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March 29, 2024, 03:01:04 PM

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How do I get my relatives to take Corona seriously?

Started by thenoise, March 20, 2020, 06:35:03 AM

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thenoise

Like you, I am sure, I am being a good boy and staying indoors apart from the occasional walk in the countryside, and a weekly drive to Sainsbury's to buy what's left of the food. Stopping off at my local shop on the way home to get toilet paper, eggs and soap.  Thankfully, my parents are taking it just as seriously, if not more so (they get everything delivered).

My grandparents in law still have visitors to the house every week, and still go on whist drives. They are in their 90s, one has recently recovered from bowel cancer. My Aunt (80) has just been on holiday with friends - a cottage halfway across the country - because they paid for it and didn't want to lose out. Numerous people still going to the pub etc. My parents in law were going to go on a cruise - same reasoning, they had already paid for it and didn't want to 'lose money' by not going - but thankfully it was cancelled.

Are any of your relatives being 'boldly defiant'/bloody stupid in the face of government advice? I know some people have to work/care for relatives etc. How do I persuade people who are long retired and vulnerable to stop being so daft and stay indoors for a few weeks?

Buelligan

My village is silent as the grave, there are quite a few oldies living here but all of them are remaining patiently behind closed shutters.  Our maire has not only sent us all copies of the attestation, to enable us to go to the shops and so on if we need, they've also provided us with local doctors' numbers, in case we need individual advice or help.  They've organised a person in the village who will arrange to deliver food or medicines in a crisis.  Our little school is providing day care for children of essential workers in the area. 

To summarise, I think, for whatever reason, unlike most Europeans, for some strange reason, a lot of people in Britain feel immune to any threat, like they don't even have to try.  They will always be safe.  Many of them seem to think that Britain and its people are exceptional, that they know how to do things best and can do what they like without risk or penalty.  I think they're finally going to find out this is not the case, a bit like the Brexit thing really.

buttgammon

My family seem to be split into two camps: those who think it's a total overreaction to something which is 'milder than the flu' and Brave Boris is sensible not to implement stronger measures (with some subtext about the dastardly machinations of 'the foreigners'), and those who think it's all a great big conspiracy confected by some unknown powers to control people. I'm sure that theory is more elaborate, but I unfollow on sight when I see stuff like that so haven't delved any further.

We're fucked, aren't we?

Buelligan

I don't know about Ireland.  My feeling about France is that the people, generally, accept reasonable suggestion and cooperate.  In this case, they're respecting the lockdown, working hard to take care of each other, at least in rural areas. 

I think, if it turned out that Macron or whoever was manoeuvring to take over with some kind of draconian crushing of society, the country-people of France would shrug, rev up their tractors and soundly fuck over their oppressors tout de suite.

Norton Canes

Never mind the over-70's, try getting teenagers to obey your constant exhortations to wash their hands. I'd rather be looking after toddlers, at least you can physically make sure they do it every so often.

buttgammon

Quote from: Buelligan on March 20, 2020, 09:59:06 AM
I don't know about Ireland.  My feeling about France is that the people, generally, accept reasonable suggestion and cooperate.  In this case, they're respecting the lockdown, working hard to take care of each other, at least in rural areas. 

I think, if it turned out that Macron or whoever was manoeuvring to take over with some kind of draconian crushing of society, the country-people of France would shrug, rev up their tractors and soundly fuck over their oppressors tout de suite.

Well, these relatives of mine are in the UK - my experience in Ireland has been quite different, and I think it's because there has been a different level of communication and a much greater degree of honesty from the government. Not to condone the individual stupidity of a lot of my family, but the failure to effectively communicate has left big gaps for these people to fill in with their paranoid imaginations.

purlieu

Girlfriend's parents are old - her dad's in his 80s and is on hormone treatment for prostate cancer, as well as having been in hospital for sepsis and a few other things in recent years.
Their neighbour just got back from India and immediately went round to theirs to say hello. They let her in. Unbelievable.

My 70 year old mum's just had her hair cut in our house. The travelling hairdresser has mostly elderly clients and is still doing the rounds. Dad had a go at mum and the reply was "she hasn't got any symptoms so it's ok".

Really quite difficult to comprehend.

Quote

My Mum saw the news footage of people struggling to breathe in Italian hospital corridors and it scared her straight, before then they were both carrying on as if to change your life because of a potentially fatal respiratory virus would be an admission of defeat.

Quote from: Buelligan on March 20, 2020, 06:56:57 AM
My village is silent as the grave, there are quite a few oldies living here but all of them are remaining patiently behind closed shutters.  Our maire has not only sent us all copies of the attestation, to enable us to go to the shops and so on if we need, they've also provided us with local doctors' numbers, in case we need individual advice or help.  They've organised a person in the village who will arrange to deliver food or medicines in a crisis.  Our little school is providing day care for children of essential workers in the area. 

To summarise, I think, for whatever reason, unlike most Europeans, for some strange reason, a lot of people in Britain feel immune to any threat, like they don't even have to try.  They will always be safe.  Many of them seem to think that Britain and its people are exceptional, that they know how to do things best and can do what they like without risk or penalty.  I think they're finally going to find out this is not the case, a bit like the Brexit thing really.
I agree there is a strange exceptionalism (? if that's a word) that seems to confer British immunity. Although my village is also organising food/help/dog walking etc for whoever needs it.
I however will be profiteering through larceny, swagger and general manipulation of the local weak.

