That is the best headline I’ve read in a long time. Maybe ever.
1 Like
I’ve heard a lot of people expressing the opinion that the WHO is useless because they’re in China’s pocket…
2 Likes
HAHA that’s great. I can’t blame these folks for letting their hair down a little though or not having a broadcast room set up. I spiritually connect with the lawyer still in bed 
1 Like
I only need to be dressed from the chest up. I have been using that powerful gnosis to the maximum extent.
2 Likes
Same. My work doesn’t make me turn on my camera for meetings, so…
1 Like
Electrical tape works great for that
I have a little slidey thingy I bought at Micro Center for like a buck.
I’m not sure if this was covered in the podcast that was recommended to ya, I’ve yet to have a chance to give it a listen but my little hot take comes from being a public transport nerd.
While yes obviously the current depressed economic activity is having a positive effect. I think as a result of all this, Americans, at the very least, will be even slower to trust and adopt public transport.
More people lugging around 2 tons of metal per 1.56 people (average occupancy of a car) is probably really gonna bite us in the aftermath of this and I personally think it’ll more than offset any gains made right now, long term.
So I’m thinking of this as like a climate loan. Which we will be paying back, with interest for a generation.
1 Like
1 Like
Best essay about the media and other responses to early pandemic possibilities I’ve read recently.
Just like the legal term for “not proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” is “not guilty”, the medical term for “not proven to work in several gold-standard randomized controlled trials” is “it doesn’t work” (and don’t get me started on “no evidence”). So the CDC said masks didn’t work.
…
Uncertainty about the world doesn’t imply uncertainty about the best course of action! Within the range of uncertainty that we had about the coronavirus this February, an article that acknowledged that uncertainty wouldn’t have looked like “We’re not sure how this will develop, so we don’t know whether you should stop large gatherings or not”. It would have looked like “We’re not sure how this will develop, so you should definitely stop large gatherings.”
I just read about the protests in Michigan. Idiots descended upon the capitol in Lansing to protest the Stay-at-home order, most of them in Trump hats and waving neo-confederate flags (in fucking Michigan!). They also blocked an ambulance in the process. Fucking christ do I despise these people.
Happened here in Kentucky too. Protestors were trying to drown out Beshear with chants of “no more fear!” And “we want to work.” Apparently there’s a Facebook group to protest the stay-at-home order and apparently it’s primarily made up of people who would be staying at home anyway! At least that’s what a Reddit sleuth claimed.
It’s important to understand that, while yes this is completely incorrigible behavior, focusing on the rubes will not stop what’s happening. Fox news is full on propoganda, and every news station, pundit, and radio host that entertains any form of “what if the solution is worse than the problem?” is responsible for this outcome.
Immediate harm reduction is to make sure this kind of shit stops happening, but the actual goal needs to be aggressively deplatforming those responsible for propping up this death cult in the first place.
5 Likes
What if the death cult is really profitable or if it’s owned by Rupert Murdoch or both? 'round these parts we do things not because we should or because it’d be good for people but because it’s profitable.
No gettin’ around the death cult being profitable.
1 Like
I didn’t say it was easy, only that it has to be done if we want things to improve. My main point was that targeting the people does not stem the tide, because they are not the organizers; it’s systemic and needs to be addressed systemically.
An easy, but not very effective start is to police this kind of propaganda wherever you have the option. Report it on social media sites as offensive, promoting suicide, or whatever else it falls under. Apply aggressive social pressure to people promoting it who you have social sway over.
Anything beyond that needs to be addressed with collective action. There is only so much one person can do, especially against gigantic independent media outlets.
1 Like
This Michigan nurse said it well. If they were only advocating for and risking their own health and lives, fine, but of course they are putting everyone at risk. facepalm
Speaking of Fox News and their Coronavirus coverage, apparently people are trying to organize a class action lawsuit against them:
" Days later, the possibility of a lawsuit was realized. On April 2, a nonprofit called the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics sued Fox News in Washington state court. The suit contains claims for violation of the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the tort of “outrage” (otherwise known as “intentional infliction of emotional distress”). It alleges that the country’s most-watched cable news network “knowingly disseminated false, erroneous, and incomplete information” to the public about COVID-19. By labeling the virus a “hoax” and “conspiracy,” the suit says, Fox News hurt efforts to contain it and to “forestall mass death.”"
This is a pretty interesting idea, but from a legal standpoint, as the article points out, probably won’t work. This is a good read, but it’s mostly legal analysis, so proceed at your own risk.
1 Like
A youtube lawyer covered this, probably less good than the article did, just due to the differing nature of the media.
1 Like
That’s a pretty good video summary of the situation. Thanks for the link!
I guess my own personal biases tend to have me prefer print over video, especially when comparing an article from a site like Just Security, where I can see who’s behind it, what their legal credentials are, and what else they’ve written, compared to a random YouTube video from some guy who I know nothing about.
This isn’t a criticism of his analysis, or even people who like him, it’s just me and my desire to know who someone is before I listen to their opinion and that I tend to put more stock in print news over video news, especially YouTube, where there really aren’t any gatekeepers.
1 Like
1 Like