To be fed up of hearing 'just get on with it'?

[glitterpaperchain]

This kind of 'just get on with it' RE the heat is all over Facebook. People talking about the heat in 1976 and saying 'we just got on with it' or 'we muddled through' (as if people didn't die as a result of that heatwave)

My issue is - shouldn't we as a society be aiming higher than just getting on with things and muddling through? We should be campaigning for better infrastructure, better working practices.

I just think we have all this technology, we're supposed to be a rich country, let's fight to make things better rather than just managing. What happened to the spirit of the first union workers who demanded better conditions and rights? I want to see that spirit back.

We’re not a rich country though our tax take doesn’t cover our expenditures. Maybe if we stopped making every minor inconvenience a problem for the government to solve we’d be better off.

So are you campaigning for better working practices or whatever? Because all I hear is people moaning about the heat left, right and center. So yes, they should just get on with it.

Another issue I have with society that's often on mumsnet, the bitterness and hyperindividualism

Feel free to join a union and start campaigning for your employer to improve your working conditions.

I'm freelance and work from home so there's no union for me. But again, this hyperindividualisation of bringing it back to me specifically when I'm talking about something I'd like to see in wider society. Why can't we discuss that without going WELL YOU DO IT THEN

I just think we have all this technology, we're supposed to be a rich country, let's fight to make things better rather than just managing

When the government won't insist on new builds having solar panels from the very beginning, or even heat pumps, because it puts too much cost on the poor builders then I think you won't get very far. Or when local government insists on building multiple flats on busy roads full of car emissions that will affect quality of life because they won't sort out the traffic light sequences properly despite multiple planning objections.

So yes, I agree with you on principle but until those people who accept brown envelopes get a conscience it will never happen.

If I just get on with it I will end up in hospital. So no I will not just get on with it

PP doesn't care about you. That's what that attitude is really, a lack of empathy and 'every man for himself'

But for things like schools, it has to be the government that makes changes. We can't even begin to think about installing air con - we're quibbling over £30 expenses for resources. We are just so far away from being able to even consider upgrading our building. School is hot every year. I can't think of a summer recently when we've not had at least 2 weeks in the classroom where learning has been affected. No one would expect children to come to a school with no heating; I'm not sure why being too cold is considered so much worse than being too hot. Based on times when our heating has gone off, I'd say it's been far less problematic.

I agree. But there’s no willingness to change. Unfortunately there is a certain generation in this country that does not want change. They vote so politics revolves around their opinions and demands. They want to everyone suffer because it was hot in the 70s once and they ‘got on with it’. They say this as you struggle to go out to work and send your kids to school while they watch tv at home in the cool.

For a few days every half century, I think that we should just get on with it rather than spaff hundreds of billions adapting infrastructure and working practices.

Every half century? It happened last summer and is predicted to become a regular occurrence

You mentioned 1976. Yes, it's currently hot, but hasn't been this hot for 50 years. Spending a load of money on infrastructure would be an overreaction in my opinion.

I'm not sure what you think should happen OP?

Yes of course we should have trains that still run in heat, hospitals that aren't crumbling and schools that can still function in a heatwave but what can most of us do about it?

We might be a rich country but everyone is skint and paying a huge amount of tax already so how are we going to pay for it?

I mentioned 1976 because I've seen many people referencing it. It's an example of the attitude I'm seeing. Temperatures are easy to Google, I'm not here to debate if heatwaves this hot are becoming a common occurance, they are.

We need to do better than muddle through.

and this heat is getting worse - it’s significantly warmer than 1976

Well yes exactly! Why aren't we having these conversations? Why instead are so many people shrugging, saying 'just get on with it, stop moaning'

Oh it's difficult let's just not bother eh

Maybe not this exact temperature but it's high 20s every summer term at some point. It was high 30s in 2022. 2018 had 5 weeks of very warm weather, a lot of days were in the 30s. It's really not like we don't get warm temperatures many years.

The highest temperatures are creeping up
the probability of having unusually high temperatures is going up.
the climate is heating up and if you put your head in the sand you will end up cooked
white is white and claimed change is real and dangerous

Who do you think makes up wider society? Individuals who join together to campaign for change. It’s not hyper individualism to suggest that if you want to see societal change, you should involve yourself in activating that change as far as is within your gift.

Otherwise it’s “I’d like change, but I’d like other people to achieve that”.

I suspect they didn’t “just get in with it”. My DM is still banging on about it 50 years later.

”Watch that pan, it’s hot”
”It’s not as hot as the summer of 1976!”

🙄

Just been chatting to my mum about the heat in 76, she said it wasn't as bad as it wasn't as muggy. I don't remember being hot in 76,just endless playing and sunshine.

Ha, exactly. I am also very dubious of exactly how well people remember an event 50 years on. People don't even remember aspects of COVID accurately.

When did we all turn into such a bunch of pussies