To have to accept that many in this country just don’t give a shit about others?

[Fortheweekend]

I live in Essex which, like many areas has been heavily hit by Covid.
Just heard on the news that Essex Police have had to issue many, many fines last night to people having New Years Eve parties.
I really deeply saddens me that so many people just don’t give a toss about other people.
They can not see past their own noses. Can they not see or do they not give a shit about the long term costs of their actions? That this goes beyond the virus, that because the NHS is overwhelmed people with potential life threatening conditions such as cancer will be overlooked or diagnosis/treatments delayed as they will not be able to get appointments or appointments cancelled because of too many Covid cases in their hospitals.
That people such as those I work with who suffer from disabilities or people like my poor mum who has Alzheimer’s have been isolated for many, many months and many more to come because support groups open and they and their carers will and are suffering from terrible depression and mental health issues which cut deep and will probably never heal.
Do they not care that people like my 90 year old neighbour who is all alone is shit scared every single day because she feels that she will never be able to live out her last months/years with the freedom she had been used to and genuinely believes she will die alone, without help and never having the freedom to just pop to the shops for she fears she will get the virus.
It truly leaves me feeling nothing but despair as I don’t think we will ever control this virus if people don’t do as asked for the short while it would take.

Yep I’m in Manchester and the amount of people I saw on social media having parties and what not makes me sick. People don’t give a shit about others and that’s why this virus will never end. Even my neighbours had a sodding party

Cocopops post above is an example of the lack of intelligence and empathy evident in a sizeable minority.
Firstly, it is an extremely tasteless example in terms of other posts on this thread
Secondly, we are in the middle of a pandemic so laws have been adjusted as your actions will have equivalent consequences. You will just not see them directly. If you lack the intelligence to understand that just follow the law. Simple.
@DownstairsMixUp. I am sorry for your loss and hope you are getting some support.

Another Essex girl here! First time in forever l haven't gone out or had a party at home for New Year. Dh and l had the best night watching concerts on TV and drinking cocktails. In fact l'm not sure l will bother ever going again for it! But am astonished at how many people did just do what they wanted - it is one year, that's all. I do understand how awful it must be for teenagers and feel so bad for them. Horrible situation.

sadly so, although it has always been the case. As well as the 'I don't care about covid because I am invincible' brigade (and you aren't, sunshine - anyone can get ill or die of it), we have the litter droppers, the festival-going tent abandoners, the selfish fucks with dogs that bark/crap everywhere, the people who train their children to be noisy and make a mess, the adults who won't use sodding headphones and many more.

all we of the normal kind can do is be the best we can, and make sure our children are the same. Even if it means not buying them the newest sodding iphone.

I was surprised, astonished in fact, by the levels of compliance, ‘all in it together’ community spirit and even altruism throughout the country during the first lockdown.

Much of that has broken down due to the government’s repeated and serious mistakes, to lockdown fatigue, to Cummings and to young healthy people realising that they are not going to become seriously ill with covid.

Lots of parties happening on my street (mainly student housing)

@Porcupineintherough

I came to the same conclusion earlier this year and found it very hard. Before this I honestly thought most people were fundamentally nice and kind.

Same.

I despair of how people are behaving. My sister lives in Liverpool which has been in a high tier almost all the time. Her BF is a health care assistant in a hospital he was walking miles to work to avoid public transport at one point so that he did not get near members of the general public. Their neighbours have had various parties and he saw a cafe open when it should not have been. It’s made my sister absolutely rage filled seeing what he has been going through while so many don’t give a toss.

The University I used to work at was breaking up parties of students on campus, up to 200 sometimes. My friend was called a nazi whilst doing her job because they were such entitled arseholes.

We have stuck to rules 100% it’s miserable but necessary. I miss people, my MIL is 79 and in London so we haven’t seen her since last Christmas. We usually would have seen her a couple of times by now for a week at a time.

It's not people "in this country". It's people. People are selfish and unthinking, the world over.

But those of us who stick by the rules can at least rest easy that we've done our best.

