Young children will probably be ok because they don’t have anything else to compare their experiences with. A whole generation just before ours spent five years with schooling and home life compromised by WW2 but I can’t remember any of them complaining. It’s the late teens and young adults who I feel most acutely for. At a time when their horizons should be opening out and they should be forging relationships they are instead being expected to stay at home. It’s cruel and I believe unnecessary. They themselves are at little risk from the virus but are expected to make sacrifices to save the old. This is a complete reversal of normal human behaviour. We oldies should behave like grown ups and individually protect ourselves or not.
The main difference is that whilst the very young in WW2 were being protected ( as much as possible) the older teenagers were having to take responsibility. Not for them, the parties in the street, the raves etc. They were flying Lancaster bombers or Spitfires, fighting in France, fighting in the far east, or were prisoners. Compare the 18 to 20 year olds of the second world war with the behaviour of the 18 – 20 year olds we see today.
That’s just it: young people need a sense of purpose. Taking part in the war effort by actually doing something must have given many of them this – my parents included. In contrast, in our current situation basically all meaning has been removed from their lives, and for many there wasn’t much already because of an already difficult economic situation for many of them. If the government really wants lockdowns to be effective (if they can be effective – I’m not convinced) they need to find ways to engage young people in doing something helpful, rather than telling them to do almost nothing for weeks or months and blaming them for getting restless and attempting to be fully human again.
Effective how? When they open up “cases” and deaths increase, necessitating another lockdown. And deaths from serious life limiting illnesses such as cancer skyrocketed during the lockdowns as a result of prevention to diagnosis and treatment. I’m not seeing the effective here
Young children will probably be ok because they don’t have anything else to compare their experiences with. On the other hand, they’ll think this is normal. They’ll think that large gatherings – excuse me, certain large gatherings since the virus can apparently distinguish among church services, riots, and other mass events – are terrible things. They’ll think human contact is to be avoided.
I get the point you’re making. At the same time, we’re nearly 20 years into a policy of removing shoes in airports. All because one time, one guy attempted to do something with a pair of sneakers.
Helen San
3 years ago
Being taught that human contact is dangerous is a toxic message for children to be growing up with.
andrew harman
3 years ago
I hold firmly to the belief that lockdown will be seen as an historic mistake. The reckoning and blacklash will be huge. All these middle class Grauniad readers who witter on about their now found lockdown skills are the ones whole security is more or less, as they see it, guaranteed. Group think both across and within nations across the world.
…..all together on the long march to a tyranny of matriarchal compassion.
shinybeast1
3 years ago
My sons primary school has today asked parents to wear masks for pick up /drop off. I can’t blame people for being scared to death about this whole thing, although I find it hard to understand how they can really believe the media narrative. I don’t want to upset people or scare them by not wearing a mask but I don’t want to enable this complete madness! I will give my son a kiss as he goes to school and he will be greeted by my smiling face when he comes out. All these crazy ‘just in case’ measures are completely ridiculous and more often than not only put in place to appease the fear that has been instilled in people by phoney charts and hysterical headlines.
Fraser Bailey
3 years ago
I think we will all be scarred for life by the utter insanity and wickedness of everything the British government has done since March 2020.
They are not alone in this by any means, and I would say they have been relatively humane compared with some other regimes – the Victorian State government’s response springs to mind. Ironically that government is daily lauded by the population for their inhumane treatment of the population. I gather they would be elected back with an increased majority if there were an election.
They were being told that before, albeit explained as sexual harassment.
These kids were set to be scarred already.
Ben Scott
3 years ago
I hope, longer-term, all this will come round full circle…
The liberal elites, who dutifully abide by and encourage the new normal, will be too terrified to mix and thereby reproduce. The many millions who have been forced, by the liberal elites and their new normal, into poverty and slum dwelling will have long since developed immunity to this and many other diseases. These are the people who will reproduce, increase in number and strength and reclaim a world full of old normal, community and society.
(Credits roll and cue some inspirational end music!)
Why does your three year old have a mask?! There is absolutely no need for it! I’ve kept my three year old as ignorant as I can about this whole charade in the hope that it won’t change his childhood too much. I’m also grateful that the nursery he attends has kept everything normal bar a bit of extra hand washing. Sadly, I do believe that lockdown will have had a detrimental effect on many young children’s social skills. Whilst visiting a potential school for my son the head master mentioned that they have extra staff in reception this year due to needing to spend a larger amount of time teaching children to share and play with one another! I really feel for all those only children who couldn’t attend nursery for months on end and whose parents were trying to work from home. It’s such an important age for building social skills! I’m glad I have two young children – they formed a real bond during lock down and learnt to play together. It really took the pressure off me to be my son’s best friend- he has a little brother for that 🙂 Only time will tell how this will affect our children, but this article doesn’t give me much hope. Hopefully people’s desire to spend more quality time with their families in the future will help balance it all out.
