O/T Heroes and Villains

[Andy_Faber]

Sorry, being too TTR and too obtuse at the same time. Without my usual provenance, correlating those Londoners who spent most weekends last year on the pro-EU jolly-ups/marches with those Londoners who've decided they're happy to kill folk if it means getting a tan

[Geoff Parkstone]

I genuinely think there are still people who do not understand social distancing. I'm not sure what it takes to make them understand either because they are impervious to advice, or willfully stupid - or just willful? I can understand how some one could forgetfully "get too close" but when challenged on being too close, I've had people stare at me like I was insane.

Example:

My local corner shop has a one customer in the shop at once rule. It has two aisles either side of a central bank of shelving, with the counter at the far end, the door at he near end.

So I wait for preceding customer to leave, go in and gather that which I want to buy and, as I'm paying for it another customer comes in, but distances himself. Not ideal but so it goes. I finish paying and look to leave via the empty "out aisle". But it is now blocked by a third customer who has come in as well, announcing to all that she is on the hunt for chorizo (yep its a corner shop!) as she rifles through all the packages in the chiller (hmmm, good idea!).

So both exits from the shop are impassable. I turn to the shopkeeper and, with a smile, ask in a loud voice how I am supposed to leave. He smiles and shrugs. The guy who was "next in line" realised the problem, and left the shop. The third woman very kindly moved slightly to one side, squeezing herself up a little in the aisle and gave me the option of brushing past her to get out. She appeared totally unaware of what she was doing.

I exited through the empty aisle, thanked the other customer who has vacated the shop, and the woman then queue jumped and engaged the retailer. Staggering me me me behaviour

[Trickytreesreds]

GP I think people are inherently stupid when it suits.
This was what I was saying to RA about the hand washing jibes.
Yes, I know it was patronising to keep banging on about it.
But the reality is, you have to.

[ramAnag]

Or, just because its the right thing to do, see my comment about Mrs F's company above, not aware that they've publicisd their generosity and for sure they didn't do it for PR.

Agree with that. The motivation should be the well being of society...not ‘good PR’.

[AdiSalisbury]

Rooney and Linekar are heroes. Standing up for their colleagues... Except the ones on minimum wage of course, they should definitely take cuts and redundancy to help maintain Rooney on the breadline

...and now it's happening, DCFC non-playing staff being paid at 80%. It's ok Rooney, we know you are being picked on, it's hard being a footballer. Prick

[ramAnag]

I genuinely think there are still people who do not understand social distancing. I'm not sure what it takes to make them understand either because they are impervious to advice, or willfully stupid - or just willful? I can understand how some one could forgetfully "get too close" but when challenged on being too close, I've had people stare at me like I was insane.

Example:

My local corner shop has a one customer in the shop at once rule. It has two aisles either side of a central bank of shelving, with the counter at the far end, the door at he near end.

So I wait for preceding customer to leave, go in and gather that which I want to buy and, as I'm paying for it another customer comes in, but distances himself. Not ideal but so it goes. I finish paying and look to leave via the empty "out aisle". But it is now blocked by a third customer who has come in as well, announcing to all that she is on the hunt for chorizo (yep its a corner shop!) as she rifles through all the packages in the chiller (hmmm, good idea!).

So both exits from the shop are impassable. I turn to the shopkeeper and, with a smile, ask in a loud voice how I am supposed to leave. He smiles and shrugs. The guy who was "next in line" realised the problem, and left the shop. The third woman very kindly moved slightly to one side, squeezing herself up a little in the aisle and gave me the option of brushing past her to get out. She appeared totally unaware of what she was doing.

I exited through the empty aisle, thanked the other customer who has vacated the shop, and the woman then queue jumped and engaged the retailer. Staggering me me me behaviour

Unfortunately you have to accept that some people are stupid and or selfish, GP, but the advice in general is annoyingly contradictory and ambiguous at times. Just two examples...

1) Sky is publicising a number of ‘Coronavirus Facts’, one being ‘you cannot catch Coronavirus from the post or packages’. At the same time another ‘expert’ has suggested that the virus can ‘live’ on cardboard for up to 72 hours, even suggesting that packages should be left outside for for that period before being brought into the house...(honestly!)...and a virologist on the BBC has just said that the only way the virus will find it’s way onto packages and shopping etc is if someone has sneezed or coughed onto them. No s**t!

