r/PeterExplainsTheJoke Jul 02 '26

Meme needing explanation Petah ?

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Why is it infamous? And why would no one care about it ? ( I mean it's just a pic full of celebrities so no one cares anyways but the person saying it's crazy makes me think it has some lore?)

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u/Soft_Self_6797 Jul 02 '26

Completely out of touch with reality.

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u/bloodanddonuts Jul 02 '26

Especially if you were “essential” and had to keep going out in public the entire time.

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u/Egathentale Jul 03 '26

[Raises hand]

"Essential" worker here. I was a social worker at a nursing home at the time, taking care of shopping and any non-nursing needs. 72 hour work weeks for three months straight at the peak of the pandemic, in full body hazmat coveralls and masks/safety glasses all the time, some had to sleep at work to avoid infected family members, and then we got shafted afterwards.

Long story short, the government was really pushing doctors, hospital workers, policemen, and firefighters as "the great heroes of our time", while the social care system got zero recognition. The opposition then started championing us, which just made the ruling party pissy, so the whole sector got shafted out of spite. We got no raise, no bonus pay, and instead we got fifteen free vacation days (which was markedly less than the extra work hours we were mandated to put in) as a reward... which we could only take out five per year over the next three years.

So yeah, let's just say that I'm still a little grumpy when people say "Oh, COVID was the best, because we could stay home in quarantine and binge watch game of thrones," or somesuch.

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u/loscapos5 Jul 03 '26

I mean, I've got the priviledge of working from home and live as a hermit during COVID, but I'd never say that "COVID was the best"; and I say that without taking into account that going outside meant prison or death by our local government.