How has the Pandemic Affected Your Preception?

[ethanhopkin14]

In 2004, I cam across an article, and I don't remember what publication it was in, about the ten year anniversary of the infamous 1994 baseball strike.  The point of the story was to point out things the work stoppage did for the long run, instead of the obvious stuff it effected in the short term.  The story talked about the baseball players who retired at the "end" of the 1994 season.  It made me think about those players who had unplanned off time due to the strike that they normally wouldn't have.  Maybe they would have retired in 5 years from 1994, but the time off with family and the overall slowdown made them think maybe it wasn't worth it?  I have been thinking about that article a lot during the pandemic because there have been sports stoppages, work stoppages and other stoppages, obviously.  It makes me think how everyone's perception about the world we used to know might be more skewed now that we got way out of the rhythm of a typical year.  AS much as I love sports, I have to admit, my own perception of how important sports are changed, and in a negative way (unlike everyone screaming about getting sports back).  I have kinda thought during this pandemic thing about how little sports actually matter.  Like I said, I am a huge sports fan, but I honestly have to admit I am far less inclined to watch a bunch of spoiled, overpaid sports stars now.  It doesn't just end there.  My job and side job also seem less important now.  Maybe I am one of those people that might have an abrupt career change because the pandemic has shown me that my job, as a whole, isn't as important as everyone makes it out to be, and maybe I was leaning that way already, but a stop or slowdown has given me more clarity. 

Some people want things to just go back to the way it was, while others maybe see a change that frankly ha been for the better.  What has the pandemic done for your perspective on things in your life that maybe were getting too serious that the pandemic has shined new light that showed it wasn't as serious as you thought?  Or maybe just how has it changed your thinking?

[hotdogPi]

Not that much has actually changed for me. The grocery store I worked at closed on February 29 due to low volume (if they knew about the pandemic, they might have kept it open – lots of toilet paper and hand sanitizer sales, and the lease didn't expire until the end of July). My classes moved online instead of stopping entirely, and the week where everything started to shut down happened to be spring break week.

Summer: Almost nothing changed. I still had my internship, and while I no longer had a grocery store job, it had nothing to do with COVID. I still ate out at restaurants, making sure to choose those with takeout or outdoor seating. I don't like large groups of people at parties, anyway.

Now I'm back in school, online of course. I no longer have to ride the bus for an hour and a half each way. I occasionally had online classes before COVID when the professor couldn't make it to school in time, so we were somewhat familiar with Zoom already.

Many people have lost their jobs temporarily or permanently, but I am not one of them. I also personally know absolutely nobody who has tested positive.

[Max Rockatansky]

It's just hardened my belief that I'm living on borrowed time and I need to make the most of what I have left.  I more or less adopted that attitude after almost being killed by a car and more so after my parents died.  People try to convince me that I have all the time in the world, I don't buy it.  Things like COVID aren't convincing me of anything to the contrary. 

[Scott5114]

The pandemic has caused me to play a lot more Dungeons and Dragons, so my character leveled up and his Perception modifier went up by 1. So yes, the pandemic has affected my Perception quite a bit.

Serious answer: I ended up leaving my job of 10½ years because of the pandemic. It wasn't worth the money to risk catching a deadly disease because the customers were too spoiled to follow the rules, security was too spineless to enforce them, and management wanted to unnecessarily expose us to that.

[triplemultiplex]

People are even dumber than I thought.  I've known for a long time that there are a lot of stupid people in this world, but now stupidity is a virtue.  So many proudly stupid people; too stupid to even understand they are stupid, much less how stupid.

[ethanhopkin14]

People are even dumber than I thought.  I've known for a long time that there are a lot of stupid people in this world, but now stupidity is a virtue.  So many proudly stupid people; too stupid to even understand they are stupid, much less how stupid.

That might be a record for "stupids" in one sentence. 

