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Are there segments of the HN community which have been to such extremes as to feel the need to pay $5000 USD for a bottle of hand sanitizer? Asking because I'm

Are there segments of the HN community which have been to such extremes as to feel the need to pay $5000 USD for a bottle of hand sanitizer? Asking because I'm noticing that some others online are missing the fact that this is a comic, and not a 1:1 representation of how things are for the average person now. Which is normal maybe but not cool to watch. This kind of emotional response seems (maybe irresponsibly, maybe not) brought to the forefront by details which have been over-magnified, and kept there, and that's how people start to make rash decisions and suffer from legitimate anxiety issues. Last time we had an emergency where I live (last year), it wasn't cool at all because the joking of this kind had a bitter edge to it, and good people ended up in quite a panic, even going to the hospital seeking care because they are not used to even a little destabilization. In the end, most affected by the disaster were OK. I'm not a fan of propaganda but I wish we could factor in the normal boring reality a bit more. People around me are going on hikes with their families today, and otherwise taking this a day at a time. (With that said--props for a clever reference to the Bitcoin phenomenon. I get the joke, downvote if you feel the need to, but I do wonder if the joke is helping or hurting)

labster 7y ago
Extrapolating from the current curves, the longer this crisis goes on, the price of hand sanitizer and the price of one BTC will intersect. It probably won't but that's the joke. Which I have now explained to you. That said, I'm looking at the bright side of all this. The economy will slow down, and a significant amount less carbon will be produced. Companies who had never considered it before may allow employees to work at home permanently, which is even less air pollution. Reducing PM2.5 saves lives. Air travel will be drastically reduced, which helps with carbon/radiative forcing, as well as halts overtourism. People will be more inclined to cook at home with local foods and home-grown crops. In short, we'll get a little bit of a break from our most dangerous habits (with the exception of Twitter and the chans), which will buy scientists and engineers time to save the planet from climate change.
- themodelplumber 7y ago
  > It probably won't but that's the joke. Which I have now explained to you. I get the joke. No need to take such a didactic tone. Your interpretation though, is one of many. There are those who are reading this and discussing as if it represents / agreeing that it represents current reality, no extrapolation needed.
baobabKoodaa 7y ago
Maybe we can just enjoy a good joke every now and then instead of turning everything into a problem.
- themodelplumber 7y ago
  Why not just let people discuss it in more depth if they want? It's a big community, and I don't see why enjoyment and deeper consideration need to be treated as mutually exclusive outcomes given a population of deep thinkers.

labster 7y ago

Extrapolating from the current curves, the longer this crisis goes on, the price of hand sanitizer and the price of one BTC will intersect. It probably won't but that's the joke. Which I have now explained to you. That said, I'm looking at the bright side of all this. The economy will slow down, and a significant amount less carbon will be produced. Companies who had never considered it before may allow employees to work at home permanently, which is even less air pollution. Reducing PM2.5 saves lives. Air travel will be drastically reduced, which helps with carbon/radiative forcing, as well as halts overtourism. People will be more inclined to cook at home with local foods and home-grown crops. In short, we'll get a little bit of a break from our most dangerous habits (with the exception of Twitter and the chans), which will buy scientists and engineers time to save the planet from climate change.

themodelplumber 7y ago
> It probably won't but that's the joke. Which I have now explained to you. I get the joke. No need to take such a didactic tone. Your interpretation though, is one of many. There are those who are reading this and discussing as if it represents / agreeing that it represents current reality, no extrapolation needed.

baobabKoodaa 7y ago

Maybe we can just enjoy a good joke every now and then instead of turning everything into a problem.

themodelplumber 7y ago
Why not just let people discuss it in more depth if they want? It's a big community, and I don't see why enjoyment and deeper consideration need to be treated as mutually exclusive outcomes given a population of deep thinkers.