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Original poster

Our human rights have been taken away

999 replies

Soph7777 · 29/03/2020 23:40

I know it's for a good cause.

I know it's to save lives.

But our basic human rights have been taken from under us, in the short space of a week.

I find this part most of all the scariest.

I'm really struggling mentally with government control to this extent.

How long can this last before people lose their minds and rebel?

OP posts:
Original poster
Soph7777 · 30/03/2020 00:17

@puds11 the plan of social distancing makes sense.

It's just all bizarre. Crazy in fact.

Just so far from what we are used to as a society that it's just hit me how much we are confined.

OP posts:
LittleRootie · 30/03/2020 00:18

Honestly, you need to see what you can do to calm yourself down.

Yes, that's always excellent advice for anyone struggling with MH issues I find Hmm

It's a very important point to raise OP and I don't think pp will be able to tolerate these conditions for long.

morriseysquif · 30/03/2020 00:18

How long can this last before people lose their minds and rebel?

Well you said it. Confused

OtherVoices · 30/03/2020 00:18

But the living need to be thought about too.

The dead were living a few days / hours ago.

Why when anyone complains do people remind me of the deaths?

Umm... What is the point in complaining? The reality is, many more people are yet to die. Complaining won't change anything.

I know people are dying and it's very sad.

Understatement of the year.

EasterElf · 30/03/2020 00:18

Thank yourself we aren't in a third world or war torn countries.

Are you genuinely oblivious to the fact that one of the defining difference between us and countries like this is that we have incredibly powerful laws to protect and uphold human rights...?

Enough4me · 30/03/2020 00:19

OP you have the right to express your feeling and views on here, freedom of speech still exists.

Thankfully freedom of movement will be reinstated when it it is safer to do so, but its temporary loss is hard and it does feel surreal.

MigginsMrs · 30/03/2020 00:19

I feel the same. I worry we won't be given all our human rights back once this is all over.

Why wouldn’t we? Previous governments could have done similar and haven’t. No one has a lower opinion of politicians than me but I honestly don’t see any reason to think that. France, Italy, Spain are all in the same boat.

Ladiva1971 · 30/03/2020 00:19

Pepepig You are being asked to basically sit at home and watch tv. You aren't on the frontline, risking your life for, often, shit money. You aren't getting bombed. You aren't homeless. You have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, technology to amuse yourself with, money to spend...

I'm actually embarrassed to say I live in a country where people are going to "riot" because they can only go out once a day. Imagine actually living in poverty in a third world country. Imagine having no access to healthcare or education. But, no. We all have to listen to this overly dramatic tripe where people are complaining about their "human rights" being taken away, when it's literally a few weeks/months of being careful so we can save as many lives as possible.
I could not agree more, I take my hat of to you!

Nollett · 30/03/2020 00:20

stormyclouds agreed!

LalalalalaLlama · 30/03/2020 00:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Onacleardayyoucansee · 30/03/2020 00:21

I get you OP.

Look at ways you can calm down with meditation, music, time in the garden if you are fortunate enough to have one

Take no notice of the harsh responses.
They dont know you, dont take it personally.
You've said how many people feel and I thank you for your honesty.

Seek likeminded people who you can explore and discuss with.

symbioticpatriot · 30/03/2020 00:21

OP I am sorry but this is more about your anxiety and mental health than truly being controlled or having rights removed. I hope you can still find what makes you feel free in your space. It is hard for many people so you’re not alone; you just need to find what helps you cope as best you can.

For those saying “people die every day anyway what’s the big deal” I do wonder if you actually read newspapers or news sites and understand the outcome if we don’t enforce the lockdown. Do you think there will just be a few thousand or ten thousand more deaths and that will be it? Confused

MayTheGodsBeEverInYourFavour · 30/03/2020 00:22

You can complain about your human rights all you want, it's not going to affect the virus. You can go out, & maybe catch it, & risk becoming a statistic.

Cissyandflora · 30/03/2020 00:23

We are being protected in the best way possible right now. I do not worry about my human rights being curtailed. I’m very shocked by events and it still feels surreal but I’m very grateful to the government and to all the key workers who are working so hard to look after us. Some people need to be protected from themselves and that is why we need strict guidelines.

MigginsMrs · 30/03/2020 00:23

I don't know how much longer this can carry on

Jesus. It’s not even been a week yet!

LimitIsUp · 30/03/2020 00:24

"Our right to be unhappy about the restrictions of our freedoms is certainly being taken away by many on mumsnet.

It seems anyone who dares express disquiet, anxiety, distress about our loss of liberty is shot down. They are selfish, self centred, insensitive. As far as I'm aware, we are still allowed to have feelings. And hopefully, express them. Otherwise it's far more than our physical freedom we're losing."

Well said MrEzraGoldberg - as you can see I am reposting what you said in its entirety

OtherVoices · 30/03/2020 00:24

Someone needs to take a look outside their bubble. You think people are stopping you from getting on with life? You need to live with that. Like the rest of us.

