Is COVID exposing a "weak, sniveling" culture?

[catherine]

I was a bit surprised to see this article in Mother Jones today: "Has America Become Weak and Sniveling"

When I saw that I thought about one of IL's comments on another thread about 24/7 media stirring up fear, people today expecting ALL their needs to be taken care of by the government, and a lack of acceptance that sh*t happens in life.

Is there a low tolerance for sacrifice today? Have people lost their grit? What is the sweet spot between supporting the citizenry and allowing the chips to fall where they may? Are we too comfortable? Has the media reduced a serious health issue into a partisan affair by fomenting panic?

[Simplemind]

So many times during these past few weeks I have thought of my FIL. He was taken as a POW to Stalag Luft III right after the great escape. They were so enraged they shot every other prisoner going in as a warning. He was in for a year and a day. Barely enough food. Bread had sawdust in it, there was worms in the rest. No toilet paper and only one shower a week. No Netflix, Podcasts, Kindles or video games. The ultimate in distancing in my opinion.
We have been low but we have yet to run out of anything. We have stayed close to home but have been able to go out when needed. We are fed, we are entertained.
I've been surprised at people who I would have believed to be thoughtful and intelligent, think that this is a hoax and political. I'm not saying that the left and right can't impose an agenda but this isn't a hoax. Hello, this is world wide. There is something to be learned from the way each country has addressed it.
I have some very liberal friends and some very conservative in internet groups. Good Lord, I sometimes wonder if we are living on the same planet let alone the same country. They are so far apart in addressing this pandemic. The enemy can not be a virus, it must have two eyes and a political agenda. It is more important to impose blame than attend to the current situation. The media assists the division but I don't think it causes it. Ugly has been waiting its turn to shine for a long time.

[Tybee]

I think the saddest thing about this pandemic, after people dying isolated and alone, is how quick people are to assume the worst about their fellow citizens. If someone thinks differently or questions what they are hearing, they are mocked and villified, called stupid, or called corrupt or venal, depending on who is doing the calling and what opinion is being questioned.

I think that those rushing to make social judgments on others, such as calling them weak, sniveling, heartless, feckless, moronic, etc. are making a spiritual error.

Only time will tell what was true in this whole situation, but we have certainly seen an awful lot of people willing to throw each other under the bus, and that is sad.

[LDAHL]

I think there has always been a “Hard America” and a “Soft America”. If there’s a real difference between now and past years, it may be less a shift between the actual proportions of the two than that Soft America has occupied a larger share of the media and educational space over the last half century or so. So a lot of the difference is just noise.

[KayLR]

My thoughts and feelings exactly, Simplemind.

[ApatheticNoMore]

men and their obsession with their hardness all the time ...

[SteveinMN]

I think there has always been a “Hard America” and a “Soft America”.

I see that. I have, for years. Not that one is better than the other; just different. "Medium America" would be a great place to live. Where we are now; not so much.

[JaneV2.0]

I think of all the populations dealing with famine, civil war, ongoing violence in their countries of origin, disasters of all kinds...Most of my friends are doing OK; we all have food to spare, and our health. I'm hoping this won't go on forever, and I don't think COVID19 has anything to do with the Second Amendment, 5G networks, or Bill Gates. Good grief.

[ApatheticNoMore]

What even is hard and soft, is hard blue collar work and soft white collar work? Is that the hard and soft America blue collar versus white collar jobs? I mean a white collar job may be stressful in 1000 ways but it's hard to see it as fitting into any stereotype of "hard". But do women even fit in with one's definition of hard or is it purely a male attribute with 50% of the population just kind of a forgotten sex? Never mind that I suspect we have excessive male dominance of the world as is.

I mean yea we lack good government, cohesiveness, willingness to actually make decent plans and follow them but um ...

[iris lilies]

I dont see how sincere debate about this can take place.

Seems like it all will quickly devolve into class war, ageist wars, big vs small government war of words, 1% vs 99% war...all war of words of course.
But carry on!