Distraught at the lot of the suffering students

[Cyclops]

There have been several students interviewed over the weekend who have bemoaned their lot - having to self-isolate because of the high numbers of Covid infections in their ranks. It seems that they have been so looking forward to 'Student Social Life', 'Freshers Week' etc and now they have been deprived of their frolics and fun. I wonder how folk like Agnes (who is in her seventies, at risk, and who hasn't been outside her front door since March) feel about the plight of students. And all the others whose lives have been put on hold for six months - and counting.

Seems to me that it's strange that so many super-intelligent young people have tested as virus-positive. Could it be that they are actually irresponsible or stupid - or both - to have become infected?

And now the poor lambs are up in arms because they can't go home at Xmas! Go home to spread the virus among their ageing parents and grand-parents. Like I say 'irresponsible and stupid'.

Will student rooms/campuses/accommodation become the new Care Homes?

[delmbox]

Bit harsh mate, first there was that A Level debacle which meant a lot of them were given grades below what they would have got, so they lost places in Universities that they wanted to go and on courses that they wanted to do.

Then when they start Uni, which is a very exciting time in a young person's life, they get told they have to stay inside, and also do a lot of their course online and alone whilst still paying full fees which amount to tens of thousands of pounds. Then once they've qualified their job prospects look bleak because unemployment is going to be skyrocketting for the next few years, let alone the effects of a possible no deal Brexit.

It's not as if they've gone out hunting for journalists to moan to, if I was them and a journo came up to me and asked me to tell them how I feel I'd probably say it's all a bit shit as well.

It can be shit for Agnes and also shit in a different way for students. That's the thing about the world right now, it's pretty shit for most people, it's not a competition.

[Wales-Bales]

Imagine your 18, and you're not allowed to shag 8 people a week, after drinking 10 pints of lager!

[The Bloop]

Competitive shitness.
Just because someone's shit is different to someone else's shit, it doesn't mean that it's still not shit.

[Dorcus]

Life sucks

[Der Kaiser]

Whilst this is obviously a very unsympathetic thread - students are extremely susceptible to suffering mental health issues due to the unhealthy life style they tend to lead - will they be supported aptly when they've been locked up for weeks if not months, with random people in a new city away from families, they are 18 not 38 ffs.

What do you suggest happens until a vaccine is produced? Nanna Agnes who doesn't do much or contribute to their local economy protected but young adults who are attempting to get their careers lined up are utterly shafted and treated with contempt because you have have chosen to taken an ignorant stance on how they are impacting covid?

[cyril evans awaydays]

Bit harsh mate, first there was that A Level debacle which meant a lot of them were given grades below what they would have got, so they lost places in Universities that they wanted to go and on courses that they wanted to do.

Then when they start Uni, which is a very exciting time in a young person's life, they get told they have to stay inside, and also do a lot of their course online and alone whilst still paying full fees which amount to tens of thousands of pounds. Then once they've qualified their job prospects look bleak because unemployment is going to be skyrocketting for the next few years, let alone the effects of a possible no deal Brexit.

It's not as if they've gone out hunting for journalists to moan to, if I was them and a journo came up to me and asked me to tell them how I feel I'd probably say it's all a bit shit as well.

It can be shit for Agnes and also shit in a different way for students. That's the thing about the world right now, it's pretty shit for most people, it's not a competition.

Good post. I am in a Whattsapp group with footballing friends we bonded together at Freshers Trials and beyond and have been the amongst the most loyal friends I have had in my life. Meeting people from different parts of the country, backgrounds in that first term was such an awakening and feel privileged to have been given the opportunity. A couple of my kids have been through this in normal times with similar outcomes.

We all have sympathy with the current generation who have gone through the debacle of A Level results. made it to university to be charged £5 grand for a cell for the year and get stigmatised as virus spreaders a couple of weeks after the government incentivise for people to eat out and socialise ended.

I can't get to my Mum in her care home as her life ebbs away but I don't blame students for that and knowing how proud she was that I was the first member of our family to make it to university she wouldn't either!

[delmbox]

Good post. I am in a Whattsapp group with footballing friends we bonded together at Freshers Trials and beyond and have been the amongst the most loyal friends I have had in my life. Meeting people from different parts of the country, backgrounds in that first term was such an awakening and feel privileged to have been given the opportunity. A couple of my kids have been through this in normal times with similar outcomes.

We all have sympathy with the current generation who have gone through the debacle of A Level results. made it to university to be charged £5 grand for a cell for the year and get stigmatised as virus spreaders a couple of weeks after the government incentivise for people to eat out and socialise ended.

I can't get to my Mum in her care home as her life ebbs away but I don't blame students for that and knowing how proud she was that I was the first member of our family to make it to university she wouldn't either!

Reading between the lines yes I'd love to be added to your Whattsapp group, thank you. Have PM'd you my number

[Wales-Bales]

Reading between the lines yes I'd love to be added to your Whattsapp group, thank you. Have PM'd you my number

You can join mine if you want, but it will only be the two of us

[Cyclops]

You can join mine if you want, but it will only be the two of us

Just the one - if your inbox is still full, mush.

[splott parker]

Just the one - if your inbox is still full, mush.

Heartless people on here seem to have dropped Gladys like a shithouse seat, who’s this Agnes all of a sudden??

