*I usually post light-hearted posts but this is a little heavier. Not ‘French art-house’ heavy but heavy-ish. You have been warned. Also, no offense is intended so cool any jets before coming at me bros. That said, Cummings has acted like a complete muppet*
If you watch the news, are linked by social media or participate in any online discourse you’ll notice that there does seem to be a divisive and often aggressive stance presented about pretty much any topic. The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, stated a couple of years ago that, "Humanity connected by technology on the web is functioning in a dystopian way." He decried the "outraged and polarised tone and quality of online discourse", and this was before something like the Covid-19 pandemic happened. So how is the world functioning under this 'new normal' and what does it mean?
Whilst there have been many scenes of packed beaches, many have remained quiet and when people have been there they have socially distanced. Not everyone who goes to the beach is a ‘Covidiot’ and labelling them doesn’t help wider discourse.
In much of the left and centre-left media I've read, I've been told how ‘Covidiots’ are putting others in danger. The probably Brexit voting, bog roll hording gits are gonna cause a second wave and kill many more people by their selfish actions. The sods probably bang their pans on the Thursday for the NHS and carers whilst continuing to put them in danger through their actions. How dare these people enjoy the beach, socially distancing for the most part, and contributing a little to the devastated local economy? The bastards. They're not like you, me or our circle of friends who are sensibly self-isolating and waiting for the scientific evidence to bear out.
The right and centre right media meanwhile have a very different narrative; after more than 8 weeks in lockdown we must get back to a 'new normal.' The science by SAGE (the government's advisory scientific body, so totally impartial then…) says we're probably fine sending Year R, 1 and year 6 kids back to school on June 1st, after all younger kids are less likely to get the virus. They may spread it but it probably won't be that bad. Also, younger kids are well known to respect social distancing guidelines and definitely know what 2 metres looks like as they learned it in school. Talking about schools, they have most definitely been closed and those lazy/ heroic teachers have been chilling at home/ working heroically to support/ letting parents suffer with no support/ too much work. The sods! Yes, there may be a second wave, but the impact to Britain's economy would be more devastating and in the long run this will lead to longer term problems that will be worse than death, like a disparity between rich and poor students. Won't anyone think of the kids? C'mon folks, we're Great Britain, we won the war and we will win this because we're a sovereign island nation who don't need no-one else. *sassy finger clicks* Let's get Brexit done!
The centrists are seen as the worst in many peoples eyes as they have a nuanced approach. They've isolated for the duration of lockdown but have recently gone out to get some fresh air or gone to the beach, if they live near the coast. Contrary buggers, choose a side! This is no time for shades of grey, it's only black and white. A great former U.S. president, George W. Bush said, “You're either with us or against us.” So choose your side you mealy-mouthed muppets!
I'm obviously taking the piss here (just to be clear) and speaking in very broad terms but the general gist is there; whatever your political views or leanings, the narrative being told is it feels better to negatively judge people who have differing views and think of them in derogatory terms, de-humanising them.
I think after 12 years in which we've had extreme economic hardship due to the 2008 crash, the ‘Hostile Environment’ immigration policy that led to the Windrush Scandal, a general demonising of foreigners and 'low skilled' workers amongst certain political groups and media interests during Brexit, and a raised awareness of inequality due to the tragedy in Grenfell, we need to rebuild the sense of community and trust in this fractured country.
This was Teignmouth riverside at 11am on Saturday. Not packed and the people who were there were socially distancing for the most part.
A lot of it is to do with social media and media as a whole. We are hyper-connected and in the news cycle and social media filter and algorithm, all we hear are the shrill extremes of the bell curve, the extreme views from either end of the spectrum. However, most people are in the middle without the extreme views of whatever is being discussed; "You're either with us or against us" both sides cry, when actually most people are neither. The extreme views of the bell curve become the norm and people who don't feel those extremes feel left out and marginalised whilst the shrill just get 'shiller.'
The problem of toxic comments comes from both sides of the spectrum, snowflakism is real on both sides and not just the reserve of the left. On the Web it's very difficult to have a sensible centrist conversation so why shout into the wind? I look back at some of the thoughts and opinions I have shared over the years and I stand by many but looking back reflectively some were antagonistic and reactionary, being written in anger, fear and other heightened feelings that I felt at the time.
