6 ms·

Do you think that both "halves" of the country are responding to the pandemic with equal stupidity?

SaltyLemonZest 6y ago
It strikes me as nonproductive to call it "stupidity" or debate whether there's a precise equality. Both halves of the country have made it clear, in word and in action, that they think some causes are worth spreading the pandemic.
zarkov99 6y ago
I have an opinion of course, but I am not interested in debating which side has done dumber things. It is impossible to discuss that issue productively.
- shirakawasuna 6y ago
  Kind of pointless to bring it up then, huh?
  - zarkov99 6y ago
    Bring what up? That we are being pushed into suicidal stupidity by our allegiance to our political team? I rather think it is worth to bring it up, so that perhaps we all can do it a little less. Debating who exactly is the most to blame is counter productive to that goal.
    - shirakawasuna 6y ago
      I don't think it's particular productive to suggest that the problem is some kind of tribalism or reflexive rejections without providing any kind of rationale, argument, or support. The context matters. The actual actions matter.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
dlivingston 6y ago
I recall folks on the left mocking those who wanted the economy to partially reopen as “valuing a haircut more than human lives”. They mocked with derision the very real depression that I, and many other people here on HN, had as a function of being stuck inside 24/7 while watching businesses and jobs implode while COVID cases explode.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- giardini 6y ago
  I heard this phrased another way: a wealth adviser stated (roughly) that "The question each individual faces is 'Would you give up all the money in your IRA so that some old person you don't know will not die?"' I think that question captures the essence of the situation better than the "haircut...lives" phrase.
  - spaginal 6y ago
    The answer is no. Interacting with other humans inherently carries risk that you could harm others. I could get distracted by my children in the car and kill someone when I cross the center line. That doesn’t make me evil or selfish for wanting to own a car and drive it. It also doesn’t make someone selfish for wanting to support their family in normal commerce, in the rare chance that their very legal and very normal economic activity may inadvertently harm someone.
  - chrisjs96 6y ago
    Nope because we're not saving any net lives. We're only exchanging lives during this whole thing. Exchanging mostly older folks for others. The whole quarantine can be described: If you have covid your life matters more than someone who has cancer or another illness. When all of our children become serial killers and cancer death rates rise we'll look back on this time as the worst decision the world has ever made. Being a human means excepting risk. You wake up everyday and take on risk. Yes some people are willing to take more risks than others. I'm an avid skydiver. To those people who don't like risk: Stay at home and get someone to deliver groceries and live your miserable life by yourself at home. Thanks.
istorical 6y ago
I don't think the parent's point is that on any given issue both sides respond stupidly, I would guess they think two sides respond stupidly in different areas.
JAlexoid 6y ago
As a representative of a minority within a minority - libertarian gay atheist immigrant - both sides have been completely crap about it. For different reasons... Such as - banning testing for COVID by nursing homes upon (re)admittance in NYC.
- zarkov99 6y ago
  If anything should unite Americans now is utter and universal contempt for the institutions that failed us in navigating this crisis. The government, the media, the opposition, even parts of the medical community. The health of both the people and the economy was treated not as the prime concern but as an opportunity to pursue other agendas. A terrible reckoning is due, but we are too blinded by hatred towards each other to demand it. What a sad, sad epilogue to the American story.

It strikes me as nonproductive to call it "stupidity" or debate whether there's a precise equality. Both halves of the country have made it clear, in word and in action, that they think some causes are worth spreading the pandemic.

zarkov99 6y ago

I have an opinion of course, but I am not interested in debating which side has done dumber things. It is impossible to discuss that issue productively.

shirakawasuna 6y ago
Kind of pointless to bring it up then, huh?
- zarkov99 6y ago
  Bring what up? That we are being pushed into suicidal stupidity by our allegiance to our political team? I rather think it is worth to bring it up, so that perhaps we all can do it a little less. Debating who exactly is the most to blame is counter productive to that goal.
  - shirakawasuna 6y ago
    I don't think it's particular productive to suggest that the problem is some kind of tribalism or reflexive rejections without providing any kind of rationale, argument, or support. The context matters. The actual actions matter.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]

dlivingston 6y ago

I recall folks on the left mocking those who wanted the economy to partially reopen as “valuing a haircut more than human lives”. They mocked with derision the very real depression that I, and many other people here on HN, had as a function of being stuck inside 24/7 while watching businesses and jobs implode while COVID cases explode.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
giardini 6y ago
I heard this phrased another way: a wealth adviser stated (roughly) that "The question each individual faces is 'Would you give up all the money in your IRA so that some old person you don't know will not die?"' I think that question captures the essence of the situation better than the "haircut...lives" phrase.
- spaginal 6y ago
  The answer is no. Interacting with other humans inherently carries risk that you could harm others. I could get distracted by my children in the car and kill someone when I cross the center line. That doesn’t make me evil or selfish for wanting to own a car and drive it. It also doesn’t make someone selfish for wanting to support their family in normal commerce, in the rare chance that their very legal and very normal economic activity may inadvertently harm someone.
- chrisjs96 6y ago
  Nope because we're not saving any net lives. We're only exchanging lives during this whole thing. Exchanging mostly older folks for others. The whole quarantine can be described: If you have covid your life matters more than someone who has cancer or another illness. When all of our children become serial killers and cancer death rates rise we'll look back on this time as the worst decision the world has ever made. Being a human means excepting risk. You wake up everyday and take on risk. Yes some people are willing to take more risks than others. I'm an avid skydiver. To those people who don't like risk: Stay at home and get someone to deliver groceries and live your miserable life by yourself at home. Thanks.

istorical 6y ago

I don't think the parent's point is that on any given issue both sides respond stupidly, I would guess they think two sides respond stupidly in different areas.

JAlexoid 6y ago

As a representative of a minority within a minority - libertarian gay atheist immigrant - both sides have been completely crap about it. For different reasons... Such as - banning testing for COVID by nursing homes upon (re)admittance in NYC.

zarkov99 6y ago
If anything should unite Americans now is utter and universal contempt for the institutions that failed us in navigating this crisis. The government, the media, the opposition, even parts of the medical community. The health of both the people and the economy was treated not as the prime concern but as an opportunity to pursue other agendas. A terrible reckoning is due, but we are too blinded by hatred towards each other to demand it. What a sad, sad epilogue to the American story.