Re: Coronavirus Thread of Doom
Posted: 18 May 2020, 6:55pm
No one is complaining about Burkhas any more
Maybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.WestwayKid wrote: β18 May 2020, 8:03pmI was at the grocery story today and it was packed and honestly it looked like 60% of the people there gave zero fucks about any virus. No masks, no social distancing, no "one cart, one person" rule. It almost feels like the collective weight of society has shifted towards the "we tried to care about this, but it was too hard" side and now we're just going to move forward and those who are going to die are going to die and that's just how it is.
Our state supreme court threw out our governor's "Safer at Home" order last Wednesday night and within hours the local news was reporting from packed bars. People were celebrating like the Packers had just won the Super Bowl. I'd like to think life is worth more than rushing out to the nearest watering hole for a Coors Light,
Maybe, although when you have states like Georgia fudging the numbers and lying about the amount of death their policies are creating it can be hard for people to accurately suss out the amount of destruction these policies are causing.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:19pmMaybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.
True, tho I wonder how well city and state govts were communicating with the public a hundred years ago (and how good was the data in the first place). If hospitals start filling up and overflowing, word of mouth gets too hard ignore. But who the hell knows. I have faith that people know enough not to floor it as the approach the edge of the cliff, tho reality seems to constantly prove me wrong.Flex wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:36pmMaybe, although when you have states like Georgia fudging the numbers and lying about the amount of death their policies are creating it can be hard for people to accurately suss out the amount of destruction these policies are causing.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:19pmMaybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.
Things are getting "better" and the U.S. is still enduring the equivalent of a 9/11 every day. The amount of bloodletting happening domestically in the name of capitalism is horrifying.
Meanwhile, efforts to ramp up testing appear to be falling short. I think mass testing of the population might also help people understand the scope of this pandemic, but then testing costs money and I think those in charge don't want to spend any more than they have to.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:58pmTrue, tho I wonder how well city and state govts were communicating with the public a hundred years ago (and how good was the data in the first place). If hospitals start filling up and overflowing, word of mouth gets too hard ignore. But who the hell knows. I have faith that people know enough not to floor it as the approach the edge of the cliff, tho reality seems to constantly prove me wrong.Flex wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:36pmMaybe, although when you have states like Georgia fudging the numbers and lying about the amount of death their policies are creating it can be hard for people to accurately suss out the amount of destruction these policies are causing.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:19pmMaybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.
Things are getting "better" and the U.S. is still enduring the equivalent of a 9/11 every day. The amount of bloodletting happening domestically in the name of capitalism is horrifying.
More testing that reveals a greater problem also, they would (rightfully) fear, reveals their own incompetence. One thing I backhandedly appreciate about Trump is that he says the quiet part loud all the time, and he's been pretty obvious that more testing would dispel the illusion of his competency, which most governors would privately admit to.WestwayKid wrote: β19 May 2020, 1:12pmMeanwhile, efforts to ramp up testing appear to be falling short. I think mass testing of the population might also help people understand the scope of this pandemic, but then testing costs money and I think those in charge don't want to spend any more than they have to.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:58pmTrue, tho I wonder how well city and state govts were communicating with the public a hundred years ago (and how good was the data in the first place). If hospitals start filling up and overflowing, word of mouth gets too hard ignore. But who the hell knows. I have faith that people know enough not to floor it as the approach the edge of the cliff, tho reality seems to constantly prove me wrong.Flex wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:36pmMaybe, although when you have states like Georgia fudging the numbers and lying about the amount of death their policies are creating it can be hard for people to accurately suss out the amount of destruction these policies are causing.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:19pmMaybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.
Things are getting "better" and the U.S. is still enduring the equivalent of a 9/11 every day. The amount of bloodletting happening domestically in the name of capitalism is horrifying.
I'm coming to accept that at least in my small corner of the world that it's now every person for themselves. Our governor admitted as much. He said he's given up trying to put together any statewide plan because he knows anything he proposes will be DOA with the GOP legislature. I'm just going to do the best I can to protect myself and my family. It's really all I can do. Things are already opening back up. It's happening.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 1:18pmMore testing that reveals a greater problem also, they would (rightfully) fear, reveals their own incompetence. One thing I backhandedly appreciate about Trump is that he says the quiet part loud all the time, and he's been pretty obvious that more testing would dispel the illusion of his competency, which most governors would privately admit to.WestwayKid wrote: β19 May 2020, 1:12pmMeanwhile, efforts to ramp up testing appear to be falling short. I think mass testing of the population might also help people understand the scope of this pandemic, but then testing costs money and I think those in charge don't want to spend any more than they have to.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:58pmTrue, tho I wonder how well city and state govts were communicating with the public a hundred years ago (and how good was the data in the first place). If hospitals start filling up and overflowing, word of mouth gets too hard ignore. But who the hell knows. I have faith that people know enough not to floor it as the approach the edge of the cliff, tho reality seems to constantly prove me wrong.Flex wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:36pmMaybe, although when you have states like Georgia fudging the numbers and lying about the amount of death their policies are creating it can be hard for people to accurately suss out the amount of destruction these policies are causing.Dr. Medulla wrote: β19 May 2020, 12:19pmMaybe a month ago, I read a short piece on how one city (LA? Seattle?) dealt with influenza in 1919β20. It's striking how much of a replay is occurring. People underestimate the effect but grudgingly go along with curfews and masks; after a month or so, people start rebelling against masks and not being able to congregate; a massive flare-up in cases following the premature lifting of restrictions; and then a realization that, oh fuck, guess we do need to modify our behaviour. Hopefully in all these states rushing back to "normal," after the inevitable spike in new cases, the restrictions will be reintroduced and heeded better.
Things are getting "better" and the U.S. is still enduring the equivalent of a 9/11 every day. The amount of bloodletting happening domestically in the name of capitalism is horrifying.
I do worry for all my American friends because so much of how this is being treated seems geared at maximizing misery. Here in Ontario, where the premier is Rob Ford's brother and someone who has worked the Trump playbook since getting elected, Doug Ford has been surprisingly non-imbecilic for the most part, even taking shots at his base for demanding things open early. Things have been far from ideal hereβmost of the fatalities seem connected more with a pre-existing problem, for-profit care homesβthere is a sense that all levels of government are working on a premise of public health over all else.WestwayKid wrote: β19 May 2020, 4:44pmI'm coming to accept that at least in my small corner of the world that it's now every person for themselves. Our governor admitted as much. He said he's given up trying to put together any statewide plan because he knows anything he proposes will be DOA with the GOP legislature. I'm just going to do the best I can to protect myself and my family. It's really all I can do. Things are already opening back up. It's happening.
At this point the best we can hope for is risk-management. We're never going to get 100% buy-in.
We have bugged out to Cape Cod for the time being. The Cape is... old. We try to get some exercise by going on an hour long walk every morning. The old folks we pass keep thanking us for wearing masks. It just seems like common courtesy to me.