What did COVID-19 pandemic do to you?

[Anonymous]

It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

+1000

About sums up my feelings as well. The saddest thing for me is how much I no longer trust--news, science, people---you name it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

+1000

About sums up my feelings as well. The saddest thing for me is how much I no longer trust--news, science, people---you name it.

#METOO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It turned me into a republican. I will not vote for Trump and I’ve masked/been vaccinated but going forward I’m only voting GOP. I’ve had enough of the over the top identity politics being so extreme lately. I’ve had enough of the COVID scare tactics. I want my kids back in school.

Same, but I was always more of a lefty libertarian.

As an atheist, the “religious right” used to scare me more than any other group.

Not anymore. They are powerless when compared to the crazy authoritarian left.

I, the Atheist, would have given almost anything to get my kids into the Evangelical school down the road. But- they were full with a massive waiting list. LOL I’d rather they have normal school and say some meaningless prayers than be zoned out in front of Zoom or sit boxed in a weird plastic cubicle at school.

Total 180. I’ve been worrying about the wrong threat all my life. Go figure.

No baby, we have the Supreme Court now and will for many years to come. Just getting started! Welcome! (Hope more religious freedom won’t bother you as an atheist)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It turned me into a republican. I will not vote for Trump but going forward I’m only voting GOP. I’ve had enough of the over the top identity politics being so extreme lately. I’ve had enough of the scare tactics. I want my kids back in school.

Welcome!! We love critical thinkers.

Child please. I might not be happy with some of the stuff I see on the left but please don’t label the GOP the party of critical thinkers. The amount of denial and stupidity (and the whole insurrection bit) by the GOP in the past 1.5 is astounding.

[Anonymous]

It (and this thread exemplifies it) showed me that there are two Americas and we are extremely politicized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It turned me into a republican. I will not vote for Trump but going forward I’m only voting GOP. I’ve had enough of the over the top identity politics being so extreme lately. I’ve had enough of the scare tactics. I want my kids back in school.

Welcome!! We love critical thinkers.

Child please. I might not be happy with some of the stuff I see on the left but please don’t label the GOP the party of critical thinkers. The amount of denial and stupidity (and the whole insurrection bit) by the GOP in the past 1.5 is astounding.

Yep. The insurrection was just the last straw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

+5,000,000 (thank you...sums it up for me!!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It made me a political independent. The viewing of COVID through a political lens has done and continues to do enormous harm to our country. Republicans haven't taken it seriously and don't believe in vaccines and people are dying needlessly. Democrats continue to way overestimate the risk of COVID which has caused unnecessary and prolonged school closures that have been harmful to children and families as well as other restrictions. There seem to few sensible people in this country.

Me too! Well, I have been "decline to state" for years but usually voted D. Now, both parties are driving me away for the reasons you stated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

+5,000,000 (thank you...sums it up for me!!)

Very well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's taught me how many people are blindly stupid. Whether Democrats grossly overexaggerating the risks of COVID and virtue signaling and making their three year old kids wear masks and driving around alone in cars with the mask on or walking through empty streets with the mask on, to Republicans refusing to get vaccinated out of spite .

I will never forget how people screamed that Trump was a fascist were the same people who wanted the government to force through a massive shutdown and suspend constitutional liberties and deliberately inform the press what news not to release and what spin to take, which is the essence of fascism, yet it was Trump who refused to do any of it. Weird. I'll never forget all the public health authorities telling everyone to stay home to stop the spread, except for BLM protests as that was somehow different and exempt.

I hate how COVID was politicized and I hate how it affected everything, including the science community and I now no longer believe anything told to me but ask what their motivation is first.

+5,000,000 (thank you...sums it up for me!!)

Very well said.

I'm actually the opposite. I feel like Covid-19 woke up a lot of people that were formerly complacent about our national leadership and who was running this country.

Quite frankly I was appalled at some of the activities, kids in cages for instance, that happened between 2017 and 2019. But it wasn't until 2020 that it seemed like a collective of middle-of-the-road moderates and yes liberals realized that no 'one candidate is not the exact same as the other'. These weren't extreme conservatives for the most part either. These were my neighbors who thought 'well nothing is really going to be bad for the middle-class majority, so who cares?'

I am trying to be a-political as possible here but I remember people saying to my face in 2016 'it doesn't matter who we vote for' as if neither was much worse off than the other to vote for.

In fact this is a perfect example -



But when it came down to it and true leadership mattered they realized that for 600,000+ Americans gone in 12 months - leadership absolutely mattered. Too late.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/calm-down-well-be-fine-no-matter-who-wins/2016/11/04/e5ca3c32-a2d3-11e6-a44d-cc2898cfab06_story.html

[Anonymous]

Made me realize how lucky we are, and more charitable to others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s made me mad. I will never ever forget the feeling of abandonment. The whole world walked out. I was home alone with 3 small children, one with special needs, for 15 months. Our schools didn’t reopen. Therapies were only on zoom. And nobody cared. My parents social distanced from us. My DH can’t work from home and was out of the house from 8-7 every weekday. Soooo many “friends” and neighbors gushed about all the “silver linings” of the pandemic and how they enjoyed the family time and slower pace. Can’t relate. At all.

So you were home with your kids as a STAY-AT-HOME mom? I mean, you didn’t have to try to work or lose your job, so you actually had a pretty sweet gig.

And your parents??? WTAF are you thinking. Your DH works out of the house, of course they will stay away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s made me mad. I will never ever forget the feeling of abandonment. The whole world walked out. I was home alone with 3 small children, one with special needs, for 15 months. Our schools didn’t reopen. Therapies were only on zoom. And nobody cared. My parents social distanced from us. My DH can’t work from home and was out of the house from 8-7 every weekday. Soooo many “friends” and neighbors gushed about all the “silver linings” of the pandemic and how they enjoyed the family time and slower pace. Can’t relate. At all.

So you were home with your kids as a STAY-AT-HOME mom? I mean, you didn’t have to try to work or lose your job, so you actually had a pretty sweet gig.

And your parents??? WTAF are you thinking. Your DH works out of the house, of course they will stay away.

PP was just mad that she had to do the job she signed up to do as a mom instead of foisting the kids off on public service caregivers for 5-6 hours a day while she napped, went to Soulcycle, and got a match latte at Starbucks to browse Target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

or sure it made me reassess priorities. I’m a teacher and it’s very easy in teaching to give all your energy and your best self to your job/the kids. Teaching through a pandemic was awful but personally illuminating because when I saw how little regard they system and community had for teachers I realized fully, it is a job. A job I love, but a job. And I could still be good at that job while not giving it my best over my family. So I stopped working at all outside contract hours. I’m talking I wouldn’t even check email from 4:15 pm to 9:00 am. I erected much better boundaries to prevent school from completely consuming all my energy and attention. Never again will school get the best of me while my family gets the rest. It was a very needed reset.

SO TRUE. I worked insane hours, skipped exercise, and didn't see a single person except for students and work colleagues from August-March, when my loved ones could be vaccinated. Then I said enough and changed my behaviors to prioritize my physical and mental health. I will never give so much of myself to this job ever again.

When I saw so many people saying “teachers aren’t working” after my colleagues and I had spent hours on some meeting, literally crying in frustration for how bad we wanted to be with these kids and how we could ensure they were still learning despite the circumstances and we weren’t harming them by asking too much in an awful situation, I just thought, why am I doing this to myself? I haven’t worked one bit over summer and won’t. No emails, no planning, no PD, no nothing related to work. I will never again grade on the weekend or wake up and spend hours planning escape rooms. I love those kids. I am truly still a great teacher. But I was pouring everything into the system and that was stupid as hell.