2) You may have heard that a tiger in a New York zoo has contracted the virus. The implications of this scared the wotsit out of me because it surely implies that all animals can be potential carriers and spreaders but apparently, it’s just been said on the BBC, there is no evidence that the virus can be passed to humans from animals. Hang on...haven’t we been led to believe that the whole thing started with bats or pangolins...the most trafficked animal in Asia?

...and don’t get me started on masks! Americans should be wearing them...unless it’s ‘they’re not for me’ Trump...but in the UK we’re better off not wearing them because they make you touch your face too much which is a major way to transmit the virus.

[Geoff Parkstone]

I will grant you some ambiguity for sure, but I'm not too sure that the social distancing regime is ambiguous at its core. The problem is the terminally thick (see woman above) and those who deliberately flout the rules who tend to be the some of the young, who feel they are immune - and may well be, shall we say, less vulnerable - and the elderly some of some seem to take the thing pragmatically along the lines of "I'm going to die anyway, so feckit"

[ramAnag]

Unfortunately GP, many of our ‘normal’ societal rules relating to - drinking and driving, speeding, not abusing staff who deal with the public, littering, smoking, all seater stadiums etc - are only required because of the ‘lowest common denominators.

All that’s happening at the moment is that things have become much more exaggerated and you’re probably witnessing and being made more aware of behaviour you don’t usually notice.

Not making excuses for people but I imagine that, like me, you have a decent amount of indoor and outdoor space which helps enormously.
I also think that yesterday’s ‘advice’ on the Marr Show from Matt Hancock was dreadful. Struggling to answer why exercise in public places was permissible but sunbathing wasn’t he ended up saying that exercise was good for mental health and sunbathing wasn’t, which is total bollux and entirely dependent on personal outlook an preference.

Of course the answer is that we can’t have public parks resembling crowded beaches where the (slightly random) two metre rule can’t possibly be observed but then the pedants and mischief makers in the media will point out that joggers and cyclists aren’t always two metres apart and that, by definition, they’re breathing far more heavily and therefore more of a risk to those they jog or cycle past.

It’s an almost impossibly difficult situation which I honestly believe the vast majority are coping with very well. Confusing advice and typical media overreaction don’t help and a minority just don’t get it...’‘twas ever thus!

[Trickytreesreds]

RA a lot of what is said, is confusing, but some ignoring instructions make this a conflict of words.

Here is a counter example. I have been doing a few medicine runs from chemists, to old folks houses. I go to the chemist, get handed a basket, by a masked/gloved technician with a list and addresses. I too am wearing gloves/mask.
I don't touch anything until delivery, where it is placed on the doorstep for them to pick up after knocking. I keep my distance and respect their space. All good!

Several times I have observed 2 police officers walking side by side and virtually touching, never mind 2 meters. No masks/no gloves and they visit all sorts of places.
Now if the people enforcing said rulings can't be arsed to do it right, what chance have you got?

[Geoff Parkstone]

Unfortunately GP, many of our ‘normal’ societal rules relating to - drinking and driving, speeding, not abusing staff who deal with the public, littering, smoking, all seater stadiums etc - are only required because of the ‘lowest common denominators.

All that’s happening at the moment is that things have become much more exaggerated and you’re probably witnessing and being made more aware of behaviour you don’t usually notice.

Not making excuses for people but I imagine that, like me, you have a decent amount of indoor and outdoor space which helps enormously.
I also think that yesterday’s ‘advice’ on the Marr Show from Matt Hancock was dreadful. Struggling to answer why exercise in public places was permissible but sunbathing wasn’t he ended up saying that exercise was good for mental health and sunbathing wasn’t, which is total bollux and entirely dependent on personal outlook an preference.

Of course the answer is that we can’t have public parks resembling crowded beaches where the (slightly random) two metre rule can’t possibly be observed but then the pedants and mischief makers in the media will point out that joggers and cyclists aren’t always two metres apart and that, by definition, they’re breathing far more heavily and therefore more of a risk to those they jog or cycle past.

It’s an almost impossibly difficult situation which I honestly believe the vast majority are coping with very well. Confusing advice and typical media overreaction don’t help and a minority just don’t get it...’‘twas ever thus!

Sound answer that rA and yes, I have a garden with a decent amount of space, which I've been working in when regular work allows. Not big enough to actually do serious exercise in, but better than many have. I imagine life stuck in a small flat can be maddening, but it's only a short time in the overall scheme of life. My son and his girlfriend are in London and in a small 1 bed flat both working from home yet he believes the sunbathers "should be shot"!! Perhaps serial offenders should be stripped of enhanced covid benefits 😕