4 ms·

IMO things aren’t that bad. Yes restaurants and some small businesses are suffering, but look, people are cooking at home more, spending time with family, being

by xwdv 7y ago

IMO things aren’t that bad. Yes restaurants and some small businesses are suffering, but look, people are cooking at home more, spending time with family, being healthier. People don’t need cosmetics or new clothes or cars or gasoline, and some luxury flashy items take a hit because there’s no way to really flaunt your wealth inside your own home. People aren’t traveling as much, tourist hotspots that were getting trashed from so much traffic are getting a reprieve. People take joy in simple mundane things like boiling some tea or tending to some house plants instead of enduring a miserable struggle chasing their wildest ambitions fueled by what they see on social media. People who work from home or remote are no longer second class citizens, they are now first class citizens just like everyone else who is also working from home. And a result of this, I find people are more tolerable, and I even find myself caring more about the plight of homeless people, because these are the times when one really needs a home more than ever. Not every business can survive this, but most can if they are built with the assumption that this is the new normal. That’s how you protect yourself. Fuck man, this is a way better world, and frankly I’m not sure I really want to go back to what we used to have. I actually get depressed thinking this will all go away and I’ll never experience anything like this again in my life. I hope the pandemic lasts long enough to make some of these things permanent.

Invictus0 7y ago
> I hope the pandemic lasts long enough to make some of these things permanent. PEOPLE ARE DYING. This is A DISASTER. Have some fucking compassion, good grief.
- asdfkajsdhf 7y ago
  eh
- arbitrary_name 7y ago
  People die every day. Malnutrition has killed more people this year than covid. Where's your perpetual handwringing for those in impoverished far off countries? Or are you just emotional because it's YOUR people dying right now? Keep your myopic melodrama to yourself.
  - 24gttghh 7y ago
    This is the most out of touch, bizzare, sad, and disgusting comment I have read yet regarding this pandemic. You should be ashamed of yourself.
    - dang 7y ago
      Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - dang 7y ago
    Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- dang 7y ago
  Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
tmountain 7y ago
I appreciate your perspective, but regarding things not being that bad, it depends on your vantage point. I have a few friends with established restaurants in town. As you can imagine, this is pretty dire for them. They're looking at losing everything they've built up slowly over a matter of years being completely destroyed in the matter of a few months--with ripple effects to dozens of employees that are essentially "family". It's brutal. I agree that there are a lot of silver linings, which you've outlined pretty well, but for some folks, it is REALLY bad.
- xwdv 7y ago
  It sucks for your friends yes, but to be honest most restaurants fail and the only thing notable about the present situation is many of them are failing all at once. It’s not like a restaurant failing and putting entire families out of business is some surprising event. I’m sure it happens everyday. You have to look at the other side, when your friends restaurants fail and move out, new ones will move in with the same optimism as your friend originally had, except this time it may be better equipped to survive social distancing by adopting a “take-out first” approach.
  - umanwizard 7y ago
    > most restaurants fail I don't have the numbers but this doesn't seem to match my anecdotal experience. Yes, restaurants do fail but I really don't think "most" of the ones I have seen in various neighborhoods I lived in failed. I haven't lived in Seattle for 4 years or Tucson for 7, but when I go back to those places, most of the restaurants I remember frequenting are still around.
    - lostapathy 7y ago
      Survivor bias. New restaurants open and close within a few months all the time. You aren't looking for them now because they weren't there long to begin with.
      - CydeWeys 7y ago
britch 7y ago
Many people, who work in those industries you list as things "you don't need" are without work and health insurance (if they had in the first place). 16 million more people are out of work in the US [0]. Those out of work cannot get care for usual issues that would normally be provided by their employer, and are now unable to get care for issues related to COVID. They are going to struggle to pay rent next month (like 40% of New Yorkers by some estimates) much less food, utilities, and other necessities. People who are able to work from home are in a tremendously better places than blue collar or service workers who make up a great deal of the economy. I suppose in office politics a remote worker might have felt like a "second class citizen." In comparison with many workers who risk being laid off if they are even a few minutes late to their shift, remote workers had things very good. I think you need to expand your view a little. It sounds like many in your life are not affected by this situation. Many of us, or those close to us, are struggling immensely right now and there is not a clear path out. For what it's worth, I agree with what you're saying about how this could refocus the economy on things other than luxury goods. I just think we need more support for the people losing jobs than a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ --- [0] - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/apr/09/coronavirus-us-live-trump-economy-unemployment-latest-updates https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/apr/09/coronav... [1] - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/nyregion/coronavirus-landlords-eviction-tenants.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/nyregion/coronavirus-land... (Apologies for being overly USA-centered, that is where I live and am most familiar with)
- xwdv 7y ago
  I’m curious if you would tell someone who was really struggling if they should “expand their view” and consider those who are not affected at all.
orangecat 7y ago
You are and always were free to be a hermit yourself. Rooting for this medical, economic, and psychological catastrophe to continue so that people are forced to adopt your preferred lifestyle is bordering on psychotic.
icedchai 7y ago
It's pretty bad. Actually, I would say it is the worst time period I have ever personally experienced. This feels worse than 9/11 because it is so drawn out, both physically and time wise. I am mostly introverted, have some hermit like tendencies, and can't wait for this to all be over. I can't imagine how terrible the more extroverted, social folks feel. The mental toll of this is going to be enormous for many of us. It's a dystopian nightmare... or at least the beginning of one. People are afraid to leave their homes. When you do leave your house, you can't go and relax anywhere anyway. Nothing's open obviously. Even a simple walk around town is depressing as hell. All the closed shops and restaurants, people in masks looking scared, worries if you're walking to close to someone... both for them, and for you.
carapace 7y ago
... too soon, man, too soon Give it forty or fifty years before you say shit like this out loud where people can hear you.

