This is so fucking shit for young people

[ssd]

Yeah i know its shit for everyone before you pounce on me

But imagine being around 20 just now...no pubs, no nightclubs, no jobs around, no buzz in your town centre, no excuse to dress up in something new, or planning your latest night out, meeting your pals and all the excitement of the night ahead.

Its just so fucking shite.

I got the train home tonight from work, Glasgow city centre is a ghost town. Places that were always busy boarded up, of course everything except like of newsagents and tesco's shut. Its Friday night. It was always jumping when i was young, absolutely jumping. It was dead. On the train was a bunch if young boys, playing music a bit too loud, all singing along....going home from the city centre at 6pm!!!!. I could have cried watching them all, a nice sunny evening and the only place they are heading was back to mum and dads, or a local park maybe, i dont know. They were about 18, casual dressed, haircuts, all wanting a good time with their pals and probably hoping to meet a partner if they were single.

Where is the life for these kids???

This has gone on long enough. I dont care if i never see inside a pub again. I've had a brilliant social life at that age. Now they have fuck all.

Its too much.

I’m 26 and I could not care less about pubs and clubs. I’m actually seeing my friends who live further away more (over zoom) than I did pre-pandemic which is great. The only bring I’m missing is travel but it’s been made up for by saving money on the commute so that when it’s all over I can go on a more expensive trip. So actually it’s not that shit for all young people! I do feel sorry for students though.

@Thewinterofdiscontent

And a year of stress free easy passes for those taking exams. It’s not all shit.

You've clearly not been through this with your own child then? Stress free is wasn't. At all. Infact it was a nightmare and incredibly stressful. Dd would have much preferred to have done her exams than go through the nightmare of 'the algorithm' debacle.

@mrshoho

My 16 year old daughter appreciates the stressful exam pass She's been dealt. She's worked hard through school and the predicted grades should be fine for 6th form. My 14 year old has missed out socially but both are busy doing their online socialising and starting inperson meetups again.

Neither of them, have ever throughout this time, complained that their generation have been screwed. It's something that I only ever hear on mumsnet, said by parents who are understandably sad that their kid's life experiences have been forced to alter. The kids (and I come across many through school) are pretty accepting of the situation. I think back to my 16 year old self and can't imagine living this way but then we had no Internet or netflix.

Same with mine. Just to give a different side of things. My 20 year old DD is at uni and yes it's been horrible, she's missed out on most of her first year and half her second year, is struggling to find a placement for her third. She hardly sees her partner. It's horrible. And my ds, 17, missed out on GCSEs, end of school, and sixth form college has been nothing like he hoped so far with little opportunity to make friends. But they do not moan on about how unfair it is. They worry about their friends with MH issues - they did that before. They worry about Brexit - they did that before. They worry about climate change and all the other stuff. And they worry about the effect of the pandemic. But they don't say it is so unfair on their generation, because they recognise it's a novel virus and no one country really knew the best way to handle it, we muddled through. They are left thinking and so can't stand Boris but appreciated that top epidemiologists were constantly consulted, and accepted that this is the way things had to be for a while. They meet friends for walks and picnics and a lot online; they did that before anyway.

They certainly do not talk about sacrificing for the old and the sick, because they see their lives as valuable as well and are not ableist unlike some on this thread, which has been hard for me to read as an ECV person. I get it, I should just get out of the way and die so young people can go out and have fun.

My DC care about people like me, so they're not dicks and they just get on with it while knowing it's crap and knowing it's ok to grieve for what they've lost and will lose.

Just a different perspective on the 'young people have lost everything' prevailing narrative on this thread. Mine, and their friends, don't think this way. They already knew their lives would be harder with climate issues and house prices and the job market. Gen Z are very resilient as a generation, dealing with the whole thing with humour and irony I really respect, and I know they'll carry on doing so. It's the older generations who moan a whole lot more about a situation no one could really do much about.

For the people shouting ageism on this thread, and it being mn there's always one or 2, this thread is about how shit life is at 20 right now. No one us saying an 80 yr old is nit having it shit too. But yo lose your freedom , social life, education, job prospects at 20 is a lit worse than at 80. And every single older person i know agrees with me.

People think young people have been failed, but I really feel you are failing them now. Feels very self indulging about how much pity you are feeling, about how their future has been destroyed and there is nothing left for them. If you're passing these thoughts onto them, if this is what you think, if all you want to do is get a kick out of how bad you feel without doing anything, then what's the point.

