Would you be willing to be put under house arrest in order to save lives?

[Treesofwood]

Just that really. Would you be willing to go to prison to save lives? Would you be willing to give up your children's right to an education to save lives? This whole situation brings up many philosophical questions for me, and my theoretical response is not actually the sane as my response when faced with the reality.

@nether I don't think she meant it like that but ultimately you have to do what's best for your child. We can't all carry on like this though. If we are not vulnerable we need to get back to normal for financial and mental health reasons

I think now I've actually see a poster saying she would willingly facilitate my child's death, literally or metaphorically, it is time for me to leave MN for a while.

Oh seriously? Get real.

If most people were totally honest, they'd put them and theirs welfare first. Those that advocate long term house arrest are metaphorically facilitating others people's death and decline in health.

@Pertella

Pretty depressing that the fit and healthy have this attitude to the shielding and vulnerable: "just suck it up!"

Nobody gave a shit about them pre-covid 🤷‍♀️

Most "vulnerable" people have been managing their risk for years without the rest of society stopping for them, why do you expect it should be any different now?

For some people even a simple cold or chest infection could land them in ICU or even kill them. Covid is just another virus to add to the list.

@Pertella I agree with this but foolishly hoped, people might be sympathetic to the shielded.

I'm very much sympathetic to people who have lost out through lack of care, financial worries etc. I'm even sympathetic to people who are bored or fed up not going on holiday etc.

I hoped some people would have an understanding of shielders lives. Not just be resentful.

Tobee I think most people have been extremely sympathetic, since March. On the whole people have been very compliant and completely changed their and their children's lives for months n end.

You wouldn’t be able to pick me out of a line up as unwell at all. When I’m running a GFA 10k, you would not dream I was exceptionally medically vulnerable

But so many of you just want to shut me out. Never mind that leaves my (school age) family with no income - all the hardships you want to avoid you’re heaping on me

It’s been a horribly illuminating time

But so many of you just want to shut me out. Never mind that leaves my (school age) family with no income - all the hardships you want to avoid you’re heaping on me

How so?

It's temporary. Get a grip.

Yeah, back in March it was "it's only a few weeks, get a grip". Then it was only a few months. Now it's maybe a year, longer, indefinite, who knows...?

But still, get a grip eh?

@Pinkmakeupbag

Tobee I think most people have been extremely sympathetic, since March. On the whole people have been very compliant and completely changed their and their children's lives for months n end.

Well it'd be nice if they were sympathetic. But plenty of people seem to be eugenicists.

@tobee that’s rubbish. Society has closed down,with huge compliance, to protect the vulnerable.

I’m not young nor cavalier, but this just can’t go on.

people haven't had a lockdown because they are kind sympathetic souls.

They had a lockdown because the NHS couldn't cope with the sheer volume of dying vulnerable people all at once.

The bitterness and resentment against the vulnerable makes it clear that vulnerable people are blamed, what for? No idea

@tobee

I hoped some people would have an understanding of shielders lives. Not just be resentful.

When you say 'have an understanding' what do you mean, exactly?

Do you mean be prepared to make significant sacrifices, over an indefinite time period, for the sake of people they do not know?

It's temporary. Get a grip

My not being able to go to work was supposed to be "temporary", but my employers have now told 400 of us that it's permanent we have no jobs to go back to. Me and OH both worked in the same place and neither of us now have no job or income. We are surviving off our savings at the moment (the savings we had for our retirement), so life is looking pretty crap. So have your grip back because it's no use to us.

@WouldBeGood

You misunderstand. I agree it can't go on. I don't want people to be locked down any longer. But there's this attitude that vulnerable people are "other" and are expendable - it's right here on this thread! The vulnerable often don't see themselves as that way at all normally. My ds's 21 year old friend, on the shielding list because of his asthma meds for example.

It's a question of having human sympathy; thinking "there but for the grace of god.." My Dh, who is shielding, doesn't want people to give up their lives for him, but plenty of people, not just the young, are happy to frame shielded as having one foot in the grave.

