So I've been doing a project where we are working in a small consortium of a few U.S. based companies. There's two regular companies, and two independent contracters we're working with. Thus I get a small slice into their work lives. - One guy's been working from his basement because the kids are now homeschooled because his wife lost her job. He's making overtime to compensate. - One of the more dumb-as-a-brick consultants has been under constant fear of losing his shitty job and broke down during a meeting. I don't see him finding a new job anytime soon. - One of the independent contractors has been without any new gigs since March. She can't get a foot in the door anywhere. Had a meeting yesterday where she showed up in pajamas and very large bags under her eyes. - The other independent contractor is basically a pensioner with a hobby so he's fine. Overall...not good.
Friends of ours are "project manager" and "homemaker" respectively. He seems unaware that he is being invited to fewer and fewer "project management" meetings as his clients and his contractors are on site together doing things while he's at home getting fatter and bushier. She tested positive for Coronavirus back in June but they haven't told her live-in mother for some reason. There are 14 kids in my kid's 2nd grade class. They told everyone they were going back to campus a month early, primarily because they got the idea that they wanted some in-person stuff before flu season took everyone out for good 'cuz, see, if you have any symptoms of anything at all ever, you need two weeks and a clean COVID test before they let you back into 2nd grade. Initially eight sets of parents said "yeah go back to school kid" not because they figured it was safe but because they were f'n done having the kids at home. That came down to seven, then six in the space of a week as one kid popped symptoms and another kid's parents noped out. Note that these are highly-educated rich white liberals for the most part. The local school district is only doing virtual school three times a week. The United States will have to choose between "Morlocks & Eloi" and "Socialism."