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March 28, 2024, 05:48:32 PM

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The unintended/unforeseen consequences of the crisis

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, March 17, 2020, 09:20:54 PM

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Shoulders?-Stomach!

This is the first global pandemic to be subjected to contemporary data capture and analysis, both fields that have developed enormously in the last 5 years alone. The way we have gone about recording this period in history is already unparalleled in scope and depth over such a short time.

Many people are keeping a close eye on developments around the world to find out what is working and isn't, what are peculiar outliers and why, but also thinking global. The videos from Italy have cheered people up globally, the suffering in Spain, Italy feels like it is hurting us, rather than being someone else's problem.

It strikes me that there is a raft of opportunities here for solidarity, to find and seek common cause, which has only come about through the technology showing the similarities in our struggles.

What do people think will be the spinoffs of this, the unintended consequences and the opportunities available in the political world the virus will leave behind?

Mike Upchat

Going by the emptied shelves of flour, eggs, yeast, etc at the supermarkets, next year's Bake Off will be amazing.

Kryton

I genuinely think it'll be the best wake up call we've had in decades, probably more so than the world wars. At least then we had enemies to hate, now we have a common problem. If the next few weeks become as harrowing as predicted I think we'll remember that we're actually human - rather than American, Iraqi, British, Italian etc...

I hope it's also a wake up call for all the Tories who scoffed at care workers and retail workers as nothing more than low skilled workers, rather than fucking front line staples of society.

I've said for years that we need a bit of unity on a global level. I always imagined it might be the discovery of extra terrestrial life, but I guess a global pandemic might unify us a little.


As for local issues, infrastructure etc. Fuck knows. If it's as bad as they say, then lots of things we took for granted might vanish.

Dewt

Quote from: Kryton on March 17, 2020, 10:19:48 PM
I genuinely think it'll be the best wake up call we've had in decades, probably more so than the world wars. At least then we had enemies to hate, now we have a common problem. If the next few weeks become as harrowing as predicted I think we'll remember that we're actually human - rather than American, Iraqi, British, Italian etc...
You are underestimating America, who will demand some kind of revenge on China for this as long as that revenge is profitable.

weekender

Quote from: Kryton on March 17, 2020, 10:19:48 PMAt least then we had enemies to hate, now we have a common problem

Jesus Christ, it's like you're asking him to use a violin as a plate.

I know he's a cunt, but steady on, at least he has the potential of being OUR cunt.

Zero Gravitas

I do hope the idea of burning carbon to go to a trading estate just to let your boss see your face starts to look sillier after this, plenty of places are now rolling out laptops and remote solutions that could have been made almost universal years ago.

I'd be hopeful that the 9-5 starts to look weird too in that context but knowing this hellword it'll probably be closer to giggification.

colacentral

You would think some working class Tory voters who arrogantly thought all the unemployed and homeless are lazy scroungers would realise that it can happen to them too. Maybe they'd reflect on the fact they are now complaining about the rate of SSP and other benefits when they need them, but didn't care before. Maybe they'd realise their billionaire bosses don't care for them. The employees of Virgin Atlantic will most likely be agreeing that the cunt Branson should be paying more, maybe realising just how much money a billion pound is, and that no one actually deserves that, for all the good it would do going towards other things.

This highlights why the small state and individualism doesn't work. When you shrink the state, you strengthen employers, and they don't care about you.

Dewt

Here's a (genuinely) good one: https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1240139289700315138

We're finally reducing emissions. Maybe COVID-19 is Godzilla.

Twit 2

Hello everyone, I think almost all the knock-on outcomes of this will be awful and this whole shebang will hasten society's collapse and the destruction of the human race. Alright, cheers.

evilcommiedictator

To be honest, I don't think this will change Tory voters in the UK, US or AU at all, it all has been the same culture war stuff for all of them and I think we're in for a repeat of the GFC, the same people are in charge, right?
9/11 was been the biggest thing in my lifetime, we're still having our politics dominated by it

sirhenry

One outcome of this is that companies and workers will become more used to working from home. And while there are some obvious climate change benefits to this there are a few slightly more worrying possible outcomes...

Once companies get used to the setup where as many of their employees work from home as possible because of the overhead savings, they will quickly want to make sure that their workers aren't skiving. So there will be development of software that keeps track of exactly what work is being done and when, maybe even software that the user/worker has to pay for for the privilege of working. But it's cheaper and cleaner than commuting...

Once that is in place, it's a very small step to converting virtually all of our digital economy over to a gig economy where you only get paid for the minutes that you're actually working. It's a very simple way of massively increasing productivity in one easy step. No more 60% work time wasted.

Also, with work being done online, there's no reason not to globalise employment and cut wage costs that way. Any country bringing in minimum wage legislation or restrictions on exploitation will be cutting its own throat as employers choose a cheaper workforce elsewhere at little or no extra cost.

This should bring about a more egalitarian world (on a national level, at least). There will still be "the 1%" and the disparity is likely to be greater than ever, but it's also likely to be spread more evenly around the world than now. And as far as I can see it will leave a rather large unemployed underclass in most/all countries. But workers will have little sympathy as they will be suffering a big increase in depression, loneliness, ill health and other outcomes of isolation, which we will be getting hints of in the coming months.

[This is all based on research I did recently while studying the likely effects of fibre broadband being installed everywhere in the UK and into rural digital homeworking back in the 90's. ]

Dr Trouser

Hoping that we use this as a way to start on-shoring manufacturing and supply chains and stop being addicted to cheap crap from sweatshops overseas, and it's associated massive transportation carbon footprint. Also a return to seasonal fruit and veg and not swathes of plastic wrapped imported items

we won't of course as the population craves 6 pairs of socks for 1.50GBP and disposable electronic ephemera (and avocados obviously)

Urinal Cake

Quote from: Dr Trouser on March 18, 2020, 09:31:03 AM
Hoping that we use this as a way to start on-shoring manufacturing and supply chains and stop being addicted to cheap crap from sweatshops overseas, and it's associated massive transportation carbon footprint. Also a return to seasonal fruit and veg and not swathes of plastic wrapped imported items

we won't of course as the population craves 6 pairs of socks for 1.50GBP and disposable electronic ephemera (and avocados obviously)
I just see more of an incentive for companies to automate as much as possible.

Quote from: sirhenry on March 18, 2020, 09:27:01 AM
One outcome of this is that companies and workers will become more used to working from home.......back in the 90's.

Maybe this will encourage an interest in universal basic income, something that might possibly come in temporarily as an emergency measure soon depending on how the near future pans out.

Buelligan

It's an interesting thought that, how would they take it away again once people see how good it is?

GMTV

Maybe people will see the entire system is built on sand.

Chancellor gets up and says "we've changed the numbers on the spreadsheets, and now everything is absolutely fine"

Danger Man

Renault Clio Renaultsport Nav Trophy Hatchback 1.6 Automatic Petrol £13,000 one ton of Penne or nearest offer.