PANDEMIC POINTS SCORING
IS is just me or has coronavirus become a competitive sport?
Appreciate there’s no football but seriously, scoring points from a pandemic?
First up are the “I’m staying at home more than you” brigade. Great. Bully for you. You’ve probably got a lovely spacious home, a garden, a family you get on with, Ocado on speed dial and a clean bill of mental health.
So let’s put you in the smug git category shall we?
Because – spoiler alert – not everybody is as lucky as you. So drop the sneering, holier-than-thou attitude.
We all know we should remain indoors as much as we can but the lockdown rules do actually allow you out of the house once a day.
We all also appreciate the amazing and selfless work our NHS heroes are doing.
And, so far so good, social distancing does appear to be working.
On the flip side, nine people have already died in a rising tide of suspected domestic violence killings. Including a pensioner who has been charged with murdering his wife and a family of four and their pet dog found dead in Sussex.
Family abuse incidents in France have soared 30% and victims are being housed in hotels for their own safety.
Likewise the mental health epidemic in this country. A poll found that 80% of young people feel their anxiety and melancholy issues have worsened. Of course we are all worried but that’s a world away from full-blown depression.
For victims of both domestic abuse and mental health problems a socially responsible, totally permissible walk in the sunshine makes a world of difference. So please think before you sneer and shame, especially on social media.
Which brings us on to those vile creatures who seem to be taking delight in grassing up their neighbours. Acceptable if they’re having a full-blown barbecue and street party with scores of mates but someone out for a suspected, socially-distanced, second walk? Against the rules, granted, but demanding they’re arrested says more about you than them. Even police have asked for common sense before reporting these “crimes”.
Though not sure every force is getting it right. Derbyshire Police’s use of drones to publicly denounce lone dog walkers in the Peak District?
Yes I get it if everyone had the same idea but we’re not, are we? We already did that and now the beaches and national parks are mostly empty.
Just hope no real crime was taking place in Derbyshire at the time Fido was being treated as public enemy number one.
If you thought that was mad, witness the coppers and/or local authority busy bodies trying to tell convenience stores to stop selling Easter eggs as they are “non-essential” items.
Heh? What part of the new legislation even mentions anything like that? Regulations to keep us all safe are good but be careful what you wish for when it comes to a police state.
So, if you have currently locked yourself in your ivory tower with your perfect family, fully-stocked larder and the Government paying your salary, just check your selfsatisfied superiority.
And rather than smugly congratulating yourself on how many more lives you are saving than the great unwashed, take a second to consider the skint single mum in her lowly bedsit who doesn’t even have a window that opens properly.
Finally if you’re stuck for something to read or watch maybe check out George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Because, y’know, all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
Think before you sneer and shame