I'VE HAD IT

[jaybird]

I agree with the larger point about lockdowns. Their efficacy is mixed at best in regard to the United States... However, there is evidence that more strict and comprehensive lockdowns had better results in other countries, but such drastic measures would be a complete non-starter here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact ... SKBN2842WS

I also agree that the Amish do have some contact with wider society through farmer's markets and the like... however they generally do not engage in many of the activities that the average American does as far as things like concerts, mass sporting events, protests, political rallies(lol), going to bars/restaurants and the like, that are more likely routes for respiratory disease transmission. They are also known to be somewhat reluctant to avail themselves of modern medical treatments, vaccination schedules, regular testing, etc., so who really knows what the actual data are in regard to that demographic? But again, it's a mixed bag, and I think it's unlikely that you can draw firm conclusions either way regarding the Amish community and their experience with COVID-19.

As for my usage of the term 'idiot" for people who still refuse to get vaccinated at this late date, I think it's a basic, convenient shorthand for expressing related descriptors such as "short-sighted", "foolish" "selfish", "pig-headed/stubborn" etc. Perhaps "idiot" is too harsh, but I'm open to any/all of the other options I've listed. I'm flexible. But simply as a matter of message-board debate ethics, I do think "idiot" is well-within the accepted bounds of typical internet discourse.

And while it is admirable and worthwhile to regularly question authority on matters of grave import concerning civil liberties, public health and the like, there does eventually come a time when the weight of evidence starts to conclusively tip the scales in one direction or another. I think it's plain to see that the weight of evidence is firmly and clearly on the side of the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Or, as another noted internet pundit has astutely observed; "Facts don't care about your feelings".

Famed statistical pundit Ben Prytherch wrote some posts making these exact same points.

I'm like the watered down, no math version : "Ben Prytherch's Stats 101 For Dummies"

[SamDBL]

I drove around today for an early lunch and every god damned place has revised hours where they are closed a day or two extra per week and they open an hour or two later on the days that they are operational due to staffing shortages. Now I have to wait till every place is crowded as fuck to order my lunch. So fuck off fatties/oldies/AIDSies... you're on your own. Enjoy your death.

[jaybird]

Also, I have talked to many hardcore, dyed in the wool liberals from LA and NYC no less that are pretty much echoing this attitude. Which leads me to believe that the messaging on this stuff from the ruling class is about to change very soon. I mean, if a poster on the fucking Dag board is posting this…

You called it:

To understand how ideologically scrambling the Omicron wave has been, consider this: Some 2022 Democrats are sounding like 2020 Republicans. In spring 2020, many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, insisted that COVID was hardly worse than the flu; that its fatality risk was comparable to an everyday activity, like driving in a car; and that an obsessive focus on cases wouldn’t give an accurate picture of what was going on in the pandemic.

In the current Omicron wave, these Republican talking points seem to have mostly come true—for most vaccinated non-senior adults, who are disproportionately Democrats.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... on/621199/

and:

... to publicly question the current level of restrictions is to invite accusations from your more COVID-averse friends, or even strangers on social media, that you hate doctors, reject science, and actively want people to die. I am not anti-lockdown; I lived through three of them without a single illicit wine-and-cheese party or Christmas quiz, unlike senior members of the British government. I got my vaccines the minute I was allowed to. I wear a mask whenever doing so is mandated. But I’m done, profoundly done.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... id/621214/

[SamDBL]

Also, I have talked to many hardcore, dyed in the wool liberals from LA and NYC no less that are pretty much echoing this attitude. Which leads me to believe that the messaging on this stuff from the ruling class is about to change very soon. I mean, if a poster on the fucking Dag board is posting this…

You called it:

To understand how ideologically scrambling the Omicron wave has been, consider this: Some 2022 Democrats are sounding like 2020 Republicans. In spring 2020, many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, insisted that COVID was hardly worse than the flu; that its fatality risk was comparable to an everyday activity, like driving in a car; and that an obsessive focus on cases wouldn’t give an accurate picture of what was going on in the pandemic.

In the current Omicron wave, these Republican talking points seem to have mostly come true—for most vaccinated non-senior adults, who are disproportionately Democrats.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... on/621199/

and:

... to publicly question the current level of restrictions is to invite accusations from your more COVID-averse friends, or even strangers on social media, that you hate doctors, reject science, and actively want people to die. I am not anti-lockdown; I lived through three of them without a single illicit wine-and-cheese party or Christmas quiz, unlike senior members of the British government. I got my vaccines the minute I was allowed to. I wear a mask whenever doing so is mandated. But I’m done, profoundly done.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... id/621214/

Totally. When A.O fucking C. is in Flori-fucking-da partying fucking maskless and contracting fucking covid, you know it's all over. Nobody gives a fuck anymore.