COVID-19 Megathread

[Silver-I-Chariot]

22 hours ago, Spaz said:

I look at the candidate running for president on the Democratic side and I just see a regular 'fucking' guy. There is nothing special about him

 

Yeah, except being geriatric and senile. He looks terrible even for his age. He will be 85 by the end of his second term, if he even makes it that far.

 

22 hours ago, Spaz said:

America today is run by idiots, and there is virtually no real leadership anymore.

 

Tbh I doubt a different administration would do much better. China can just enforce a lockdown and countermeasures, Europeans are more compliant by nature. Americans on the other hand just have that "don't tell me what to do" attitude and there isn't much any administration can do about it.  

[PhyrxianLibrarin]

A different administration could take exactly the step Z1MZUM describes above.

 

"I will direct my attorney general, and state attorney generals, to pursue criminal charges against people who recklessly endanger the health and safety of others by not wearing a mask in public."

 

Would the charges stick? Probably not. But it's a clear message of "we are taking this seriously", and given the choice between wearing a mask or spending the night in a holding cell, I suspect a lot of anti-mask people would change their mind. It's not a coincidence that people who are anti-mask tend to be from a demographic that usually isn't on the receiving end of the police.

[Silver-I-Chariot]

2 hours ago, PhyrxianLibrarin said:

A different administration could take exactly the step Z1MZUM describes above.

 

"I will direct my attorney general, and state attorney generals, to pursue criminal charges against people who recklessly endanger the health and safety of others by not wearing a mask in public."

 

 

It's not as easy as it sounds. Again, this is not China where the government has the authority to enforce whatever measures they want. They quite literally don't have the authority to do that even if they wanted to. Such measures would need to go through an endless chain of court decisions, get passed through congress and besides would be met by widespread opposition.

 

2 hours ago, PhyrxianLibrarin said:

It's not a coincidence that people who are anti-mask tend to be from a demographic that usually isn't on the receiving end of the police.

 

Let's not pretend that the "demographic that is usually on the receiving end of the police" is compliant in this matter. They just aren't vocal about it but ignore it all the same. As is evident by the recent protests and the disproportionately high infection rates among black population.   

[PhyrxianLibrarin]

3 hours ago, Silver-I-Chariot said:

Such measures would need to go through an endless chain of court decisions, get passed through congress and besides would be met by widespread opposition.

 

Yeah, because this administration never does things that require endless court decisions and are met with widespread opposition, do they? ?

 

Presidents and governors direct their AGs to focus more or less on particular crimes all the time. I'm not suggesting they change the law, I'm suggesting they use their existing influence to guide which laws people should and shouldn't care about. For example, a statement like "I am directing my AG to no longer aggressively pursue minor drug possession charges" is an important step in making decriminalization of drugs a more mainstream opinion. Like it or not, any president saying anything makes it a more accepted position, and simply saying "COVID is real and serious and not a Democratic/Chinese bioweapon" would change people's behavior in a way that literally saves lives.

[SelectiveGamer]

Apparently there's a state wide order for wearing masks in public in Ohio (my home state) now.

 

Too little too late... but... yay? ?

[RadiantFlamberge]

America's present leadership is worthless. They've done more harm than good. IMO, a presidential candidate should be required to have previous political and/or military experience before being able to run. Trump has neither of the above.

 

Is there any such thing as a perfect president? There never will be. Even if you get who you wanted, you will still find something to cavil about. That said, I think Biden is the better choice. Why? I hate to say this, but a third party or independent candidate has the proverbial snowball's chance in hell, meaning they're not the best way to vote against Trump. Sadly I don't see the trend changing any time soon. Looking back at all POTUS since U.S. Grant (#18), every one of them is one of the two main parties. C'est la vie.

 

I still wear a mask at all times when out in public... which right now is rare, because for the time being I generally don't go out except for essential errands. Any governors who have legally mandated masks in their state have made a good call. After the C19 vaccines start becoming available and I finally get the jab, will I stop wearing a mask? Not so fast. The number of hospitalisations and deaths would have to be on a steep decline before that. Once the vaccines are out, we need time to tell how effective they are.

[funboy1246]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:35 PM, RadiantFlamberge said:

America's present leadership is worthless. They've done more harm than good. IMO, a presidential candidate should be required to have previous political and/or military experience before being able to run. Trump has neither of the above.