[hotdogPi]

People are even dumber than I thought. I've known for a long time that there are a lot of stupid people in this world, but now stupidity is a virtue.  So many proudly stupid people; too stupid to even understand they are stupid, much less how stupid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning—Kruger_effect
(automatic URLs break on en-dashes)

People think most people's intelligence is near the same as theirs. Both bolded statements support that, but in opposite directions. The linked article supports the second bolded statement, but the first (that you, for example, didn't realize that people were that stupid) is also true.

[wanderer2575]

People are even dumber than I thought.  I've known for a long time that there are a lot of stupid people in this world, but now stupidity is a virtue.  So many proudly stupid people; too stupid to even understand they are stupid, much less how stupid.

People aren't really any more stupid.  Social media just keeps making it easier and more inviting for people to let everyone else know they're stupid.

[Ketchup99]

Lockdown has made me realize how lucky I was to be able to go to school. I always took it for granted that, in America, school is just a fact of life. Now I'm stuck at home, trying to focus on the teacher's Zoom lecture with the rest of the internet at my fingertips, and it's really, really hard. Although I'm a senior, I'll never take something mundane like school for granted again. Of course, I'll also probably never walk into my high school again, so it may be a moot point.

[STLmapboy]

Lockdown has made me realize how lucky I was to be able to go to school. I always took it for granted that, in America, school is just a fact of life. Now I'm stuck at home, trying to focus on the teacher's Zoom lecture with the rest of the internet at my fingertips, and it's really, really hard. Although I'm a senior, I'll never take something mundane like school for granted again. Of course, I'll also probably never walk into my high school again, so it may be a moot point.

Yeah. I'm a sophomore and focusing on Zoom can be really, really, really difficult, especially with some of the more dull teachers. I know last year's seniors had a tough go of it (leaving without graduation) and this years seniors may do so again. At least I go to my school's campus every weekday and Saturday for 2 hours' swim practice.

[triplemultiplex]

On the plus side, the pandemic has also revealed that we as a society are still capable of massive and sudden change if properly motivated.  There can be a brief window of clarity before the stupidity kicks in and the usual bullcrap reasserts itself.

Regardless of their necessity or effectiveness, the lock downs this spring were a remarkable display of unity.  Makes me wonder what else could be accomplished if almost everyone simultaneously does the same thing.

[SP Cook]

People are stupid.  A lot of friends who I considered highly intelligent and who I knew to be highly educated who lack the ability to do simple math and understand basic social statistics.   

[Ketchup99]

On the plus side, the pandemic has also revealed that we as a society are still capable of massive and sudden change if properly motivated.  There can be a brief window of clarity before the stupidity kicks in and the usual bullcrap reasserts itself.

Regardless of their necessity or effectiveness, the lock downs this spring were a remarkable display of unity.  Makes me wonder what else could be accomplished if almost everyone simultaneously does the same thing.

Makes me wonder what would happen if we all bit the bullet for two months and locked down again. Cases would go through the floor and we might be able to have some kind of life again. Of course, this applies more for me than most people because where I live currently has the highest rate of cases per capita, by far, in the state.

[kphoger]

Most people aren't stupid.

Most people choose to consume bias-confirming material.

Most people can't help fighting back in an online argument, whether they have a good argument or not.

[hbelkins]

Depends on what we're preceiving. Or perceiving, if you wish. 

One thing it's done is to sharpen my perception that the majority of media outlets and reporters are biased and have a specific narrative they want to promote. For the press to claim it's the watchdog on government, its minions have been far too eager to accept, lap up, and spread certain messages without questioning them.

It's hard to believe that a reporter can cover the "reopen the economy" movement fairly if they've changed their Twitter handles to include phrases like "Joe 'Stay Home and Save Lives' Blow."

[kphoger]

One thing it's done is to sharpen my perception that the majority of media outlets and reporters are biased and have a specific narrative they want to promote.

And that goes for both those on the Left (most of them) and those on the Right (few of them).