The selfishness and entitlement is overwhelming isn't it.
It's really sad. And what makes it worse is that even kind and nice people start to think 'well fuck it then!'
I know I have put myself out to help people back in March - June. I volunteered to work in school for key worker child care in my holidays too.
Then you see them slagging you off or having sleepovers etc.
It makes you feel stupid and puts you off doing it again.

I know plenty of people personally who have mostly done as they have pleased since day one in spite of having the option not to and that includes people with vulnerable loved ones. I think part of this might be that covid and its symptoms are familiar enough to live in some denial and its quite easy to see how people have heard "most people will be fine" and run with it. If symptoms included something unknown and more frightening like bleeding from the eyes and ears I think people would be hermitically sealing themselves inside their homes.

Scottishskifun I do try and know there are many fantastic people out there but it sometimes doesn’t feel that way. I have spent most of the last 6 months trying to get help for my mum but have been faced with the same sentence ‘Sorry, because of Covid we can’t help atm’. Same with the 90 year old neighbour, I check on her every day and have tried endless times to get a gp out to her when she’s been unwell but again I get the same story, we can’t send anyone out because of the virus. It’s draining and then you hear these stories of mass groups for parties and your heart sinks.

It's not just the UK, OP. People have been breaking the rules in other countries as well.
Yes it is sad. I don't think there's much you can do about it really.

@SouthDownsLass yes and no. I'm sure there are selfish people everywhere but some cultures value community and family over self far more than ours and they notably have done far better than us in the current situation, ironically meaning individuals now have more freedom to persue normal life. Conversely, cultures where individual freedoms are prized above all else (looking at you USA) have done really badly, even though I'm sure that there are plenty of unselfish people there too.

People have always been cruel and selfish. It’s a horrible world, not many acts of kindness anymore.

Ask yourself how many are abiding by the Tier rules
It’s always the negative story’s that get reported

I think it's time for the police to start fining more people out and about, with no masks on, for no good reason. I saw the pictures last night of people queuing for drinks huddled together. We would all like to go out but it won't hurt any of us for 1 year to stay home with a bottle of wine instead.

@Suzi888

People have always been cruel and selfish. It’s a horrible world, not many acts of kindness anymore.

It's not really a case of 'anymore' , in fact the world is a much kinder and gentler place than it used to be, certainly in the developed world.

I realised the civility of society was a thin veneer when we had the fuel strikes 20 odd years ago, supermarkets couldn't stock their shelves and petrol stations had to limit fuel. The fallout that happened with a few days was sobering. It made me realise that society only functions with any level of compassion when it has everything it needs. The minute you take that away its every person for themselves. Some people function at this level all of the time. The flouting of the Covid restrictions doesn't surprise or disappoint me in the slightest.

I understand what you are saying op and I am following the rules, but can you actually genuinely care about 67 million people in the country and billions worldwide?
I obviously would give up my life for my own family and care a lot about other family members and friends. But some random on the internet? No not really.
I am currently worried about my daughter’s mental health she lives and works in a tiny studio flat with no outside space. If she sees three friends on NYE is that terrible?

I follow the rules. But I don't think it's that people don't care about others. It's more like they just aren't really able to properly evaluate possible repercussions. Or they don't really believe things happen that aren't happening right in front of them.

To be honest, I just don't worry too much about what others are doing these days, because I can't do anything about it.

I do agree, however, it isn't just this country

I think people are more inclined to feel a distance between their lives and the experiences of covid patients and NHS staff. They don't see what's going on or have to deal with the consequences.

If it was the middle ages and the population were having to nurse people in their own homes and deal with dozens of dead bodies, it might focus their minds a bit more.

Things happen behind closed doors now. It's all sanitised and hidden.

I am convinced that the best thing that can happen to this world is for the human race to be wiped out. Yes there are good people but they seem far outweighed by the Im all right Jacks.
The selfish twats ignoring the rules will be the first to complain if they lose their jobs because of lockdowns etc, or cant get hospital treatment when they turn up at A &E with a splinter.

I don’t think people do care about others - not really. Not outside their immediate group, anyway. There’s a lot of virtue signalling that goes on, but that’s for the benefit of the individuals doing it more than anything.