Madhairday👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

My dd games online. She’s enjoying it. She’s scared of getting Covid because she struggled with Teams and doesn’t want to have to isolate and go back to Teams. She isn’t complaining all the time. She certainly doesn’t ‘blame’ older people.

My older ds has been hoarding his wages that would usually be spent on socialising. He’s got a house deposit now. He got made redundant in July of last year, but found something else. He misses his mates, but they have Zoom quizzes and stuff. But again he doesn’t resent older people at all.

Driving lessons, parties, proms. None of them are a given. Society will adapt.

Loads of typos am on phone

@Icenii

People think young people have been failed, but I really feel you are failing them now. Feels very self indulging about how much pity you are feeling, about how their future has been destroyed and there is nothing left for them. If you're passing these thoughts onto them, if this is what you think, if all you want to do is get a kick out of how bad you feel without doing anything, then what's the point.

IF you're passing these thoughts on....I'm not,thats why I'm discussing it here anonymously

Yes absolutely shit for young people and set to continue as the economic fall out is heading our way. My dc are 18 and 14 and the list of things they have missed and struggles they've had is too long to even go into

IF you're passing these thoughts on....I'm not,thats why I'm discussing it here anonymously
Yep. Keeping a cheery face on for my dc has been exhausting.

It is worth noting that the media and the general views voiced over the course of the pandemic has been on the elderly and the plight of the care homes and the elderly. The emphasis from the politicians for so long was the old and elderly - this was seen as the priority. Everyone was stopped from pursing normal life - we were told we were protecting the elderly and the vulnerable - most young people played the role they were allocated and obeyed the regulations. What has happened is that they in my view were forgotten. The damage that has been done to young people through isolation through the destruction of the economy is huge. It is irritating that the young are now being portrayed by some as selfish and uncaring etc - in some ways they are being demonised.

My mum is mid 80s. Most of my friends parents are a similar age or less. They are a pretty selfish generation imo, they seem to lack empathy.
My mum can't understand why everyone is desperate to go out because she is quite happy at home watching telly and playing patience. Her life has barely changed. She has grandkids most of them are late teens and 20s.
It's refreshing to hear about the elderly who do care because not all elderly people are remotely concerned or even aware of how affected young people are in all of this.

@LatteLoverLovesLattes

"U.K. last 7 days 2.21 deaths per million
Brazil last 7 days 79.25 deaths per million"

++++++

Given the lockdown and vaccine roll out in the UK then clearly the UK has a lower 7 day average of Covid deaths than Brazil where numbers are still very high.

But seeing as you seen to have used the same Statista source I just leave this for you:

Total number of Covid deaths per million of population:
UK: 1,899
Brazil 1,731

That said all of this comparison is not my point. The key point I was making was that it is impossible to show how many people would have died without lockdown / restrictions or on the other approach how many less would have died with an extended lockdown. However your statement that millions n the UK would have died without a lockdown is just made up unless you can show me your links otherwise.

Imperial College last year predicted 500k Covid deaths with no lockdown / restricted. I am genuinely intrigued how your analysis of "millions" is superior to Imperial College.

My DC care about people like me, so they're not dicks and they just get on with it while knowing it's crap and knowing it's ok to grieve for what they've lost and will lose

Sorry, going to use your post as its a good one...my post isnt aimed at you personally

Same as mine

Im sure the same as the vast majority of children, i dont really understand why adults complaining on a forum translates to children being selfish and happy for old people to die

It has been rubbish for young people. I think I read that they were vaccinated younger people first in Indonesia to get the economy going again - it makes quite a lot of sense.

But hopefully everyone will have been done by July in the UK, so those going to university in the autumn (like my ds!) will have a (close to) normal uni life.

My mum can't understand why everyone is desperate to go out because she is quite happy at home watching telly and playing patience. Her life has barely changed

My mum is completely the opposite. She has been going out every day for a walk right from the beginning of the first lockdown, she hates staying in, and she and I disagree about vaccine passports because she just wants to get out there again.

However, she did say she thought youngsters should have been vaccinated first because she'd had her life. She is 82 next week. But having been vaccinated, she wants to enjoy life again now.

As for the elderly being the priority, well of course they are because they vote Tory and voted (for the most part) for Brexit - so the Tories feel they owe them.

