I feel like society is grasping with what is an acceptable level of risk with this virus. I might be oversimplifying, but I'll compare it to the speed limit. The majority of drivers routinely drive over the limit - 15, 20 miles over. It's against the law and there is a level of risk with going faster than the posted limit - not just for the driver, but for other drivers and pedestrians. We (society) have judged that to be an acceptable risk and part of this is based on the idea that we trust our fellow drivers to be careful. It's like there is an unsaid handshake deal that while we'll drive above the limit, we won't drive reckless and we will call out those who really push the limits.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑26 May 2020, 4:38pmIf the other option is widespread death, you think people will just throw up their hands and say, "Oh well, guess I'll die"? Maybe that will happen, but I hope we're not that fatalistic/suicidal. Human beings are hardwired to be really adaptable. I guess the question is whether we learn to adapt to restrictions or to the possibility of contracting a fatal virus by being in a crowd.101Walterton wrote: ↑26 May 2020, 4:26pmWhat concerns me is that any future wave or new pandemic (highly likely) will never get the same compliance even this one got. It worked here because people were compliant but they are over it and I don’t think in a year, 2 years or whenever you will get the same response. It will be remembered as OTT.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑26 May 2020, 4:13pmMore curious to me is how people respond when the next wave hits. Do people shrug their shoulders and say dem's da breaks, or does it make people think, "Oh yeah, that's why we quarantined"?WestwayKid wrote: ↑26 May 2020, 3:50pmThere is a popular tourist area just across the Wisconsin border from Illinois called Lake Geneva. By all accounts it was packed this past weekend: restaurants, beaches, shops. It's hard to get a read on how people will react now that things are opening back up. My neighbors are a couple in their late 70's and talking to the wife on Friday morning she was very excited to be able to go out to their favorite bar that night. I feel like in states/areas that were hard hit the response time might be slower, but in a place like Wisconsin it might move quicker.
It feels like there is something similar happening with this virus. Society is trying to figure out how much risk we're able (and willing) to accept and how much we trust one another to be careful (wear masks, wash hands, stay inside when not feeling well).
I agree with 101 that the next wave will not get the same level of compliance. It seems like this opinion will be strong: we locked down, but we won't do it again. We will find the level of risk we feel okay with and get on with our lives.