Coronavirus

[King Postwhore]

I get that. But the virus is still spreading. It's not that big a sacrifice to just not go out for a while. Big picture, my friend, it'll hopefully be back to normal soon enough.

if we're waiting for the virus to stop spreading in order for life to go back to normal we have many months or even a year ahead of us. It's not stopping anytime soon. Honestly I feel like we're being treated like children with big, benevolent governor condescendingly patting us on the head and telling us he'll protect us from ourselves.

That's because most are too stupid to do what's right.

I would quibble with this just a little; I don't think it's "stupidity" as much as values.  What's "right" isn't "taking one for the team whatever it takes", it's "how can I live MY LIFE to the fullest, how can I maximize my "journey"".    Sitting in the living room playing PS4 with the fam isn't that for many people.

I drove by the Esplanade and saw so many people walking next to the Charles that it took me back. The amount of people there were staggering.  No common sense to drive somewhere else to walk.  That's the issue, common sense goes out the window.  The world is a big place.  Pick another less crowded space to walk.

[Harmony]

Frustration is the perfect word for it.  I know yesterday was a hard day for me.  I'm starting to get more easily annoyed with the way some things are being handled in my job and when I speak up about it - in a nutshell they are looking at everything in the near term and totally discounting the long view which drives me insane - I feel like I'm being selfish or not being a team player.  Ugh there is no winning these discussions.  There is a lot of stuffing of emotions and that doesn't feel good.

[Stadler]

Judging by all the ridiculous outrage I see here in Illinois, you'd think they're burning the Bill of Rights or something. People act like they've never had to read a book and that being bored is someone else's problem instead of their own, and they act like wearing a facemask is debilitating and trampling over their freedoms. So many people around here calling our governor a Nazi. I'd say it's because of these idiots that we NEED the order in place. They put the order out and then I read dozens of comments saying "lmao no mask for this guy fuck you Pritzker (insert joke about his toilets)". It just all reeks of shortsightedness and ego to me. Not you, lordxizor, I'm kind of going on a tangent here, but... I don't want to worry 7 months from now about COVID-19 finally getting me because a whole bunch of hick retards out here won't put on a mask and listen to actual health experts. I just do not understand the logic of "I know better than people who work in the field of health and medicine"

That is what drives me crazy.  I dislike all of the taxes that Pritzker put in place too.  But this isn't about him, or him overextending his "emergency powers."  It is purely and solely about public health.  I watch his livestream conference every day and the comments just disgust me.  People log on just to say nasty things about him. 

I don't care if you hate the guy, just go along with what he says because this is only about staying healthy.  It's not hard to grasp at all.

TO YOU (and, admittedly, to many).   But I have heard several people say so far "so what if I get it?   If I do and I survive, so be it, and if I don't, it was my time".   Not everyone is scared of this, nor should we force them to be.   I'm in the "I'm hunkered down" camp, but I can afford to do that, because I've worked out of the house for years now.   My kids are toeing the line so far, but they are BRISTLING.   My stepdaugher - a hairstylist who lives in walking distance of an Army base down south - is like "fuck this, I need to earn, and I want to spend time with my friends".  My daughter - a freshman in college who just pledged a sorority - is like "fuck this, I have four years here to make the most of it and I don't want to spend it in my parents' living room converted to my work station, playing virtual video games on my phone with my friends who are on Zoom". 

I think there ought to be more focus at this point - two months in - into putting our ingenuity to use to see if there's a way of having cake and eating it too.  Maybe the casinos and concerts are out, but is there a way of reopening in a manner that STILL allows us to be reasonably safe, within a risk-reward structure we can all live with.   We accept risk every day; some of us smoke, some of us drive (fast), some of us ride motorcycles, some of us work in industries with higher than average injury/illness rates, so that's nothing new.  It's a matter of applying that to this situation.  This is perhaps where a leader like Trump fails most spectacularly, since he seems to have little "curiosity" in terms of what could be, in terms of innovation.   We need our 2020 version of "before this decade is out... landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth" imagination.   As I've said so many times now, we're really good at the grand, symbolic gesture; I think we're losing our muscle memory on how to do the smaller, important things, the things that don't translate into a "meme" or a witty tweet.

