We are just a bit screwed.
We need to “reopen” at some point.
Early indications are reopening is causing a rather significant uptick in cases.
I think that trend will continue..............and in fact escalate.

So now what?
I ask, cause I know der is a buncha smaht people on this Forum.

Yay... another fkn thread for arguing!

Hard pass.

Tough question. No good answer I can think of. We have to reopen. Then each individual will decide what their own path will be.

Screwed? For awhile, yes. But I think "changed" is a better word and not totally for the worse. American society must now adapt to (very over-used term) the "New Normal". In a lot of ways we have never been in a better position to adapt and in some ways we've never been worse. Look at food distribution. 100 years ago, food was local and seasonal. You knew where your meat and vegetables came from because you knew the farmer that grew or raised it and you knew the butcher that processed it. Now, all of that is industrialized and centralized and is easily (as we are figuring out) compromised. I would argue that a return to more decentralized and more seasonal agriculture will suit us better going forward. If we look at retail, how many times have you walked into a mall and marveled at how much $hit there is in there for sale that you neither need or want? Shopping is a recreational activity for Americans. Myself included. Being at home the last few months has made me realize just how much money and time I waste buying things that I don't need. Stores are opening but I have no desire or need to go to a lot of them. Does anyone other than the employees really care that JC Penneys is going out of business? Restaurants.....of course people still wish to go to restaurants but how many people are realizing that they still can, they just don't eat it there? I've now had many very pleasant meals from restaurants outdoors or at home with my wife. I don't really care if I ever sit in a restaurant, give tips to underpaid waitstaff, etc. ever again. Well run restaurants have adapted quickly and are thriving. Others won't.

The workplace.....I work for a large privately-owned German company that produces Veterinary Pharmaceuticals. ALL non-essential business travel is cancelled and will be for a very long time if not forever. Also, all non essential-to-production employees are working from home, including myself. I suspect that, too, will be permanent. Why? The internet and electronic communication. My job as a Maintenance Planner has gotten EASIER and more efficient. On a daily basis, I have to interface with many different people across the organization. Now that hose people are not sitting in physical meetings or on business trips, they are easier to find. Our production of medicines has not only NOT suffered, but has actually RISEN. This is due to a well run policy for the COVID response and to simply fewer distractions for the production people. Personally, I LOVE working from home. I'm a loner and married very well. I'm also not a fan of being forced to sit in an office for 8 hours a day just because that is the "norm". If I have 12 hours of work to do, I'll do it. If I have 3 hours of work to do, I'll do that and then do something else. I haven't even mentioned the cost of providing employees with work spaces. Companies are now figuring out that most people (myself included) have adequate work spaces at home and do not mind having their utility bills rise a bit to stay there. My drive to my work is 24 miles round trip. I never have traffic issues or anything like that as I live in the sticks. I usually put gas in my truck once a week or so. Know how many times I've put gas in my vehicles since March 17th? Once. which leads me to.....

The Environment....whether you believe in climate change is immaterial, this slowdown has been good for the environment. I can SEE that even out here in the sticks. Go outside and look at the night sky. It has never been clearer. It's beautiful. There are reports from all over the world that the air and water are simply cleaner than they've been in 150 years. How can that be a bad thing? As a person that loves to be outside, I'm all for it. Which leads me to......

Families.....at the little lake I fish most of the time, I've seen a huge uptick in the number of families using and enjoying it. Safely and happily. People (men especially) are spending an unprecedented amount of time with their children and families, in general. People are turning inward to enjoy their families instead of spending so much time chasing the "dream". We have a small Hardware store in my town that was closed at the height of the COVID crisis, even though it didn't have to be. I saw the owner at the little lake one day kayaking with his kids. I asked why he was closed when I KNEW that spring was his busiest time and he is NOT a rich man. His answer? He laughed and said that this (COVID) was a gift. A gift that gave him the "excuse" to do what what he was doing. Slowing down and loving his family. F*cking amazing. He valued that more than the dollar. How many do anymore? Also, in spite of all the strife happening in the world and our country right now, we have pulled together and are taking care of our elderly in an unprecedented way right now. On my block is 2 elderly households. My neighborhood has provided everything these folks need to keep them going and to keep them safe. My inlaws are the same. My wife and I and others have provided for them and helped them to allow them to remain at home and be safe from sickness. How can any of that be a bad thing?


I realize that my situation may not be the norm. There are millions of people suffering. Millions of people that have lost income and may not have it come back. Ever. But I DO have faith in the resiliency of Americans. I DO have faith that America will find her way and that we will not only emerge from this but emerge BETTER. We cannot expect the Government (any party or person) to do it for us. There is all kinds of opportunity out there right now. We just gotta (and will) find it.


See? No politics. None needed. I think at some point we (ALL Americans) need to realize our Federal Gubmint is f*cked no matter who is in charge and do things ourselves. It's always worked better that way

Yes we are.

Readin's hard

I’m harder than both right now but no one would know it by looking at it.

hey faux JadeRose, you bring back the irreverent and rude dude we know and love...


j/k, Bro ...you nailed a lotta stuff in that thoughtful post, but many folks, especially those with a few decades on this earth, are entrenched in their ways of doing things, so some of the new normal will be as you describe, while there will be old normal too...

an example of that is the continued existence of printed daily newspapers...the online versions are superior in so many ways, yet people who grew up reading the daily paper continue to do so, me included...

but working from home will prove beneficial and become part of the new normal: cost savings from reduced spending on physical facilities and maintaining them means a lower cost of doing business...as will efficiencies realized by cutting out a lot of non-essential socialization activities...it'll help with air quality due to fewer commuters...freed up space may help to ease over-crowding and lack of housing, and help with homelessness...

we must be cautious that we don't allow extreme and greedy capitalists to take advantage and rush in with money making ventures that push out opportunities to improve societal ills in order to line the pockets of the rich

Covid in Orlando is on the rise for the last few days and the same for FL. And, Universal, Sea World just opened and Disney is opening soon. People will bring disease from all over. State is at phase two of the state's opening-up plan, but for three counties running several weeks behind the rest of the state. We allow 50% capacity at restaurants, bars and businesses and places of worship, etc., but not everything. When I went to Aldi this morning, 75+% of the shoppers were wearing masks. Son is a soccer trainer at an indoor/outdoor soccer day camp and wears his mask. None of the kids wear masks, but most of the employees do wear them. I am still wearing a mask and being careful when I go out.

Heh heh...............God help us....