Dominic Straiton
3 years ago
I took my Grandchildren (had my children in my early twenties) to my own fireworks party on the fifth. I did my best to nearly blow them up. They will remember it all their lives.
Frederik van Beek
3 years ago
Eliza, is missing out on one point and that is that the corona-crisis is not so much a medical/public health-event but an ideological battle. That makes it totally different from any other epidemic we have experienced before. Therefore it can not be compared to the polio epidemic. If it were so that medical/scientific facts do matter then life could never have been disrupted by corona like it has been so far. I mean, who cares about a virus with an IFR that does not surpass seasonal inluenza?…. Corona is a firestarter, one of many but still a very big one, a firestarter for a new ideology of total control and surveillance. Of all people the English should be aware of this nightmare, since you guys produced prophets like Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, but then again, stupidity is equally distributed over the world.
Johanna Barry
3 years ago
‘Meanwhile, social workers are finding their work is compromised by social distancing: it is very difficult to talk to a child about potential abuse or a care plan over video or in a mask’
I gulped reading that. Trained people faced with a child in distress. Why are they not ripping off the mask, or insisting on seeing the child and giving him/her the support they urgently need? Surely there should be some exemptions to these practices. Nope. Senseless rules that acheive nothing are much more important and must be adhered to. I saw the same ridiculous deification of ‘rules’ at the local tip the other day, where a woman asked one of the council workers for help with a heavy bag. She was told it was not allowed. I took my life in my hands, risking imminent death and destruction and provided the much needed help. Lo and behold I am still alive. Now what a surprise! Really it is high time we got a grip and focused on the interventions that have an imact and box the rest.
Gerry Fruin
3 years ago
I’m becoming a little weary of the quality of the writers on Unheard. I stick around because the comments are the star of the show. This analysis seems to be an example. Really just reading the qualifications of the author of this piece is er… well what does ‘the history of generations and the evolution of contemporary values’ really mean. And as for children being disadvantaged by a bug I cannot believe that. Everyone has role to play and most will get through the situation because that is what we have to do. Like it or not. I accept child abuse is an extremely serious problem, but will happen what ever the circumstances. Whinging and whining won’t help. So to the writer I’d suggest some real time value. Try Social working in a real environment.
aelf
3 years ago
I just want to know where to find that face mask in the photograph.
Young children will probably be ok because they don’t have anything else to compare their experiences with. A whole generation just before ours spent five years with schooling and home life compromised by WW2 but I can’t remember any of them complaining. It’s the late teens and young adults who I feel most acutely for. At a time when their horizons should be opening out and they should be forging relationships they are instead being expected to stay at home. It’s cruel and I believe unnecessary. They themselves are at little risk from the virus but are expected to make sacrifices to save the old. This is a complete reversal of normal human behaviour. We oldies should behave like grown ups and individually protect ourselves or not.
The main difference is that whilst the very young in WW2 were being protected ( as much as possible) the older teenagers were having to take responsibility.
Not for them, the parties in the street, the raves etc.
They were flying Lancaster bombers or Spitfires, fighting in France, fighting in the far east, or were prisoners.
Compare the 18 to 20 year olds of the second world war with the behaviour of the 18 – 20 year olds we see today.
That’s just it: young people need a sense of purpose. Taking part in the war effort by actually doing something must have given many of them this – my parents included. In contrast, in our current situation basically all meaning has been removed from their lives, and for many there wasn’t much already because of an already difficult economic situation for many of them. If the government really wants lockdowns to be effective (if they can be effective – I’m not convinced) they need to find ways to engage young people in doing something helpful, rather than telling them to do almost nothing for weeks or months and blaming them for getting restless and attempting to be fully human again.
There have been effective lockdowns in China, Vietnam, and Victoria in Australia.
Effective how? When they open up “cases” and deaths increase, necessitating another lockdown. And deaths from serious life limiting illnesses such as cancer skyrocketed during the lockdowns as a result of prevention to diagnosis and treatment. I’m not seeing the effective here
Young children will probably be ok because they don’t have anything else to compare their experiences with.
On the other hand, they’ll think this is normal. They’ll think that large gatherings – excuse me, certain large gatherings since the virus can apparently distinguish among church services, riots, and other mass events – are terrible things. They’ll think human contact is to be avoided.
I get the point you’re making. At the same time, we’re nearly 20 years into a policy of removing shoes in airports. All because one time, one guy attempted to do something with a pair of sneakers.
Being taught that human contact is dangerous is a toxic message for children to be growing up with.
I hold firmly to the belief that lockdown will be seen as an historic mistake. The reckoning and blacklash will be huge. All these middle class Grauniad readers who witter on about their now found lockdown skills are the ones whole security is more or less, as they see it, guaranteed. Group think both across and within nations across the world.
