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People still go out to eat, go out for ice cream go hiking, etc. So I’m not seeing this myself I have two jobs and one of them is delivering medical supplies. To me this more of an opinion then fact. The link makes me wonder if the person writing the article doesn’t live on hundred acres in the middle of no where.
The problem is that the linked article reflects the reality of life that isn't in "the middle of no where." Where I am is a suburb not far from White Plains, New York. Our office is going "full blast" and most of the restaurants around are open. Other communal functions are either shut down or operating at a crawl, so we're somewhere in between. The downtown core of Manhattan is still a ghost town.
I've noticed that a sort of pandemic cultural "literature" has sprouted in the print media and online, discussing how the pandemic has changed behavior in the US. The linked article in the OP is a perfect example. I wonder if to some extent, that type of article is simply cashing in on a perceived trend, maybe taking advantage of some people's low-grade depression, sense of isolation, and so forth, to sell copy. Though I don't doubt it's very real for some people, I think it's far from universal.
The first paragraph from the article says:
Quote:
I miss those fifteen-second exchanges with strangers at the gym. I miss asking acquaintances about their significant others or dropping an “I like your shoes” to a woman in the elevator before hopping off.
In my world, this sort of thing hasn't changed; it still happens. I don't see why it wouldn't. You can still say, "Hey, I have your same jacket! (thumbs-up)" through a mask, or chat with someone in the check-out line in front of you. Spontaneous bits of cheer still happen in public.
Each of us makes the decision whether to change our behavior or not. We don't have to let the pandemic get us down.
I've noticed that a sort of pandemic cultural "literature" has sprouted in the print media and online, discussing how the pandemic has changed behavior in the US. The linked article in the OP is a perfect example. I wonder if to some extent, that type of article is simply cashing in on a perceived trend, maybe taking advantage of some people's low-grade depression, sense of isolation, and so forth, to sell copy. Though I don't doubt it's very real for some people, I think it's far from universal.
The first paragraph from the article says:
In my world, this sort of thing hasn't changed; it still happens. I don't see why it wouldn't. You can still say, "Hey, I have your same jacket! (thumbs-up)" through a mask, or chat with someone in the check-out line in front of you. Each of us makes the decision whether to change our behavior or not. We idon'thave to let the pandemic get us down.
That's true. Just the other day I was waiting for my son in the parking lot of his apartment complex and a young man walked by with a t-shirt on that had one of those "Arm The Animals" designs of a cat with a scythe, and we made eye contact and nodded at each other, and since my window was down, I loudly said, "I like your shirt!" and he yelled back, "Thanks!"
I've always said that habits related to casual friendliness can be a regional thing. I recall that growing up in the DC sprawl, people were not into that, and I wasn't either. In fact there were many people who would complain about "fakeness" when thinking of trifling social pleasantries in public among strangers. Then I gradually moved west, and somewhere around my time in Iowa, I think, is where I got the hang of it. Once the habit of being nice to random people rubbed off on me, I came to feel that it was a matter of cultivating a positive attitude and sharing positive energy in small ways with others...and I think I'd really miss it, if it vanished from my life altogether. I don't see it as being "fake" at all. It would be fake, if I were telling someone to have a nice day and silently wishing they'd go jump off a cliff, but I'm not doing that.
I've noticed that a sort of pandemic cultural "literature" has sprouted in the print media and online, discussing how the pandemic has changed behavior in the US. The linked article in the OP is a perfect example. I wonder if to some extent, that type of article is simply cashing in on a perceived trend, maybe taking advantage of some people's low-grade depression, sense of isolation, and so forth, to sell copy. Though I don't doubt it's very real for some people, I think it's far from universal.
The first paragraph from the article says:
In my world, this sort of thing hasn't changed; it still happens. I don't see why it wouldn't. You can still say, "Hey, I have your same jacket! (thumbs-up)" through a mask, or chat with someone in the check-out line in front of you. Spontaneous bits of cheer still happen in public.
