3 ms·

I've had a thought about this that I haven't articulated before, so bear with me if this sounds a little rambly: There's a large group of people who've become

by tazjin 6y ago

I've had a thought about this that I haven't articulated before, so bear with me if this sounds a little rambly: There's a large group of people who've become extremely scared as a result of what's going on at the moment. Most of them haven't actually evaluated what the risk for them personally is, yet they've made significant changes to their behaviours in the name of the health theatre. On the other hand, you've got people who either are in life situations where that isn't an option or people who have actually done risk analysis. These people have not changed their behaviours much (beyond sticking to the random new legal requirements). Now for the thought: I think that many of these behavioural changes (or lack thereof) will stay, essentially meaning that we've got a group of people who will act as before and a group that will act (and overreact) irrationally from now on. I think this is going to give the people in the first group an advantage for getting things done, which can have interesting long-term implications.

TheDong 6y ago
I think there may be a third option: people recognize both that the risk is low and selfishly they need not change their behaviors, but they also recognize that the socially correct behavior is to change their behavior so in aggregate we lower risk. I do believe that the risk is fairly low right now. So low that if I'm only thinking of myself, there's not sufficient justification to change my behaviors. However, I also believe that if no one changed their behaviors, the risk would be high enough I'd have to (as is the nature of an exponentially spreading thing). As such, I behave how I need everyone else to: I change my behaviors in the hope everyone behaves similarly to me. For a very similar analogy, there's no need individually to get vaccinated risk wise. Developed countries have such a high level of vaccination that there's a vanishingly small probability you're exposed in your entire life to the things you're vaccinated against. There's a higher risk of side-effects from being vaccinated. However, if no one got vaccinated, the math doesn't work out anymore, and it's back to vaccination making sense for you as an individual. As such, most people get vaccinated since it's the socially conscious thing to do, it's what we ourselves need most other people to also do for our own health.
- somewhereoutth 6y ago
  Indeed. It would be well if more people appreciated this point.
somewhereoutth 6y ago
No. There is a large group of people who have some sort of understanding of what is going on, and what needs to be done. Unfortunately there is another large group of people who are not able to think as clearly. Large parts of East Asia are now virus free - I imagine they have more of the former group, or at least are better able to deal with the latter.
- wyclif 6y ago
  Writing from SE Asia at the moment. I think we need to recognise that it's not all down to understanding and education. A lot of it is complex cultural interaction and historical development. This is especially true when it comes to authoritarianism. A culture like Japan, Taiwan, or Mongolia is a lot more accepting and unquestioning when it comes to government dictates, unlike the USA or even the UK where people generally speaking don't like being told what to do. I do think that there are large groups of people who don't understand the consequences of going along with their cultural trajectory and can't see how "it's just the flu" or "masks are symbolic of submission" hurt them long term. They just reflexively react based on their cultural influences.
deleted 6y ago
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by tazjin 6y ago

TheDong 6y ago

I think there may be a third option: people recognize both that the risk is low and selfishly they need not change their behaviors, but they also recognize that the socially correct behavior is to change their behavior so in aggregate we lower risk. I do believe that the risk is fairly low right now. So low that if I'm only thinking of myself, there's not sufficient justification to change my behaviors. However, I also believe that if no one changed their behaviors, the risk would be high enough I'd have to (as is the nature of an exponentially spreading thing). As such, I behave how I need everyone else to: I change my behaviors in the hope everyone behaves similarly to me. For a very similar analogy, there's no need individually to get vaccinated risk wise. Developed countries have such a high level of vaccination that there's a vanishingly small probability you're exposed in your entire life to the things you're vaccinated against. There's a higher risk of side-effects from being vaccinated. However, if no one got vaccinated, the math doesn't work out anymore, and it's back to vaccination making sense for you as an individual. As such, most people get vaccinated since it's the socially conscious thing to do, it's what we ourselves need most other people to also do for our own health.

somewhereoutth 6y ago
Indeed. It would be well if more people appreciated this point.

somewhereoutth 6y ago

No. There is a large group of people who have some sort of understanding of what is going on, and what needs to be done. Unfortunately there is another large group of people who are not able to think as clearly. Large parts of East Asia are now virus free - I imagine they have more of the former group, or at least are better able to deal with the latter.

wyclif 6y ago
Writing from SE Asia at the moment. I think we need to recognise that it's not all down to understanding and education. A lot of it is complex cultural interaction and historical development. This is especially true when it comes to authoritarianism. A culture like Japan, Taiwan, or Mongolia is a lot more accepting and unquestioning when it comes to government dictates, unlike the USA or even the UK where people generally speaking don't like being told what to do. I do think that there are large groups of people who don't understand the consequences of going along with their cultural trajectory and can't see how "it's just the flu" or "masks are symbolic of submission" hurt them long term. They just reflexively react based on their cultural influences.

deleted 6y ago

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