[The Walrus]

Judging by all the ridiculous outrage I see here in Illinois, you'd think they're burning the Bill of Rights or something. People act like they've never had to read a book and that being bored is someone else's problem instead of their own, and they act like wearing a facemask is debilitating and trampling over their freedoms. So many people around here calling our governor a Nazi. I'd say it's because of these idiots that we NEED the order in place. They put the order out and then I read dozens of comments saying "lmao no mask for this guy fuck you Pritzker (insert joke about his toilets)". It just all reeks of shortsightedness and ego to me. Not you, lordxizor, I'm kind of going on a tangent here, but... I don't want to worry 7 months from now about COVID-19 finally getting me because a whole bunch of hick retards out here won't put on a mask and listen to actual health experts. I just do not understand the logic of "I know better than people who work in the field of health and medicine"

That is what drives me crazy.  I dislike all of the taxes that Pritzker put in place too.  But this isn't about him, or him overextending his "emergency powers."  It is purely and solely about public health.  I watch his livestream conference every day and the comments just disgust me.  People log on just to say nasty things about him. 

I don't care if you hate the guy, just go along with what he says because this is only about staying healthy.  It's not hard to grasp at all.

Exactly. I do the same thing as you, I tune in every day, they tune in just to bitch and say terrible things. Yesterday I tuned in via Facebook and it was nothing but a flood of angry reactions and "We'Re MoRe ThAn ChIcAgO." They're so anti-Chicago and divided here that they think the virus just like, stops at a magic barrier at the Chicago metropolitan area limits? Almost every county in the state has numerous or dozens of cases now. Your whole post but especially the last two sentences are dead on balls accurate. The lack of common sense is frightening, man.

To what Stadler just said, it's not about forcing people to be scared. In fact that's completely the wrong lens through which to look at this. Reporting facts and urging extreme care in public around strangers is not fear mongering. IT'S COMMON SENSE. These people act like putting a face mask on is turning 'murica into Red China. And a large portion of them will still vote for the guy who mused on injecting disinfectants into the body. What?

[Stadler]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   It's subtle, and I didn't notice it, but my daughter did, I went from a half a glass of wine while cooking, to two full(er) glasses during the dinner hour, and now, especially on weekends, adding an occasional splash of vodka to the "soda water and ginger ale" that I normally drink.   Ordinarily I'd chalk that up to weather, but it hasn't really been that nice here, so it sounds more like a rationalization even to me. 

[Chino]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   It's subtle, and I didn't notice it, but my daughter did, I went from a half a glass of wine while cooking, to two full(er) glasses during the dinner hour, and now, especially on weekends, adding an occasional splash of vodka to the "soda water and ginger ale" that I normally drink.   Ordinarily I'd chalk that up to weather, but it hasn't really been that nice here, so it sounds more like a rationalization even to me.

My drinking has greatly decreased. I'm guessing by like 75%+.

I'm smoking a stupid amount of reefer though. Far more than usual. At least 2X-3X my normal amount.

[Harmony]

Drinking more, toking more, eating more...yep.  At first it was like, if I'm going to get sick then fuck it - my last meal isn't going to be salad.  Then it just kept going.  But I'm working it back a bit now.

[The Walrus]

Not drinking at all but I am more or less high all day, but that's not really a change due to COVID 

[Grappler]

Judging by all the ridiculous outrage I see here in Illinois, you'd think they're burning the Bill of Rights or something. People act like they've never had to read a book and that being bored is someone else's problem instead of their own, and they act like wearing a facemask is debilitating and trampling over their freedoms. So many people around here calling our governor a Nazi. I'd say it's because of these idiots that we NEED the order in place. They put the order out and then I read dozens of comments saying "lmao no mask for this guy fuck you Pritzker (insert joke about his toilets)". It just all reeks of shortsightedness and ego to me. Not you, lordxizor, I'm kind of going on a tangent here, but... I don't want to worry 7 months from now about COVID-19 finally getting me because a whole bunch of hick retards out here won't put on a mask and listen to actual health experts. I just do not understand the logic of "I know better than people who work in the field of health and medicine"

That is what drives me crazy.  I dislike all of the taxes that Pritzker put in place too.  But this isn't about him, or him overextending his "emergency powers."  It is purely and solely about public health.  I watch his livestream conference every day and the comments just disgust me.  People log on just to say nasty things about him. 

I don't care if you hate the guy, just go along with what he says because this is only about staying healthy.  It's not hard to grasp at all.

