Sentiment in this Forum

Del Griffith

Has anyone else noticed it's changing?

At the beginning was 80% panic and the 20% were considered deluded/in-denial, and there was 99% support for the restrictions.

Now every second post is doubting the severity and the stats, questioning the strategy and generally suggesting the lock down be lifted sooner if not as soon as possible.

Is boards.ie a decent barometer for measure of sentiment of the Irish population at large, and if so - is support for the restrictions fading?

I'd like DeVore to do some analysis and produce stats around sentiment in here.

Squeaksoutloud

Del Griffith wrote: »

Has anyone else noticed it's changing?

At the beginning was 80% panic and the 20% were considered deluded/in-denial, and there was 99% support for the restrictions.

Now every second post is doubting the severity and the stats, questioning the strategy and generally suggesting the lock down be lifted sooner if not as soon as possible.

Is boards.ie a decent barometer for measure of sentiment of the Irish population at large, and if so - is support for the restrictions fading?

I'd like DeVore to do some analysis and produce stats around sentiment in here.

It's called the Prevention Paradox! Saw it down time ago with the graph of cases. Once you get to a certain point and spread has been suppressed people start wondering what all the fuss was about!

No doubt we could have been like Madrid or Lombardy if no measures taken. However, it is looking like the disease is less lethal than initially anticipated.

BoatMad

Squeaksoutloud wrote: »

It's called the Prevention Paradox! Saw it down time ago with the graph of cases. Once you get to a certain point and spread has been suppressed people start wondering what all the fuss was about!

No doubt we could have been like Madrid or Lombardy if no measures taken. However, it is looking like the disease is less lethal than initially anticipated.

or perhaps we might have been like Sweden !!, who knows , its conjecture

ChikiChiki

We have flattened the curve so it's time to start the slow lifting of restrictions, as we are doing.

I wouldn't change a whole lot about how we have handled this.

Obviously the nursing homes have been a disaster and there are a lot of lessons to be learned there.

We would never have been like Sweden who as a nation are quite socially distanced given the nature of our population, but once we are directed to do something we will comply and I think overall we have done well.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

The test is nearing its end. You have all passed your blind obedience test to government and law. Well done all.

Civil liberties pre Covid 9/10

Civil liberties during Covid 2/10

Civil liberties post Covid 7/10

Until the next pandemic, see you then sheep.

Kermit.de.frog

BoatMad wrote: »

or perhaps we might have been like Sweden !!, who knows , its conjecture

135 new deaths today in Sweden.

Thankfully we chose the right path and we need to see it through now.

On the OP, the measures have worked to suppress spread, therefore naturally people become complacent.

empacher

Note also that your average person wont be posting on the forums. Majority of people are for/against the lock-down akin to white supremacists love of Trump. Then throw a few conspiracy theories nutters into the mix.

The average Irish person is probably lying out in their back garden sunning themselves.

Quantum Erasure

Hunky Monster wrote: »

The test is nearing its end. You have all passed your blind obedience test to government and law. Well done all.

Civil liberties pre Covid 9/10

Civil liberties during Covid 2/10

Civil liberties post Covid 7/10

Until the next pandemic, see you then sheep.

Baaaaa!

Murple

BoatMad wrote: »

or perhaps we might have been like Sweden !!, who knows , its conjecture

I think you need to have a look at Sweden’s statistics. 642 new cases today and 135 deaths compared to our 156 new cases and 26 deaths. We have around 4,000 active cases while they have over 17,000. They have 425 currently serious/critical cases versus our 93. Sweden to me looks like they are very much in the early stages and it could get significantly worse if they don’t get it under control soon.
I’m not sure they should be held up as the poster child for getting it right.

Lyan

Murple wrote: »

I think you need to have a look at Sweden’s statistics. 642 new cases today and 135 deaths compared to our 156 new cases and 26 deaths. We have around 4,000 active cases while they have over 17,000. They have 425 currently serious/critical cases versus our 93. Sweden to me looks like they are very much in the early stages and it could get significantly worse if they don’t get it under control soon.
I’m not sure they should be held up as the poster child for getting it right.

