“I expect a culture change that is greater than just shame and the way we say goodbye to each other.” According to Van Lange, the corona crisis and the associated rules will change Dutch society forever.
Breaking rules
The Dutch are used to breaking rules: they cycle through red lights, they walk on the grass when that is not allowed and they push the front of the queue. According to Van Lange, our country has a so-called ‘loose society’. But the corona crisis has forced us to stick to some measures more closely.
The government is stricter – there are more laws – but people are also more inclined to confront each other more quickly about violations of norms: “Before, nobody was surprised if you did something that was not allowed, now people say something if someone does not wear a mask or not. keep enough distance on the train. “
Covid structurally
That will remain the case in the coming years, Van Lange thinks. “Covid will have a structural character, vaccinations only protect part of the people and the threat of the virus remains.” So, according to him, the Dutch will queue up in the future and look a bit more disapproving when someone coughs.
According to Van Lange, that is not necessarily bad. For example, he says that the Dutch people were known for a long time as the people that wash their hands relatively little after a visit to the toilet. “In this case it is good that we learn to stick to the rules a little more.”
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Change of mindset
In addition to the adaptation in behavior, Van Lange also hopes for a change in mentality. The global lockdown forced everyone to think about what he or she was doing. As a result, many think of the future, ‘instead of daily worries, such as picking up the children and getting to work on time’.
Van Lange compares that standstill with trauma processing. When people experience chronic stress from, for example, a divorce or a loss, they are often forced to step back and think about what they are actually doing.
Van Lange: “I see something like this happening now. A moment of reflection. I hope that it will continue, and that after the pandemic people will finally buy their dream house in the countryside, or apply for the job they secretly always wanted.”
See also: The corona virus is mutating, how bad is that?
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