TO YOU (and, admittedly, to many).   But I have heard several people say so far "so what if I get it?   If I do and I survive, so be it, and if I don't, it was my time".   Not everyone is scared of this, nor should we force them to be.   I'm in the "I'm hunkered down" camp, but I can afford to do that, because I've worked out of the house for years now.   My kids are toeing the line so far, but they are BRISTLING.   My stepdaugher - a hairstylist who lives in walking distance of an Army base down south - is like "fuck this, I need to earn, and I want to spend time with my friends".  My daughter - a freshman in college who just pledged a sorority - is like "fuck this, I have four years here to make the most of it and I don't want to spend it in my parents' living room converted to my work station, playing virtual video games on my phone with my friends who are on Zoom". 

I think it depends on the person, their living situation and .  Would I catch the illiness and likely survive?  Yes. I'm not afraid being sick.  Would I be absolutely devastated if I got ill and then passed it to my 2 and 5 year old children?  ABSOLUTELY.  Or passed it to my immunocompromised father in law, or my higher-at risk mother/step-dad in law...yes.  So it becomes a public health issue for everyone because it's very, very easy to get sick yourself and transmit this thing around to someone that may not survive it.  It may be someone you know, it may be a hairdresser that gives the illness to an elderly woman that is their client.

I understand why some people aren't afraid, but they probably have people in their lives that they wouldn't want to risk exposure to.  I agree that there are ways to do things smartly so people can work, but when a portion of the population just dismisses those suggestions because of politics alone, it angers me.

[cramx3]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   It's subtle, and I didn't notice it, but my daughter did, I went from a half a glass of wine while cooking, to two full(er) glasses during the dinner hour, and now, especially on weekends, adding an occasional splash of vodka to the "soda water and ginger ale" that I normally drink.   Ordinarily I'd chalk that up to weather, but it hasn't really been that nice here, so it sounds more like a rationalization even to me.

Definitely drinking more.  Along with cooking more, I've been experimenting in making different cocktails with various things in my bar and fridge. 

[lordxizor]

I've started drinking a beer or two in the afternoon while working out on the patio. It's kind of nice. Definitely drinking a little more overall compared to normal times.

[mike099]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   It's subtle, and I didn't notice it, but my daughter did, I went from a half a glass of wine while cooking, to two full(er) glasses during the dinner hour, and now, especially on weekends, adding an occasional splash of vodka to the "soda water and ginger ale" that I normally drink.   Ordinarily I'd chalk that up to weather, but it hasn't really been that nice here, so it sounds more like a rationalization even to me.

My drinking has greatly decreased. I'm guessing by like 75%+.
.
I'm smoking a stupid amount of reefer though. Far more than usual. At least 2X-3X my normal amount.

If I had access to reefer, I would take it up again.  I could have been busted so many times back in the 70's and 80's.

Are the beaches open in Florida, Gulf Shores and the Carolina's?  We canceled our first week of June beach trip to Panama City.  We are going to wait until last minute for July 4-11, assuming they stay open.

[TAC]

My day To day hasn’t really changed at all. My evening routine is the same. So boozing is the same. Haven’t smoked weed in years. Not going to start either.

[jammindude]

I'm occasionally having Bailey's with my coffee in the morning (which I normally only do on vacation...but hey, I'm kinda on vacation.  )  But my nightly drinking is about the same.

[Indiscipline]

I'm eating like a pig

[emtee]

Here's where I am as of today:

*rely on facts and not fear
*wear a mask while in public
*I have faith in our species and our country. I think we far exceeded expectations on every metric compared to the initial doom and gloom. For instace, the prevailing theory was that we wouldn't have a vaccine for at least 18 months. I'll bet we have one by late fall.

As of today:

Total cases vs. U.S. population
.0030487805

Total deaths vs. U.S. population
.0002134146

Total unemployed: over 30 million

It's time to ease back into normalcy while using common sense as our guide.

[The Walrus]

Try being mocked by your boss - your father - for wearing a face mask at work. I'm about at my breaking point; my anxiety is at such a high point right now my chest hurts. I'm glad it's Friday... The numbers are STILL on the rise here. Cases doubled in my town this week.

[gmillerdrake]

I think we far exceeded expectations on every metric compared to the initial doom and gloom.

Concerning this. Some time back....I cannot recall which thread....I lamented about the fact our media has been especially over the top with the 'doom and gloom' coverage. EVERYTHING they cover as a collective is worse case scenario.....it's gonna be the 'biggest' snow storm ever....this thunderstorm is going to be the most devastating.....this hurricane is going to the the largest EVER.....and so on. It's non stop and always over the top.

