When will this shit end?

[Zoo Music Girl]

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

Edited November 22, 2020 by Zoo Music Girl

[xxialac]

3 minutes ago, mattiloy said:

don't know if anybody mentioned this one thats been doing the rounds from have i got news for you some days ago.

usually i'm all for comedy reaching into uncomfortable places, even if something close to my heart is the butt of the joke, but this guy jokes that he would see glastonbury bombed on account of its full of corbyn and bob dylan fans...

i found it hard to believe the bbc didn't edit it out?

it was shocking, but not witty, or funny at all really. & given in recent years there has been a pattern of attacks against for example the bataclan, the MEN and other large events - not to mention attacks by fascists on the left - utoya in norway, jo cox etc. i'd be lying if i said that it had never crossed my mind that glastonbury would presumably be a good target for terrorists. maybe it is just because its closer to home but i thought it was extremely poor taste. and even worse that nobody challenged him, including labour peer joan bakewell.
 

 

It came from a comedian. 

We don't impose the same expectations on comedians - the very nature of their job is to make jokes that are in bad taste.  They are a safe outlet for us breaking taboos. Frankie Boyle etc have said things over the years that are no different.

"it was shocking, but not witty, or funny at all really."

Are you saying if it was funny, it would have been ok? That's the implication. I'm sure he tried  for it to be funny.

[steviewevie]

3 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

Me.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

All true. I think my parents would understand if we made the call not to see them. My partner's parents, particularly his mum, will be more of an issue I feel!

How long would the walk take!? 👻

[Ryan1984]

3 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

We’re lucky enough to be within walking distance from my parents so will see them outside/from a distance in the morning and then come home for a relaxed day. The in-laws are a bit further away so will have to see what happens regarding household mixing for them. If it’s not allowed, mother-in-law will be livid but safety has to come first.

[xxialac]

I'm having a family 'Christmas' at the first opportunity in 2021. Would like to have it but makes no difference to me when I have it.

[steviewevie]

With all the positve vaccine news, plus other medical break throughs, making it likely life will start to return to normal throughout 2021, makes it somewhat easier to put off seeing family over christmas....in my opinion.

[steviewevie]

My Mum turns 90 on new years eve...but we are postponing the celebrations of that until the summer.

[Chapple12345]

6 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

We still haven't decided in our family but our likliest plan will be seeing family by dropping presents and food on their doorstep rather than entering their house, my grandparents are in poor health at the moment but would appreciate a visit so we're going for a compromise of seeing them at a distance and then returning home afterwards, we may then see other members of the family for a walk such as on Boxing Day but we plan to see what restrictions and cases allow 

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

With all the positve vaccine news, plus other medical break throughs, making it likely life will start to return to normal throughout 2021, makes it somewhat easier to put off seeing family over christmas....in my opinion.

yep   exactly and my decision is absolutely based on this ... without vaccine news it may well have been different 

[Reckoner]

The spread of COVID was initially supercharged by the mass movement of people at Chinese/lunar new year. It doesn't take an epidemiologist to see how this will end. The government have learnt literally nothing in 10 months.

[philipsteak]

11 minutes ago, mattiloy said:

don't know if anybody mentioned this one thats been doing the rounds from have i got news for you some days ago.

usually i'm all for comedy reaching into uncomfortable places, even if something close to my heart is the butt of the joke, but this guy jokes that he would see glastonbury bombed on account of its full of corbyn and bob dylan fans...

i found it hard to believe the bbc didn't edit it out?

it was shocking, but not witty, or funny at all really. & given in recent years there has been a pattern of attacks against for example the bataclan, the MEN and other large events - not to mention attacks by fascists on the left - utoya in norway, jo cox etc. i'd be lying if i said that it had never crossed my mind that glastonbury would presumably be a good target for terrorists. maybe it is just because its closer to home but i thought it was extremely poor taste. and even worse that nobody challenged him, including labour peer joan bakewell.
 

 

It was a shit joke. Barely even a joke. And from the little I've seen of Fin Taylor before, about standard. He's not very good. But 'shocking', 'proposed murder'. Behave

[FestivalJamie]

1 minute ago, Gregfc15 said:

The spread of COVID was initially supercharged by the mass movement of people at Chinese/lunar new year. It doesn't take an epidemiologist to see how this will end. The government have learnt literally nothing in 10 months.

Completely agreed. 2nd December onwards is going to be a grim couple of months.

[Copperface]

So how does this tie in in with all the 'entire population vaccinated by March' projections?