I dare to dream… of a world where people aren’t complete muppets to one another, and they listen respectfully…
All that this polarising rhetoric does is take the emphasis away from thinking clearly about how disorganised and confused the government response has been. This is not a post to bash the Tory's, however no matter how you cut it the death count is tragically high and this is largely due to the lack of true leadership shown and inadequate preparation, no matter what they say in those daily briefings. Shaking hands with patients who had Covid-19 shows the arrogance exhibited by Boris. Churchill, who he would like to emulate, had a lot on his plate but I don't remember him being arrogant enough to go out to a field, pulling his pants down and mooning the Luftwaffe during the Blitz. Informed choices and smart decisions (and a little luck, for sure) won the day for Churchill, but for Boris, alas, the emperor has been found to have no clothes on. Except when he's defending Dominic Cummings, but then we know who's really wearing the trousers in that relationship.
As I noticed when walking along the beach in Shaldon, Devon today on Tuesday 2nd June 2020, people are making good choices for the most part. However, I know from a few friends across the country who live next to the coast that there are many people a who are not following social distancing guidelines and are ignoring protocols by grouping together at beaches. They should be dealt with properly by the authorities, but not everyone on the beach should be tarred with the same ‘covidiot’ brush. I’ve also seen choice photos of other beaches taken at angles which make the people look closer together than they really are or even old photos pre-pandemic of packed beaches claiming to have been taken during the pandemic, these do not help build trust in what is being communicated online.
That's why we have many people not believing everything they read or see in ‘mainstream media’ but rather seeking ‘alternative media’ to get their ‘news’. Many people believed alternate dimension blood drinking lizard botherer David Icke with his 5G conspiracy and lit up phone masts. It's a shame we've never had anything like this untested, unknown technology before, like maybe 4G, 3G, 2G... . It's also why if there is a vaccine many people will elect not to take it, some for valid reasoned medical reasons and some because they saw a YouTube video by a random guy talking about its dangers from his shed and he seemed legit so they told their circle of friends, some of who are flat earthers and believe that man never really landed on the moon. We are through the looking glass here people!
Since when has it been the norm to believe more in conspiracy theorists than scientists? It's no coincidence that the countries with the strongest trust in institutions like the police, scientists and politicians have had the most cohesive and effective response against the spread of Covid-19. With a government that specifically stated that "People have had enough of experts" what else did they expect when people turned to other sources of information and questioned those they should have been listening to in this critical time? This erosion of trust has caused huge problems and meant that the messages are not being received with trust, or they are being interpreted in different ways.
So, where do we go from here? Well, first off we need to stop judging and belittling people (apart from conspiracy theorists as they need to be called out on their more outlandish nonsense), either through passive aggressive virtue signalling on Facebook, Twitter or any other medium as it doesn't help, it just entrenches those views. Also, some flash in pan hashtags often don't help, they're often just a short term trend. #BeKind was a wonderful idea but was soon forgotten whilst the whole Facebook forwarding of "I can say that I've stayed at home since lockdown began, have you" is not helpful as it assumes people are all in the exact same position. How about key workers or carers who don't have that luxury? You don't know what people are going through and shaming them does not help. People may be going through some mental health issues, having difficulties supporting their children or maybe they are looking after someone with a disability. For many financial hardship has grown, even more since austerity 'ended' and there are harder times to come with the unemployment rate skyrocketing and expected to grow even more. So to assume that everyone should behave in one way is unfair, I mean don’t drive to a castle 60 miles away with your 4 year old son strapped to the back of the car to ‘check your eyesight,’ but do follow the spirit of the guidelines to help wider society and don’t be a selfish git.
Simply put, there is not one good way to create the' new normal' but could it please be one in which we respect difference and appreciate each other and maybe listen.
Politicians and political commentators must look at how they are contributing to an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ narrative which has led to populism sweeping across the world. There’s nothing wrong in populism but some of the statements which are shown in the 24 news cycle and shared online, pervade society and give credence to certain xenophobic, racist, homophobic beliefs. This adds fuel to the fire and all it takes is one spark to ignite the flames for discord and discontent. I could place any number of quotes from Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson or many other politicians in here but I won’t as by cherry picking a few points without context, I’d be doing what I am railing against.
I don’t know how to end this as what is going on in the world is too big to grapple with here but I think the ‘new normal’ should have a simple overarching rule to follow: Be the best that you can be as a human being and make informed decisions that help create a fairer world for all people, irrespective of colour, creed, religion or orientation. Difficult, I know but dare to dream…
LINK- Straight Outta Quarantine: 14 Days in Blighty
LINK- Flying Home From Coronavirus
LINK- One Month on From Social Distancing in Saudi
LINK- Life in Coronavirus Lockdown Saudi
LINK- Life in the Times of the Coronavirus
LINK- The Further Adventures of Anjum of Arabia in Saudi
LINK- High Tea and High Times in the Riyadh Globe
LINK- Reflecting on Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months
LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On