 

Is there any such thing as a perfect president? There never will be. Even if you get who you wanted, you will still find something to cavil about. That said, I think Biden is the better choice. Why? I hate to say this, but a third party or independent candidate has the proverbial snowball's chance in hell, meaning they're not the best way to vote against Trump. Sadly I don't see the trend changing any time soon. Looking back at all POTUS since U.S. Grant (#18), every one of them is one of the two main parties. C'est la vie.

 

I still wear a mask at all times when out in public... which right now is rare, because for the time being I generally don't go out except for essential errands. Any governors who have legally mandated masks in their state have made a good call. After the C19 vaccines start becoming available and I finally get the jab, will I stop wearing a mask? Not so fast. The number of hospitalisations and deaths would have to be on a steep decline before that. Once the vaccines are out, we need time to tell how effective they are.

i agree on the american leadership. but thats why he was elected. cause he didn't act like a politican and thats what "we" wanted (i didnt vote for him) the wanted a business man. but heres the thing. this is a country not a business. you can't run them the same way. and two, why a business man whose companies have filed for bankrupcty over 7 times and been accused of scamming people and stealing money from sick children? cause 'murica

i also agree there is no perfect president and that there never will be. as for the two party system...well sad fact is if youre not one or the other. you have zero chance of get the presidency. 

as for COVID and mask wearing. i wear one at work cause its required and i wear them in any and all business' i enter. not really for my protection. my health is as such that if i do get more than likely ill be fine. however i dont want to be responsible for passing it on to someone who may not be able to fight it off. my elderly mother lives with me, i take care of her, see her everyday. I KNOW she wouldn't make it through a fight with COVID, so i mainly wear my mask for her safety. I dont want to be responsible for anyones potential death, let alone hers. if that makes me a sheep as so many like to claim, well baa baa motherf'ers. better living sheep then a dead jackass am i right?

[AJ_Radio]

6 hours ago, funboy1246 said:

i agree on the american leadership. but thats why he was elected. cause he didn't act like a politican and thats what "we" wanted (i didnt vote for him) the wanted a business man. but heres the thing. this is a country not a business. you can't run them the same way. and two, why a business man whose companies have filed for bankrupcty over 7 times and been accused of scamming people and stealing money from sick children? cause 'murica

i also agree there is no perfect president and that there never will be. as for the two party system...well sad fact is if youre not one or the other. you have zero chance of get the presidency. 

as for COVID and mask wearing. i wear one at work cause its required and i wear them in any and all business' i enter. not really for my protection. my health is as such that if i do get more than likely ill be fine. however i dont want to be responsible for passing it on to someone who may not be able to fight it off. my elderly mother lives with me, i take care of her, see her everyday. I KNOW she wouldn't make it through a fight with COVID, so i mainly wear my mask for her safety. I dont want to be responsible for anyones potential death, let alone hers. if that makes me a sheep as so many like to claim, well baa baa motherf'ers. better living sheep then a dead jackass am i right?

 

There is no real leadership anymore.

 

Donald Trump would not of been able to handle D-Day during World War II, The Red Scare of the 50s, The Cuban Missile Crisis nor the Civil Rights Era of the 60s with as much discipline and class as those old guys did. He would have blown all those events out the water with his filthy mouth, making them a lot worse. He is a talking head and a conman for dealing business with.

 

Many people today are still defending him. There is absolutely no excuse for many of the actions he has committed over the past two years or so, with virtually no class, no tact, no real strategy. People thought George W. Bush back in 2005 and 2006 handled the Hurricane Katrina incident poorly, Trump would of made that a lot worse. I would bet everything he would of made that worse if he was president at that time.

 

The entire system has to change. There are no ifs, ands or buts. How many times are we going to see these political parties spout the same bullshit propaganda over and over? Nothing is being done because corporations have taken over the American political system.

 

You got people suffering, even before COVID-19 people were struggling to find jobs. I went from middle class to being in the middle - upper brackets of the poor class. There's no middle class anymore. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

 

I feel a sense of history repeating because people did not do their research and learn their history. Nobody should be stuck in the past, but so many people are ignorant because the education system in the past decade or so has been gutted. We're not preparing our kids for the real world, we're not teaching them how to be self responsible adults in high school or college, which is the time to teach them that. You end up with people well in their 20s and 30s who are bums. They are not bad people, but they lack self discipline, life skills and the necessary tools to live a long and successful life.

 

In short, we're not taking care of our own. America as it is today is a complete joke. Doesn't surprise me in the least that Europe has banned Americans from visiting as tourists, because look at the people running this country.

 

Biden is the better choice.... obviously. But he is a joke. If you don't fall under a specific set of standards, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are going to promote your ass. So you get these worthless leaders who can't do much of anything.

