I thought this was a thoughtful look at the long-term social effects of COVID-19 and lockdown, as well as a possible change in values. Just one small passage struck me as off, which is when Bristow says that "It is not that we have suddenly become a nation of introverts..."
People frequently have misunderstandings about introversion, thinking that it's simply an aversion to social life. We do prefer our own company, which can manifest in a number of different ways. But enjoying being with people in given circumstances doesn't make a person less of an introvert.
And in recent months the social world has been decimated by expectations and outright commands that we stop going anywhere and doing anything. The people who've engineered this might be introverts or extraverts, but there's usually some kind of ulterior motive. Like, before this, if I didn't feel like going out at night, I was free to just not. I didn't need every pub in the UK shut down.
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For my part, although I wouldn't describe myself as an introvert, I've always been more likely to enjoy social occasions as an observer rather than being 'the life of the party'. It's not really an unusual choice for many people when they're part of large groups whereas among friends and relatives a different way of behaving often applies.
The people making these decisions are all on full pay, working mainly in comfortable homes and saving themselves the aggravation of a commute. It's no surprise that people in this position would say that we should all work from home (or tolerate unemployment) when their working lives are unaffected or improved. What's happened over the course of the past year is that people who would never have dreamed of breaking the law find themselves criminals for behaving normally.
Patrons at a Vancouver restaurant shouted 'Get out!' over and over again at two health inspectors the other day. Of course, now the place has been closed until further notice but it does go to show that people are growing more than a little impatient. The provincial government here has declined to order further restrictions so that's a good thing.
Meanwhile: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
As humans we learn from each other and find comfort in company. These things apply species-wide, give or take. I think that introverts just have a greater need to have a retreat available. Of course how you define these things or even whether the word is meaningful differs from person to person.
Certainly there are a number of people who aren't much affected by the effects of all these NPIs. Some of them, of course, are the people who drew up the plans to begin with. Others have been sort of pandemic PR, doing their best to keep the panic and anxiety level at their March 2030 heights. This all is going to lead some huge trust issues for the foreseeable future.
It's encouraging that people out there are asserting their right to live life as they see fit. What can still make me somewhat angry is that these desires are being treated as selfish on their part, even though these are impulses that go all the way back to the beginning of civilization and beyond.
An old boss of mine had that "Beatings will continue" on a poster. She was kidding, I think. but it is how I first came across the turn of phrase.
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