3 ms·

It's Going to Get Worse

24 points by simonpure 7y ago

carapace 7y ago
"It may seem a ridiculous idea, but the only way to fight the plague is with decency." ~Camus
makach 7y ago
It is. Good post. I already said the same things but fear of writing like this - so many still choose to ignore or be overly optimistic. It will get worse, much much worse before it gets better.
Trasmatta 7y ago
It seems like the thesis of the post is that everyone will keep getting mad at each other, and we'll be frustrated by the slow pace is recovery. Which seems likely, but I'm not sure I agree that is worse than what we're going through now? Less people will be dying, we'll be more prepared for the next waves, and the economy will slowly be recovering. If you're not spending your time watching / reading the news and arguing with people online, it feels to me like things will just be getting better (albeit slowly).
ck2 7y ago
you know that social experiment where they tell kids they have have either one cookie now or several cookies if they wait until later? that's exactly the test going on right now and it's sorting out those that can give up the cookie now to shorten this, vs immediate gratification to give up a longer term benefit the problem is, all it takes is a few who demand immediate gratification to drag us all through months and months more of this btw planning on a vax is a fool's errand, there is growing research that a vax may not work/last and there will likely be mutations where a vax won't help, science may be a long term savior but not any time "soon" only behavior changes can mitigate this but too late to solve massive inequality, health and discipline differences in american society, it's a perfect storm against a corrupted/corroded structure
- _nalply 7y ago
  There was a boy in this test. He always experienced grown-ups lying to him. So he thought: Better have that one cookie now because when that guy returns he might take it away.
jschwartzi 7y ago
This guy seems like he’s projecting his reaction onto the whole world. People have different reactions and motivations to things and you’d be surprised how different they are to your own.
daenz 7y ago
I've got a theory about our reaction to the virus, and it's related to the idea that many people want a general strike. Before coronavirus hit, many people were frustrated with everything: capitalism, politics, wages, etc. Yet the world kept turning. With this shutdown, and the knowledge of the economic effects, it has become a tool to hold the system hostage and demand accountability. My basis for this theory is that I believe if everyone who was mad about everything before, could organize effectively and shut down the economy like we're doing now, without needing a virus, I believe they would, as a protest. It's a form of a general strike, in a sense, and it's forcing everyone to talk about capitalism, healthcare, wages, etc. Even though it hurts us. So in my opinion, people are collectively going to make it as painful and drawn out as it can be, because it's too useful as a tool to highlight issues that they feel haven't been adequately addressed. This is not to say that I don't believe that "flattening the curve" is real or effective (I do), but I believe there are more powerful subconscious factors at play here.
stickfigure 7y ago
I don't get it. He starts with a vignette about driving by a Starbucks and wishing he was sitting in the half-hour-long drive-thru line. Huh? His neural patterns are apparently configured to fire in a way that is totally alien and unrelatable to me. I don't think the article improved from there.
paypalcust83 7y ago
The problem is divide-and-conquered mentality of tribalism, mob rule, dog-piling, conspiracy theories and scapegoating out of weakness, ignorance, and/or cowardice. The main global root cause is the weakness of the people to not come together through solidarity and rational, constructive purpose to push back the tides of the rich neoliberal inverted totalitarian establishment who is destroying the planet and impoverishing/exploiting billions of people through corruption and force. Also, it will get better. The virus will evolve to be weaker, antibody and/or surface antigen vaccines will come online, IgG/IgM ELISA tests will eventually be $10, and habits and behaviors will adapt. This isn't the end of the world, climate change is a much larger existential threat. To that end, it's worth ending meat agriculture because of the following reasons that I've been shouting pointlessly into a hurricane about for years: - climate change - pandemic evolution - antibiotic resistance - resource inefficiency / nutritional availability and distribution - peak phosphorus (which may be deferred) - animal welfare

24 points by simonpure 7y ago

"It may seem a ridiculous idea, but the only way to fight the plague is with decency." ~Camus

It is. Good post. I already said the same things but fear of writing like this - so many still choose to ignore or be overly optimistic. It will get worse, much much worse before it gets better.

Trasmatta 7y ago

It seems like the thesis of the post is that everyone will keep getting mad at each other, and we'll be frustrated by the slow pace is recovery. Which seems likely, but I'm not sure I agree that is worse than what we're going through now? Less people will be dying, we'll be more prepared for the next waves, and the economy will slowly be recovering. If you're not spending your time watching / reading the news and arguing with people online, it feels to me like things will just be getting better (albeit slowly).

ck2 7y ago

you know that social experiment where they tell kids they have have either one cookie now or several cookies if they wait until later? that's exactly the test going on right now and it's sorting out those that can give up the cookie now to shorten this, vs immediate gratification to give up a longer term benefit the problem is, all it takes is a few who demand immediate gratification to drag us all through months and months more of this btw planning on a vax is a fool's errand, there is growing research that a vax may not work/last and there will likely be mutations where a vax won't help, science may be a long term savior but not any time "soon" only behavior changes can mitigate this but too late to solve massive inequality, health and discipline differences in american society, it's a perfect storm against a corrupted/corroded structure

_nalply 7y ago
There was a boy in this test. He always experienced grown-ups lying to him. So he thought: Better have that one cookie now because when that guy returns he might take it away.

jschwartzi 7y ago

This guy seems like he’s projecting his reaction onto the whole world. People have different reactions and motivations to things and you’d be surprised how different they are to your own.

daenz 7y ago

I've got a theory about our reaction to the virus, and it's related to the idea that many people want a general strike. Before coronavirus hit, many people were frustrated with everything: capitalism, politics, wages, etc. Yet the world kept turning. With this shutdown, and the knowledge of the economic effects, it has become a tool to hold the system hostage and demand accountability. My basis for this theory is that I believe if everyone who was mad about everything before, could organize effectively and shut down the economy like we're doing now, without needing a virus, I believe they would, as a protest. It's a form of a general strike, in a sense, and it's forcing everyone to talk about capitalism, healthcare, wages, etc. Even though it hurts us. So in my opinion, people are collectively going to make it as painful and drawn out as it can be, because it's too useful as a tool to highlight issues that they feel haven't been adequately addressed. This is not to say that I don't believe that "flattening the curve" is real or effective (I do), but I believe there are more powerful subconscious factors at play here.

stickfigure 7y ago

I don't get it. He starts with a vignette about driving by a Starbucks and wishing he was sitting in the half-hour-long drive-thru line. Huh? His neural patterns are apparently configured to fire in a way that is totally alien and unrelatable to me. I don't think the article improved from there.

paypalcust83 7y ago

The problem is divide-and-conquered mentality of tribalism, mob rule, dog-piling, conspiracy theories and scapegoating out of weakness, ignorance, and/or cowardice. The main global root cause is the weakness of the people to not come together through solidarity and rational, constructive purpose to push back the tides of the rich neoliberal inverted totalitarian establishment who is destroying the planet and impoverishing/exploiting billions of people through corruption and force. Also, it will get better. The virus will evolve to be weaker, antibody and/or surface antigen vaccines will come online, IgG/IgM ELISA tests will eventually be $10, and habits and behaviors will adapt. This isn't the end of the world, climate change is a much larger existential threat. To that end, it's worth ending meat agriculture because of the following reasons that I've been shouting pointlessly into a hurricane about for years: - climate change - pandemic evolution - antibiotic resistance - resource inefficiency / nutritional availability and distribution - peak phosphorus (which may be deferred) - animal welfare