Coronavirus survey part 2 - how are work & incomes going?

[newfoundmass]

2 hours ago, TheDudeAbides said:

I'm in Florida.

We've been back to normal since May.

I know lot's who have been diagnosed with covid, but I know no one who's died. 

My dad fell from a high latter in July (in California) and suffered SEVERE brain damage. Also PTSD from staying in a hospital for 2 months with next to no visitors. He is still not even close to recovered.

Florida is a national embarrassment. 

[TheDudeAbides]

8 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

Florida is a national embarrassment. 

1,000/day relocating to Florida tells me that many are not embarrassed by Florida. 

I am saddened for the mental and emotional destructiveness the paranoia has caused. To me that's worse than the cause. Personally I would rather die free than survive as a slave. That's just me. I know many would disagree. 

Cheers. 

[Tim Sewell]

I wonder it what possible universe being asked to reduce social contact and to take simple precautions like wearing a mask in enclosed spaces, during a pandemic that has so far killed half a million Americans (and many more the world over) can be characterised as 'slavery'. I mean, it's not like there's any shortage of examples of *actual* slavery available to see in the historical record of the good ol' USA.

[Trek of Joy]

I work in tourism marketing in Florida, its been a rough year, lots of layoffs and visitation numbers collapsing for a good chunk of 2020. Lots of colleagues lots jobs as layoffs cut deep industry-wide. I've been fortunate to be at 2019 levels of income as there were needs for pandemic messaging and now slowly starting to welcome back visitors. Plus everyone is doubling down on local experiences, outdoor adventures and other social distance activities that can be safely done - so there's lots of content buckets to fill. Things are rebounding. I feel blessed to still be busy, but its been tough to create content with social distance measures, so lots of outdoor/drone stuff, I've been flying a lot. Its also been rough with all the negative attention FL generates. But vaccines are rolling out fast, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel. All signs point toward a busy summer, for better or worse. I did have some extra downtime so I made a point to exercise daily to burn stress, got faster on inline skates and on my paddleboard than ever before, and got into the best shape of my life. I think we all need something to keep us sane, I've had lots of friends/family get COVID despite most being very careful, and a few have died. Its been a rough year mentally just from the constant stress of everything.

Chris

[TheDudeAbides]

1 hour ago, Tim Sewell said:

I wonder it what possible universe being asked to reduce social contact and to take simple precautions like wearing a mask in enclosed spaces, during a pandemic that has so far killed half a million Americans (and many more the world over) can be characterised as 'slavery'. I mean, it's not like there's any shortage of examples of *actual* slavery available to see in the historical record of the good ol' USA.

I thought we were talking about closing down businesses and lock downs and mandating stay at home policies - which I do consider a form of slavery.

Who said anything about masks?

[newfoundmass]

2 hours ago, TheDudeAbides said:

I thought we were talking about closing down businesses and lock downs and mandating stay at home policies - which I do consider a form of slavery.

Who said anything about masks?

Like I said, embarrassing. 

[fuzzynormal]

6 hours ago, TheDudeAbides said:

the mental and emotional destructiveness the paranoia has caused...I would rather die free than survive as a slave.

These two thoughts seems like an incongruity. Wouldn't every citizen not protecting themselves from a pandemic increase the general paranoia of getting the virus of said pandemic?  Or maybe just ignoring it is literally what some would just rather do?  --Because it's easier to do that if one has a certain POV, I guess?  If so, what's the mental process to get to that attitude?

[TheDudeAbides]

1 hour ago, fuzzynormal said:

These two thoughts seems like an incongruity. Wouldn't every citizen not protecting themselves from a pandemic increase the general paranoia of getting the virus of said pandemic?  Or maybe just ignoring it is literally what some would just rather do?  --Because it's easier to do that if one has a certain POV, I guess?  If so, what's the mental process to get to that attitude?

So I'm wondering if you can help me here.

The OP asked how we were all fairing. I understood it to mean that some were having a very difficult time. Some not as much. So let's hear about how everyone's doing. That's what I thought I understood. It was an honest question. At least I thought. 