[NYCBlue]

18 year olds missing out on a once in a lifetime experience that many of them worked hard for. It may seem trivial to you, but that doesn't mean it's actually trivial.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

18 year olds missing out on a once in a lifetime experience that many of them worked hard for. It may seem trivial to you, but that doesn't mean it's actually trivial.

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

[Swiss Peter]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

In a nutshell TBG. Good post.

[J R Hartley]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Spot on.

[MOZZER2]

agree what a top post taunton

[Pearcey3]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Spot on. There are also plenty of older people who are not sticking by the rules too.

[surge]

Spoken to a lot of academics in last few days: general consensus seems to be that their institutions should have planned for an online only term and that right now, they're being asked to provide the impossible a) face to face provision b) while eliminating risk of transmission.

One academic: “‘doing the right thing”' has been hijacked by 'being in a consumer market'. Many unis cannot afford to give refunds (only consequence would be redundancies), so they feel forced to declare themselves open unless government closes them down.“

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/st...93302559948800

Spent a while this morning trying to get to the bottom of the uni fiasco and who is to blame.
Dept for Education says it’s health, health says it’s unis. One government source told me: “It’s not actually our fault. Global pandemics are shit.”

https://twitter.com/MattChorley/stat...55311917408256

Whatever the answer think we can all agree that University life at the moment is miserable and whereas we all had at least one miserable moment earlier in the year at least we were doing it in our own homes. Of course, there will be those who milk this event, and those who find it more difficult, but this generation has been brought up in a consumer market rather than made it.

[Dave Blue]

Very good post TB

[Eric the Half a Bee]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Top post.

[Optimistic Nick]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Exactly.

In response to the OP: I've got far more sympathy for the students. Of course this is horrible for anyone and I've seen the dreadful impact that this is having on the mental health of young and old, but at least the pensioners had a fair go when it was their time. She's had 70 years of largely favourable economic conditions that have resulted in significant improvements in quality of life for her generation. How does that compare to the prospcts of a school leaver today?

My freshers year was an absolutely amazing experience and I loved university. They don't get a second shot at this, those students are missing out on some of the best years of their lives - the remainder of which will be dominated by carrying the economic millstone of this clusterf[]ck, and another one that is now just 3 months away.

[jon1959]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

[DubaiDai]

Whilst this is obviously a very unsympathetic thread - students are extremely susceptible to suffering mental health issues due to the unhealthy life style they tend to lead - will they be supported aptly when they've been locked up for weeks if not months, with random people in a new city away from families, they are 18 not 38 ffs.

What do you suggest happens until a vaccine is produced? Nanna Agnes who doesn't do much or contribute to their local economy protected but young adults who are attempting to get their careers lined up are utterly shafted and treated with contempt because you have have chosen to taken an ignorant stance on how they are impacting covid?

There was no point in hauling them back into Uni.
This is 2020 and we have all the means to provide them with on line tutorials until Christmas.

[the other bob wilson]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

When I think back to what my life was like in the years after I left school, I feel sorry for the poor kids who have to do their growing into adulthood in today's world.

[William Treseder]

FFS! I’ve had toothache longer than they’ve been asked to isolate!

[Vindec]

Uni students. especially Freshers who had to also suffer from the A level fiasco, have had it tough. But so have many others especially the hundreds of thousands who will lose their jobs and possibly their houses as a result of the pandemic. Students are making the headlines at present and it's not difficult to feel sorry for them.

There's a good article here indicating the settings where the outbreaks have occurred. The chart at the end of the page is particularly interesting:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...eaks-week.html

[Cleve van Leef]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Good post. I am the older generation and to be honest glad I am not their age now.

[delmbox]

It's traditional for the older generation to criticise the young and students in general. It's easy to have paid off one's mortgage, to have worked continuously to retirement age and to pick up both an occupational pension and a state pension whilst bemoaning young people who now need a degree to do a job that used to require just O levels, having to compete ferociously for jobs thereafter and after incurring large debts on order to complete those degrees whilst having a far slimmer chance of taking up a mortgage in their early twenties like many of us did. Add on top of that the problems of global warming and dwindling resources, the need to change their skills numerous times in their lifetimes and the constant threat of unemployment, the threat of AI possibly making them superfluous in the work force, constant pressure to promote themselves with personal statements and the like and having to have a longer working life, belonging to a generation who will shoulder the economic financial problems caused by Brexit and Covid-19.
I think we should try and see life through their prism and not ours in these troubled times.

Bang on, great post

[xsnaggle]

Heartless people on here seem to have dropped Gladys like a shithouse seat, who’s this Agnes all of a sudden??

Gladys's twin sister!!!

[William Treseder]

Bang on, great post

Just can’t understand the amount of posters fawning over this post. I can’t decide if i’d file it under drama, or comedy.
The world has been affected by a pandemic, which we still don’t have under control.
The fall out was never gonna be pretty. The world has faced devastations since time began, but it has survived, and will continue to survive.
How it faces up to the after math is the important bit.
All this talk of the youth of today having to pick up the tab, work longer, struggle to get a mortgage, struggle with debt etc etc, is all man made.
What we need from the youth of today, is for some strong, principled politicians and world leaders to emerge, with integrity, and fresh ideas.
The politicians we’ve been lumbered with over the last 50 yrs the world over, have been lacking in all departments.
There is enough wealth and food around, for the whole planet to thrive and flourish. Greed has taken over though. It’s up to the youth of today to grab the world by the scruff of the neck, and shake it up a bit.
We have always been the masters of our own destimy.