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The bolded directly contradicts your claim that "(for the record I am an extremely liberal Democrat)".
The only person you are kidding here is yourself.
What contradicts what? I'm confused.
If you doubt my credentials, I'll meet you at the Westchester County Board of Elections in White Plains, New York, corner of Quarropas Street and Court Street, whenever they're open since I'm working from home. I will demonstrate that I've been a Democrat since May 1975. As for being a liberal extremist I'm a member, ex officio, of Shining Path, the Tupomoros, and the Covid-19 Revolutionary Brigade, as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Many of these changes created by the Covid-19 pandemic are erasing our identity as human beings. We cannot send our children to school. We cannot send our preschool children to socializing nursery school. We cannot enjoy the benefits of the arts, including music and museums. The question is, what distinguishes us from primates from which we emerged?
This is not far-fetched. When our state governors have thoughtlessly closed down businesses with no plan of reopening, they erase much of what distinguishes a human being from the animals. From the point of view of appearance, how long can we all go without a haircut? We are all going to be very messy look in short order, except of course those that surreptitiously have a “home visit” from a barber or hairstylist.
Much of what has made human society distinct from the animal kingdom comes from the socializing and collective experience of enjoying music and visual art. We don’t know why painting started, but it started on the walls of the caves. Doubtless cave people got together to admire those paintings. More recently, artists have created great works of art, by Michelangelo, Picasso, and others.
Live performance music is another collectively civilizing experience. From festivals such as Woodstock to the folk coffeehouses, in other venues, music is designed to be enjoyed in groups. The presence of applause or lack of applause shape what musicians do.
Religion is another such shaper of socialization. I cannot imagine the cheerlessness of a world without weddings, Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, confirmations, Christmas Mass, the Hajj in Mecca, and other such events. In short, humans are gregarious species. We need people.
All of this is potentially lost in the mad dash towards “social distancing.” What is most alarming is it the same people who have fought hardest for social distancing fight hard against cures or ameliorative treatment They insist on lengthy testing intervals that will make the proposed treatment irrelevant.
All such people are not created equal when it comes to distancing. Does one seriously think that Bill and Melinda Gates are doing their own house cleaning in there probably large house in Kirkland, Washington? Or are they using paid labor? Would Governor Gretchen Witham (sp) of Michigan approve?
Similarly, they can afford to have you musicians and comedians come to entertain them. There is a tradition for this; the royal house of Esterhazy in Vienna had Haydn as an in house composer for much of his life, and accompanying musicians. Do we want people only with the wealth of the House of Esterhazy to be able to afford to be entertained?
I am certainly not advocating a chaotic reopening however, we must have a time frame within which religious institutions, schools come a preschool, concert halls and alike will reopen. I watched the press conference yesterday with six Northeastern governors. All I heard was a vague plan to make a vague plan. Society and the world must open for the non-wealth.
It is very easy to be an armchair quarterback. From the couch we tell how a quarterback should have thrown a pass without him having the luxury of reply. The armchair quarterback has that luxury.
So, granted, legislators are not perfect. They do not make perfect decisions, but they are out there in the front lines leading, goodly or poorly or both. This thing is not an exact science for them to make exact and accurate, so they make decisions that may not be the best. This means that there will others that will judge them from the comfort of their homes with no pressure to please anybody.
As far as us, we are homo sapiens. That means that we have a higher capacity to think, make decisions, and other advantages that the rest of the animal kingdom. Isn't the "survival of the fittest" a factor in the theory of evolution. Even if you do not believe we evolved, still, the principle applies. Well, if you present a doomed picture as if we cannot survive because we can't do the things we are used to do, maybe you are not fit to survive. You can see out there in the news how so many people get married, have family fun, achieve, get their education, etc. under the precarious situations. They show resilience and imagination to keep living life as best as they can, not sitting down and moping around of how bad it is and how miserable it is.
The rich are not the only ones that find ways to enjoy life. From the poorest and the ones with lesser means, you can see them finding ways to weather the situation. My hat is off to them. It seems that they are the ones more fit for survival whether it is physically, emotionally, intellectually, and mentally.
Why not run for office so things can be done the way you want and be willing to take the heat when other like you start criticizing every move you make and label your decisions as dumb, unclear, etc.?
Also, keep in mind that we are a individualist society. So, it is great to be this way. However, an individualist mentality has its flaws, people do not like to be told what to do and want to do it their way. Compare our mentality to the collectivist mentality of Asian countries. They were able to control the virus faster because they are better team players as a society, not us. We expect our legislators to have everything available to the medical system so everybody has immediate medical support. Well, duh, we keep increasing numbers of sick people for not wanting to follow the guidelines to reduce the number of people getting sick. Yet, we expect the system to care of the increasing numbers.
