Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

Batman, tell us just how often you're going out in public, with or without a mask. You want folks to go out, act like it's all normal?

You first.

 

You haven't seen real anger yet. Not enough death yet to really get people frightened and angry at the leaders, CEOs, and elites who see them as little more than numbers. As long as the numbers don't get big enough people will largely fall in line and risk their lives to go to work. Then the day comes that Dave at the desk across from you dies of Corona and you start to really think hard about whether it's worth it to go in to work tomorrow. Add a few clueless memos, instagram posts, and speeches. Stir as the pot comes to a boil then taste the brew.

 

Well, as long as shareholders are protected it’s OK.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/05/dividends-layoffs-coronavirus/

 

Who is talking about a few years? Where did you get that foolishness?

 

Almost all of America is going to reopen by June 1 whether most people like it or not.

And if you want to save whole chunks of the higher education system from collapse, students had better be on campus this fall.

 

Several times a week, at least. I'm working in an office with a half-dozen other people right now. Sometimes I wear a mask, sometimes I don't.

And my point wasn't that we should act like everything is normal. It's that we're in a damned if we do, damned if we don't scenario.
If we try to get back to normal, we obviously run the risk of a lot more infections and deaths. No one is disputing that. That's a bad situation.
However, if we don't make some attempt to get back to normal, then we ride a rocket sled into an economic depression and societal misery that might take decades to recover from. There seems to be a large portion of the country that doesn't see that freight train coming down the tracks, and wants to think we can press pause and keep the country (hell, the world) in stasis for years until a cure or vaccine is found. We can't. We're two months in and grocery stores are already rationing food. Where will the world be in May 2021 if we continue down this path?

My other point was that even if polls show a majority favors keeping things shut down, there is a growing percentage that seems to be getting antsy about having the goal posts moved every few weeks, and are concerned that these temporary measures might become permanent fixtures.

 

Have you not paid attention the past couple of months? There has been plenty of chatter about canceling large events in 2021 and possibly even into 2022.

Mardi Gras 2021: New Orleans mayor says city may have to think about canceling - CNN

Mayor Garcetti Says It’s Hard to See Large Gatherings in LA Before 2021

Tokyo Olympics unlikely to happen in 2021, virus experts warn | Boston.com

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-new...al-distancing-for-virus-until-2022-study-says

 

I'm getting out in some way just about every day, whether it's to grab takeout, take a trip to a store or head into the office to pick up some things. If I go into any establishment, I wear a mask. I'm not wearing one while exercising on the street, but I'm doing everything I can to avoid getting close to anyone.

Batman's posts cut to the heart of my argument from earlier today: It's either STAY THE FUCK HOME!!!! or REOPEN AMERICA I NEED APPLEBEES!!!! The lack of nuance and ability to have an intelligent conversation about this is confounding.

 

Not really. Tell the average dolt in this country you hated Trump in 2016 and they blurted out, “well then yerr one uh dem Killery luvin libtards aren’t ya?!!!1!!!” This country has lacked nuance for decades.

 

Well, sure. It's a condition that's festered for a good while now and this whole situation has only exacerbated it.

 

There is a conversation to be had regarding when and how to reopen that should fall somewhere between "Shut down for years!" and "Reopen right now!" The problem though, is that it's not really time yet to have that conversation. This is still a very fluid situation (Call your airports, Hi Boom!). There's a lot we still don't know about this virus, there's no cure or vaccine, and we're still trying to figure out how best to defend against it (Masks? No masks? Face shields?).

But a large part of that problem is the "Reopen right now!" crowd are the same people who claimed this was just a nasty flu, the same people who said that this would go away by Easter, the same people who said they didn't know that the virus could be transmitted by asymptomatic people, the same people who supposedly are pro-life, but have zero problem with sacrificing old people for money. In other words, the "Reopen" crowd lacks credibility.

It's understandable if you're a waiter/waitress or a hair stylist, that you want to get back to work so you can make a living. It's not understandable if you want those businesses to open just so you can eat the blue-plate special at the diner, or get a fucking haircut. There's a huge difference, and too many of the "Reopen" crowd is the latter.

 

In one poll I saw, 70 percent of those favoring an immediate reopen were white people who still had jobs.