 

America is owned by the corporations, and their bottom line is the almighty dollar. Making sure Wall Street stays afloat. This isn't a Democracy, it is a Plutocracy. I feel most people will agree with me on that.

Edited July 28, 2020 by Spaz

[MidnightDragon]

29 minutes ago, Spaz said:

 

There is no real leadership anymore.

 

Donald Trump would not of been able to handle D-Day during World War II, The Red Scare of the 50s, The Cuban Missile Crisis nor the Civil Rights Era of the 60s with as much discipline and class as those old guys did. He would have blown all those events out the water with his filthy mouth, making them a lot worse. He is a talking head and a conman for dealing business with.

 

Many people today are still defending him. There is absolutely no excuse for many of the actions he has committed over the past two years or so, with virtually no class, no tact, no real strategy. People thought George W. Bush back in 2005 and 2006 handled the Hurricane Katrina incident poorly, Trump would of made that a lot worse. I would bet everything he would of made that worse if he was president at that time.

 

The entire system has to change. There are no ifs, ands or buts. How many times are we going to see these political parties spout the same bullshit propaganda over and over? Nothing is being done because corporations have taken over the American political system.

 

You got people suffering, even before COVID-19 people were struggling to find jobs. I went from middle class to being in the middle - upper brackets of the poor class. There's no middle class anymore. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

 

I feel a sense of history repeating because people did not do their research and learn their history. Nobody should be stuck in the past, but so many people are ignorant because the education system in the past decade or so has been gutted. We're not preparing our kids for the real world, we're not teaching them how to be self responsible adults in high school or college, which is the time to teach them that. You end up with people well in their 20s and 30s who are bums. They are not bad people, but they lack self discipline, life skills and the necessary tools to live a long and successful life.

 

In short, we're not taking care of our own. America as it is today is a complete joke. Doesn't surprise me in the least that Europe has banned Americans from visiting as tourists, because look at the people running this country.

 

Biden is the better choice.... obviously. But he is a joke. If you don't fall under a specific set of standards, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are going to promote your ass. So you get these worthless leaders who can't do much of anything.

 

America is owned by the corporations, and their bottom line is the almighty dollar. Making sure Wall Street stays afloat. This isn't a Democracy, it is a Plutocracy. I feel most people will agree with me on that.

Thought the right term was oligarchy, but looked them up and plutocracy is more appropriate.

 

MLB just restarted...and it's already threatened by COVID.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/baseball-gets-a-huge-punch-to-the-face-with-miami-marlins-major-coronavirus-outbreak/ar-BB17fw9D

[AJ_Radio]

4 minutes ago, MidnightDragon said:

Thought the right term was oligarchy, but looked them up and plutocracy is more appropriate.

 

MLB just restarted...and it's already threatened by COVID.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/baseball-gets-a-huge-punch-to-the-face-with-miami-marlins-major-coronavirus-outbreak/ar-BB17fw9D

 

Very bad decision. You not only got the general public being exposed, but so are the superstar players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge.

 

Just cancel this baseball season entirely, see if things change next Spring in 2021.

[MidnightDragon]

5 minutes ago, Spaz said:

 

Very bad decision. You not only got the general public being exposed, but so are the superstar players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge.

 

Just cancel this baseball season entirely, see if things change next Spring in 2021.

Don't think fans are allowed, but guess that's beside the point.

[RadiantFlamberge]

One thing good to know is that MRNA-1273, the Moderna and NIH vaccine candidate, has just entered its final round of testing in some 30.000 volunteers. Fauci said that given the earlier test results, MRNA-1273 seems to be safe and generate an immune response. The million dollar question is how long the protection will last. I wonder if you may have to take it every six months instead of once a year?

 

I've had enough of Trump's lack of tact ("BE QUIET!!!!11!!" to a reporter), inadequate response to the C19 crisis, hawkishness (when he let 59 Tomahawks loose on Syria, I couldn't help think "Uh-oh, WWIII is coming"), misogyny, and political ineptitude. No, the federal government is not a business. It doesn't take a CEO... it takes a governor. Right, Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but his being national governor would be better than the USA being stuck with a total turkey like Trump.

 

The SCOTUS Justice selection process is oligarchic, with a small group of elites (President + Senate) making the call. You can vote for your local judges, and that is fair. Why not so on the national level? The President nominates, and Senate decides to reject or confirm. I feel that this system is broken. Voters should be allowed to reject or accept the candidate.

