[OFF TOPIC] Coronavirus Pandemic

[Olympian1010 8,321]

Yep, Trump saying how important it is for everyone to be back at work next. He wants all the stores, factories, schools, etc. open. 

[heywoodu 16,468]

4 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Yep, Trump saying how important it is for everyone to be back at work next. He wants all the stores, factories, schools, etc. open. 

 

Yes, I want all stores, factories and schools etc open too. I think we all do.

[Olympian1010 8,321]

1 minute ago, heywoodu said:

 

Yes, I want all stores, factories and schools etc open too. I think we all do.

He wants them all open by next week.

[heywoodu 16,468]

3 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

He wants them all open by next week.

 

Yes, I'd want that too. So far I've only heard people say "he says he is going to open everything next week", stuff he hasn't actually said. Every time I listen to what he actually says, he basically says he hopes this and that can open quickly. I hope the same, obviously.

[Olympian1010 8,321]

2 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

Yes, I'd want that too. So far I've only heard people say "he says he is going to open everything next week", stuff he hasn't actually said. Every time I listen to what he actually says, he basically says he hopes this and that can open quickly. I hope the same, obviously.

Right, but that shouldn’t be our priority. Our priority should be saving every life possible. Everyone knows he doesn’t give a shit about human lives, which is great during a pandemic of course. The only reason we’ve taken any action is because the virus started affecting the economy. The economy should be the last out priorities right now, we should be focused on science and not pseudoscience.

[heywoodu 16,468]

5 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Right, but that shouldn’t be our priority. Our priority should be saving every life possible. Everyone knows he doesn’t give a shit about human lives, which is great during a pandemic of course. The only reason we’ve taken any action is because the virus started affecting the economy. The economy should be the last out priorities right now, we should be focused on science and not pseudoscience.

 

It really, very much should not be. If you make the economy our last priority right now, countless more people are going to die and at the very least have their lives go to shit because of it.

[heywoodu 16,468]

It's curious how also experts are so different in terms of their opinions. For example John Ioannidis is extremely well-respected in the field of epidemiology and has said we have to differentiate between the actual epidemic and 'an epidemic of way too strong reactions by governments'. According to him, all the current precautions might save lifes, but mostly lifes of people who otherwise might have died of influenza instead of this coronavirus. "Only this year every case and every death is cause for alarm in the media."

 

There's plenty of others, like Thomas Friedman or Nobel Price winner Michael Levitt, who are warning that the current precautions might cause significantly more damage than the actual virus. Economies are slowly being brought to their knees, which results in more deaths due to people losing their jobs by the thousands or even millions. The difference is those deaths are less visible and are spread over a longer time period and so won't be noticed as much.

 

It's extremely difficult to know exactly what the right thing is and where to find a much-needed balance, but both letting the virus roam free and shutting down everything don't seem like very wise options..

Edited March 26, 2020 by heywoodu

[LDOG 2,489]

^Is there any matter in which you won't defend the status quo? 

 

 

I guess cutting a good number of retirements funds would help the economy as well...

 

 

[dezbee2008 827]

1 hour ago, Olympian1010 said:

Listening to Trump speak makes me want to drink bleach and off myself. He is the worst speaker on the planet. It kills me a communications student.

 

I know, and I'm really ready to write an email to my local TV station who carries it every day

 

I'm sure by now we are ahead of China and Italy in total cases, but while several states have a shelter in place order, guess what? My state doesn't. DeSantis (my clownish governor) recently said that it wasn't necessary to do so because not all counties (we have 67) have a case. He also refused to close beaches, which led county officials with shores to do just that (or at least some of them, because Volusia County hasn't closed theirs yet, so don't be surprised if Florida becomes the new epicenter

[heywoodu 16,468]

18 minutes ago, LDOG said:

^Is there any matter in which you won't defend the status quo? 

 

 

I guess cutting a good number of retirements funds would help the economy as well...

 

 

 

I'm not defending any status quo, I'm just saying things are a little more nuanced than just going "who cares about the economy in these times??". As if you don't care about people's lifes when you say we should take care not to bring down an entire economy with precautions and such.

 

And just for the record: Yes, I do think there should be precautions. A status quo would suggest nothing should be done.

Edited March 26, 2020 by heywoodu