So I responded that here in Florida we have been basically open since May, that I know people who were diagnosed with covid, but I don't personally know anyone who has died. All true. 

Also, my greatest impact from covid was on my dad, who fell in July and suffered severe brain damage that was made enormously worse by the covid rules in California hospitals which didn't allow anyone to see him. This made his recovery nearly impossible because, if you've ever known anyone who has experienced tremendous brain trauma, surrounding them with familiar faces and places is critical to help them stay grounded and to recall familiar things. He also has tremendous ptsd from staying in a hospital for 2 months alone. It's been devastating to us and him and he is still not close to recovering from either the fall or the hospital stay.

I was then told Florida was an embarrassment. 

Well, a statistic I heard a month ago said that 1,000 people/day are moving here. Clearly not everyone is embarrassed by Florida. Is this offensive? Inappropriate? Whether or not you agree, isn't this in line with the OP's original question? How are we all fairing and who's doing what?

Then I empathized with those who have been negatively affected by the paranoia, as opposed to the disease itself -- like my family. I literally don't know a single person who has died from covid, but the fear of it destroyed my dad's chances of recovery. Is that offensive? Inappropriate? Again, isn't this a relevant addition to the conversation? I haven't suggested new policy. Only expressed my experiences.

I then mentioned how I would prefer to die free, than live as a slave. Is this such an offensive sentiment? Maybe the word "slave" is touchy? If so, I apologize. I didn't mean it in with any of the historical stigma.

I delivered to a lady a couple months ago who hadn't been outside since March 2020. I couldn't do that. In other words, to hell with the paranoia, I would rather die free than be enslaved to my house. Said differently, I would rather live and risk dying, than survive and risk never living. As I said before, and politely I might add, that's me. Not everyone will agree.

Then I was accused of not wearing a mask and not social distancing. Listen, I wear a mask every time I'm out in public and keep my distance. Not for my sake, but for those who are concerned. Isn't this what has been asked of us? 

Was the only acceptable answer how miserable I am and it's all so and so's fault? If so, I can't answer that way. Over here in my circle of family and friends we are happy and healthy and working and free and the most devastating experience from covid was the fear, not the virus itself.

I meant no disrespect to those that have lost friends and family. And if you are in favor of locking everyone in, well, I disagree, but I respect your opinion. I'm simply offering mine. 

Again, I thought we were supposed to express our experiences thus far. Those are mine. Maybe this forum isn't for honest answers. Change my mind. 

[newfoundmass]

"Things have been normal in Florida since May" says the guy that doesn't understand why the rest of the country is embarrassed by the state that just last month was averaging almost 20,000 new cases a day and has ignored the experts advice since the pandemic began, resulting in some of the worst statistics in the country. 

He then compares lock downs to SLAVERY and wonders why people think he's a fucking idiot.

[newfoundmass]

I apologize to everyone else for the "fucking idiot" part, I should've worded it better but too much time passed before I tried to edit it. I've just lost my patience dealing with people like TheDudeAbides. 

I try to be respectful of others opinions, but I cannot stand blatant ignorance. Still I should've just ignored it. Sorry everyone. 

[fuzzynormal]

1 hour ago, TheDudeAbides said:

how I would prefer to die free, than live as a slave.

Simply, I don't agree with the sentiment.  It's equating the pandemic response to being unjustly subjugated.  So, yeah, I don't see the response as being unjust like slavery.  If there was supposed to be more nuance in the initial metaphor,  I didn't read it.

[Tim Sewell]

14 hours ago, TheDudeAbides said:

I thought we were talking about closing down businesses and lock downs and mandating stay at home policies - which I do consider a form of slavery.

Medically justified, temporary, standard public health measures aimed at containing a deadly pandemic are not slavery - the view of the world betrayed by such a characterisation is either simplistic or solipsistic.

