A language learners’ forum

It seems to me that a lot of people in the US are just fed up with the way things are right now (11/18/2021). There is a growing realization that there is no magic bullet to fix covid and make everything the way it used to be. There is also a growing realization that things weren't all that great before covid either, especially with jobs and for many people, their lifestyle. My wife is spitting mad about the way her 13 year old students behaved today, so maybe it is affecting kids too. People are quitting; people are going on strike.
It is a very dark mood here, even here in California, which often does not follow the rest of the county. People seem fed up, and they often can't really explain exactly what they are fed up about.

Is it the same way where you live?

Doesn't seem as dark on this side of Mississippi, but not as light and happy as the 60's or 90's. Noticed a certain phoniness at the coffee shop today. Very nice, but not very genuine. People are more circumspect. Missing the good ole days.

Perhaps we all need more language learning.

Covid restrictions, rising crime rates, inflation, rampant dissatisfaction with schools. Yeah, people aren't too happy.

We live outside NYC, NY in a wealthy suburb. I sense the level of impatience and anger is rising.

The neighbor across the street usually flies an NRA and Trump flag from his flagpole. Today he is now flying a far more virulent flag than before-Let’s Go Brandon Flag . He and wife are quite wealthy and very educated and just seethe hatred for the Administration. Usually he travels but with Covid he is boxed in and can not go to the office and just simmers.

My sense is that dealing with life starts with dealing with oneself first and that Covid magnifies people"s impatience and anxiety.

I think language learning rather than being glued to the news is a good idea; at least for me.

Thank you for posting the observation. The moderators will probably block the thread in a few hours but thanks for the observation. Sometimes sharing a pain or problem diminishes the problem a bit.

Yeah, let's not talk about politics, especially US politics, which will bore everyone and have nothing to do with language learning. I avoid watching mainstream media of any flavor.

I've read several places that one of the main permanent effects plague in the middle ages in Europe was the social upheaval that followed, which included more rights for people who worked the land. Covid is really not comparable to the plague except in the most superficial way.

I wonder if anything good is coming out of this pandemic.

The French are always angry. That is why they start revolutions from time to time

Seriously though, some people are angry, and they come out on the street to protest from time to time, but mostly I think people just go about their life as usual and have learnt to live with the consequences of the pandemic. I'd even say I notice a growing optimism as life, in broad terms, is back to normal after several lockdowns and harsh restrictions.

sfuqua wrote:I've read several places that one of the main permanent effects plague in the middle ages in Europe was the social upheaval that followed, which included more rights for people who worked the land. Covid is really not comparable to the plague except in the most superficial way.

The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 percent to 60 percent of the European population. So competition for peasant farmers was intense. When 6 out of 10 workers you had previously were now dead. So at that point the workers had the edge since they could get better pay, housing, or whatever by just moving to a different landlord.

I haven't noticed any more anger in the UK.

People are naturally gonna get angry as more and more begin to figure out that they've been fed a gigantic pile of lies over the last 2 years.

sfuqua wrote:I wonder if anything good is coming out of this pandemic.

In my humble opinion:
-There is now more acceptance for "working from home".
-People of all ages have now used online meetings, and haven even been "virtually" to weddings. This helps both the environment and people that would otherwise be isolated.
-Amazon-like shops were non existent in my country before the pandemic, but now they do exist. E-commerce has seen a big boom here.
-We've gotten used to almost never use cash, which makes it easier to calculate your expenses at the end of the month.
-A lot of people now know how diseases are spread. Hopefully in the future, when people are sick they'll stay home or at least use a mask when out and about. Being sick in a mall without a mask won't be socially acceptable.

sfuqua wrote:I wonder if anything good is coming out of this pandemic.

More visits to family for me, due to remote working.