Not to discount the severity of the contagious nature of COVID...clearly it's easily transmitted.....but the coverage of this 'pandemic' has been from the fear mongering/doom and gloom playbook and they took it to a whole new level. I've said from the start that had the media as a collective chose to handle the reportage of this in a more professional manner it'd have decreased a lot of the anxiety and fear.

[Stadler]

Judging by all the ridiculous outrage I see here in Illinois, you'd think they're burning the Bill of Rights or something. People act like they've never had to read a book and that being bored is someone else's problem instead of their own, and they act like wearing a facemask is debilitating and trampling over their freedoms. So many people around here calling our governor a Nazi. I'd say it's because of these idiots that we NEED the order in place. They put the order out and then I read dozens of comments saying "lmao no mask for this guy fuck you Pritzker (insert joke about his toilets)". It just all reeks of shortsightedness and ego to me. Not you, lordxizor, I'm kind of going on a tangent here, but... I don't want to worry 7 months from now about COVID-19 finally getting me because a whole bunch of hick retards out here won't put on a mask and listen to actual health experts. I just do not understand the logic of "I know better than people who work in the field of health and medicine"

That is what drives me crazy.  I dislike all of the taxes that Pritzker put in place too.  But this isn't about him, or him overextending his "emergency powers."  It is purely and solely about public health.  I watch his livestream conference every day and the comments just disgust me.  People log on just to say nasty things about him. 

I don't care if you hate the guy, just go along with what he says because this is only about staying healthy.  It's not hard to grasp at all.

TO YOU (and, admittedly, to many).   But I have heard several people say so far "so what if I get it?   If I do and I survive, so be it, and if I don't, it was my time".   Not everyone is scared of this, nor should we force them to be.   I'm in the "I'm hunkered down" camp, but I can afford to do that, because I've worked out of the house for years now.   My kids are toeing the line so far, but they are BRISTLING.   My stepdaugher - a hairstylist who lives in walking distance of an Army base down south - is like "fuck this, I need to earn, and I want to spend time with my friends".  My daughter - a freshman in college who just pledged a sorority - is like "fuck this, I have four years here to make the most of it and I don't want to spend it in my parents' living room converted to my work station, playing virtual video games on my phone with my friends who are on Zoom". 

I think it depends on the person, their living situation and .  Would I catch the illiness and likely survive?  Yes. I'm not afraid being sick.  Would I be absolutely devastated if I got ill and then passed it to my 2 and 5 year old children?  ABSOLUTELY.  Or passed it to my immunocompromised father in law, or my higher-at risk mother/step-dad in law...yes.  So it becomes a public health issue for everyone because it's very, very easy to get sick yourself and transmit this thing around to someone that may not survive it.  It may be someone you know, it may be a hairdresser that gives the illness to an elderly woman that is their client.

I understand why some people aren't afraid, but they probably have people in their lives that they wouldn't want to risk exposure to.  I agree that there are ways to do things smartly so people can work, but when a portion of the population just dismisses those suggestions because of politics alone, it angers me.

I'm in a sort of weird position here, because I lean to a more libertarian point of view, but I have that risk element.  My dad is probably first in line in terms of be ing susceptible.  He's got an immuno-deficiency problem to start with and two battles with cancer (minor colds incapacitate him; he got the flu about 15 years ago - when he was 65 - and he was on death's door THEN).  My brother and I have spoken about this, and we're regrettably resigned to the fact that if he does get it, the odds are not in his favor.  I have a mother-in-law in a similar position for different reasons, and two children with severe asthma, and so it's a real thing.  But... and I recognize that this sounds cold, it's not the world's problem to make sure they're safe.  It might be a public health ISSUE, but it is necessarily a public SOLUTION?  It's a fair discussion to have to ask whether the State Of Florida has any role - and if so, what role - in my dad's safe keeping.   It's a fair discussion to ask the same questions of the State of Connecticut.   

At the very least, there shouldn't be the personal judgment regarding those that have a differing point of view.  Grappler, I agree with the "angering" part, and share it, but it's broader than that.  I see just as much "politicizing" of the pro-protectionist point of view too.  Not everyone advocating for an early opening is a money-grubbing Trump sycophant with no compassion or regard for human life.  I get that's not what YOU said, but the argument that government has the sole, or at least the main, responsibility for protecting each and every person as they are invites that sort of point of view (and it's one I've personally seen on more than one occasion).   Here in Connecticut, that's a prevailing argument; yet, we (NY, NJ, MA, and CT) are all Democratically led, have all taken significant actions to deal with this, yet still have roughly half the cases of the United States, and more importantly, roughly half the deaths.