But hopefully everyone will have been done by July in the UK, so those going to university in the autumn (like my ds!) will have a (close to) normal uni life

Same....ive got my fingers crossed 😀

And different children have different issues, so ds1 graduated in 2020 but ended up doing a masters as the job market was so crap...he misses nights out but is all loved up in a house with his partner, dd on the other hand wants to go out to dates and nightclubs and can’t figure out how he got a boyfriend before her. Ds2 is loving life as he just stays in his bedroom

That's what I was trying to say though Rufus, the young people I know have not expressed these attitudes - it's the parents generation generally on here who seem to a lot more, and some of us worry they are passing that on to DC, I'm sure many aren't and just want a good rant which is fair enough. It's all rubbish and we could do with some kindness and empathy - but coldly discounting the vulnerable as of less worth isn't that. (Not referring to you, just a general observation.)

@Madhairday

That's what I was trying to say though Rufus, the young people I know have not expressed these attitudes - it's the parents generation generally on here who seem to a lot more, and some of us worry they are passing that on to DC, I'm sure many aren't and just want a good rant which is fair enough. It's all rubbish and we could do with some kindness and empathy - but coldly discounting the vulnerable as of less worth isn't that. (Not referring to you, just a general observation.)

No absolutely mad i agree with you

I just really liked the way you said it

@poppycat10

My mum can't understand why everyone is desperate to go out because she is quite happy at home watching telly and playing patience. Her life has barely changed

My mum is completely the opposite. She has been going out every day for a walk right from the beginning of the first lockdown, she hates staying in, and she and I disagree about vaccine passports because she just wants to get out there again.

However, she did say she thought youngsters should have been vaccinated first because she'd had her life. She is 82 next week. But having been vaccinated, she wants to enjoy life again now.

As for the elderly being the priority, well of course they are because they vote Tory and voted (for the most part) for Brexit - so the Tories feel they owe them.

It is actually mostly pragmatism. It's mainly the elderly and vulnerable who die and need hospital treatment so of course they are vaccinated first in order to ease pressure on the NHS. It makes complete sense and is nothing to do with the government pandering to their voting demographic, it's simply a numbers game. If the young were vaccinated first we'd now be much, much worse off than we were even in January, because the vulnerable groups would still be getting sick and dying. It's never been about altruism for the vulnerable as much as how to ease up the most pressure quickly - and the results of that, ie getting people with other conditions seen more quickly.

@poppycat10

It has been rubbish for young people. I think I read that they were vaccinated younger people first in Indonesia to get the economy going again - it makes quite a lot of sense.

But hopefully everyone will have been done by July in the UK, so those going to university in the autumn (like my ds!) will have a (close to) normal uni life.

Have a look on the higher education board. Quite a few Uni staff/lecturers saying that "blended learning" will continue, there'll be few, if any, lectures, etc., and that Unis are planning for social distancing etc next year. So, very little, in fact no, chance of a "normal uni life" this Autumn unless the Govt and Uni management grow a back bone and make a formal instruction that "normal" will return.

In fact, one lecturer said she didn't want to be in close contact with any careless 18 year olds. Seems like Uni staff don't really like their students and would prefer not to spend time with them. Covid etc is giving them a perfect opportunity to hide behind computer screens.

Apparently "parity" is important, so unless all students can attend lecturers and F2F teaching (inc those overseas who can't travel back, ECV students, etc) then no one will get personal F2F teaching as it's "unfair" to those who can't attend. Seems like any excuse to stay home to me. In fact on another thread, there was a foreign lecturer saying how good it's been for them to be able to stay home in their foreign country this year, rather than come to the UK and have to rent accommodation during term time!

My son is 18.

Thankfully now he can go and sit in his mates garden and have drinks with a group of friends. Freezing, but they all go to the mates house where his mum has a huge fire pit and chucks pizza out at them, so they are happy!

He's applying for the police and every part of the process is being held up because of covid.

My dad is 86. I don't feel sorry for him at all mainly because nothing really changed in his life. He was still seeing his friends etc because they all thought sod it, none of us will be here in the next 5-10 years anyway and they couldn't have cared less (none of them have had covid). Plus, he's already lived a full life.

Ah thanks Rufus. I'm actually really impressed at young people's attitudes I've observed - resilience, pragmatism, kindness, humour.

Have a look on the higher education board. Quite a few Uni staff/lecturers saying that "blended learning" will continue, there'll be few, if any, lectures, etc., and that Unis are planning for social distancing etc next year. So, very little, in fact no, chance of a "normal uni life" this Autumn unless the Govt and Uni management grow a back bone and make a formal instruction that "normal" will return

Oh for goodness sake...the sad thing is that ds2 won’t care at all!

I agree. Thinking of what they are missing out on it’s really sad for them.