A lot of people can’t help it, we beat them into the dirt and now they don’t have a choice. Also there’s the (probably correct) expectation that corporations and governments will abuse a lot of the emergency provisions and that feeds the rebellion. Also, it shouldn’t be surprising that young people react with apathy toward a large problem like this when older people have at best reacted towards their problems with apathy and at worst have blamed the younger people themselves.
I’m not saying these people are innocent but this isn’t one sided.
Anecdotally I have found it is the older half (latter middle age) that are less likely to take it seriously ironically and likely to complain about inconveniences or that they are "overreacting". I blame Fox News for it, they are outright the world's largest elder abuse network.
Personally I suspect the abysmal leadership and the utterly corrupt fuck ups in preparations who spent more time insider trading than stocking up on medical supplies back when there was fully functioning industrty undermines the legitimacy greatly. How can they ask others to take them seriously when they didn't? The tracking is just plain Reichstagging at this point.
And the worst part is that the threat is real and the leadership being corrupt morons doesn't change that.
Maybe it’s that older people are more used to the concept of death, so show less fear.
When I was 30, the sudden acceleration in the number of people I knew dying was incredible. Aunts, uncles, friends, teachers all started to die from complications of old age. At first I was shocked, but soon I became jaded since there’s nothing you can do about other people getting old.
Once you get so used to that, it’s seen as an inevitability rather than something to be defended against at all cost of quality of life.
As a further anecdote, during this crisis I see young people in stores studious avoiding the 6 foot distance rule, even going as far as to jump out of my aisle to maintain it. Older people though are congregating in groups, and gossiping like normal instead.
older people also more conscious of the risk they expose themselves to in day-to-day life. my aunt died of a catastrophic infection last year. the precipitating event was a slip in the shower where she broke her leg. when taking a shower or going down stairs exposes you to a nontrivial risk of death, it probably doesn't seem that bad to go to the grocery store more often than you need to.
I agree people should be wearing masks, but IMO without any training PPE is probably going to make things worse. The last time I went to the grocery store people had their (often gloved) hands all over their faces readjusting masks. For some reason I thought people understood how to use gloves and masks but now I’m pretty sure most don’t and think they magically make you safer.
I’m not saying these people are innocent but this isn’t one sided.