[bosk1]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   

Well, I went from 0 to 0, so about the same.

[XeRocks81]

Judging by all the ridiculous outrage I see here in Illinois, you'd think they're burning the Bill of Rights or something. People act like they've never had to read a book and that being bored is someone else's problem instead of their own, and they act like wearing a facemask is debilitating and trampling over their freedoms. So many people around here calling our governor a Nazi. I'd say it's because of these idiots that we NEED the order in place. They put the order out and then I read dozens of comments saying "lmao no mask for this guy fuck you Pritzker (insert joke about his toilets)". It just all reeks of shortsightedness and ego to me. Not you, lordxizor, I'm kind of going on a tangent here, but... I don't want to worry 7 months from now about COVID-19 finally getting me because a whole bunch of hick retards out here won't put on a mask and listen to actual health experts. I just do not understand the logic of "I know better than people who work in the field of health and medicine"

That is what drives me crazy.  I dislike all of the taxes that Pritzker put in place too.  But this isn't about him, or him overextending his "emergency powers."  It is purely and solely about public health.  I watch his livestream conference every day and the comments just disgust me.  People log on just to say nasty things about him. 

I don't care if you hate the guy, just go along with what he says because this is only about staying healthy.  It's not hard to grasp at all.

TO YOU (and, admittedly, to many).   But I have heard several people say so far "so what if I get it?   If I do and I survive, so be it, and if I don't, it was my time".   Not everyone is scared of this, nor should we force them to be.   I'm in the "I'm hunkered down" camp, but I can afford to do that, because I've worked out of the house for years now.   My kids are toeing the line so far, but they are BRISTLING.   My stepdaugher - a hairstylist who lives in walking distance of an Army base down south - is like "fuck this, I need to earn, and I want to spend time with my friends".  My daughter - a freshman in college who just pledged a sorority - is like "fuck this, I have four years here to make the most of it and I don't want to spend it in my parents' living room converted to my work station, playing virtual video games on my phone with my friends who are on Zoom". 

I think it depends on the person, their living situation and .  Would I catch the illiness and likely survive?  Yes. I'm not afraid being sick.  Would I be absolutely devastated if I got ill and then passed it to my 2 and 5 year old children?  ABSOLUTELY.  Or passed it to my immunocompromised father in law, or my higher-at risk mother/step-dad in law...yes.  So it becomes a public health issue for everyone because it's very, very easy to get sick yourself and transmit this thing around to someone that may not survive it.  It may be someone you know, it may be a hairdresser that gives the illness to an elderly woman that is their client.

I understand why some people aren't afraid, but they probably have people in their lives that they wouldn't want to risk exposure to.  I agree that there are ways to do things smartly so people can work, but when a portion of the population just dismisses those suggestions because of politics alone, it angers me.

I'm in a sort of weird position here, because I lean to a more libertarian point of view, but I have that risk element.  My dad is probably first in line in terms of be ing susceptible.  He's got an immuno-deficiency problem to start with and two battles with cancer (minor colds incapacitate him; he got the flu about 15 years ago - when he was 65 - and he was on death's door THEN).  My brother and I have spoken about this, and we're regrettably resigned to the fact that if he does get it, the odds are not in his favor.  I have a mother-in-law in a similar position for different reasons, and two children with severe asthma, and so it's a real thing.  But... and I recognize that this sounds cold, it's not the world's problem to make sure they're safe.  It might be a public health ISSUE, but it is necessarily a public SOLUTION?  It's a fair discussion to have to ask whether the State Of Florida has any role - and if so, what role - in my dad's safe keeping.   It's a fair discussion to ask the same questions of the State of Connecticut.   

At the very least, there shouldn't be the personal judgment regarding those that have a differing point of view.  Grappler, I agree with the "angering" part, and share it, but it's broader than that.  I see just as much "politicizing" of the pro-protectionist point of view too.  Not everyone advocating for an early opening is a money-grubbing Trump sycophant with no compassion or regard for human life.  I get that's not what YOU said, but the argument that government has the sole, or at least the main, responsibility for protecting each and every person as they are invites that sort of point of view (and it's one I've personally seen on more than one occasion).   Here in Connecticut, that's a prevailing argument; yet, we (NY, NJ, MA, and CT) are all Democratically led, have all taken significant actions to deal with this, yet still have roughly half the cases of the United States, and more importantly, roughly half the deaths.