by xwdv 7y ago

Invictus0 7y ago

> I hope the pandemic lasts long enough to make some of these things permanent. PEOPLE ARE DYING. This is A DISASTER. Have some fucking compassion, good grief.

asdfkajsdhf 7y ago
eh
arbitrary_name 7y ago
People die every day. Malnutrition has killed more people this year than covid. Where's your perpetual handwringing for those in impoverished far off countries? Or are you just emotional because it's YOUR people dying right now? Keep your myopic melodrama to yourself.
- 24gttghh 7y ago
  This is the most out of touch, bizzare, sad, and disgusting comment I have read yet regarding this pandemic. You should be ashamed of yourself.
  - dang 7y ago
    Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- dang 7y ago
  Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
dang 7y ago
Please don't do this here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

tmountain 7y ago

I appreciate your perspective, but regarding things not being that bad, it depends on your vantage point. I have a few friends with established restaurants in town. As you can imagine, this is pretty dire for them. They're looking at losing everything they've built up slowly over a matter of years being completely destroyed in the matter of a few months--with ripple effects to dozens of employees that are essentially "family". It's brutal. I agree that there are a lot of silver linings, which you've outlined pretty well, but for some folks, it is REALLY bad.

xwdv 7y ago
It sucks for your friends yes, but to be honest most restaurants fail and the only thing notable about the present situation is many of them are failing all at once. It’s not like a restaurant failing and putting entire families out of business is some surprising event. I’m sure it happens everyday. You have to look at the other side, when your friends restaurants fail and move out, new ones will move in with the same optimism as your friend originally had, except this time it may be better equipped to survive social distancing by adopting a “take-out first” approach.
- umanwizard 7y ago
  > most restaurants fail I don't have the numbers but this doesn't seem to match my anecdotal experience. Yes, restaurants do fail but I really don't think "most" of the ones I have seen in various neighborhoods I lived in failed. I haven't lived in Seattle for 4 years or Tucson for 7, but when I go back to those places, most of the restaurants I remember frequenting are still around.
  - lostapathy 7y ago
    Survivor bias. New restaurants open and close within a few months all the time. You aren't looking for them now because they weren't there long to begin with.
    - CydeWeys 7y ago

britch 7y ago

Many people, who work in those industries you list as things "you don't need" are without work and health insurance (if they had in the first place). 16 million more people are out of work in the US [0]. Those out of work cannot get care for usual issues that would normally be provided by their employer, and are now unable to get care for issues related to COVID. They are going to struggle to pay rent next month (like 40% of New Yorkers by some estimates) much less food, utilities, and other necessities. People who are able to work from home are in a tremendously better places than blue collar or service workers who make up a great deal of the economy. I suppose in office politics a remote worker might have felt like a "second class citizen." In comparison with many workers who risk being laid off if they are even a few minutes late to their shift, remote workers had things very good. I think you need to expand your view a little. It sounds like many in your life are not affected by this situation. Many of us, or those close to us, are struggling immensely right now and there is not a clear path out. For what it's worth, I agree with what you're saying about how this could refocus the economy on things other than luxury goods. I just think we need more support for the people losing jobs than a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ --- [0] - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/apr/09/coronavirus-us-live-trump-economy-unemployment-latest-updates https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/apr/09/coronav... [1] - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/nyregion/coronavirus-landlords-eviction-tenants.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/nyregion/coronavirus-land... (Apologies for being overly USA-centered, that is where I live and am most familiar with)

xwdv 7y ago
I’m curious if you would tell someone who was really struggling if they should “expand their view” and consider those who are not affected at all.

orangecat 7y ago

You are and always were free to be a hermit yourself. Rooting for this medical, economic, and psychological catastrophe to continue so that people are forced to adopt your preferred lifestyle is bordering on psychotic.

icedchai 7y ago

It's pretty bad. Actually, I would say it is the worst time period I have ever personally experienced. This feels worse than 9/11 because it is so drawn out, both physically and time wise. I am mostly introverted, have some hermit like tendencies, and can't wait for this to all be over. I can't imagine how terrible the more extroverted, social folks feel. The mental toll of this is going to be enormous for many of us. It's a dystopian nightmare... or at least the beginning of one. People are afraid to leave their homes. When you do leave your house, you can't go and relax anywhere anyway. Nothing's open obviously. Even a simple walk around town is depressing as hell. All the closed shops and restaurants, people in masks looking scared, worries if you're walking to close to someone... both for them, and for you.

carapace 7y ago

... too soon, man, too soon Give it forty or fifty years before you say shit like this out loud where people can hear you.