3 ms·

i know it's passe to rail on the media, but i think the hyperconnectedness of everyone is causing the amount of panic i'm sensing out there to significantly out

i know it's passe to rail on the media, but i think the hyperconnectedness of everyone is causing the amount of panic i'm sensing out there to significantly outweigh the risks wrt covid-19.

thaumasiotes 7y ago
I agree. The Chinese went hysterical when the outbreak was first noticed, and I heard a lot about it spontaneously when wishing people happy new year. Hysteria continued right up to the point where... everyone went back to work. I think the government got unlucky that the outbreak coincided with a major holiday. And while shutting things down was a good idea in many ways, it also meant that people were stuck at home with nothing to do but freak out. So that's what everybody did.
- toron123 7y ago
  There is another possibility that the situation is much, much worse and Chinese are just telling part of the truth. Look how spreading is much worse in Korea than what Chinese says happens in China.
  - tinza123 7y ago
    They may not be simply compared like that, because of the different measures taken. China did shutdown the entire country basically, cities with millions of people won't allow anyone to come in / out, and almost all shops / stores shut down.
moultano 7y ago
What gives you the impression that the risk is small?
el_cujo 7y ago
If you look at it from the point of view of "am I going to die from corona virus?" then yes, the panic is overblown (for most people anyway). The real fear is that enough people are going to get sick and have to stay home (to eventually recover) that it will severely disrupt the world, ranging from economic markets to supply of food/drugs at grocery stores. I'm not necessarily saying I buy into that doomsday/prepper hype, but seeing news like Japan recommending school closures definitely makes me worry.
jaynetics 7y ago
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Attributed to Mark Twain in Reader's Digest, Apr. 1934 On the other hand, I'm fairly happy that many people wash their hands more, stay out of current hotspots like Lombardy, and do other things that make this less deadly. You wouldn't get this effect without significant coverage.

i know it's passe to rail on the media, but i think the hyperconnectedness of everyone is causing the amount of panic i'm sensing out there to significantly outweigh the risks wrt covid-19.

thaumasiotes 7y ago

I agree. The Chinese went hysterical when the outbreak was first noticed, and I heard a lot about it spontaneously when wishing people happy new year. Hysteria continued right up to the point where... everyone went back to work. I think the government got unlucky that the outbreak coincided with a major holiday. And while shutting things down was a good idea in many ways, it also meant that people were stuck at home with nothing to do but freak out. So that's what everybody did.

toron123 7y ago
There is another possibility that the situation is much, much worse and Chinese are just telling part of the truth. Look how spreading is much worse in Korea than what Chinese says happens in China.
- tinza123 7y ago
  They may not be simply compared like that, because of the different measures taken. China did shutdown the entire country basically, cities with millions of people won't allow anyone to come in / out, and almost all shops / stores shut down.

moultano 7y ago

What gives you the impression that the risk is small?

el_cujo 7y ago

If you look at it from the point of view of "am I going to die from corona virus?" then yes, the panic is overblown (for most people anyway). The real fear is that enough people are going to get sick and have to stay home (to eventually recover) that it will severely disrupt the world, ranging from economic markets to supply of food/drugs at grocery stores. I'm not necessarily saying I buy into that doomsday/prepper hype, but seeing news like Japan recommending school closures definitely makes me worry.

jaynetics 7y ago

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Attributed to Mark Twain in Reader's Digest, Apr. 1934 On the other hand, I'm fairly happy that many people wash their hands more, stay out of current hotspots like Lombardy, and do other things that make this less deadly. You wouldn't get this effect without significant coverage.