Icehaven

I am so fucking furious with my Mum, she's 82 and despite promising me she wouldn't she's continued letting the kids that live in the flat above her in to visit her. Their mother is thick as mince and even blithely mentioned today that some of the teachers at their school have gone off sick after possibly having symptoms. I've just lost my rag with my Mum a bit on the phone about it so now I feel guilty but ffs, she used to be a nurse as well, and she's still got a full complement of marbles so I can't believe she's been so daft. We've been trying to decide wether or not it's a good idea to do anything on Mother's day all week and now I find this out, so fuck it I might as well go over (not on public transport) if only to make sure the grotty little petri dishes keep away. I'm having serious words with their mother if they turn up, the stupid cunt.

I've received a text from my folks back in the UK to tell me they're defying Boris by having a drink in the local tonight - which is offering free booze.  They're in their 60s, my dad is recovering from cancer, my mother from Grave's disease.

The fucking stupidity of it all.  They seem to think that a perverse 'Blitz spirit' works with viruses.  There was a death just yesterday in their local hospital - which you can see from their back window.  Not sure whether anger is the healthiest response, but it's what I am at present

phes

Is it really difficult to comprehend that people in their 80s might be blase about dying?

Icehaven

Yeah two of Mr. Haven's friends have gone to our local tonight for a last drink before it shuts, one is 54 and recovering from cancer and the other is 68 and has myriad health problems including emphysema (he coughs so much normally that if he did get Coronavirus he probably wouldn't notice until he dropped dead) and a heart condition. They asked us (36 and 40 and with no health probs) to go along and got a resounding no.

Icehaven

Quote from: phes on March 20, 2020, 07:44:32 PM
Is it really difficult to comprehend that people in their 80s might be blase about dying?

When it's your Mother, yes.

RicoMNKN

I have the opposite problem. My mum has been terrified of it since the news started coming in from China.  Having an anxiety proved true, and in such an extreme way, makes it very hard to find anything comforting to say any more.

A couple of weeks back I could blag it (I'd bought into the 'similar to flu' line) but I'm now not really sure what to say.

Kryton

My Dad reckons it'll all blow over in a week or two and I don't think he's stocked up.

phes

An incredible A&E consultant talks through what's happening. Maybe your folks will pay attention to the wireless

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0877rxr

Ian Benson

My dad seems to think that if he keeps needlessly going to Waitrose and PC World, and then tweeting about it to his 11 followers, he'll make all of this "stupid scaremongering" go away. In his head I imagine it's just "GO AWAY! GO AWAY! SHUT UP! SHUUUUUUUUUUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" on a constant loop. In terms of things that piss him right off this is up there with Greta Thunberg, Emma Thompson, woke culture, and cycle lanes.

bgmnts

A man in thr barbers who must have been about 102 years old.

Fair fucks to him.



Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: TheBrownBottle on March 20, 2020, 07:36:07 PM
They seem to think that a perverse 'Blitz spirit' works with viruses.
Also forgetting that people actually took measures to avoid the blitz: turning lights off, hiding in shelters and sending children to the countryside. Stubbornly going to the pub now would be like setting your roof alight when the Luftwaffe turn up.

Pranet

As I said other thread I worked at a supported housing place for homeless people. A large percentage of the residents don't know or don't care about any of this. We have been banging on at them all week about it. The Housing Association that runs us put in a visitor ban at the start of the week which I know is hard and at first I thought was out of order. Most people have been fine about it though. But some like I said don't know or care. Lost my shit at one of them bringing in four visitors today. His visitors also told me I was a fucking prick for asking them to leave. I thought I was dealing with the situation quite well today until then but it bought out all the tension and frustration. Thing is there are loads and loads of people out there who are like this- most of them with much less excuse than our residents. We are fucked.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: bgmnts on March 21, 2020, 03:14:14 PM
He was bald though.

The fuck's he doing in the barbers then, gettin a suck job or what

alan nagsworth

I%u2019ve got to have stern words with my grandparents tonight via Skype. They%u2019re in their 70s - yes I have a young family - and they think that as long as they sit far from everyone else in the cafe (now closed obvs) they%u2019ll be fine. Nan thinks she%u2019s going to the garden centre with my aunt tomorrow for Mother%u2019s Day. So my aunt called me last night and said they%u2019re not listening to their kids and so the grandchild has to be the voice of reason.

Trouble is they don%u2019t take it seriously and don%u2019t think the worst of it is on us yet so they can still cheat it for a while. Drives me fucking mental. They%u2019re not home hobbyists, they like to go out as much as possible so they can%u2019t bear the thought of staying in. I%u2019m not exactly doing a fucking Fred Astaire down the road grabbing every single diseased lamppost myself grandpa. Do your sodding part.

alan nagsworth

Oh for fucks sake. Accidentally pasted my shopping list at the top of the post and once again forgot this happens when I modify my post

gib

Quote from: alan nagsworth on March 21, 2020, 05:05:21 PM
Oh for fuck%u2019s sake. Accidentally pasted my shopping list at the top of the post and once again forgot this happens when I modify my post

FYP

bgmnts

Quote from: alan nagsworth on March 21, 2020, 04:56:58 PM
The fuck's he doing in the barbers then, gettin a suck job or what

The barber shaved his entire head then put a steaming towel on his face.

Unsure about the suckjob, its a Turkish barbers, no idea.

weekender

Quote from: alan nagsworth on March 21, 2020, 05:05:21 PM
Oh for fucks sake. Accidentally pasted my shopping list at the top of the post and once again forgot this happens when I modify my post

Does this happen a lot for you? 

If so, I might have some bad news.

Uncle TechTip

Just say to them, "41 year old people don't tend to die from the flu, do they?"