 

As for cancelling pro sports this year... I say let them do it. Not just baseball, but forget football and hockey also. By the 2021 season, I would hope that C19 is reined in and that Trump has vacated the Oval Office.

[Z1MZUM]

Another day and the borders are closed again, Why? Two 19 year olds thought they would lie and endanger people around them.  

[Dr_Mayus]

On 7/28/2020 at 10:32 PM, Z1MZUM said:

Another day and the borders are closed again, Why? Two 19 year olds thought they would lie and endanger people around them.  

This is what I don't get. People, it is not about you this year...just stay put and ride out the wave.

 

I have a friend of mine come to Manitoba to visit her family (she is from Alberta). She messaged to get together and I asked if she isolated for 2 weeks and she said that you didn't have to isolate if you come from the west (if you come from the East in Canada you do). I told her that all of Manitoba's recent cases were because of people not isolating when coming from the west and that I would see her next time.

 

Why are we putting others in danger just because we want a vacation?

[Silver-I-Chariot]

There was a gigantic corona protest in Germany today with tens of thousands of people marching shoulder to shoulder without masks. I thought corona hoaxers were an American phenomenon but it looks like it has spread around the world. Sorry for laughing at you guys, guess we are in the same boat now ?

[RawManiaC90]

1 minute ago, Silver-I-Chariot said:

There was a gigantic corona protest in Germany today with tens of thousands of people marching shoulder to shoulder without masks. I thought corona hoaxers were an American phenomenon but it looks like it has spread around the world. Sorry for laughing at you guys, guess we are in the same boat now 

Where exactly ?  Now it seems to me that the world already has a fatigue for this subject, I think that people think something like that, I have a life and I can die only once!  Whenever I go to Dresden to the store I see the careless youth, only people over a certain age wear a mask, the rest ignore social distance!

So maybe young people are tired of being so isolated!  Such restrictions and assume the risk and consequences of the disease if they catch it somehow ... Anyway it's a severe economic shit, after all and it was somehow a lot of manipulation, at least at the beginning

[Silver-I-Chariot]

3 minutes ago, RawManiaC90 said:

Where exactly ?  Now it seems to me that the world already has a fatigue for this subject, I think that people think something like that, I have a life and I can die only once!  Whenever I go to Dresden to the store I see the careless youth, only people over a certain age wear a mask, the rest ignore social distance!

So maybe young people are tired of being so isolated!  Such restrictions and assume the risk and consequences of the disease if they catch it somehow ... Anyway it's a severe economic shit, after all and it was somehow a lot of manipulation, at least at the beginning

 

It was in Berlin, officially 20 000 people, maybe even more. Interestingly, while most protesters in the US are righwingers, German protesters seem to be mostly hippies, many of them with LGBT flags and peace signs. Also lots of those weird "spiritual" people and anti-vaxxers. While I believe Germans are generally more compliant to countermeasures, people do seem to be fed up and if there is a second wave it will be even harder to control. Just as in USA there is growing distrust towards government and people fear about restrictions of their freedom and it will only get worse from here on. 

 

[BlackSnake1435]

8 hours ago, Silver-I-Chariot said:

There was a gigantic corona protest in Germany today with tens of thousands of people marching shoulder to shoulder without masks. I thought corona hoaxers were an American phenomenon but it looks like it has spread around the world. Sorry for laughing at you guys, guess we are in the same boat now 

 

Now there are many germans in youtube claiming that they were way more than ten thousends, like 1.3 Millions. Most germans are mad at medias like Tagesschau in ARD and Deutsche Welle, which is actually most common among strangers. I think they just wanted to make us all know that there are many more supporters of their movement and protestes than we actually though.

 

On the other side, my country, Colombia, is just a few days away to be among the most afected contries by the pandemic in Latin America. God, i'm counting down all days to finish this nightmare and i'm not certainly sure, if everything is gonna go back to normality after the spreading of the vaccine, because almost half of the users on the internet i've met so far are not wondering to take that "poison" in their bodies. My country cannot bear another lockdown, the rate of unemployment has increased dramatically and it is common to see in the poorest districs of capital cities a red rag/flag as a symbol that they ran out of food (expecting to receive part of it from the goverment), but somehow, there was a no-taxes friday and almost half country left their houses to go out and buy unnecesary stuff (like tv's) and the goverment didn't encourage the citizens to buy online (which unfortunaly is not common for many in latinamerica); this day was called by New York Times "The COVID Friday".

 

Once again, lets hope the virus go away by itself.  