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

[Max Rockatansky]

One thing it's done is to sharpen my perception that the majority of media outlets and reporters are biased and have a specific narrative they want to promote.

And that goes for both those on the Left (most of them) and those on the Right (few of them).

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

Or just decide for yourself what you think or believe.  But that applies to a lot of things and not just COVID.  Either way the way news is presented nowadays tends to be sensationalized one way or the other. 

[bandit957]

I want sports. I wasn't a sports diehard before. In fact, I absolutely hated, hated, hated March Madness. I got so sick of hearing about it, especially when my local university was in it. But now I want it back in the worst way.

I also realized that some political blogs I had been a fan of for 15 years were not my friends after all, because they completely sold out their principles for ad revenues. So many friendships, gone. It literally broke my heart, and that's how I ended up having a pulmonary embolism and possible heart attack in April. Some people and blogs just are not good friends, and they'll stab millions of fans in the back just for money.

[The Ghostbuster]

My life hasn't changed too much. I was without internet access after my community college and nearest library branch closed until late July, when I finally got home Internet access! I wear a mask whenever I go out, and it annoys me to see people who don't, including those who live in my apartment complex. I had to stop going to the gym and seeing my personal trainer since gyms were covid hot spots, but that has since resumed. When it comes to our political leaders, my perception has remained that the same: THEY ARE COMPLETELY USELESS! On the other hand, I did miss watching sports, and was very happy when the NBA restarted its season in the bubble, and am very happy that the 2020 NFL season is proceeding on schedule. Go Green Bay Packers! GO PACK GO!

[webny99]

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

I feel like we've been down this road, and maybe not so long ago, either. But anyways, don't feel that way.

[kphoger]

Sometimes I feel like the only way I can get halfway level-headed news is to find an outlet from outside the USA.

I feel like we've been down this road, and maybe not so long ago, either. But anyways, don't feel that way.

We have.

What makes you say 538 is more level-headed than other outlets?  (genuinely asking)

[webny99]

What makes you say 538 is more level-headed than other outlets?  (genuinely asking)

I read most of the articles on their site and have listened to their podcasts - politics, sports, and now COVID-related - for a while now, and I think they're honest, self-aware, and willing to discuss the media itself, their role in it, and the inherent biases on both sides. Besides which, they're a data-based journalism site. They wait for the data and use it to make conclusions, which I love, being a bit of a data nerd myself. I really do believe they're about as objective as you can get in our current polarized era. I've never once read an article and thought, yikes, these guys are clearly favoring Party X or Narrative Y.

[Max Rockatansky]

My life hasn't changed too much. I was without internet access after my community college and nearest library branch closed until late July, when I finally got home Internet access! I wear a mask whenever I go out, and it annoys me to see people who don't, including those who live in my apartment complex. I had to stop going to the gym and seeing my personal trainer since gyms were covid hot spots, but that has since resumed. When it comes to our political leaders, my perception has remained that the same: THEY ARE COMPLETELY USELESS! On the other hand, I did miss watching sports, and was very happy when the NBA restarted its season in the bubble, and am very happy that the 2020 NFL season is proceeding on schedule. Go Green Bay Packers! GO PACK GO!

I kind of anticipated the gyms closing and bought a ton of weight sets along with benches a couple days before it happened.  It's not ideal and I want to go back to the diversity of the gym but it's still better than just doing hundreds of pushups for strength training exercises. 

Regarding running there was a roughly ten week period I jumped from 30 miles a week to 50 out of boredom.  I'm about at 37-45 most weeks now but that's only because almost outdoor recreational activity is no longer off limits. 

[SSOWorld]

Oh it just turned my 3rd bedroom into a workshop - for work.

[Max Rockatansky]

Oh it just turned my 3rd bedroom into a workshop - for work.

My wife has been running her own little mask sales gig on the side out of a spare bedroom.  Apparently she makes something like $3 dollars a mask.  She's big into crafts so I think it's more of something to do more than anything.