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Original poster

"Only the elderly/immune suppressed are at risk" - attitude of dicks?

602 replies

SylvanianFrenemies · 27/02/2020 22:47

People who say not to worry about Coronavirus, because "Only the elderly/chronically ill/immune suppressed" are dicks.

Some of us fall into these categories. Some love people who fall into these categories. Some have some essence of humanity. Stop using "Only the xxx" to dismiss concerns. Stop conflating it with flu.

Wash your hands. Isolate yourself as required. Err on the side of caution.

YABU = I agree with these dicks.
YANBU = I am human.

OP posts:
Original poster
SylvanianFrenemies · 28/02/2020 10:53

Absolutely janemaster.

OP posts:
CatherineOfAragonsPomegranate · 28/02/2020 10:53

Yes, I think that sums up the "dickish" viewpoint entirely. "It's killing old people but everyone would care a lot more if it were killing young people"

Oh come on. As a society we take special concern over the young. People in general are very condemning of people who hurt babies and young people. We are more sentimental about them. They represent our future more than someone like me who is mid forties and has had a measure of life. I accept this. It's partly why I'd volunteer to go first in the event of some mass catastrophe. Happy for the young people to repopulate the planet.

What is dickish about saying that we would all be more concerned if the young and fit were dying? Unless you think that that's same as saying fuck the old.

Oh that is what you're sayingHmm

Skierrdery · 28/02/2020 10:59

What annoys me most is people going to great lengths to downplay the risks, as if none of us are capable of discussing it, without also being in a sweat of hysterical panic.

I'm an intelligent individual, but I can discuss it, without arranging my funeral.
I don't need it to be EXPLAINED to me 1 million times that the risk is minimal, only the ill and elderly get it etc etc. I watch the news too you know. I am as capable as the know-it-alls on here of interpreting data.

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:05

Oh come on. As a society we take special concern over the young.

I don't think people without children would actually be necessarily be as concerned if this killed young people compared with people their own age. That's not to say they wouldn't be concerned at all but they may find it reassuring to think that they and their loved ones weren't going to die. They would be dick's to say so though, particularly on a parenting forum.

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:05

woodchuck99 are you actually okay? I said I'm not panicking? Hmm

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:07

the fact you're now saying people wouldnt care if young people were dying if they dont have kids really does show that

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:08

noone would find it reassuring that young people were dying unless you were an absolute moron

NomDeDieu · 28/02/2020 11:11

I've voted that YABU in big part because of the way you have worded your OP @SylvanianFrenemies.

I appreciate that you said
Just reiterating that I'm not saying people reassuring friends and family, or simply acknowledging that some groups are at increased risk, are dicks.
But this is absolutely not what you OP is saying.

I agree with @JustBreatheLxs. I am also probably within that 'at risk' category (even though very clearly not as much at risk as her). I know the effect a simple cold has on me (it has taken me two months to recover from the one I got at christmas). But it's just part of my chronic condition and I have learnt to live with it, corona virus or not.

But still....

  • I believe it's still OK to point out that getting the Corona virus doesnt automatically means death. There is a lot of scaremongering and panic, often dressed up as 'care for the vulnerable people aorund us' when actually people just want to avoid getting it at all costs.
  • Its also OK to point out that I am much more worried about issues with supplies (we are a global world, connected to each other and there are already issues with some products not coming through from China and the like that ARE affecting our everyday wellbeing. Eg the raw ingredients from antibiotics are mainly coming from China. Im more worried about the whole world getting short on ABs than the virus itself)
  • the steps to avoid the propagation of this virus are exactly the same than for the common cold (washing hands etc etc). Starting with that will allow for less panic and will be much more efficient.
  • Finger pointing at all the 'dicks' (your words *@SylvanianFrenemies*) will only antagonise people, creating exactly what you said those people are doing - othering, finding a scapegoat etc... Not helpful at all, esp when this has already raped up racism and xenophobia (anyone heard things along the lines of avoiding any chinese or italian people for example??)
woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:14

the fact you're now saying people wouldnt care if young people were dying if they dont have kids really does show that

I didn't say that at all.

cologne4711 · 28/02/2020 11:14

And yesterday's Daily Heil reported that in a pandemic, it would be the 'healthy' that were given the treatment, as they are more likely to survive

I heard that on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, although I was waking up and it might have been in their newspaper headline round-up section, so the same article you are referring to.

The NHS already rations care for the elderly and sometimes the not so elderly if it is "only" quality of life eg having a dodgy knee so not being able to run. This isn't anything new.

