To think this has really identified the people who have a lack of independent thinking

[constantlyseekinghappiness]

Exactly that.

The volume of people in the world you simply cannot work anything out for themselves. They seem to expect specific instructions tailored to their own self/family.

Simply cannot listen to guidance and come to their own conclusion on what to do.

The questions on here are getting utterly ridiculous. Some people just cannot apply their own minds to something and get on with it.

The world - “you should practice social distancing”

Person - “oh, but can I still just do...” (activity severely lacking in social distancing)

I think there's been a move towards an anti-intellectual society for a long time. Learning for it's own sake, a curiosity about the world, having a hinterland; so much of this is derided by so many people now. I'm not making a claim for this based on class, age, gender etc, I feel it's something that's seeped into our society everywhere.

The idea of taking the time to become well-informed about a critical issue will have been dismissed by many. There'll be claims of being too busy, lack of access to reliable information. These type of claims exemplify the problem itself. And before somebody jumps on me about literacy levels, YouTube and Podcasts are a revolution for those with lower literacy skills.

I think it's mostly boredom and "what can I chat to the nice people on MN about?" Rather than a genuine need for, or indeed interest in, the answer.

@The80sweregreat
"Meanwhile our nhs staff will be trying to save these people's lives in a couple of weeks time"

Unfortunately i saw some very irresponsible posts, totally minimising this, from Nurses when it first became public.

Since the schools have been closed, one suggested that the children make cards, pictures and gifts for people in care homes and take them round, to leave at the entrance.

One has just posted about wider family with their children, going to their caravan, like it's a good thing. She has been to a spa today.

I think, as someone who lives abroad, that the advice has been shit and very wooly. "Try to avoid" etc. Instead of "go home and do not do anything non essential"

Yes, it is definitely revealing the hard of thinking and/or self absorbed types. Many of them are poorly educated, but I've also heard highly educated professionals saying things like "Well, the flu kills 20,000 a year anyway... it's all media hype!" I think they are either in denial or just can't grasp percentages. I try to put it simply to them; I explain that the flu kills about 1 in a thousand, or fewer, but this thing is killing at rates of 1-9 percent, depending on which country's stats you look at, so on average about 4 in every hundred it infects. I tell them to look at Italy and realise that our numbers will probably be similar in a few weeks... I think I have got the message through to some people.

Anyway, whether they understand the importance of social distancing or not, hopefully the increased measures taken this week will slow down tje infection rate here. Thank goodness the pubs will be shut this evening - think how many people may have otherwise gone to the pub tonight, then visited their elderly mothers and infected them on Mothers Day.

It is a crisis! No one is going to spoonfeed us

Totally agree, and the sooner people realise this the better. People just sit back and expect "someone" (usually the government) to do something, but actually you have to do something yourself, it starts with you. Follow the instructions and stop trying to re-arrange them to suit your own needs.

Because people disagree with you doesn't mean they don't have critical thinking or independent thinking skills.

In terms of asking MN for advice, there are people who need validation for everything. Like the people who ask in our local FB group "what's the best takeaway in [town]". Why don't you just try one and see?

Reginabambina you said what I came here to say, far more succinctly.

Surely people hearing the governments advice and then doing something completely different (refusing to distance or isolate, going to pubs etc) is more a sign of independent thought (albeit selfish and stupid independent thought) than those of us who are blindly following every recommendation the moment it’s uttered? And I’m in the latter category.

I agree. All this literal mindedness. “Oh the guidance doesn’t say you can’t do x so I can still do it.”

Well yes legally you still can but you may be infectious and giving it to another five people if you do, some of whom may die. But you’re not going to get arrested yet so crack on.

I don’t think it’s a lack of critical thinking I think it’s good honest selfishness. People do what they think they can get away with and bugger the consequences for health, welfare, society and the economy.

I’m alright Jack. It makes me ashamed to be honest. Ashamed of the decadence of our society.

@GalleyHead to be fair even non-intellectuals are capable of critical thinking (they might not be very good at it not having recurved much of an education and lacking the raw intellect to work it all out themselves but most people can do it to a degree). This automatic assumption that everyone who thinks differently is a complete moron just annoys me sometimes.

It's unprecedented and TBF we are still being told that for most people it's a mild illness with vague advice about the rules. Of course people dont know what to do!

It needs no education whatsoever to distinguish between the likely value of public health information disseminated via your GP surgery or NHS website, and something some anonymous random says on a reddit forum — ‘practice social distancing and avoid non-essential social contact’ is not something you need to have an independent opinion about.

I've seen loads of FB posts about people heading to the coast, Wales and Devon etc, to 2nd homes, or with fecking caravans. This should have been made explicitly clear that you can't do this. In Belgium, many have apartments by the coast. It is explicitly forbidden to travel there.

Completely agree. Cannot believe how many people have to make a new thread to discuss their symptoms or their child's then ask if they need to stay home as if they're the first to ask, or the people who have no idea if they're high risk or not when it was made clear who such people are during the briefings, or posting here when they could google something.

Do people still believe this is just the flu and it's all hyperbole? I can see why they might and people have to work and get food. It's so hard but abiding by the rules isn't that hard regarding staying apart surely?
It's not that difficult

It's shown how selfish people are.
It's such a difficult situation though and practically impossible to get your head around.

What saddens me is that so many people seem to live in isolated little bubbles (before self isolation) - remember all those 'my little family' quotes and then seem at total loss because they haven't any community network.

Where I live there, a bog standard very small town, there are so many great community initiatives springing up, there is a fantastic shopping/delivery service for the self isolated,elderly, key workers etc - anyone can use it. All the Churches are doing whatever they can to help the local community (not just their own members). Neighbours are falling over themselves to help each other.

Now, more than ever, it just shows important it is to be part of your local community and not be 'shy' or socially anxious about building up a network.

I've had enough stupidity and ignorance to deal with in RL today, can't handle any more.

I already mentioned on another thread - neighbour, mid 50s, diabetes and other health issues, never voted, never watches the news, said this whole thing is a big fuss, it's just a bad cold and stop talking about it because it's boring. In view of her health I suggested she self isolate - no, too boring, I suggested her fit and well husband goes shopping - no, he finds shopping boring, I suggested ordering online - no, she likes to see what she is buying.

Today I was in my garden topping up bird food, she shouts hello over the fence and beckons me to the fence. I explain I'm keeping my distance as I'm self isolating (age and health). She laughs and then tells me how lucky I am to have had a delivery, I have no idea how awful it is trying to shop, they would only let her have 2 big bottles of fizzy drink instead of six, no loo rolls, none of her favourite crisps etc, the list goes on. Then to top off her day the fish and chip shop didn't have any spam so she couldn't have her usual fried battered spam and chips (not envy)

She then told me that she was certain the panic buyers are foreigners, she had seen P*s piling up their trollies. I exploded and told her that was patently untrue, disgusting and horribly racist, I had no idea she was a racist. She went mad and said how dare you call me a racist, I am not a racist! I came back indoors and am now looking at buying 15 foot bamboo to plant against the fence.

I'm boycotting the CV board for a couple of days, can't take any more.