…..all together on the long march to a tyranny of matriarchal compassion.
My sons primary school has today asked parents to wear masks for pick up /drop off. I can’t blame people for being scared to death about this whole thing, although I find it hard to understand how they can really believe the media narrative. I don’t want to upset people or scare them by not wearing a mask but I don’t want to enable this complete madness! I will give my son a kiss as he goes to school and he will be greeted by my smiling face when he comes out. All these crazy ‘just in case’ measures are completely ridiculous and more often than not only put in place to appease the fear that has been instilled in people by phoney charts and hysterical headlines.
I think we will all be scarred for life by the utter insanity and wickedness of everything the British government has done since March 2020.
They are not alone in this by any means, and I would say they have been relatively humane compared with some other regimes – the Victorian State government’s response springs to mind. Ironically that government is daily lauded by the population for their inhumane treatment of the population. I gather they would be elected back with an increased majority if there were an election.
It’s not just the British government, though, is it…
it’s hard to see how it can be a good thing. When little kids are essentially told that hugging a playmate is bad thing, how does that help?
They were being told that before, albeit explained as sexual harassment.
These kids were set to be scarred already.
I hope, longer-term, all this will come round full circle…
The liberal elites, who dutifully abide by and encourage the new normal, will be too terrified to mix and thereby reproduce. The many millions who have been forced, by the liberal elites and their new normal, into poverty and slum dwelling will have long since developed immunity to this and many other diseases. These are the people who will reproduce, increase in number and strength and reclaim a world full of old normal, community and society.
(Credits roll and cue some inspirational end music!)
If it stops Boris reproducing it will be something to be grateful for.
Sadly, the most tangible effect is likely to be that they will be maladjusted and illiberal adults.
Do you mean nothing will change?
Why does your three year old have a mask?! There is absolutely no need for it! I’ve kept my three year old as ignorant as I can about this whole charade in the hope that it won’t change his childhood too much. I’m also grateful that the nursery he attends has kept everything normal bar a bit of extra hand washing.
Sadly, I do believe that lockdown will have had a detrimental effect on many young children’s social skills. Whilst visiting a potential school for my son the head master mentioned that they have extra staff in reception this year due to needing to spend a larger amount of time teaching children to share and play with one another! I really feel for all those only children who couldn’t attend nursery for months on end and whose parents were trying to work from home. It’s such an important age for building social skills! I’m glad I have two young children – they formed a real bond during lock down and learnt to play together. It really took the pressure off me to be my son’s best friend- he has a little brother for that 🙂 Only time will tell how this will affect our children, but this article doesn’t give me much hope. Hopefully people’s desire to spend more quality time with their families in the future will help balance it all out.
I took my Grandchildren (had my children in my early twenties) to my own fireworks party on the fifth. I did my best to nearly blow them up. They will remember it all their lives.
Eliza, is missing out on one point and that is that the corona-crisis is not so much a medical/public health-event but an ideological battle. That makes it totally different from any other epidemic we have experienced before. Therefore it can not be compared to the polio epidemic. If it were so that medical/scientific facts do matter then life could never have been disrupted by corona like it has been so far. I mean, who cares about a virus with an IFR that does not surpass seasonal inluenza?…. Corona is a firestarter, one of many but still a very big one, a firestarter for a new ideology of total control and surveillance. Of all people the English should be aware of this nightmare, since you guys produced prophets like Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, but then again, stupidity is equally distributed over the world.
‘Meanwhile, social workers are finding their work is compromised by
social distancing: it is very difficult to talk to a child about
potential abuse or a care plan over video or in a mask’
I gulped reading that. Trained people faced with a child in distress. Why are they not ripping off the mask, or insisting on seeing the child and giving him/her the support they urgently need? Surely there should be some exemptions to these practices. Nope. Senseless rules that acheive nothing are much more important and must be adhered to.
I saw the same ridiculous deification of ‘rules’ at the local tip the other day, where a woman asked one of the council workers for help with a heavy bag. She was told it was not allowed. I took my life in my hands, risking imminent death and destruction and provided the much needed help. Lo and behold I am still alive. Now what a surprise! Really it is high time we got a grip and focused on the interventions that have an imact and box the rest.
I’m becoming a little weary of the quality of the writers on Unheard. I stick around because the comments are the star of the show. This analysis seems to be an example. Really just reading the qualifications of the author of this piece is er… well what does ‘the history of generations and the evolution of contemporary values’ really mean. And as for children being disadvantaged by a bug I cannot believe that. Everyone has role to play and most will get through the situation because that is what we have to do. Like it or not. I accept child abuse is an extremely serious problem, but will happen what ever the circumstances. Whinging and whining won’t help. So to the writer I’d suggest some real time value. Try Social working in a real environment.
I just want to know where to find that face mask in the photograph.