To think society is on edge

[Shekinah1]

Maybe it’s just me or just in London. But it seems like all I’m seeing on social media is people getting into violent altercations. Last night for example my feed was full of youths in Hackney firing fireworks at police for no particular reason.

A lot of this was before the second lockdown but the lockdown seems to have exacerbated it.

In my deprived part of London I cannot describe the feeling but it feels like things are slowly breaking down. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have disorder by Xmas.

I didn’t feel this way in April/March.

It's not natural for people to behave like this and I dont think it's good for us

No shit Sherlock. What is natural in a pandemic is for a whole bunch of people to die. That comes with consequences to social order and community spirit too (they get less and worse).

"resilience" can actually fuck off to be honest. I'm a disabled mother being forced by law to send most treasured people in to unsafe schools. It's appalling,. and has resulted in such hurt and such strain. I'm not feeling resilient anymore, I'm feeling angry.

I have auditory processing issues and normally lip read a lot. I can't cope with wearing a mask, and I can't cope with the loss of 2/3s of facial expression and the added distortion in speech. So I look down. A lot. I hate it. I miss faces. I probably look rude to others, I'm just disconnected.

I can't see my Brownies face to face. My Beavers have not met in nearly 8 months. The parkrun Run Director's box gathers dust in a quiet corner of my house. I used to help in school several days a week. Now I just loiter on the playground, looking at the fallen leaves because I now can't look others in the face. I'm sad, purposeless and isolated. I used to be a sunny, smiley person and enjoy small talk and random encounters.

It all adds up.
Most people are off balance in some way.

There was a tinderbox atmosphere in June. BLM was fortunate at directing that frustration into a cause and expressing it peacefully, then the pubs opened and a little more normality crept back and it eased off.

Disrupting peoples' lives, removing their incomes, removing their outlets to release stress and physical energy. Removing stability. Isolating them. Trapping them in with their households. It's a very dangerous game to play with 65 million lives.
And the people leading this shitshow are not living it on an even playing field.

I was resilient but I can only take being fucked over so many times. And a 2 % chance of death if I catch a very contagious virus gives me all the perspective I need thanks

I was going to dismiss this as a bit far fetched, but it got me thinking that recently I've noticed:

• much more aggressive driving
• more beeping and a few standoffs over parking spots
• less people letting you out at junctions
• more road accidents this last week

(I drive a lot)

People just seem a bit fed up, less positive, more ground down. That's not to say it's all miserable, plenty people still say hello or smile, but less than before I think.

When you talk to people more in-depth they talk of job losses, worry about the economy, doubt over data, lack of trust, lack of positivity for the future, general uncertainty.

The Government are well aware there is little support for this latest lockdown and that feelings are running high so..........they rushed through a law earlier in the week making protests illegal!!!!

I cannot believe how we are sitting back and letting our lives be destroyed,all based on flawed statistics.

they rushed through a law earlier in the week making protests illegal!!!!

Sorry. Is this true?

Have you got a link to something that gives evidence of this? I'm not, not believing you - but I've seen nothing of this.

How long does this law last for?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-london-54842605
Link above

@Ijustcantcope

I was resilient but I can only take being fucked over so many times. And a 2 % chance of death if I catch a very contagious virus gives me all the perspective I need thanks

I thought your longer post was very affecting. I'm so sorry you feel this way, and I think it is understandable.

However, whilst I agree many people, sadly including the government, have shown they don't care, I think another group have shown amazing community spirit.

I won't tell you to find resilience because that is trite nonsense. 'Resilience' is as often used to shut down as support, sadly.

I also feel badly let down, and we have had financial impacts, and I am livid about the failures to adequately respond on a national level, but I will not change what makes me me - and part of that is doing the right thing and caring for others.

I just want to send you . This has been an absolutely shit year.

You can’t blame people when the government are being scrutinised due to the graphs and figures they have used to sell this lockdown to people, only this week witty and valance were interviewed over their figures etc. They have all been over inflated and people are getting angry the more comes out

I've noticed quite a few first time posters starting threads like this, almost as if they're pushing for civil unrest.

There is certainly a more febrile atmosphere at the moment, but what we really don't need, on top of all that's going on at the moment, is rioting in the streets.

Mydogdoesntlisten, they weren't arrested for protesting, but for being part of a large gathering when current restrictions don't allow it - as that article shows. There has been no new law against protest pushed through, please at least try and be accurate.