It could be twice as worse and the long term impact will still be better than a lockdown. This is a big trolley problem and the switch is set for the track with the fewest people on it.

ShineOn7

empacher wrote: »

Note also that your average person wont be posting on the forums

The average Irish person is probably lying out in their back garden sunning themselves.

Yes I'm starting to think this more and more. And I'm starting to realise that the more I read on the Covid forum the more anxious and stressed I am

In the mid 2000s I knew a good few people who posted and read Boards. These days I know zero. Reddit and (unfortunately) the Facebook endless Stream Of Shíte has replaced Boards for so many Irish people


Boards used to be a good reflection and barometer of Irish thinking. These days (and on Covid especially) I'm not so sure anymore

Jim_Hodge

Personally I thought this would be a good place for news and views on the crisis but I only glance quickly through now because it doesn't reflect the attitudes and reality among those I know in the 'real world. Here seems to be a world of two extremes and people determined to push agendas (political, social etc) irrespective of what happens. There are also too many totally unqualified people pontificating, projecting and analysing as though they were health care, epidemiolocal , or viral experts.
So, no I don't think the sentiment here reflects the broader society.

Beasty

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

There are also too many totally unqualified people pontificating, projecting and analysing as though they were health care, epidemiolocal , or viral experts.

Yeah, but we all became specialists from perusing Boards.....

Bit cynical

Del Griffith wrote: »

Has anyone else noticed it's changing?

At the beginning was 80% panic and the 20% were considered deluded/in-denial, and there was 99% support for the restrictions.

Now every second post is doubting the severity and the stats, questioning the strategy and generally suggesting the lock down be lifted sooner if not as soon as possible.

Is boards.ie a decent barometer for measure of sentiment of the Irish population at large, and if so - is support for the restrictions fading?

I'd like DeVore to do some analysis and produce stats around sentiment in here.

I think early on the majority of people considered the virus much more dangerous and that the chance of dying having contracted the virus was much higher. This led to calls for the maximum possible lockdown as early as possible, the more restrictions the better.

I think as time goes on, there's more questioning of particular aspects of the restrictions and the extent to which they contribute to the goals of the strategy.

Also, things that are missing that could help are gaining traction here. The issue of masks seems to have been mainly discussed here on boards but doesn't yet have much official support.

Harry Palmr

It turns out that by doing the right thing not enough people died to make it worth doing the right thing.

/internet 101.

hmmm

Stages of grief. Lots of panic here a few weeks ago, now I think many have moved to denial. Going to be a big depression when we partly reopen and people see we aren't going back to normal anytime soon.

Harry Palmr

True, the doors will be flung open in hope but it'll be quiet and strange and not enough money will circulate quickly enough to save so many businesses which are now on "furloughed" life support. Then there's the complete absence of gatherings just family units and single units wearing masks going straight from point A to point B and back again.

Bit cynical

hmmm wrote: »

Stages of grief. Lots of panic here a few weeks ago, now I think many have moved to denial. Going to be a big depression when we partly reopen and people see we aren't going back to normal anytime soon.

1. Panic: Fear of disease leads to support for all forms of lockdown.
2. Denial: Feeling that after a period of lockdown we've beaten the virus but in fact we've only postponed it. Any substantial lifting only leads to increased infection and deaths.
3. Bargaining: There's a vaccine just around the corner isn't there?
4. Anger: Anger at the economic cost of the lockdown including those who most vehemently called for a lockdown in stage 1.
5. Depression. Still no vaccine only continued restrictions in various forms.

Arghus

Harry Palmr wrote: »

It turns out that by doing the right thing not enough people died to make it worth doing the right thing.

/internet 101.

That about sums it up

It's beginning to get a bit Gemma O' D in here.

And some strange mental gymnastics like:

We should have done more to protect the elderly, it's a disgrace! But, why I am on lockdown just to protect the elderly? Sure most of them are ancient and were going to die anyway, it's a disgrace!

This lockdown is going to cause potential deaths down the line, potentially - the actual real life deaths caused by the virus aren't that significant really.

Despite it costing them literally billions per week and upending everyone's lives the government are absolutely loving this and want even more of it. They love this massively unpopular fiscal disaster!