3 ms·

As a non-virologist, it's nearly impossible to determine who is wearing the tin foil hats. I've read five or six different but equally outlandish origin theorie

by junon 6y ago

As a non-virologist, it's nearly impossible to determine who is wearing the tin foil hats. I've read five or six different but equally outlandish origin theories and convoluted Beautiful Mind / Minority Report threads about Covid in the last 30 minutes and everyone seems to be circlejerking about their own wild theories. How can I, someone entirely outside the domain, begin to filter what is credible and what is nonsense?

throwawaybutwhy 6y ago
Whatever the origins, we still have to remember that in the country where SARS-CoV-2 first appeared there was cessation of domestic flights while international ones were not curtailed in the slightest. Everybody can draw their own conclusions.
- junon 6y ago
  This is pretty exactly the sort of phrasing and ambiguity that was used by conspiracy theorists talking about 9/11 being an inside job. I simply do not buy it without substantial evidence.
  - throwawaybutwhy 6y ago
    Let's agree to disagree here. There is no ambiguity, btw. 'About 60 percent of travelers on direct flights from China in February were not American citizens, according to the most recently available government data. Most of the flights were operated by Chinese airlines after American carriers halted theirs.' [2] See also the graph from FlightRadar [4]. [0] https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9 https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9 [1] https://www.routesonline.com/news/tagged/8446/covid19-1h20-flight-changes/p54/ https://www.routesonline.com/news/tagged/8446/covid19-1h20-f... [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20200404140004/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/us/coronavirus-china-travel-restrictions.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200404140004/https://www.nytim... [3] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6889758/R46354-1.pdf https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6889758/R46354-1.... [4] https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FR24_ICF_Europe_China.png https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/0...
- jMyles 6y ago
  > in the country where SARS-CoV-2 first appeared If the findings in this paper are accurate, then there's a real question about which country that is, isn't there?
D2187645 6y ago
If the virus is real, then how come trump supporters are rallying, and liberals rioting?
soared 6y ago
This idea, if for fun, extended into all industries is an interesting thought experiment. - without being a mechanic and understanding the intricacies of an engine, safety standards, how parts wear, how can I possibly purchase the correct car? - without being a nutritionist, how can I possibly ensure I’m getting all the micronutrients I need, macros I need, with all the choices at a grocery store? The outcome I see from this is industry specific governing bodies are necessary since the world is so complicated, or.. we need a service for micro-consulting where I can talk to an expert for 15 minutes. Like a doctors appointment but not insanely expensive and not comically inefficient. I would imagine a good amount of people would be cars that were $1,000 cheaper if it didn’t include a seatbelt.
- junon 6y ago
  > we need a service for micro-consulting where I can talk to an expert for 15 minutes This is the problem. There are experts in the field with PhDs and other decorations to their name that contradict each other pretty starkly. When it comes to mass hysteria, it's imperative to seek out a known source of truth. I cannot find one, however.

by junon 6y ago

throwawaybutwhy 6y ago

Whatever the origins, we still have to remember that in the country where SARS-CoV-2 first appeared there was cessation of domestic flights while international ones were not curtailed in the slightest. Everybody can draw their own conclusions.

junon 6y ago
This is pretty exactly the sort of phrasing and ambiguity that was used by conspiracy theorists talking about 9/11 being an inside job. I simply do not buy it without substantial evidence.
- throwawaybutwhy 6y ago
  Let's agree to disagree here. There is no ambiguity, btw. 'About 60 percent of travelers on direct flights from China in February were not American citizens, according to the most recently available government data. Most of the flights were operated by Chinese airlines after American carriers halted theirs.' [2] See also the graph from FlightRadar [4]. [0] https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9 https://apnews.com/article/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9 [1] https://www.routesonline.com/news/tagged/8446/covid19-1h20-flight-changes/p54/ https://www.routesonline.com/news/tagged/8446/covid19-1h20-f... [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20200404140004/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/us/coronavirus-china-travel-restrictions.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200404140004/https://www.nytim... [3] https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6889758/R46354-1.pdf https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6889758/R46354-1.... [4] https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FR24_ICF_Europe_China.png https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/0...
jMyles 6y ago
> in the country where SARS-CoV-2 first appeared If the findings in this paper are accurate, then there's a real question about which country that is, isn't there?

D2187645 6y ago

If the virus is real, then how come trump supporters are rallying, and liberals rioting?

soared 6y ago

This idea, if for fun, extended into all industries is an interesting thought experiment. - without being a mechanic and understanding the intricacies of an engine, safety standards, how parts wear, how can I possibly purchase the correct car? - without being a nutritionist, how can I possibly ensure I’m getting all the micronutrients I need, macros I need, with all the choices at a grocery store? The outcome I see from this is industry specific governing bodies are necessary since the world is so complicated, or.. we need a service for micro-consulting where I can talk to an expert for 15 minutes. Like a doctors appointment but not insanely expensive and not comically inefficient. I would imagine a good amount of people would be cars that were $1,000 cheaper if it didn’t include a seatbelt.

junon 6y ago
> we need a service for micro-consulting where I can talk to an expert for 15 minutes This is the problem. There are experts in the field with PhDs and other decorations to their name that contradict each other pretty starkly. When it comes to mass hysteria, it's imperative to seek out a known source of truth. I cannot find one, however.