Covid-19 and frustration building among AAC users

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Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,852
Has anyone else noticed a growing level of hostility among us AAC users? More and more I'm reading responses that are growing in hostility. Someone expresses an opinion and someone else gets hot under the collar in their response. I'm wondering if it's due to the virus and being a whole lot more home-bound.

If you disagree with my comment(s) it's OK to say "I disagree"; then explain why you disagree. But sometimes other users take on an adversarial role in the way they speak (type). I try not to let myself get hostile in return, but I admit I'm guilty of it too.

Can we take a step back to the days when I first joined? I remember a much more friendly and helpful experience back then. I also had a lot more respect for those with superior knowledge and experience.
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
I have to say that even full lockdown has made very little difference to my life. I used to go once a week on a 15 minute bus ride with my scooter to visit a gym and have a nice roast chicken meal. I gave that up before we were locked down, and the place that did the roasts is now closed.

But apart from a 30 minute walk to my local small supermarket every 4 days for food etc I am home alone and have been for a couple of years now. I don't have a problem with that.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
I live alone 7 miles from the nearest village and half a mile from my nearest neighbor. Because of the woods around my place, I can't even see my neighbor. There are bats in the barn but no pangolins that I know of.

I wish the bats would wear face masks, but they don't. ;)

I only go into a town once a week and usually include a visit to the village on that trip for its sourdough bread. TP was never in short supply there. I follow whatever silly mandates are in place. Otherwise, I have not been affected.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
I haven't noticed much of a difference. I added a few high post count members to my ignore list, but they always annoyed me and I just decided that I'd had enough of them.

Staying home and avoiding people is easy for me because I'm retired. I used to go to the library every month, sometimes twice; now I watch Netflix and the news and go shopping during senior hours when we need things my Wife can't get.

I wish we could back down on reopening so we could get our new infection rates down. My State is at 5X our pre-opening numbers and getting worse and worse. A million new cases a week and 2000 deaths a day in our Country is unbelievable.
 
This is NOT unique to this blog, it is happening ALMOST everywhere.
If one wants to see raw and unmitigated hostility, go to any current news forum. Political opinions quickly become very nasty and personal.

What I have also witnessed, in forums with a large international membership, is a tendency of quarrels between the USA vs the rest of World.

It can start with a simple question: “When designing a PWB, do you prefer Metric or Imperial units?” It will quickly devolve into US-bashing for using obsolete Imperial units.
 

killivolt

Joined Jan 10, 2010
835
He he he he. I think you would have been appalled during the last election, this one was mild because the Mods keep it locked down or thrown out, it’s why they are so strict. Adding a pandemic to this years election to me didn’t raise the temperature of the forum or at least to me it didn’t. I personally enjoy banter, but some people have thin skins, hey I get it, now that I work phone support with people cramping their life style, kids, little money, unknown futures etc. People out in the country on the other hand are cranky, I just haven’t seen it so badly here.


kv
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Covid cabin fever is only part of it. Social media is a cancer that is polarizing people against each other. The media is too. The political climate is a shartstorm. The economy is suffering from the lockdowns. Supply shortages. Life is more stressful for almost everyone right now than it was a year ago, and a year ago was more stressful than years past. This is not a good time.
 

joeyd999

Joined Jun 6, 2011
5,234
It can start with a simple question: “When designing a PWB, do you prefer Metric or Imperial units?” It will quickly devolve into US-bashing for using obsolete Imperial units.
I started watching aviation channels on YouTube. Here's one of my favorites:

Missionary Bush Pilot

Imagine my surprise when I learned that take-off speed is computed as a function of cargo weight in kilograms, and fuel in pounds.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
Social Media and the Internet have drastically changed communications. Majority opinions were filtered in the past by the delay in communications. A minority opinion was suppressed by limited bandwidth.
Now, any opinion is shared instantaneously. Accusations of fake news are treated as fact. When, in reality, they are but one dimension of popular opinion.
However, real fake news are still fake. Propaganda is treated as fact. And the population no longer had the critical analysis skills to differentiate.
Even fake news had some informational value. But the analysis is buried behind the propaganda.
 
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