Why are people covidiots? What’s the psychology?

[Davespecifico]

I’m struggling to understand how families can watch the news, scroll Facebookand so on and not fail to see, over and over again, ‘stay home, save lives, protect the NHS.’

Really, what are they actually thinking? What goes on in their minds?

I am really worried even about my daily short walk or having to go to the supermarket. But I’m risk averse.

I wonder if there should be a new strategy to appeal to people who are more gung-ho and on the opposite end of the risk taking spectrum from me?

I live rural Scotland and the risk here just isn’t as great as it is in London. Because we have fewer contacts with others, less chance of spreading. Arguably London should have locked down sooner (to protect lives) with the rest of the UK remaining open for longer to protect the economy as the risk just wasn’t as significant at that point. Not anti-London sentiment at all.

However I am v risk averse so have not been to where People are for over 3 weeks now. Definitely an “over-reactor”!

Just to be clear - I am obeying the lockdown rules myself.

But I think that calling people 'selfish' who aren't obeying them is underestimating the burden that has been placed on them. Perhaps 'not selfless' would be a more accurate phrase.

If you and your close family are in a low risk group yourself and would be extremely unlucky to die if you caught the virus, you are being asked to endure a lot of pain (loss of income etc) in order to protect the people who are vulnerable (mainly retired folk who won't be affected by job loses).

As I say, I'm following the rules myself. But I think that calling people selfish is minimising the impact this is having on some people.

I've heard a few people saying they don't have many cases in their area, and that may be true. The point of the lockdown is to try and keep it that way I guess! But also, you don't really see cases slowly rise...one minute there are very few and the next minute loads. You have no time in between to change your behaviour.

I was shocked because my DM lives in a very small town and it seemed as unlikely as anywhere to have many cases initially...but it turned out two people had returned from Italy and by the time those first cases were identified they had been drinking in the pubs, been to the Drs surgery, passed it to a relative who worked in after school childcare and possibly to go..and so it goes. Went overnight from being no cases to being a link to all the school families.

I'd like to know the answer to this too. There were three households in my sisters new house yesterday. She's living with my mum until the house is finished, she was also there, my dad who lives on his own called in to help, and my stepbrother and his 4 year old were in "having a wee look". But it's okay as my sil and the baby sat in the car the whole time . I thought my family were reasonably intelligent people, but apparently not?

The bar next to me currently has three committee men (who don't live together), up close and personal doing a bit of DIY and tree trimming (and throwing branches in my garden). The guy I shouted over too offered to come in and pick them up (when I asked and and what am I supposed to do with those?). Looked so baffled when I said no don't come in, I have symptoms (which I do as of last night, a cough, the runs and feel generally rotten but not sure if it's just a bug or not). If it is a bug I have and I feel better 2moz, I don't want to catch it in my garden, where they could be leaning on things or coughing or sneezing on them).

Wtf is wrong with them all??

*to

Some people just refuse to co-operate or to do as they are asked.

Arrogant fuckwits, mostly.

Op, you mentioned watching the news. I do wonder if some people aren't watching the news because a) it's sooo borrring b) it's all too depressing and I don't want to know c) if I knew more about it I might have to actually change my lifestyle and I don't want to.

There's also a tiny minority who think it's all one big conspiracy theory and don't trust the authorities or the media. If you don't think it's real why would you follow the rules. All the conspiracy theories are absolute bunkum by the way.

Also some people break laws all the time, have no respect for authority and zero empathy or social conscience. Why would this be any different?

Rank stupidity? Just been in a bakery in my small town this morning. Staff in PPE and only 2 customers at a time allowed in. Chap at the far end coughed THREE TIMES while I was being served. First time I asked him not to cough. Don't think he heard me. Second time he didn't even cover his mouth. I then waited outside until he left and heard him cough a third time inside the shop. Even without the virus it's totally thoughtless.

Excuse typos, they're hammering and drilling next door now (in the bar that should be locked up), and with the noise and inner rage I can't concentrate. I can feel the stress eye twitch I had two christmases ago, coming on again.

There's a lot of arrogance. "It doesn't apply to me - I'm special." Or "it's just the flu".

From my 75 year old aunt, who insists on going to get a paper every day, to the teen in my area who made national news as he kept hanging around, to our prime minister who insisted on shaking hands, to the other Govt minister who's been caught breaking lockdown rules.

So if anyone who has any responsibility for government Covid advertising is reading this, here are the factors you need to counteract

Do you genuinely believe YOU have somehow discovered something all of the massed scientific advisers of central and local government don’t know about ?

I have experience of being a technical advisor in circustances involving the public. One of the really Fucking irritating parts of the job is the huge number of ‚‘ Disgusted of TunbridgeWells‘ who write, phone, email to tell us in detail why our response is wrong. Without realising there are scores of other influential factors that they don’t have the faintest idea about.

Or that we know what to do, and cant actually do it because politicians wade in and overrule us. Because they think it makes them look good.

My local forum is full of people wanking on about the tips being closed and the council have the temerity to ask them not to burn rubbish in their gardens during a respiratory disease epidemic. We are a commuter town in the Midlands, packed trains bringing people like DH and me home every day - we have been ill for 3 weeks with covid symptoms, but some people just won't accept that something is real until it happens to them.

I've heard different excuses throughout the crisis.

• If I get it, I get it, what will be will be.
• It's just the flu.
• People die all the time.
• I feel fine anyway so it's okay if I ....
• It's impossible to WFH with the kids .... we need to send them in to nursery.
• I don't want to look like a plonker (RE wearing a mask).