Each of us makes the decision whether to change our behavior or not. We don't have to let the pandemic get us down.
While we have been super careful during the pandemic, I don't find much has changed in that regard. I still chat with strangers, though I find wearing a mask and chatting a pain to certain extent.
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Precovid, while I didn't often initiate, if someone else started small talk with me, I willingly engaged and afterwards often felt good about it. We are social animals, even those of us who are introverts.
My cat recently died, and I've been extremely grief stricken. I'm certain that part of my sadness is due to the fact that she was my constant companion, I'd talk and interact with her and now with her gone, I'm truly alone. I could be living on Mars by myself.
I am so very sorry for you and understand. My old Doberman died 2 months ago and I am totally alone now, also. I talk to him anyway - pretend he is there - and hope he is, in some form or other. It's all so depressing. I hope you soon adopt an animal friend; for not only your benefit, but for theirs.
This reminds me of a recent incident where a woman called me to try and sell me something, and I saw right through her friendly shmooze and kinda yelled at her. At least, for ME, it was very rude. I had zero patience with that call.
After I hung up, I muttered to myself, "dear lord, I've gone feral."
By my reckoning, neither the very closest relationships (nuclear family and immediate relatives) nor at the opposite extreme, the trite pleasantries with strangers and near-strangers, have suffered. What has however suffered very much, is exchanges at the intermediate level of closeness. Acquaintances with whom one used to have dinner, perhaps every 2-3 months, have disappeared. Friendships of the sort where a tool would be borrowed and a window-frame repaired and so on, maybe a few times a year, have gone into hibernation.
In other words, the people to whom we were already intimately close, have remained so. Formulaic and brief interaction with strangers, such as cashiers or delivery-persons and so on, has also remained, as that's basic politeness. But regarding persons to whom one was semi-attached, well, now one is completely detached. This has most impacted those of us, whose networks are broad but not very deep.
Last edited by ohio_peasant; 04-29-2021 at 03:15 PM..
The problem is that the linked article reflects the reality of life that isn't in "the middle of no where." Where I am is a suburb not far from White Plains, New York. Our office is going "full blast" and most of the restaurants around are open. Other communal functions are either shut down or operating at a crawl, so we're somewhere in between. The downtown core of Manhattan is still a ghost town.
I guess it depends on where you live currently I’m between Wilmington, NC and Jacksonville, NC.
Between these two area’s people are all over the place going to the beach, restaurant’s, there is no shortage of people getting out and socializing. This topic was brought up before and personally I don’t understand the problem. Most people have their phones in their hands all day long checking out social media or watching cats chase a laser light.
So why are people complaining about the lack of social interaction?
I guess it depends on where you live currently I’m between Wilmington, NC and Jacksonville, NC.
Between these two area’s people are all over the place going to the beach, restaurant’s, there is no shortage of people getting out and socializing. This topic was brought up before and personally I don’t understand the problem. Most people have their phones in their hands all day long checking out social media or watching cats chase a laser light.
So why are people complaining about the lack of social interaction?
Very simple. Friends' networks that depended on live attendance at churches and synagogues, in-person book clubs, etc. are gone, at least in my neck of the woods.
Yesterday I visited the greenhouse. It's a place where I am guaranteed to run into friendly and happy people.
I was admiring a plant with huge blooms and two different women came by to exclaim about it. None of us knew each other but it turned into a fifteen-minute conversation of odds and ends in our lives. I guess just a quick touchstone of self-affirmation and recognition of the need for human contact.
A very pleasant interaction. I grew up with this and it meets a need for reminding me I'm a part of humanity, not that island John Donne or Paul Simon referenced.
A sense of belonging creates good community.
Being retired and having time I can afford to listen. Doesn't matter what the subject is because no matter what people are talking about they are always telling you who they are and how they are. And I find that endlessly fascinating.
I do have some friends who are so frozen into Covid mode and fear, though, that I wonder if they're ever going to resolve their mental state. I miss their face-to-face visits and hugs.
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