It’s bad here in the North (Yorkshire). We’ve been in some sort of restrictions since July. People are angry and fed up.

I am not surprised people are ignoring each other and not making eye contact when Priti Patel said (in connection with the rule of six) that she’d dob neighbours in if she saw two family groups saying hello to each other. If DH and I go for a walk together I’m not sure what will happen if we see one of our friends any more as social interaction between more than two people outdoors is forbidden basically, which is really unnatural! I even saw someone on their own the other day and they didn’t stop to say much like they would have last week, but maybe they were just in a rush to get back for lunch or something.

@diplodocusinermine

I've noticed quite a few first time posters starting threads like this, almost as if they're pushing for civil unrest.

There is certainly a more febrile atmosphere at the moment, but what we really don't need, on top of all that's going on at the moment, is rioting in the streets.

You'll get pockets of protests here and there, predominantly in London.

The majority of people still support the restrictions though. If they didn't then it might be different, but when polling suggests strong support for lockdown (more among the elderly but still a majority with younger age groups) then the prevailing mood isn't febrile anger, even if we are all fed up.

Agitators on social media are not the majority.

Again, though, if we're still in this situation through next year then it's more of a powder keg, but in general the public accept it's going to be a tough winter. The furlough extension until March gives some breathing space as well.

and a 2 % chance of death if I catch a very contagious virus

More like 0.2 or 0.3% for the average healthy person to be honest...

@Orangeblossom7777

and a 2 % chance of death if I catch a very contagious virus

More like 0.2 or 0.3% for the average healthy person to be honest...

I think that poster said they had risk factors/conditions?

I see, I didn't see that sorry, it was not mentioned in the post I read. I wanted to clarify so others in general didn't think that was the rate in general for most people.

On another thread. A poster has suggested that people should be able to dob their neighbours in for breaking the rules over Christmas and be rewarded with a chunk of the fine. I've read books about the Soviet union and the way people spied on each other. Thought it would never be like that here.

I'm thoroughly pissed off. My business has been severely affected by lockdown, but I am one of the 2.9 million people who have received no financial support - despite paying every penny of taxes owed my whole life. www.independent.co.uk/news/business/self-employed-lockdown-support-sunak-b1530482.html

I'm still seeing DP even though I'm not meant to (we live in separate homes)

If I want to go and see family, I will, using the fig-leaf justification of providing care if asked.

I won't be self isolating because there's no financial support available whatsoever (the £500 payment is only open to those on benefits - I'm not) and I can't afford it.

To be perfectly honest, at this point in time I'm absolutely up for a spot of rioting. I've been fucked over and then totally abandoned by the government. No support = no compliance.

@Rockybooboo

On another thread. A poster has suggested that people should be able to dob their neighbours in for breaking the rules over Christmas and be rewarded with a chunk of the fine. I've read books about the Soviet union and the way people spied on each other. Thought it would never be like that here.

It can be like that anywhere, that's the core message of those who lived through fascism or communism.

@BefuddledPerson Indeed, I have a very good friend who grew up in East Germany and apparently there were always enough people who were happy to the be Stasi apartment block/work place/university informer - either for supposed preferment reason (better flat/promotion/holiday), sense of protection for themselves, or simply the people were keen on observing and reporting their neighbours and colleagues...

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages this is the problem though, there are a lot of people out there with tunnel vision that think covid is all that matters instead of looking at the bigger picture. We too wouldn’t be entitled to anything if we had to isolate for 2 weeks. I’d be ok as I’m nhs staff but my DH is an engineer and it would be 2 weeks unpaid, that’s a lot of money to lose to be honest.

Also I’d be furious if I was one of the businesses that had spent time and money making themselves Covid secure and following government guidelines just to be forced to close again, what a waste of time and money

Disrupting peoples' lives, removing their incomes, removing their outlets to release stress and physical energy. Removing stability. Isolating them. Trapping them in with their households. It's a very dangerous game to play with 65 million lives.

How well put.

I am dismayed at how lightly lockdown is being slapped down again. The harm we are storing up is so immense and it’s effect will be felt for decades. Absolutely every measure that could have prevented this should have been top priority.

Are you for real. We’ve been in more or less this level of lockdown in our region since July, only difference is pubs closed. The anger has gone, but on another level the Covid restrictions aren’t always obeyed.

We’ve found With the covid snitchers, and there’s a few, have been socially outcast. We’ve seen no one in months except at the school gates.