned benefits...is the usual MN cry the same?! 'It's their money to spend it how they will!!'

Labour are doing a good job of reminding people another party can stuff up

I'm grand with Natalie and her aspirations for her children. I'm grand with Natasha who's doing her best for herself, her children and her community. I'm grand with Theresa, her business and her grandchildren. What's wrong with women doing their best for their DC?

The politics of the 2010s made us see eachother as enemies, damaging, annoying, parasitical, lifeforms living in competition.

We have not always been so pessimistic, cynical, hopeless and resistant to facts.

The conservatives weren’t the only ones partying though, and I’m fed up hearing that as an excuse. I worked in the NHS during covid and there’s far more to blame than that.

Exactly this. The goalposts kept being moved by stealth, to justify restrictions dragging on, and on, and on, and on. And when the vaccines came in, the goalposts kept being moved again. “Restrictions until over 70s vaccinated.” Then over 60s, 50s, etc, all the while coming dangerously close to making vaccines compulsory to partake in everyday life; and it served as yet another way to divide the public.