Edited August 2, 2020 by BlackSnake1435

[Dreakon13]

Maybe it's always been a thing and the internet has just highlighted it, but the first world countries are just full of bored contrarians looking for any excuse to get together with their contrarian friends and family and have fun partying and rallying against something.  COVID is just easily the biggest target, probably of our lifetimes, and people are bored. as. fuck.

 

Thankfully the death rate seems to be balancing out overall, whether it's due to better PPE supplies, weaker strains, better treatments, better mitigation, higher testing rate driving the percentage down, etc.  Who knows.  But frankly ANY death rate with something like this should be a valid excuse to wear a mask.  They aren't expensive, they're easy to wear, and you're saving lives.  Even if you don't believe you're saving lives, at the very least it's a show of respect that you care about the health and well-being of your community (which includes you, and your family, and your friends).  If you don't "agree" with masks, you can fuck right off, seriously.

 

IMO, wearing a mask when you aren't feeling well should continue to be a thing even after this passes.

 

 

EDIT: I get being opposed to lockdowns and measures that hurt the economy.  There needs to be a balance and we're past the point of being able to handle shutting everything down again.  But those measures are there to protect the people too stupid to wear masks, social distance, and do the right things on their own... so these people protesting in large numbers without mitigation are only proving their governments right that they aren't smart/responsible enough to do this without someone/something else intervening.  Let's reopen.  Wear a mask.  No excuses.  If you medically can't wear them, then at least be on the side encouraging other people to.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Dreakon13

[SelectiveGamer]

My mom was watching TV last night and some TV show had a good word to call everyone that isn't taking this seriously and/or being anti-mask common senseless dumb f's

 

COVIDiots

 

I will abuse this.

 

I will abuse this so much.

[RadiantFlamberge]

11 hours ago, Dreakon13 said:

IMO, wearing a mask when you aren't feeling well should continue to be a thing even after this passes.

I agree with this. Also, so should washing your hands for 20 seconds.

 

I will admit it, the lockdowns suck... but they are a necessary sacrifice. What would be way worse is letting the pandemic get more out of control than it is. These people need to quit being so selfish, and fix their priorities. Hopefully it doesn't take a friend or family member getting sick with C19 to smarten them up. If you are a carrier and you don't make someone else sick, you could still turn them into an unwitting asymptomatic carrier. That's not good either. Given C19's seriousness, I stand behind legal mandates on masks.

 

Once the vaccine is ready... I want the damn shot. Never tell me the odds! Any possible risk from it can't be half as bad as the consequences of catching a severe case of C19.

[jackmadrox]

On 6/29/2020 at 1:55 AM, RadiantFlamberge said:

and she has been dubbed a Karen.

Just a question, what is a "Karen"?

[RadiantFlamberge]

Just now, jackmadrox said:

Just a question, what is a "Karen"?

Someone who is rude, obnoxious, and thinks the world owes them everything. Since that post, I no longer use this term. After reading about it, I feel it may not be the best choice of words.

[Dreakon13]

2 hours ago, RadiantFlamberge said:

I will admit it, the lockdowns suck... but they are a necessary sacrifice.

 

The sad thing is, they aren't really necessary.  If people took it seriously at the onset and continued to do the right things this whole time (masks, distancing, hand washing, etc)... we could've found a way to live alongside COVID until it passed.  The people fighting mitigation are the people you have to thank for the last 4-5 months and whatever else we have coming still, and ironically they're the ones (most vocally) hurt by the lockdowns they created with their own petulance.

 

Talk about a vicious cycle.  Normally we tolerate the quirky, selfish stupidity of people, but it has a body count now.  Really pretty sickening.

Edited August 5, 2020 by Dreakon13

[RadiantFlamberge]

15 hours ago, Dreakon13 said:

The sad thing is, they aren't really necessary.  If people took it seriously at the onset and continued to do the right things this whole time (masks, distancing, hand washing, etc)... we could've found a way to live alongside COVID until it passed. 

Right... it didn't really have to come to that. If these people weren't so self-entitled, we'd probably have fewer hospitalisations and deaths at this time. There's nothing Trump will do about it, and chances are it's safe to say likewise about Pence. It's obvious that neither of them GAF, especially when Trump recently said "it is what it is" about the C19 death toll. And that's even with some of his staffers having had C19.

 

State governors need to get tough on masks and distancing. If people keep refusing to comply despite being cited a few times, maybe they should be put in house arrest for the community's sake.

Edited August 5, 2020 by RadiantFlamberge