"UK mass vaccination scheme 'could be in place by summer,' SAGE scientists says"

“The rest of the population, I think, will be looking towards the summer before this mass vaccination of the rest of the population and that will give us the immunity, the broad immunity, that allows us to return back to normal.

“Having said that, there is still going to be vulnerable people and we will need to take care.”

He also suggested that if the vaccine scheme was in place we might see an end of some of the social distancing restrictions by the summer.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/uk-mass-vaccination-scheme-could-23048897

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, Copperface said:

So how does this tie in in with all the 'entire population vaccinated by March' projections?

"UK mass vaccination scheme 'could be in place by summer,' SAGE scientists says"

“The rest of the population, I think, will be looking towards the summer before this mass vaccination of the rest of the population and that will give us the immunity, the broad immunity, that allows us to return back to normal.

“Having said that, there is still going to be vulnerable people and we will need to take care.”

He also suggested that if the vaccine scheme was in place we might see an end of some of the social distancing restrictions by the summer.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/uk-mass-vaccination-scheme-could-23048897

I think mass vaccination by summer is more realistic...but we'll see.

[philipsteak]

12 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

I won't. There's a good chance I'll be working anyway but even if I'm not I probably won't go. If we are back open then I encounter so many people in my working day that I wouldn't want to risk it for a day that isn't that important to either of us after being so careful for so long

[steviewevie]

Agents of disinformation

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/22/we-need-scientists-to-quiz-covid-consensus-not-act-as-agents-of-disinformation

[Zoo Music Girl]

10 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

With all the positve vaccine news, plus other medical break throughs, making it likely life will start to return to normal throughout 2021, makes it somewhat easier to put off seeing family over christmas....in my opinion.

Yeah I agree with this. That's how I see it. Just not sure our families will agree! 

[Zoo Music Girl]

9 minutes ago, Chapple12345 said:

We still haven't decided in our family but our likliest plan will be seeing family by dropping presents and food on their doorstep rather than entering their house, my grandparents are in poor health at the moment but would appreciate a visit so we're going for a compromise of seeing them at a distance and then returning home afterwards, we may then see other members of the family for a walk such as on Boxing Day but we plan to see what restrictions and cases allow 

This sounds sensible. If we could easily get there and back in a day and meet outside I would probably do something similar. 

[sime]

18 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

Me. My parents, brothers family and I decided months ago that we would not spend this Christmas together. We all believe it is a risk just not worth taking.

[Zoo Music Girl]

4 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

I won't. There's a good chance I'll be working anyway but even if I'm not I probably won't go. If we are back open then I encounter so many people in my working day that I wouldn't want to risk it for a day that isn't that important to either of us after being so careful for so long

Yeah makes sense. If I did a job that meant I met a lot of people I would definitely avoid seeing family for Christmas personally. It's the fact that I don't actually entail that much risk that makes it a tougher one for me to call! Logistics really.

[Crazyfool01]

2 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah I agree with this. That's how I see it. Just not sure our families will agree! 

this is the issue .... and something im struggling to bring up in discussions with family ..... my brother has moved from fire brigade  to working on ambulances and has dealt with a few covid cases of late .... im hoping his common sense prevails but im struggling for how to deal with such an emotive subject ... I know my folks will be wanting to see the grandchildren ... so bloody tough ... im yet to know if im worrying about nothing though 

[Zoo Music Girl]

Seems quite a few avoiding it then. I'd imagine this place is split pretty half and half by those that are and those that aren't seeing family at Christmas.

 

[Zoo Music Girl]

Just now, crazyfool1 said:

this is the issue .... and something im struggling to bring up in discussions with family ..... my brother has moved from fire brigade  to working on ambulances and has dealt with a few covid cases of late .... im hoping his common sense prevails but im struggling for how to deal with such an emotive subject ... I know my folks will be wanting to see the grandchildren ... so bloody tough ... im yet to know if im worrying about nothing though 

Yeah that is tough. We've avoided having conversations too directly about it so far, "just see what happens" kind of thing, but am just thinking today that the announcement tomorrow might mean we have to address it sooner rather than later!

Thanks for the input all.

[fatyeti24]

26 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How many on here are actually planning not to see family at all over Christmas, out of interest? @crazyfool1 and @Ozanne but anyone else? Or are people waiting to see what happens?

Rules permitting, we'll be hosting family this year.  We'd normally go away to avoid all that stuff - hosting people at my home is my day job! -  so this year is a strange reversal.