There's a weird disconnect in some people thinking isn't there?

[TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot]

You hear or see people saying or writing "I'm not panic buying or hoarding, I just did some massive shops to make sure we had enough to last five years and now I'm just doing normal shops with a few extras to add to our supplies and I'm appalled and disgusted at all these people ransacking the shops when they don't need to." And somehow they don't realise that panic buying and stockpiling is exactly what they've done and they're no different or better than anyone else buying more than they need.

And all the people going to their second homes, I bet most of them have twisted it round in their mind and saying "Well actually our house in the country that we only spend a few weeks a year in is our real home and we're just as much locals as the people here full time and they all love us and I am disgusted at all these second home owners coming here and spreading coronavirus and using our scant resources."

People always seem to find a way to justify their own behaviour while condemning other people for doing exactly the same.

Do you think people should examine their actions more and see that sometimes they are part of this problem?

Probably we are all guilty of this at some point but now it seems particularly important to consider our actions and the impact on others.

We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions.

Most people aren’t able to self critique.

Oh god my dh is like this. I popped out to get a food shop and when I got back he'd let our kids out to play with some other kids on the street. Yet this morning he was complaining about all the people still taking their kids to the park. People go to great lengths to justify why they're the exception to the rule.

We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions

So true!

Yeah, everyone does seem to be grabbing everything they can and then pretending they're different.

I can only beg people to not panic buy, as we cant afford to buy more than a weeks worth of shopping at a time. I also cant drive and always get my shopping delivered, and now with everyone booking as many slots as they can- my next slot is the 18th of April.

I have a small baby and we're going to need to eat before the 18th of April. I'm more scared of the panic buying than the virus.
We are lucky to have family close by who will help if they can, but it's still scary.

Yes Cornettoninja I think you're completely right about that.

I'm a bit of a prepper, we have a big chest freezer in the garage which still has chicken and prawns that I bought when they were reduced for quick sale over the last couple of months, plus some potatoes and butternut squash still keeping from what we grew on the allotment last year, plus beans and fruit in the freezer also from the allotment. I always as standard buy a new packet of rice/pasta when I open the last one.

We've been self-isolating since last Tuesday, and the only supplies people have needed to bring us are bread and a bunch of bananas - we have a milkman anyway. So actually having a decent store cupboard has saved us adding to the panic buying in the last week; I don't regard it as stockpiling, I typically buy when prices are good and freeze/ preserve for the future. (This includes my stock of homemade chutneys and jams, and the raspberry gin!)

I think there is a real "othering" effect here too which has been under the surface since 2016. There are so many different groups at whom one can point the finger based on their age, number of children, jobs, location etc. that it is really easy to find another group to lay the blame on and absolve ourselves of any wrongdoing.

People asking about childcare here saying they are NHS frontline and the response is "But what sort of frontline?" As if we can gauge how much they deserve access to childcare based on our layman's understanding of how the NHS functions. We are all looking to make sure someone isn't getting is better than us.

Everyone is looking for the bad guy in this but at the same time is unwilling to really question if their own actions are actually based on needs or wants.

I am in Austria where there is a lockdown, police on the streets and €3500 fines for people breaking the law. It is brilliant. I don't have to ask myself whether I should be doing x, y or z and I don't need to get angry about other people's behaviour because there is a mechanism to deal with them.

There is no panic buying and no food shortages. All those who need to go out still can. I can still go on a walk but if I am with someone and stopped by the police, we have to show we live in the same household. I take my 2 year old out in the pushchair because if she runs off and breaks the distancing rules, I will get the fine.

This crisis is hitting Britain at a time in our history when we are already so divided and used to a tribalism which makes empathy with someone in different circumstances much harder, maybe even impossible.

Yes, so many people saying things like I was in the supermarket this morning I can't believe how busy it was, or I went to walk my dog on the beach and it's full of people, or I took my kids to the park but it was really busy. Do they not see they are part of the problem?

I've seen loads of posts on social media aggressively criticising other people from folk who I know are being complete hypocrites.

@scorpianqueen, no, no one ever does. It’s been like this forever though - like people who moan about sitting in traffic - they are the traffic! (I get to be smug on this one because I use public transport - washes hands furiously).

I don’t know whether it’s a particular trait of a modern capitalist society or human nature but it’s impressively blinkered and individually convincing.

This is so true. I saw a post on one thread saying something like 'there's a big difference between stock piling and just getting in some extra so your family can last for a few weeks' but there really, really isn't and it's this thinking which is leaving some NHS workers unable to get basic provisions. We know that anxiety and shock can make it hard to think straight though and I think the government advise is shockingly vague - leaving us all having to think a bit at a time when we can't. They need to be way more precise. The clarity in Austria seems really helpful.

@Crackerofdoom
can I ask, as you are allowed to go out for food shopping, how can that be checked, or are the number of times you go out monitored?

We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions.

Ooh - the most profound thing U’ve read for a while!

