BLOG SPOT. THE SOCIAL DILEMMA By Clive Allwright

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

BY CLIVE ALLWRIGHT

It’s Easter Saturday morning, my radio alarm has gone off again. I am greeted once more with the dulcet tones of the ABC radio’s morning news.

I am reminded of the sad cancellation of this weekend’s Blues Festival in Byron Bay. It was cancelled due to the locally transmitted case numbers were predicted to rise due to the event. Also, the potential risk of spreading the virus further across New South Wales and Queensland was apparently very real.

As I walked into the kitchen, checking my phone before making my morning coffee. I had received an email from Facebook. As portrayed in the documentary “The Social Dilemma” trying desperately to lure me back in. “Last chance to check out Linda Woodhead’s recent photo on Facebook!”

I have tried to stay away from social media for the past few months, even deleting the Facebook app off my phone. As depicted in the documentary. I am constantly drawn back with FOMO with the constant emails of what I am missing out on. I now felt compelled to check my Facebook page. The first post I saw was a memory from 9 years ago today.

I was apparently flying back to England with Emirates on a A380. I had written some dribble about being in business class with a photo in the lounge with my seat number on my boarding pass. (I guess it was the fashion at the time to gloat to our friends how supposedly amazing our lives were)

The next post on my feed was one of our clients was flying from Sydney to Brisbane to be reunited with family for the first time in 16 months.

Which got me thinking, just how much all our lives have changed over the past year. All the births, deaths and marriages that have come and gone. Babies that have been born, friends that have passed away. I feel so isolated from the rest of the world and even places within our own country now seem so far away. infamous “bird flipping” Tom White celebrated his wedding and was away from his hometown and his family. Or how my good friend had to get a pass to leave Australia to be with his dying father. He was dying from contracting Covid-19 and was in a coma. Only to discover once he arrived back in the UK. He couldn’t visit his Dad, he was eventually allowed to be by his side before he passed away.

The Covid Tax

Just over a year ago I bought a motorcycle. I recently mentioned to my client while cutting his hair. I was thinking of upgrading to a newer model. He eloquently pointed out don’t forget to add the “Covid tax” apparently the price of secondhand motorbikes, jet-skis, caravans also cars have all increased in value over the past year. Due to the simple fact we are all isolated on this large island. Cut off from international travel for the foreseeable future this has created an increase in demand for such luxuries. Mr Alan Kohler on the ABC nightly news/ finance explained “That due to 500,000 Australians citizens recently returning home from overseas. Their urgent need for buying a secondhand car, had pushed the value of second cars way beyond any expectations”

The Australian Bubble

Last night Gary Latham and my youngest daughter Lulu and I attended the Good Friday Rabbitohs vs The Bulldogs NRL game at Olympic Park stadium, with thousands of other attendees. No compulsory mask requirements at the game. Next to the Olympic Stadium was the annual Easter show which allowed 60,000 visitors per day with also no mask requirements. What different worlds we live in. I can remember Gary saying a year ago “We’re are in different boats, in the same storm” Especially now with the Blues Fest was cancelled overnight due to a handful of locally acquired cases. policies or decisions in anyway. It’s just to acknowledge the very different worlds we all currently live in, that can literally change overnight.

After the game I received a text from my sister who lives in Ireland. She was astonished to see the photos of us at rugby I posted on our family “WhatsApp” group with not a mask in sight. Ireland and the UK are currently still under a strict lockdown laws. Both countries have only recently enforced mandatory hotel quarantine for some people depending which country you arrive from. Ironically you will need to self-isolate if you arrive from Australia but not if you arrive from Germany or Italy.

The gratitude

As I sit here and write this article. The song “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb comes to mind. The reality of not being with family face to face for more than 2 1/2 years has taken its toll. How we never stopped to think, when we were jumping on planes like buses. Just what it would feel like if that privilege was to be ever taken away. Posting pictures of our espresso martinis and boarding passes from the airline lounge is all very pointless and seems a very different world away now. What are you posting today, that could haunt you or your business in the future?

At times like this, I think it’s important for us all to reflect.

What do you and your salon have immense gratitude for today? Is it our families, friends, loved ones, our staff, businesses, a roof over our head, or even food in the fridge, or just being allowed to trade today.

Thankfully we now have technology like Zoom. It’s so much easier than the “Air Mail Envelopes” that I once wrote home and would take over a month to arrive.

I never did get to see that photo that Linda had posted... Maybe it was “Go the Easter Bunnies”