It is amazing what propaganda can accomplish. It pushes forward narratives the user wants to be true, rather than actually analyzing a problem. If a 20-something demographic is impacted, someone may push forward as the answer that 20-something kids rarely die. However, a person trying to realistically assess the risk, might ask if 20 year olds can pass the virus on to other demographics, even if they themselves are unlikely to suffer severe impact. But if the "nothing to see here" lends itself to the outcome the person wants, they may ignore the second part.
FWIW I'm living (not ignoring) "the second part", and have been for many weeks now. I'd never ask (lest expect) anyone in a younger demographic to curtail their activities for my benefit. Yet there are teachers literally half my age, professing to be "terrorized" by the prospect of having to deal with the same young adults I'm working with. Please. And folks wonder why I've often criticized us as a people (Americans) for becoming SO soft.
The NEA messengers of doom are constantly trying to spread their narrative of fear, and they have an enormous megaphone (NEA via MSM) whereas I have this little patch of the Internet. So yeah, I do get your spiel on propaganda, and how difficult it is to overcome. Again, I'm living it.
Of course, a logical person might also have asked if a virus could travel from blue states to red states. But some, driven by political bent, chose to believe the snapshot in time because it is a pleasing answer, without asking the follow up question there, too.
Not too many folks asking follow-up questions to Govs. Cuomo, Murphy, Baker-Parker, and now Whitmer about catastrophic mismanagement of COVID-19 in their nursing homes, I hope you'd agree?
Not much logic behind those comparing those wholesale fiascos with the relatively small flare-ups down in the Sun Belt, yet it hasn't stopped way too many of the Blue persuasion to almost be rooting for more carnage down south under the guise of karma.
People can disagree about how to solve a problem (balancing the risk against the cost). There's a wider range of choices in that balancing. Heck, my family is a bit more risk-taking during the summer, having small gatherings and graduation parties, and having three of the kids' friends stay with my mother in law for a week this summer. It's not that we're trying to make a political point, just a personal choice, and we know that what we are doing is a bit more risky than others would choose.
That's all very much the American way now, isn't it? I think 99.9% of the populace can get on board with the sentiment and process you've described here. Free people, living their lives freely.
But then you had to go down the shopworn "science" road, refusing to admit that "science" has in so many ways become just so politicized. This has its roots in our previous discussions over the so-called "climate change" thing. Anyway ...
But we are not just ignoring the risk with basic faulty analysis that wouldn't pass Logic 101, doesn't do much for me. And we also don't view this solely as a political issue and the virus will just disappear on November 3rd, even though nothing in the science changes on that day.
Sadly, "science" has been hijacked in many instances. For several months now, we've been told by the powers-that-be that Dr. Fauci is a purely science guy, and to question him and/or his motives was heresy, denial, etc. All despite his flip-flopping more than a career politician on some of the most basic safety issues and advisories. Last week, he couldn't even answer a line of questioning about limiting protests as a matter of public health without weaving and dodging, and this week we find out that not only is Dr. Fauci a virology expert, but now he is also a recognized Social Justice Warrior, whose actions have been recognized alongside those of Dr. Colin Kaepernick:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-fauc...-rights-award/
Counterpoint - his recognition may have to do with his work on AIDS about 30 years ago. Fair enough. But does anyone really believe he's being recognized right now for something he just as easily (and probably deservedly) should have been honored for a generation ago? Or a Lifetime Achievement Award to a guy who's been a useful tool for Perma DC in 2020?
Listen, I'll all for a scientific approach, 'Watcher. But science is all about challenging assumptions, not random guesswork (where Dr. Fauci has veered far from his field of expertise) and definitely not "settled science" (the soft "foundation" of so-called climate change). And if a scientist cannot simply concede a point that the GF protests almost certainly reignited the spread of the virus, while ordering everyone else to live highly altered lives in various stages of lockdown - not to mention his appearance at Nationals Park with his mask down, and surrounded at close quarters by two associates not doing social distancing - then words like "fraud" and "hypocrite" start to come to mind. And I doubt he'll decline his RFK Ripples award.
I know you're not an ideologue, 'Watcher (and neither am I) so I appreciate the positive updates you provide, and I enjoy the good faith back-and-forth with you. I'm having a hard time getting engaged with the NHL playoffs so far, our attempt to generate discussion about UNH's 20/21 outlook landed with a thud, and with my summer mini-season of coaching coming to an end in a few weeks, so I've gotta find other things to do with my time. Maybe even finish up a WIS story thread or two (insert winky icon that the USCHO Deep State) has wrenched away from me) ... continued best wishes to you and yours.
As for realistic changes, in addition to the four phase 3 vaccines (the Oxford one which will now be controlled by an Indian manufacturer), there are partial treatments that may minimize the risk of Covid to a manageable level.
Regeneron’s antibody therapy was effective in hamsters and primates. It is in phase 3 and could theoretically be ready by September.
Regeneron says antibody cocktail prevents and treats COVID-19 in animals