The very nature of this virus mean every time we go out in public we put OTHER people at risk, not just ourselves.   Obviously all of us have to go out for supplies and stuff at some point but states restrcting that to the bare minimum was (and is) a justifiable measure in this situation. I'm not saying you don't know that or that you disagree, but I felt it was absent from that post.

[Cool Chris]

Life at home, other than me not working and my wife teaching from home and having the kids here all day, isn't that different. Eating and drinking the same, playing with the kids at night, all the usual family stuff. The only thing I have been missing is getting my kids and my sister's kids together and seeing my parents. My wife is at the point of "Let's all get in the car and just drive somewhere, just to get out of the house." I feel no desire to do that.

That's because most are too stupid to do what's right. 

IMO, that is a very dangerous position for the government to take.

I'd substitute 'many' for 'most.' But I don't know how much I want to defer to the government as well. I wonder if they presented the social distancing guidelines as suggestions and not matters of law how people would react. The more you press down on people, the more they are going to resist. So you'd have some people going to the beaches who are all "eh, I got this, I don't need you to tell me how to live my life" and you'd have others say "staying home sounds like a good idea, I'll do that for a while." So there would be a measure of less human interaction. Maybe it wouldn't be enough though to make a dent in the transmissions.

The only thing I am getting pretty damn tired of is hearing my governor and Bill Gates telling us how "we are all suffering." 

[Orbert]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   

Well, I went from 0 to 0, so about the same.

Zero to Zero here, too.  But I will say that I'm glad that the local dispensary is considered "essential".

[gmillerdrake]

Another interesting stat I saw was that California's death rate for COVID... who has/had one of the most strict COVID responses as far as restrictions....is 5 deaths per 100,000 people. Alternatively, Texas....who was/is pretty lenient on it's restrictions is 6 per 100,000

Out of respect to Marc and others here who have had relatives/friends that have passed away from either Covid or Complications to existing illnesses because of Covid....I'm not trying to infer that it's not a deadly virus.

I think that as more information and stats are collected it seems like a large portion of our population has come in contact with Covid and probably been asymptomatic. I personally think this thing was around in the US last fall. I know in our area the number of bad Flu cases were up and I personally know six people who had a 'bad case' of the 'Flu'. My wife's school was hit by it and a bunch of her students were out for a while.

My point is that yes, Covid can be deadly....like any other virus....but I'm starting to warm to the stance of these extreme measures we took that has collapsed our economy might not have been necessary. Gloves, Masks and good hygiene might well have been just as effective as locking everyone indoors for two months.

[gmillerdrake]

Serious question:  anyone drinking more?   

Well, I went from 0 to 0, so about the same.

    Same here.  All I've noticed is that I've been running 5-6 days a week now as compared to the 3-4 days a week I had been doing.

[Stadler]

I think we far exceeded expectations on every metric compared to the initial doom and gloom.

Concerning this. Some time back....I cannot recall which thread....I lamented about the fact our media has been especially over the top with the 'doom and gloom' coverage. EVERYTHING they cover as a collective is worse case scenario.....it's gonna be the 'biggest' snow storm ever....this thunderstorm is going to be the most devastating.....this hurricane is going to the the largest EVER.....and so on. It's non stop and always over the top.

Not to discount the severity of the contagious nature of COVID...clearly it's easily transmitted.....but the coverage of this 'pandemic' has been from the fear mongering/doom and gloom playbook and they took it to a whole new level. I've said from the start that had the media as a collective chose to handle the reportage of this in a more professional manner it'd have decreased a lot of the anxiety and fear.

I stopped watching cable news almost entirely, but the other day I put it on for a half a second for (reasons not related to COVID or news).   I mentioned over in the P/R thread (I think; they all blend together) that in that 2 minutes that it was on, I heard Brook Baldwin intone, with the gravitas of a funeral eulogy, that "the United States today, passed one <pause>  MILLION <pause> cases of coronavirus.  <longer pause>."   Okay.  So?  I can see that on the screen in the little box to the right of your entirely over-dramatic, but still beautiful*, face.  What does that MEAN?  How about telling me the slope of the various curves?  How about telling me the trends, and letting ME decide if our leadership has failed us or saved us (or something in between)?