Same to @IcedPurple

[quote tobee]@WouldBeGood

You misunderstand. I agree it can't go on. I don't want people to be locked down any longer. But there's this attitude that vulnerable people are "other" and are expendable - it's right here on this thread! The vulnerable often don't see themselves as that way at all normally. My ds's 21 year old friend, on the shielding list because of his asthma meds for example.

It's a question of having human sympathy; thinking "there but for the grace of god.." My Dh, who is shielding, doesn't want people to give up their lives for him, but plenty of people, not just the young, are happy to frame shielded as having one foot in the grave. [/quote]
I don’t think that at all. I’m well able to sympathise/empathise with those who are vulnerable. It must be terrible especially for those with vulnerable children.

But the truth is that most people will be ok if they catch Covid. But just people won’t be on with no jobs/housing/other healthcare.

The public are starting to get fed up now and the tide is turning. 6 deaths today and still we are being forced to wear masks everywhere. People will get sick of this eventually and start to question why we are still doing this whole thing. Yes people will die but people die everyday, most of us have still gone out to the shops or to work with a cold, we could’ve unknowingly spread that too and seriously harmed someone vulnerable. But what’s the alternative? Stay in like scared sheep forever just incase we possibly pass this lesser than flu into someone? No thanks

@WouldBeGood, as you see from my post, I'm not suggesting you personally, but the general attitude of plenty of people seems to be this.

sunnydazey there are only 6 deaths today precisely because people are wearing masks and taking precautions, if we quickly go back to not being careful then we will go back to exponential growth and it will all have been for nothing.

but healthy people won't be affected according to this thread. So unknown vulnerable people...meh!

@IcedPurple for me personally
To understand that we aren't all elderly and on the brink of death. That just because we are/were shielding doesn't mean we are disabled. That we work!
And also how nerve wracking it is going back out after 14 weeks or more inside

I've heard people saying it's the elderly only shielding, or the disabled. And that the shielding people probably don't work anyway etc etc etc

I was "normal" and then I was hit with a diagnosis for a blood disorder I developed out the blue that could happen to anyone and my life had to change

It’s possible to have sympathy for the difficulty faced by people who were shielded at the same time as feeling that they now need to protect themselves and allow the rest of us to carry on.

It doesn’t mean that people think those who are vulnerable are expendable, or should be shut out, or that they are ‘other’. It just means that most of us realise that for society to function, we can’t have everyone at home all the time.

Those of you that feel this way, what do you actually want to hear people say? Do you want everyone still to be on lockdown, do you just want louder sympathy, what is it?

[quote QueenCT]@IcedPurple for me personally
To understand that we aren't all elderly and on the brink of death. That just because we are/were shielding doesn't mean we are disabled. That we work!
And also how nerve wracking it is going back out after 14 weeks or more inside

I've heard people saying it's the elderly only shielding, or the disabled. And that the shielding people probably don't work anyway etc etc etc

I was "normal" and then I was hit with a diagnosis for a blood disorder I developed out the blue that could happen to anyone and my life had to change [/quote]
I'm not sure what this has to do with the subject of this discussion though.

Lots of people have medical conditions which mean they have to take precautions. That's always been the case. It didn't just start with this particular virus. The question is: To what extent can people reasonably be asked to make long-term sacrifices to protect strangers?

I can imagine the responses from non shielders if I came on here and said "I don't give a fuck about you losing your job, your house, not being able to feed your kids, their education being a farce!" What's the difference?

I'm not saying I'm a paragon of virtue, but from the start of this pandemic, I've been on threads supporting those people who were having to cancel their holidays etc. Challenging the "dementors" etc.

@NailsNeedDoing

It’s possible to have sympathy for the difficulty faced by people who were shielded at the same time as feeling that they now need to protect themselves and allow the rest of us to carry on.

It doesn’t mean that people think those who are vulnerable are expendable, or should be shut out, or that they are ‘other’. It just means that most of us realise that for society to function, we can’t have everyone at home all the time.

Those of you that feel this way, what do you actually want to hear people say? Do you want everyone still to be on lockdown, do you just want louder sympathy, what is it?

Yes, I feel the same way. What exactly is it that these posters want society to DO?