I'm very sorry for your father's suffering - but really, what is the alternative? Do hospitals allow normal visiting by relatives and friends who may unknowingly be spreading a virus that could kill not only the patient concerned but also many others in the hospital who are highly vulnerable? Or do they devote hours of scarce nursing time helping said visitors to don PPE to a clinical standard?

All of the measures enacted around the world have their basis in the fact that we are faced with a virus that many can spread without even realising they're infected, but which for many others is a death sentence. In other words - they call upon those who in the main can withstand the infection to temporarily undergo some personal detriment - be it economic, social, emotional or to their own mental health in order to protect their fellow citizens who might not be so lucky.

You say it's your right to take the personal risk of getting sick or dying. But what of the health worker treating you who you infect and goes on to die, or to have their life blighted by long Covid? What of the rights of the key worker infected because they have no choice but to continue to work and mix who is denied a hospital bed because you - who was exercising his rights - have taken it up due to entirely avoidable infection? Why do your 'rights' (really just a conviction that you shouldn't be inconvenienced or disappointed along with everybody else) trump theirs?

[scotchtape]

I've been using the ignore user feature for years, it's amazing for one's mental health!

[newfoundmass]

8 hours ago, Tim Sewell said:

Medically justified, temporary, standard public health measures aimed at containing a deadly pandemic are not slavery - the view of the world betrayed by such a characterisation is either simplistic or solipsistic.

This 100%! And the thing about those measures is they work! That's why I'm so exhausted by these debates. 

Even when you adjust the numbers to account for its small population, Vermont has the second lowest rates in the country. Why? It's not because it's rural since that didn't spare the Dakotas from having the highest numbers in the country. It's not because it was remote, given it bordered New York and Massachusetts, two states that were ravaged by COVID-19 at one point. It's not because they aren't testing; they're 7th in testing per million. 

It's because they require masks, put limits on how many people can be in stores and restaurants at once, restricted gatherings, etc. Common sense stuff that even after 500,000 have died people still argue against or call "slavery." 

[leslie]

I work in a factory running cnc machines and lately a waterjet. I dabble in video for a hobby.  I got laid off, not long after covid hit here in aus and nearly everything got shut down. Spent about six- eight months off work. Ended up withdrawing 20k out of my super, as allowed by the government at the time. Paid the mortgage off and bought a 3 year old Mitsubishi outlander.

Some might say I haven't had it too tough, and I can't say that I blame them for thinking that.

Here in Australia we haven't experienced the death rates in other countries. Whether that's due to the government initiatives or a smaller population more spread out or dumb luck, I couldn't tell. But I am however grateful as I have some rare bug called sarcoidosis which would probably not play well with covid, if I were to catch it. While covid hasn't had the same impact here mortality wise, financially it's probably  near crippled a lot of people, families, government. 

Long time ago I remember a saying ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what can you do for your country.  Personally I think it might the time to focus a bit less on myself and some more on where I can help others,and maybe video something along the way.

 

[ND64]

On 2/26/2021 at 9:05 PM, newfoundmass said:

It's because they require masks, put limits on how many people can be in stores and restaurants at once, restricted gatherings, etc. Common sense stuff that even after 500,000 have died people still argue against or call "slavery." 

Every policy has its limits. Restriction for two months is very different with same restriction for two years. People calling it slavery or any other names, is completely natural reaction at this point. I live in a country that people simply gave up! Its not that only you understand the common sense. Humans are more complicated than that.. they're not coded with C++.

[newfoundmass]

51 minutes ago, Eric Calabros said:

Every policy has its limits. Restriction for two months is very different with same restriction for two years. People calling it slavery or any other names, is completely natural reaction at this point. I live in a country that people simply gave up! Its not that only you understand the common sense. Humans are more complicated than that.. they're not coded with C++.

It's a completely natural reaction for ignorant people that have never read a history book to compare it to slavery but not anyone that's remotely reasonable. 