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:16

noone would find it reassuring that young people were dying unless you were an absolute moron

But it's okay to be reassured that people with health conditions and those who are immunosuppressed dying?

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:17

The NHS already rations care for the elderly and sometimes the not so elderly if it is "only" quality of life eg having a dodgy knee so not being able to run. This isn't anything new.

They don't.

Kazzyhoward · 28/02/2020 11:18

I see no value in the average healthy person going around flapping and buying face masks because they’re worried about themselves.

But it's not just themselves. If they contract it, they'll be passing it on to their friends/family/work colleagues, random people they sneeze near to, who may be at high risk. Whether you, personally, are high risk or, not, you owe it to everyone around you to take sensible precautions.

We've drummed this into our son who's a sixth former. Both OH and myself are high risk (I've got diabetes, OH has incurable cancer). We always take sensible precautions (regular hand washing, avoiding crowded places etc) - long before Corona came along.

But DS is constantly getting colds etc probably due to close proximity of being in a school full of over a thousand kids, many with dubious personal hygiene habits. We have always made him wash his hands when he comes in from school, wipe over his phone, etc. Also constantly reminding him to sneeze into a tissue and wash his hands afterwards.

He used to stay in school through his free periods, but due to corona, we're getting him to come home early if he has no lessons later in the day. The less time he's at school, the better, at the moment.

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:18

woodchuck99 you're saying this fact like it's new. they are usually the more at risk if there is an illness. if a virus came along killing predominantly the young yes that would be very very concerning

CatherineOfAragonsPomegranate · 28/02/2020 11:18

no one would find it reassuring that young people were dying unless you were an absolute moron

Quite.

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:22

you're saying this fact like it's new. they are usually the more at risk if there is an illness. if a virus came along killing predominantly the young yes that would be very very concerning

The Spanish flu killed the young healthy more than older people. Yes it would be very concerning if a virus came along killing predominantly young. It is also very concerning if a virus comes along and kills people over the age of 50 or anyone with health conditions though.

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:24

woodchuck99......literally noone has said it isnt but to compare it to the young being killed is seriously worrying. I'm clearly not old at 25 but rather me than a child

NomDeDieu · 28/02/2020 11:26

And yesterday's Daily Heil reported that in a pandemic, it would be the 'healthy' that were given the treatment, as they are more likely to survive

No what is happening is that 80% of the people who need ventialtion die. So basically, the disease has alerady progressed too far for doctors to be able to do anything about it. In that case, when there isnt an endless supply of beds and doctors with ventilations, therebis a point to make about saving those beds for the ones who are more likely to survive. This is, after all, the system that the NHS is working on when they decide if one is to be sent to see a specialist or not. Can you sort of cope vs someone else because we have very imited rssources and cant see everyone? (Same with medication when NICE and the likes are deciding that they will not allow x medication that will save one person life when they can use the same amount of money for y medication that will help more people).

Does it sound crap? Yes it does but this is the way our current healthcare system is working. One where some people are given priority over other. And some people are chosing to let one group die in prefrence to another.

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:27

literally noone has said it isnt but to compare it to the young being killed is seriously worrying. I'm clearly not old at 25 but rather me than a child

That's probably because you have children though. Someone with children in their 20s may be more concerned about it killing people in their 20s than children. The point is everybody's life counts and people shouldn't be "reassured" just because it won't affect their loved ones and they are certainly dicks if they say they are reassured because they aren't in a high-risk group.

NomDeDieu · 28/02/2020 11:28

The Spanish flu killed the young healthy more than older people.

Seeing that the spanish flu happened just after the first world war, I've always wondered if this was just the consequences of a big pat of the population been send to war and coming back in worse state of healh than the 'older' people who stayed where they were.....

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:28

and not sure what the Spanish flu has got to do with anything, that actually supports what I'm saying. they were so concerned by that, extensive research was done to see why it targeted people in their 20s and to prevent it from happening again

HairyFloppins · 28/02/2020 11:29

I just overheard a conversation in Asda about this virus. Apparently it's ok as it just affects the weak and elderly Shock

I'm terrified by all this and don't want my parents to fly in fours weeks, I just want to hide in a cupboard.

woodchuck99 · 28/02/2020 11:30

They clearly will have to make an assessment on who is most likely survive but it won't be there simple case of old or health conditions versus young or whose life is worth more. They would make a clinical assessment. I don't have a problem with that is what else could they do?

flower1994 · 28/02/2020 11:30

woodchuck99 lol no, even if I didnt have children I'd still be more concerned with kids being killed than my age group