So, I recommend to join the team. Along the way, suggest your ideas to your legislators, to your neighbors, do whatever you can to help others. Seek help if necessary also. And, find ways to make your life easier instead of focusing how bad it is.
You have a great day.
elamigo
The devolution into clown world has definitely kicked into higher gear in the past couple months.
We can hope for a sizeable astroid, maybe 3 or 4 miles wide to come hurtling towards us at around 30000 miles per second. It's time for this human experiment to end. It has failed.
Oh please. There is nothing failing here except for your post
Many of these changes created by the Covid-19 pandemic are erasing our identity as human beings. We cannot send our children to school. We cannot send our preschool children to socializing nursery school. We cannot enjoy the benefits of the arts, including music and museums. The question is, what distinguishes us from primates from which we emerged?
This is not far-fetched. When our state governors have thoughtlessly closed down businesses with no plan of reopening, they erase much of what distinguishes a human being from the animals. From the point of view of appearance, how long can we all go without a haircut? We are all going to be very messy look in short order, except of course those that surreptitiously have a “home visit” from a barber or hairstylist.
Much of what has made human society distinct from the animal kingdom comes from the socializing and collective experience of enjoying music and visual art. We don’t know why painting started, but it started on the walls of the caves. Doubtless cave people got together to admire those paintings. More recently, artists have created great works of art, by Michelangelo, Picasso, and others.
Live performance music is another collectively civilizing experience. From festivals such as Woodstock to the folk coffeehouses, in other venues, music is designed to be enjoyed in groups. The presence of applause or lack of applause shape what musicians do.
Religion is another such shaper of socialization. I cannot imagine the cheerlessness of a world without weddings, Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, confirmations, Christmas Mass, the Hajj in Mecca, and other such events. In short, humans are gregarious species. We need people.
All of this is potentially lost in the mad dash towards “social distancing.” What is most alarming is it the same people who have fought hardest for social distancing fight hard against cures or ameliorative treatment They insist on lengthy testing intervals that will make the proposed treatment irrelevant.
All such people are not created equal when it comes to distancing. Does one seriously think that Bill and Melinda Gates are doing their own house cleaning in there probably large house in Kirkland, Washington? Or are they using paid labor? Would Governor Gretchen Witham (sp) of Michigan approve?
Similarly, they can afford to have you musicians and comedians come to entertain them. There is a tradition for this; the royal house of Esterhazy in Vienna had Haydn as an in house composer for much of his life, and accompanying musicians. Do we want people only with the wealth of the House of Esterhazy to be able to afford to be entertained?
I am certainly not advocating a chaotic reopening however, we must have a time frame within which religious institutions, schools come a preschool, concert halls and alike will reopen. I watched the press conference yesterday with six Northeastern governors. All I heard was a vague plan to make a vague plan. Society and the world must open for the non-wealth.
You are from New York and you must see first hand how this disease has ripped its way through New York City and its suburbs.
Do you not see how if the social distancing restrictions were lifted that the same thing would likely take place again?
Let's say you don't get coronavirus. Let's say your family doesn't either. What happens the next time one of you has any urgent medical need of any sort that requires you go to a hospital? I don't know if you ever had a kidney stone. I've had several and each required a trip to the hospital emergency room because of the excruciating pain I was in that nothing else would relieve. My point is that if you or a family member end's up in a hospital emergency room for any reason you are unlikely to get the service that you deserve. At best, you will wait a long time and be terrified that you are likely to be exposed to someone in the emergency room with coronavirus. At the very worst, there will be no one available to take care of the urgent medical need that exists. It may result in a death if it is something like a coronary or a stroke. It may result in lifelong damage to your body or to that of a close family member.
I get that we are going through great distress and inconvenience right now. I get that some people are unemployed and waiting for unemployment checks which are generally insufficient to meet their needs. I get that some small businesses are on the verge of failure. I get that we can't travel, can't meet our friends and family to party, and cannot patronize bars and restaurants.
I'm saying that doing what we are currently doing is the "least bad alternative".
Things will get better and the pressure that this is creating--I believe--will push along the development of a vaccine and treatments for this disease. People are innovative and our system provides strong incentives for being innovative.
In the meantime, all of us need to sacrifice a bit not only to avoid catching the disease, but to keep our hospitals and their emergency rooms functioning properly.
Americans have sacrificed before. We did so during World War II when rationing and all sorts of things were imposed. We got through it and we will get through this.
Well as a parent caregiver for a child with SEVERE autism, literally nothing has changed, except for the struggle to assist his education via online zoom meetings with teachers.
That is not going well, having had to snap my laptop screen back into its frame after said child walloped it out of frustration this morning.
None of the luxuries you mentioned as humanizing have been on my table for the last 13 years. I believe I am human, a somewhat decent one at that. An non-human mammal mother would have abandoned her disabled young a long time ago.