[gmillerdrake]

I think we far exceeded expectations on every metric compared to the initial doom and gloom.

Concerning this. Some time back....I cannot recall which thread....I lamented about the fact our media has been especially over the top with the 'doom and gloom' coverage. EVERYTHING they cover as a collective is worse case scenario.....it's gonna be the 'biggest' snow storm ever....this thunderstorm is going to be the most devastating.....this hurricane is going to the the largest EVER.....and so on. It's non stop and always over the top.

Not to discount the severity of the contagious nature of COVID...clearly it's easily transmitted.....but the coverage of this 'pandemic' has been from the fear mongering/doom and gloom playbook and they took it to a whole new level. I've said from the start that had the media as a collective chose to handle the reportage of this in a more professional manner it'd have decreased a lot of the anxiety and fear.

I stopped watching cable news almost entirely, but the other day I put it on for a half a second for (reasons not related to COVID or news).   I mentioned over in the P/R thread (I think; they all blend together) that in that 2 minutes that it was on, I heard Brook Baldwin intone, with the gravitas of a funeral eulogy, that "the United States today, passed one <pause>  MILLION <pause> cases of coronavirus.  <longer pause>."   Okay.  So?  I can see that on the screen in the little box to the right of your entirely over-dramatic, but still beautiful*, face.  What does that MEAN?  How about telling me the slope of the various curves?  How about telling me the trends, and letting ME decide if our leadership has failed us or saved us (or something in between)?

Yep. Or Why not talk about the literal hundreds of thousands of people who went in to the hospital with Covid and left.......gasp......ALIVE.

[Stadler]

I'm in a sort of weird position here, because I lean to a more libertarian point of view, but I have that risk element.  My dad is probably first in line in terms of be ing susceptible.  He's got an immuno-deficiency problem to start with and two battles with cancer (minor colds incapacitate him; he got the flu about 15 years ago - when he was 65 - and he was on death's door THEN).  My brother and I have spoken about this, and we're regrettably resigned to the fact that if he does get it, the odds are not in his favor.  I have a mother-in-law in a similar position for different reasons, and two children with severe asthma, and so it's a real thing.  But... and I recognize that this sounds cold, it's not the world's problem to make sure they're safe.  It might be a public health ISSUE, but it is necessarily a public SOLUTION?  It's a fair discussion to have to ask whether the State Of Florida has any role - and if so, what role - in my dad's safe keeping.   It's a fair discussion to ask the same questions of the State of Connecticut.   

At the very least, there shouldn't be the personal judgment regarding those that have a differing point of view.  Grappler, I agree with the "angering" part, and share it, but it's broader than that.  I see just as much "politicizing" of the pro-protectionist point of view too.  Not everyone advocating for an early opening is a money-grubbing Trump sycophant with no compassion or regard for human life.  I get that's not what YOU said, but the argument that government has the sole, or at least the main, responsibility for protecting each and every person as they are invites that sort of point of view (and it's one I've personally seen on more than one occasion).   Here in Connecticut, that's a prevailing argument; yet, we (NY, NJ, MA, and CT) are all Democratically led, have all taken significant actions to deal with this, yet still have roughly half the cases of the United States, and more importantly, roughly half the deaths.

The very nature of this virus mean every time we go out in public we put OTHER people at risk, not just ourselves.   Obviously all of us have to go out for supplies and stuff at some point but states restrcting that to the bare minimum was (and is) a justifiable measure in this situation. I'm not saying you don't know that or that you disagree, but I felt it was absent from that post.

I do understand that, but it IS absent from that post on purpose.  That's the fundamental nature of the question that we SHOULD be able to ask.   Does the fact that other people might be at risk fall on the GOVERNMENT to manage, or those other people?   Or a combination of both? 

This is a fundamental aspect of ALL rights questions.   Do I have the "right" to never hear anything racist ever?  Or is it my responsibility to accept that some people feel that way and I tune it out?  Do I have the "right" to be at zero risk for the inhalation of second hand smoke?  Or is it my responsibility to accept that the risk isn't zero and I may have to micro-manage my situation to accommodate what I think the risk ought to be?   Do I have the "right" to have the entire world acquiesce to my mindset on matters of identity?  Or is it my responsibility to accept that some people define those things differently and I may not fit squarely into their normatives?  Do I have the right to never see any boobie on television or in magazines for sale at the local bodega?  Or is it my responsibility to accept that others might be free-er with their bodies than I am and I can watch/read other things?   Or is the answer somewhere in the middle for all these questions? 

