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Yeah, I think we're all pretty unnerved. And we're far from knowing just how deep this rabbit hole is going to be. (Or how shallow.) If you look at the chart

Yeah, I think we're all pretty unnerved. And we're far from knowing just how deep this rabbit hole is going to be. (Or how shallow.) If you look at the charts of per-capita deaths in various countries, there's not much of a pattern, in terms of places we'd think of as having "good" government and/or public health versus "bad". Belgium, for example, is the worst right now (or among them), and many European countries are doing quite badly. My personal suspicion is that in a case like this, there isn't really that much difference in in-the-moment governing across countries.

DoreenMichele 7y ago
Sadly, people who get it right are frequently remembered as "lucky" after the fact or even sometimes get maligned in some manner. When I took archery in college, I was the only one in class who could consistently hit the bullseye. I also practiced up to two hours a day. A classmate who didn't practice, who had terrible form and was holding the bow all wrong and who couldn't manage to hit the target at all snidely informed me one day that it was all luck. He completely dismissed the idea that either proper form or practice made any difference whatsoever. I know that in complicated situations, it can be quite hard to determine what actually worked and why. This is why humanity has practices like deferring to experts with a solid track record of success as evidence that they know whereof they speak, even if it basically looks like stuff and nonsense to most of the rest of us because we don't all have a PhD in that subject and a zillion years of experience like them.
- downerending 7y ago
  Agree. In general, I'm not particularly a fan of Trump, but I don't buy gibe that he's a lucky idiot. Nobody's luck is that good. As to whether he's helped or hurt in this crisis, I hope someone evenhanded like Ken Burns will pick it apart later.

DoreenMichele 7y ago

Sadly, people who get it right are frequently remembered as "lucky" after the fact or even sometimes get maligned in some manner. When I took archery in college, I was the only one in class who could consistently hit the bullseye. I also practiced up to two hours a day. A classmate who didn't practice, who had terrible form and was holding the bow all wrong and who couldn't manage to hit the target at all snidely informed me one day that it was all luck. He completely dismissed the idea that either proper form or practice made any difference whatsoever. I know that in complicated situations, it can be quite hard to determine what actually worked and why. This is why humanity has practices like deferring to experts with a solid track record of success as evidence that they know whereof they speak, even if it basically looks like stuff and nonsense to most of the rest of us because we don't all have a PhD in that subject and a zillion years of experience like them.

downerending 7y ago
Agree. In general, I'm not particularly a fan of Trump, but I don't buy gibe that he's a lucky idiot. Nobody's luck is that good. As to whether he's helped or hurt in this crisis, I hope someone evenhanded like Ken Burns will pick it apart later.