Since the pandemic started in 2020, a lot of things have changed. So when Reddit user u/I_Groped_SandyCheeks asked: “What things did the 2020 pandemic ruin?” a lot of people had thoughts on the matter. Here’s what they had to say below.
1.“24-hour stores and supply chains. Even today, more than four years later, there are still things out of stock and hard to find.”
“YES! Suddenly the only things open after 11 p.m. are gas stations, and as someone whose waking hours are like 12 p.m.-3 a.m., it can be a pain in the ass.”
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2.“Dining out. The bar is so much lower for good food and service now.”
3.“All the cheap buffets in Vegas are gone.”
4.“People. People are so outwardly mean, antagonistic, and proudly uninformed now. We’ve lost all sense of a social contract.”
5.“Genuine human interaction. Feels weird and technological now.”
6.“Customer service. From phone lines (if they even have them at all) to in-person experiences. The in-person part is likely to do with people outwardly turning into complete assholes during the pandemic, so I can only imagine what that does to a worker’s mentality. The phone or online part is likely corporate cutbacks. Whatever the exact reasons, we’re probably never going to have even ‘good’ customer service as the baseline ever again.”
7.“I feel like people are angrier drivers now, but that is just a gut feeling.”
8.“My sense of purpose or meaning. I haven’t felt this nihilistic since I was a ‘brooding teenage girl.’ 20 years later, and now it’s actually more of an existential hell. (This is in relation to the actual virus, politics, and societal response.) People are just mean. Most people have careers and work at companies that, if they disappeared tomorrow, the only suffering would be from the employees without salaries anymore.”
9.“Dating is really weird now compared to before COVID. I can’t put my finger on what is different, though. I just know the apps are different now.”
10.“My job of 12 years in the entertainment industry.”
“Basically, the same. I was playing gigs as a freelancer and finally making a living in the six months before COVID shut things down. I’m moving on because it still hasn’t bounced back anywhere near those levels.”
11.“COVID ruined the tipping culture. Now, I’m expected to tip everyone, everywhere. I’m so sick of having a tablet shoved in my face with tip choices at fast-food places.”
12.“Masks. It used to be that we could respectfully wear a mask while we were sick, making sure we didn’t get anyone else sick. Now, here in Texas, we have idiots who will scream at you for wearing a mask. Dude, I’m trying not to get YOU sick. I’m trying to be considerate, but somehow, we’ve made that into something political.”
“I really don’t get that mentality. Like if you were trying to force everyone else to wear a mask, sure, but getting mad at someone else for wearing one is weird. I assume most people I see wearing them have a reason, whether it’s being sick, being immunocompromised, or being paranoid. It doesn’t hurt me one bit so whatever.”
—u/izeil1
13.“The medical industry. So many got burnt out and left, and the shortages are still a huge issue, so healthcare is suffering. They deserve the break or need to leave, but their absence is causing a huge void.”
14.“Several friendships.”
“Oh, I feel this one. We were friends with a couple during the pandemic, but the guy got more and more into conspiracy theories with ones I never even heard of. He wasn’t full off the deep end like some, but he knew I didn’t agree or believe him. What was hard was that the man was a brilliant marine electronics engineer. Very smart and handy. So we kind of lost touch despite our efforts from our friend group to reach out to them.”
15.“The small-town vibe and affordability of my area. Work-from-home people and retirees moved here. Now, traffic and prices have skyrocketed. The chance of me buying a home in my 20s went out the window, and I now have to fight for my life driving every day. Can’t even enjoy the attractions around town, because everything is expensive and overcrowded. My life is work and going home. It feels like the pandemic didn’t end in that regard.”
16.“Enshitification is running rampant everywhere. Everything is a subscription model and gig work that got you hooked with quality service and good prices. And every six months, the service gets worse and costs more.”
17.And finally, “Everyone’s mental health.”
Is there a particular thing you believe the pandemic ruined? Tell us what it is in the comments below.
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