That's you OP.

Actionhasmagic · 30/03/2020 00:25

Think of the doctors and nurses working tirelessly - saving lives and facing horror. All you have to do is not go out. What about the most basic human right - the right to life? I know it’s hard but so many others have it worse

Onemorefortheroad · 30/03/2020 00:26

I can see where OP is coming from. It's a massive change, basically overnight, huge thing for people to get their heads around.
I too worry slightly that government are in control of when things go back to 'normal' whatever that looks like, and their track record...

BigChocFrenzy · 30/03/2020 00:26

If going out only risked the individual themself,
then imo it would be their human right to take the chance and wear a DNR T-shirt so they don't take up a hospital bed

Unfortunately "no man is an island" and noone who gets infected is an island either

  • they risk infecting others, who don't want to increase their risk
SingforAbsolution · 30/03/2020 00:27

Meghan, is that you? Biscuit

OtherVoices · 30/03/2020 00:27

It seems anyone who dares express disquiet, anxiety, distress about our loss of liberty is shot down. They are selfish, self centred, insensitive.

Not true. I don't know anyone who is happy about the situation.

MotherOfGremlins · 30/03/2020 00:28

I haven't rtft (I have a cough and fever and am probably going to type gibberish)

I get it - I don't think that OP is saying that it should be any different than it is, just that it's difficult to get her head around the swiftness in the reduction of the freedoms that we've enjoyed for so long.

I totally understand the feeling of no one tells me not to do - whilst at the same time abiding by it because it makes sense and I'm not an asshole (hopefully). Sorry if I missed anything vital in the thread!

PepePig · 30/03/2020 00:29

It's fine to feel x way about the pandemic, but I think it's pretty distasteful to post it on a public forum.

Most of the population are at home right now. Literally just being asked to limit trips to the shop, exercise once a day (so can still go out) and entertain themselves in their own spaces. A lot are working from home, safely, or furloughed on 80% wages. But they are as safe as they can be. I'm aware it's shit for the SE, but, again, at least they're able to minimise risk of infection.

I think it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for those on the front line, who are often poorly paid and cannot work from home, to be exposing themselves to the virus for hours at a time with minimal or no PPE, to get home and have to read this tripe. I'm sure they'd love to spend their days working at a laptop with a coffee rather than stacking shelves and having people breathe all over them, grabbing loo rolls like vultures, or nurses and doctors trying to make the last of their face masks last while dealing with potentially CV positive patients.

They don't get a choice though. Really, they have less rights than you. More risk. Less reward. Yet they're cracking on and keeping the country running.

What are the complainers doing? Honestly, according to Mumsnet, they seem to be ripping each other apart. I read earlier how quite a few posters essentially felt they were more important than those with chronic conditions or the elderly. If you're old, you don't matter, apparently.

It's just tedious, tbh. If we all just got on with it, we'd be out of it sooner and more of us get to live.

Why is that so hard to understand?

Bouledeneige · 30/03/2020 00:30

Yes it does show the power of the state - that is why we are citizens of a state so that in times of real need we can collectively act for the better. Rather than just leave people to die in the street, or starve because they can't afford food. You need to balance the restrictions to your liberty with what is being given back - more resources for healthcare, for medicines, for food and benefits to prevent people falling into destitution. Without the limits to our liberty it would be everyone for themselves - looting, stealing and grabbing from each other.

What we also need to recognise is how powerless we are as the human race. We are not invincible just as previous generations were not invincible to the black death, plague, spanish flu, SARs or Ebola. Did we weep for people's loss of freedoms when we saw what was done to tackle Ebola? Probably not - we marvelled at the bravery of the health workers who went in to help them. We are also not invincible when it comes to the forces of nature, earthquakes or tsunamis. Its good to remember that.

We are just specks on the earth and our lives are nasty, brutish and short. There is potential for lots of good to come out of this - greater care for each other and for society, for collectively helping each other like the 750,000 who have volunteered to join the NHS/Care effort. Will it last - who can say? If we all return to our mindsets of individualism and only caring about our own needs then no.

In the meantime I share your pain. Its going to be hard for me and you and my elderly 90 year old Dad. For people financially or health vulnerable. For front line workers. I know you know that.

What will help us if we accept the reality - it will go on as long as they think it needs to. Work on our self care - take notice, connect, stay active, keep learning, give. If we realise this is a marathon not a sprint. And if we focus on compassion and patience for those around us.

And by the way, this government and Prime Minister are libertarians - they hate a big state interfering in people's lives. They have been forced to take more action like a socialist state but its in their bones that they will want to restore liberty as soon as possible. But they may also want to remove some of the other features of big statism that they have had to introduce like the financial safeguards they have put in place and that may be much harder for them and those who are the worst off. Its going to be a very rocky and difficult road.