Why is this any different?  We ARE talking about a right here; the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

[The Walrus]

Is it really so hard to put a mask on? Just do it. Just fucking do it for a while if it'll help.

[lonestar]

Obviously I'm not drinking more, but I am eating like a pig. Since AA has gone online through Zoom, the recovery community has been through some insane changes. I have seen more than a few new guys and stragglers go out and relapse, but I think overall we've bonded even tighter. We can now book speakers from all over the world, had a guy speaking from Russia last week. I've attended Zoom meetings in the past few weeks in Australia, England, Ireland, South Africa, NY, Boston, Chicago, and Hawaii. What amazes me is that no matter  the cultural differences, the recovery is the same, the message is the same. it's really re-assuring, and quite beautiful.

[Stadler]

Is it really so hard to put a mask on? Just do it. Just fucking do it for a while if it'll help.

My friend (Marc, it's the guy that came to Maiden with us in Brooklyn and Hartford) sent me a text the other day:  he ordered two "Eddie" masks and they arrive early next week (somehow Derek Riggs is involved, but they weren't bought from his website, so I don't know).   I'll be wearing that bitch around well after the restrictions are lifted.   

[Stadler]

Obviously I'm not drinking more, but I am eating like a pig. Since AA has gone online through Zoom, the recovery community has been through some insane changes. I have seen more than a few new guys and stragglers go out and relapse, but I think overall we've bonded even tighter. We can now book speakers from all over the world, had a guy speaking from Russia last week. I've attended Zoom meetings in the past few weeks in Australia, England, Ireland, South Africa, NY, Boston, Chicago, and Hawaii. What amazes me is that no matter  the cultural differences, the recovery is the same, the message is the same. it's really re-assuring, and quite beautiful.

I'm happy to hear that; it would strike me that these are delicate times, because the stressors we're talking about have a tendency to sneak up on you, and coupled with the isolation, that's kind of a recipe for disaster.

[Cool Chris]

What amazes me is that no matter  the cultural differences, the recovery is the same, the message is the same. it's really re-assuring, and quite beautiful.

This brought a smile to my face.

[Chino]

Another interesting stat I saw was that California's death rate for COVID... who has/had one of the most strict COVID responses as far as restrictions....is 5 deaths per 100,000 people. Alternatively, Texas....who was/is pretty lenient on it's restrictions is 6 per 100,000

Out of respect to Marc and others here who have had relatives/friends that have passed away from either Covid or Complications to existing illnesses because of Covid....I'm not trying to infer that it's not a deadly virus.

I think that as more information and stats are collected it seems like a large portion of our population has come in contact with Covid and probably been asymptomatic. I personally think this thing was around in the US last fall. I know in our area the number of bad Flu cases were up and I personally know six people who had a 'bad case' of the 'Flu'. My wife's school was hit by it and a bunch of her students were out for a while.

My point is that yes, Covid can be deadly....like any other virus....but I'm starting to warm to the stance of these extreme measures we took that has collapsed our economy might not have been necessary. Gloves, Masks and good hygiene might well have been just as effective as locking everyone indoors for two months.

I'd be interested to know if geographic location played a roll in that at all. Viruses have a tougher time in warmer climates, and I wonder if Texas' proximity to the equator had anything to do with the virus' ability to spread compared to the cooler regions of Cali.

[cramx3]

Out of respect to Marc and others here who have had relatives/friends that have passed away from either Covid or Complications to existing illnesses because of Covid....I'm not trying to infer that it's not a deadly virus.

No need to change your tone or feelings because I'm here.  I feel very much aligned with you in a lot of what you've been posting here.  But I do appreciate the effort to show respect.

Is it really so hard to put a mask on? Just do it. Just fucking do it for a while if it'll help.

My friend (Marc, it's the guy that came to Maiden with us in Brooklyn and Hartford) sent me a text the other day:  he ordered two "Eddie" masks and they arrive early next week (somehow Derek Riggs is involved, but they weren't bought from his website, so I don't know).   I'll be wearing that bitch around well after the restrictions are lifted.   

I've got some basic shit face masks that are disposable.  I've been debating about getting one nicer one that I can just wash and reuse.  Something like that might be cool.