I feel valued & valuable. I am proud of the quality of life I have been able to provide all my children including this youngest of mine, who's disabilities main feature is an inability to function socially.
You all will be fine. COVID will end without you de-evolving into animals, as long as that is what you choose. You are lucky to be temporarily trapped in a pandemic that people want to resolve, instead of an epidemic that nobody cares to.
I think that in many areas, and all areas with a high population density, most of the population has been exposed. They fall into three categories:
Exposed, never had symptoms and immune;
Exposed, minor to moderate symptoms, then immune; and
Become seriously ill or die (but immune if they survive illness). I think most if not al of this "distancing," including use of masks, is theater designed to make people feel safe.
Few problems:
1) We've sacrificed our ability to get worldwide herd immunity to save millions of lives. Fair trade off, but it now means we need the vaccine or we'll still see the tons of deaths.
2) We don't yet know potential effects of re-infection or seasonality of the virus.
3) Small sample size, no real control group, and no peer review, but... Scientists in Shanghai found that about 30% of those previously infected had either no or uselessly-low levels of antibodies. That would mean an impossibility of any real herd immunity in the absence of a vaccine.
You are from New York and you must see first hand how this disease has ripped its way through New York City and its suburbs.
Do you not see how if the social distancing restrictions were lifted that the same thing would likely take place again?
Frankly aside from certain badly mismanaged inner-city hospitals it really isn't bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359
Let's say you don't get coronavirus. Let's say your family doesn't either.
I personally assume, for one, that I was abundantly exposed in February and early March. Both myself and most if not all people I've been in contact with are quite healthy. I really think there is close to 100% exposure. I have requested an antibody test both from my doctor and through my State Senator.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359
What happens the next time one of you has any urgent medical need of any sort that requires you go to a hospital? I don't know if you ever had a kidney stone. I've had several and each required a trip to the hospital emergency room because of the excruciating pain I was in that nothing else would relieve.
My wife has, and had them blasted. It's no picnic. Not a bad point but our area hospitals are doing just fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359
I get that we are going through great distress and inconvenience right now. I get that some people are unemployed and waiting for unemployment checks which are generally insufficient to meet their needs. I get that some small businesses are on the verge of failure. I get that we can't travel, can't meet our friends and family to party, and cannot patronize bars and restaurants.
I'm saying that doing what we are currently doing is the "least bad alternative".
Things will get better and the pressure that this is creating--I believe--will push along the development of a vaccine and treatments for this disease. People are innovative and our system provides strong incentives for being innovative.
In the meantime, all of us need to sacrifice a bit not only to avoid catching the disease, but to keep our hospitals and their emergency rooms functioning properly.
Americans have sacrificed before. We did so during World War II when rationing and all sorts of things were imposed. We got through it and we will get through this.
The problem is that now the politicians and epidemiologists are "worrying" about a "second wave" so are looking to procrastinate a reopening. Especially since hospitalizations and intubations are dropping sharply already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djsuperfly
Few problems:
1) We've sacrificed our ability to get worldwide herd immunity to save millions of lives. Fair trade off, but it now means we need the vaccine or we'll still see the tons of deaths.
2) We don't yet know potential effects of re-infection or seasonality of the virus.
3) Small sample size, no real control group, and no peer review, but... Scientists in Shanghai found that about 30% of those previously infected had either no or uselessly-low levels of antibodies. That would mean an impossibility of any real herd immunity in the absence of a vaccine.
Does that mean we never reopen? I know I sound like a "broken record."
Frankly aside from certain badly mismanaged inner-city hospitals it really isn't bad.
I personally assume, for one, that I was abundantly exposed in February and early March. Both myself and most if not all people I've been in contact with are quite healthy. I really think there is close to 100% exposure. I have requested an antibody test both from my doctor and through my State Senator.
My wife has, and had them blasted. It's no picnic. Not a bad point but our area hospitals are doing just fine.
The problem is that now the politicians and epidemiologists are "worrying" about a "second wave" so are looking to procrastinate a reopening. Especially since hospitalizations and intubations are dropping sharply already.Does that mean we never reopen? I know I sound like a "broken record."
We will re open in phases. So I suggest boxing up your 'never' and shooting it into outer space. Where it can go where no man has gone before..
Re opening Pandora's box is not a goal.
You do realize the one reason we have a govt is to sometimes protect us from ourselves. This includes these moments where sensibility needs to supercede repetitive exposure.
Some people really do not get the seriousness of this illness. This is not a one hour crime show where they catch the bad guy and still have time for 10 commercials, this is REAL LIFE. No human on the planet knows when this will end, or if it even will end. Even the experts are cautious in their predictions because this virus is running on it's own timetable, not our timetable. It doesn't give a **** if we are bored or want to get back on with our lives.
People need to accept that we have never seen something of this magnitude in our lifetime, and it is going to get worse before it gets better. You can take that to the bank.
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