[newfoundmass]

One of the ugliest aspects of this pandemic has been the reminder of the sense of entitlement so many people have. It was always there but it's really been hitting us over the head every day since the pandemic began. Selfishness has been deemed "freedom" and any attempt to reel in such selfishness has been labeled "tyranny." It's to the point where people compare, without even the smallest bit of irony, that it's equal to slavery. 

Mind you they make these statements on their phones and computers, with minimal restrictions on what they can say (depending on the platform), while living in their nice homes, driving their nice cars, eating in restaurants, and enjoying most of the other wonderful perks that comes with modern technology and society. 

You know who don't have any of that? Actual slaves. And they exist today, not as these privileged people complaining, but as human beings forced to live in squalor, void of any rights, and forced to work for nothing. The minor inconveniences you've had to live with this last year is still better than anything those people have ever experienced. So yeah, people's insistence on comparing the efforts to combat COVID-19 to slavery is not only dumb but insulting to those that have experienced genuine slavery or whose ancestors were slaves. All of that should go without saying and yet here we are. Embarrassing. 

[Jimmy G]

On 2/23/2021 at 11:34 AM, Andrew Reid said:

How's peoples livelihoods going. How's motivation holding up?

Mine is on the floor!

Been a tough old winter for sure.

Is this a longer-term economic disaster in the making? I just can't make out how people's incomes are holding up from filmmaking or the arts and culture at the moment.

Everyone is impacted differently. Maybe you are on lockdown since November due to government incompetence or maybe you're a New Zealand citizen carrying on as normal?

I'd like to hear your stories...

Hi all,

My heart goes out to everyone whose livelihood depends on this technology, tough, nay, difficult and challenging times, indeed. Being "just a retired fellow who likes to play with cool toys and try and make something with them" my biggest hit during the pandemic was having to sandbag my night college FCPX class this past spring when in-class learning turned into an attempt at virtual learning...I imagine I took an incomplete on it, haven't had the heart to check. (sigh) I would very much like to retake the course when the campus reopens and I feel that the pandemic is on the wane and I can get tested for the antibodies to determine whether I should get a vaccine or not. My hopes and expectations (here "in the States") is that our new administration will prove more competent and honest in dealing with this pandemic than the previous one and, in those regards, things are looking hopeful.

In the meantime, after a fraught year of worry for my immune-compromised daughter and S.O. (and countless friends and loved ones) I'm just beginning to get my head back into my nature/wildlife shooting and have reinvigorated my day-by-day commitments to "just get out there" and put myself in the way of beauty (as the film says!) and grab some footage and stills. It's proved to be good medicine, too easy (it sadly seems) to have been able to allow depressiveness and worry keep me on the couch. I wish everyone future success with their own personal challenges.

My biggest challenge since getting "back out" is dealing with those (sometimes-indignant) non-mask-wearing folks who've allowed themselves to be fooled into thinking that doing so has been some grand conspiracy to rob them of their civil liberties. Losing one's life and/or becoming gravely ill because of the carelessness of others is an attack on one's civil liberties, sad to discover that this conversation is actually necessary, so, I've taken to politely asking that they do so. Unfortunately, a few local businesses (deli, laundromat, etc.) have been lax in abiding by our State's (NY) Covid requirements and I've had to have conversations with those proprietors as to why they will not see me in their places of business any further...this pandemic has been an education in seeing how others show respect for their neighbors, and in the case of business owners, their patrons and employees and their own families.

All that said, my mental/emotional state has seen a marked upswing since becoming active again, as has my physical health...something to be said for fresh air and sunshine and a sense of purpose and desire! Haw!

Best to one and all, 🙂

Jimmy G

P.S. Thank you author Cheryl Strayed for the words...

WILD: "Sunset" - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ALJfFmwWwU

[ND64]

10 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

You know who don't have any of that? Actual slaves.

Its like saying poor people in developed countries shouldn't call themselves poor, because some kids somewhere in India are dying because there is no enough food.

Slavery is about a situation where a person or a group of people, commonly known as master, decides how you should live. Some people have legitimately concluded that they're in that situation right now. The mathematical measurements of misery is not the subject.