Future generations will judge us harshly

[MyGardenSanctuary]

In years to come, people will be horrified at how we handled this pandemic.
We've denied kids (from babies to teenagers) a decent education and proper social contact for 18 months, isolated the vulnerable and elderly out of fear, delayed cancer treatment, denied access to dentist, doctors, support groups, banned partners who didnt live together from seeing each other, banging fucking saucepans, washing shopping, quarantining post, banning grandparents from seeing and hugging their families, dodging people on pavements in case we killed them, abusing those without a mask....I could go on.

Future generations are going to laugh at how this was handled and how we just took it.

We only have very short term memory so in a couple of years we'll have forgotten all about the pandemic. And future generations won't care, they'll make up their own conclusions based on the agenda at that specific time

@newnortherner111
Hmm I wonder if he does actually know the answer to that..
@SupermanWithTheGreyHair, agreed. (I wonder if it’ll end like the Stng episode of the planet consumed by its sun. )

@duffeldaisy

Yes, there definitely should have been more global communication - and western countries could have learnt so much from countries in Asia and in Africa who had had experience with SARS and MERS in successfully containing them, and who did immediately lock down and wear masks right from the outset - and who had far, far fewer cases and deaths.

Asia and Africa, yes, but also Australia and NZ who due to their proximity (relative) to the SARS/MERs etc in Asia had very good pandemic plans - that crucially they kept to. All the crap in the OP's list has so far been avoided in countries that closed borders, plus their economies suffered less.

That is what history will teach, but the UK government still won't learn.

We only have very short term memory so in a couple of years we'll have forgotten all about the pandemic

I think the effects and after effects are going to last much longer than a couple of years.

@duffeldaisy I live in Perth WA and your quick lockdown close the borders approach is what happened here. You're right that kids continued to go to school and we have lead very normal lives but I'd much rather be in the UK right now. The vaccination programme here is so far behind where we should be and uptake is really low. Until very recently there was no roadmap out of the border closures, both international and state. I haven't seen my parents for 18 months now and it looks likely to be middle/end of next year when we might finally be allowed to leave. Meanwhile life is returning to normality for the UK and we are trapped on the original prison island

Future generations won't give a toss, they'll know very little about it - how much do we really know about the Spanish flu epidemic?

However, they will judge us on the basis that we are doing nothing to combat climate change (and we are fast running out of time to reverse the changes that are happening).

This period will be studied by future generations as an example of mass hysteria and the madness of crowds.

@TheKeatingFive

I think you are broadly speaking right.

Looking back, what will stand out as extraordinary is how little effort was put into trying to calculate the long term impact of harsh lockdowns on society. At least that way we could have had a more balanced debate about what to do and the consequences it was going to have.

What happened was that the threat of Covid drowned out all nuance in the debate. And that was because Covid was new, killed quickly, hit populations that hadn't dealt with killer infectious disease for a while. It suited the government agenda to ramp up the fear to totally ridiculous levels to drive compliance, but that had many, many problematic consequences.

I know this post was ages ago but I totally agree. The damage from lockdown has been completely absent from the narrative, to the point you still get people thinking that it’s about not being able to go to the pub

@igelkott2021

Future generations won't give a toss, they'll know very little about it - how much do we really know about the Spanish flu epidemic?

However, they will judge us on the basis that we are doing nothing to combat climate change (and we are fast running out of time to reverse the changes that are happening).

I agree the climate change and as I’ve said on here before, we don’t seem interested in considering the effect of some out our anti-covid measures on climate change. The amount of single use plastic from the lateral flow tests horrifies me. It may be worth it, but it’s not even discussed.

I think so. I remember thinking “Nooo, terrible idea” at Cheltenham/that Liverpool match at the time, it didn’t require any hindsight. (Let alone more recent sporting fixtures…)

I think people looking back in 1/2/5 years’ time will be able to pinpoint plenty of touchpoints like this. 20/40/50 years down the line? I think a lot of things will fade into obscurity, both the bad (^^) and the good (mutual aid etc).

I think its the contrary to be honest.

This pandemic has been a good warning, it doesn't kill much, yet we didn't understimate it for too long, we took quick radical measures, made some mistakes from which we can learn.
We've identified some gaps, some resistance in population, and still trialling some ways to work around those.
We have found ways to design and distribute a vaccine in less than 12 months, we have made working from home a reality overnight for millions of worker and defined what was essential, what wasn't.

So when we'll have a flu strain like in 1918, we'll be more ready to handle it.
When it'll happen, we won't have the luxury to think about individual freedom over collective welfare.
So somehow, Covid has been a good test run for a bigger pandemic.

@MyGardenSanctuary

In years to come, people will be horrified at how we handled this pandemic. We've denied kids (from babies to teenagers) a decent education and proper social contact for 18 months, isolated the vulnerable and elderly out of fear, delayed cancer treatment, denied access to dentist, doctors, support groups, banned partners who didnt live together from seeing each other, banging fucking saucepans, washing shopping, quarantining post, banning grandparents from seeing and hugging their families, dodging people on pavements in case we killed them, abusing those without a mask....I could go on.

Future generations are going to laugh at how this was handled and how we just took it.

But your list is not in anyway accurate or true! No child hss been denied education for 18 months. Nor have they or anyone else been denied social contact for thst period. Dentists were always open for emergencies hygienists restarted after the first lockdown manually cleaning. Cancer treatment has also gone ahead as planned, my sister in law has just finished her last chemotherapy. She was diagnosed, treated had breast replacement and was given the all clear all during this supposed 18 month period of doom.

Sorry but your summary is not at all accurate of what has actually just happened.

I think some of it will depend upon what happens. Yes I think some things we will be judged harshly on - potentially how long some restrictions have remained.

I think a key figure we will be judged on it things such as deaths from delays in treatment, delays in cancer diagnosis, and some how I would love to see figures on mental health. I have already seen some showing a shocking rise in post natal depression.

I actually don't think the coronavirus pandemic will be considered that significant in history. If anything it illustrates a complete inability to work together internationally. If tensions with China continue to rise then it might be considered a precursor to the next war. There will be bigger medical events this century though (advancements etc).

Personally I think they'll wonder why the fuck we let 150000 (and rising) die a preventable death.

@RosaMoline

What’s the cheese/coffee post??

It doesn't exist.

It was made up by the "anti-dementors" in an attempt to make anyone concerned about Covid seem like a deranged loon.

You would think this was the first generation that suffered a bloody pandemic and it's restrictions
There are so many things future generations will judge us on and I would imagine many of them will be judged far more harshly than the pandemic response.

I think we will be judged harshly for not fighting harder for their education and fighting for better protection of those who provide it in order to ensure continuation of that education in the future.

What future generations? There won't be many.

@Sarahlou63

What future generations? There won't be many.

That’s the spirit. Nice bit of defeatism. 🙄

Must be hard to breath through all that sand.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/14/amazon-rainforest-now-emitting-more-co2-than-it-absorbs

I prefer, y’know, action.🤷🏻‍♀️

Excellent post, OP - the only bit I disagree with is that future generations "will laugh" at how it was handled

Considering they'll have to pick up the pieces I'm not sure there'll be too much laughing done

This will be a blip. Future generations will judge us for the environmental destruction and catastrophic climate change. Do you really think that your great grandkids will care that their grandparents had to access school remotely for a few months, or that we all struggled to buy pasta and had to learn to use zoom? This will fade away and pale in significance.

I don’t think we look back on history and laugh. We didn’t about the Black Death, Spanish Flu, wars etc so why should this be a one off? Hopefully it will mean we are never so badly prepared for a pandemic again though.