Our local Facebook is now full of idiots trying to bend the rules to suit themselves.

Trotting off for a browse at The Range or B&M. Apparently it's ok to buy sparkly shit and a couple of scatter customs if you buy a bottle of bleach too. Bleach is an essential and therefore the reason for your shop.

“I do find it hard to wrap my head around the idea that we are losing out of absolutely loads of essential NHS services for this virus”

What is difficult to understand? The NHS is very busy looking after Covid-19 patients. Many NHS staff are ill because of this virus which further reduces capacity. Many NHS staff have been redeployed to the Covid-19 wards which means that routine treatment has to be delayed. Some treatments that would increase patients’ susceptibility to Covid-19 have been stopped for patients’ own benefit.

Without the lockdown NHS capacity to loom after any patients would be quickly swamped and many more NHS staff would become ill and would die. Those essential non-Covid-19 services would be even more depleted.

If you mean we’re losing out generally because of the virus then yes, we are. It’s a pandemic and the government have not acted swiftly enough in many different ways.

I think its optimistic extroverts. I love staying indoors.

My mum keeps suggesting I nip into b+m etc for paint, garden stuff etc. Have tried to explain that I

a) Have no way to get there and back unless ds and I walk (and the stuff would be heavy), try to get a taxi, or use public transport. To which I get an "oh yeah". She's so used to being driven wherever she fancies by my sis, she forgets just "popping in" to places isn't that easy when you don't have a chauffeur. (She has form for being in her own selish little narc bubble, when I think about it), though she does at least get that now is not to time to be using buses etc, which are already germ hotbeds.

b) I would rather stay in until this time next year, than put ds at risk of catching this for anything but food or other actual essentials. That I'm happy enough to sit on my arse and read or whatever, and DIY and shit can wait (and who's going to be in my house in the mean time anyway). She on the other hand can't just sit on her arse, she gets bored and "needs" to go out.

At the end of the day what my family does or doesn't do, is technically non of my business, (although I do worry one or more of my family is going to get really ill, sone have underlying health issues and they're playing russian roulette in my eyes not social distancing, with each other, friends, gf's/ bf's etc). But they still give off about people meeting up on beaches etc. They're like people that complain about traffic, forgetting they are traffic too.

What's annoying me more atm are the idiots next door though. My back garden has been important to my mental health, being able to sit out and read in peace and get some fresh air helps shake the stir crazy feelings, but twice now this week I haven't been able to use it, because the dicks who run the bar are bored now they can't go there to drink, so are doing non essential repair work (first time in the 6 years I've lived here), and insist on trying to chat to me over the fence, or to the dog (which just makes the dog go crazy barking then I have to come in). I'm so close to going out and telling them to fuck off.

Entitled wankers, what they want and their boredom,
trumps everything else.

Could be this going on,,

Welcometothemontaintop. Of course, I know the govt know what they’re dealing with, but when an element of the population is ignoring and resisting advice in a life and death situation, it’s always worth refining your approach to dealing with them.

Darwinism at work and entitled twats who break the rules normally.

Ink paper stars I agree. These people really need the risks spelling out with the use of concrete examples.

I'm not keen on the term covidiots but 2 examples of not taking it seriously I've had over phone today. Yes I know its anecdotal but...

1/ A friend of a family member, who lives in a large northern city who has travelled to a large town about 10 miles away because "he wants to see his mum for Easter and also might as well do some shopping for her while he's there". This example I think is borne of ignorance, about how the virus is spread and the risks involved for close relatives.

2/ A close friend, who I love dearly, who knows I've been following the crisis since the Wuhan lockdown and so asks me every day over the phone what the coronavirus situation is. This morning I received yet another "positive vibes" meme from her and I know this is because last night, in reply to her "what's happening in the news with coronavirus etc", I had attempted to have a serious discussion with her, about the fact that cases and deaths are rising rapidly in our area and that a friend of mine, who she doesn't know, is in our local hospital with covid19 and pneumonia and that some of my neighbours have it too, but this had been met with a total shutdown of that train of conversation. As if I'm somehow spoiling her "vibe" with my "negativity" and being a massive kill joy for her and putting her on a "downer"

Yes I know that a positive mental attitude is important right now for morale and that the sunlight, she so loves and never shuts up about, is a great healer, both mentally and physically, but please stop asking me questions about the crisis if you don't want me to reply to you honestly and stop totally shutting my conversation off when it intrudes on your happy go lucky "protective vibe". This attitude by my friend I believe is know as burying your head in the sand

Mindproject “ I think many, many people are sceptical. I also think some people would rather catch the 'virus' than be totally controlled.”

This.

We’re all going to die. Some people seems unable to accept it. My late father said “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees”. Not sure where the quote comes from.

It’s a pandemic, I expected bodies piling up, maybe mine, maybe loved ones. But apparently people fear death, or being blamed for the death of others, to the point that they will do whatever they are told.

As I keep saying, maybe those of us who already nearly died are less easily scared? The other leader scared person I know has an organ transplant. He didn’t expect to hit 25.

This a terrifying point in history but not because of a long predicted pandemic.

I am not breaking the law btw. I’d like to see my mum because I think it’s quite possible she’ll die during lockdown anyway. But no one gives a shit about other health issues now.

“ Where has critical thinking gone? ”

This.

Because people see any idea of ‘control’ and rebel like children. Even though it’s their own risk. And others sadly.

It’s interesting psychology though because people may rebel against being told to stay in but if age 20 and 30 can go back to work for example there’ll be some who say don’t use me as fodder.