@myidentitymycrisis

Hi, no there is no check. You decide what is considered essential.

Supermarkets are always shut here from 6pm Saturday to Monday morning and the latest supermarkets are open is about 8pm. There is no culture of online food shopping either.

I think that because people here are used to planning ahead for Sundays and we have no culture of 24 hour shopping, people have not panicked in the same way as the UK.

I also think that people trust the government far more here and have bought into the logic behind the quarantine.

It’s true with everything. My aunt is having a go at my mum all like “you can’t see our mother because your adult children have moved back in with you and they might have it” yet she is continuing to see her own grandchildren and going to see her mother. Everyone is a hypocrite when it suits them.

Hum, we normally do a big cupboard shop the first week after payday to last a month with the exception of fresh food. This week is payday it’s time to break routine. However, it is scary to hear baby milk and nappies being things people have hoarded. I would not blame or judge anyone buying enough to last a month of these products or similar. I’m sensible enough to know some people have multiple births so they will need more. Just concentrate on yourself and make a bigger scene about food waste. That is the shameful act. Ps I don’t have anyone wearing nappy or baby milk in my household. But I can sympathise with new mothers.

The government is saying there is no food shortages. I’m not sure I would count food miles away waiting for a lorry to deliver it is not a food shortage. Yes, it would be much worse if no food was coming. Now the government has relaxed the rules (to what I don’t know) I automatically worry about increase in lorry accidents. Which will delay food arriving at the shops. I hope (but not very confident) that there are still safe measures around the hours drivers work. Saturdays briefing raised a lot of questions for me. Anyway, please stop blaming joe public and ask more from the government. They can put a stop to this, by applying pressure without taking away our liberties. They should start issuing fines, that has cleaned my London bough a lot. Yes, that took time but a lot of people care about their pockets more than anything else. Maybe increase on the spot fines? It will also pay for itself, if my local government can do this for littering it can do it for people who break the social distancing rules.

I was so angry with my brother in Law and his wife yesterday - my husband and i are working - both have front line jobs and are either at work - we dont have kids so its literally us at home - no one has comne over and we havnt left the house - we spoke to our mums earlier in the week to tell them that we wouldnt be seeing them for mothers day - one is late 50's other early 60s., my mother works for the nhs in the community and his mother works in a shop - that was fine - brother in law rang my husband in the week and said they were still going over as they werent sick! - my sister in law has been with her mum on saturday who works for the bank so has constant public contact! So she has seen her - potentially picked up something from her mum - she has then gone to visit my mother and father in law ! I very rarely say anything but i couldnt help it! Brother in laws response was
"at the end of the day shops are still open its all about being careful and washing your hands! - everyone is still moving round the same - our neighbours ran out of wipes and ive been going all over to find them some - just be careful not to touch anything - parks are encouraging people to go out so we thought we would take her to a garden centre!

It’s a Yes Minister irregular verb:

• I shop strategically so we always have what we need
• you prep
• they are panic buying sociopaths

I find it disgusting that preppers have a whole lardar full of food but are still popping out to buy fresh stuff. FINISH YOUR HOARDED FOOD FIRST

Everyone is a hypocrite when it suits them

Completely true.

However, I stockpiled, I did not panic buy, because I had a Brexit stockpile which I decided not to use too much of as this started blowing up.

I bought two packets of sanitary towels about 2 weeks ago to add to my stash and that was the extent of my "panic buying".

I think it's ego and also being fixated, on certain things.

Eg so many families I've known including in laws who are obsessed with shoes off.
Vile, dirty, disgusting.. And so on. And yet they lick fingers! Their dc can't wash-hand properly, one dd picked up rice with her bare hand and ate it, then licked her hand (absolutely nothing cultural there), lick and share each others ice creams, feed each other and dc off forks.. The whole family, aunts and uncles included. Share and slurp drinks cans.

Yet all examples come from families who are incredibly pleased with their shoes off policy

We are really sunk as a country because they will be merrily spooning and licking corona into each other via their mouths and saliva, but at least their carpets will remain clean

Totally agree OP and you see it on here time and time again. Like the Sainsbury's delivery thread. Yes I support them prioritising over 70s and medically vulnerable people, but I need home delivery because of x, y and z. Most want to be the exception.
Or people who complain about panic buying but then you find they have 3 months of food in their house.
I agree that people are terrible at self critiquing. Everyone has a reason as to why they are the exception.

Grumpy not true. If everyone who could had about 10 days of food, no one would have panicked bought.
We don't know what's coming, people who prepped for brexit and then for this, are not the ones cleaning out supermarkets. If supply chains grind to a holt they will be the ones surviving on their prep stock. Not the ones panic buying again

Ha, I love that irregular verb iVampire .

@Lifesavesocialdistance - they should be surviving on their prepped stock right now. Not making it difficult for people who didn’t shit themselves before Brexit. Supermarket shopping should be on an as needed basis - buying fresh food when you have a larder full of tins / frozen / dried food is just idiotic.