5 ms·

What makes you think benefits won’t spread? We’re on track to producing vaccines by the billions, the biggest mobilization and logistical effort in the history

What makes you think benefits won’t spread? We’re on track to producing vaccines by the billions, the biggest mobilization and logistical effort in the history of mankind. Good luck buying a vaccine and cutting the line, even if you have $10k to spare. I think the risk that the wealthiest few will rule the world is largely misplaced and overblown. We’ve lifted millions out of poverty and made tremendous progress in last few decades. And continue to do so. Yes, inequality has grown and accelerated due to the pandemic (Russell 2000 vs S&P500, retail is screwed but there is nothing we can do about it besides giving relief). We need to fix tax laws and corporate loop holes, not instituting marxism in our society.

jazzabeanie 6y ago
There will be no early vaccine shop, but for sure one can get a vaccine early with the right connections.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
tehjoker 6y ago
WW2 was bigger. The lack of mobilization is the hallmark of this crisis. The vaccines are the only bright point in sight.
- ryandrake 6y ago
  To me, the hallmark of this pandemic was people’s (and Americans’ in particular) unwillingness to act collectively and cooperatively for everyone’s benefit. It was a gigantic game of Prisoners Dilemma, where we could have won with everyone cooperating (masks and staying at home) but people instead chose to defect and go out protesting, refusing the masks, and buying khakis. Here we are a year later, hoping the vaccines will save us, and everyone is still out horsing around, spreading the disease everywhere.
  - blhack 6y ago
    Mask use in the US is practically identical to mask use in Europe. http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/Projects/COVID/Mask_use_infographic_2020-1.pdf http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/Projects...
    - Toutouxc 6y ago
      Yep, and the numbers are just as shitty.
    - roytries 6y ago
      How do you conclude that from that PDF? It shows almost all of the states in the US in yellow (low mask usage). While almost all of Europe (except for the UK and Scandinavia) in blue (medium mask usage) There's even a special call-out in the PDF about the US being such an outlier: "US states and Canada stand out for their low levels of mask usage compared to many countries in Asia and South America. "
      - blhack 6y ago
        >compared to many countries in Asia and South America. I said that mask use was practically identical to Europe, not Asia or South America.
  - andrewem 6y ago
    I mostly agree with you. On the topic specifically of whether protests over the summer were a significant factor in spreading the virus, I haven’t seen evidence that’s true. This article is from August so practically ancient history now, but it describes an analysis concluding the protests weren’t a major factor. If there is evidence to the contrary I would love to see it. https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/08/11/racial-justice-protests-were-not-a-major-cause-of-covid-19-infection-surges-new-national-study-finds/ https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/08/11/racial-justice-prot...
    - blhack 6y ago
GavinMcG 6y ago
Even prior to the pandemic, real wages were stagnant for decades. Wealth inequality has been a growing problem since before many of us have been alive, at this point. We are definitely making progress in absolute terms, but there is plenty of good reason to be concerned about the benefits spreading in general, and particularly when we're talking about technologies to replace labor.
- mattmcknight 6y ago
  >Even prior to the pandemic, real wages were stagnant for decades. This is not true from a global perspective. In addition, there has been significant immigration, where people are are entering the economy at the bottom (increasing inequality in a country, while they are making more than they would where they came from). This is not to say things couldn't be better, but the economy is global, and nationalistic perspectives presume a closed system.
  - Retric 6y ago
    Any data on this? It’s true for many individual countries, but global population growth has been dominated by poor countries for a while which should dramatically drag down wage percentiles. In the last 30 years UK’s population for example is up 19% where India’s is up 58%.
    - dash2 6y ago
      Google “elephant graph” or go to ourworldindata and you should find it. Population growth has been dominated by income increases. The average person in China in particular got much richer.
      - Judgmentality 6y ago
        https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/2/16868838/elephant-graph-chart-global-inequality-economic-growth https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/2/16868838/el... I'd never heard of this before. This is the most interesting thing I learned today. Thank you.
elliotec 6y ago
> I think the risk that the wealthiest few will rule the world is largely misplaced and overblown. This has literally been reality in every sense for all of history, and the point here is it's getting worse which a quick google will find you mounds of backing proof.
pjc50 6y ago
> We’ve lifted millions out of poverty in the last few decades Which "we"? Which millions? Do you mean in China?

jazzabeanie 6y ago

There will be no early vaccine shop, but for sure one can get a vaccine early with the right connections.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

tehjoker 6y ago

WW2 was bigger. The lack of mobilization is the hallmark of this crisis. The vaccines are the only bright point in sight.

ryandrake 6y ago
To me, the hallmark of this pandemic was people’s (and Americans’ in particular) unwillingness to act collectively and cooperatively for everyone’s benefit. It was a gigantic game of Prisoners Dilemma, where we could have won with everyone cooperating (masks and staying at home) but people instead chose to defect and go out protesting, refusing the masks, and buying khakis. Here we are a year later, hoping the vaccines will save us, and everyone is still out horsing around, spreading the disease everywhere.
- blhack 6y ago
  Mask use in the US is practically identical to mask use in Europe. http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/Projects/COVID/Mask_use_infographic_2020-1.pdf http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/Projects...
  - Toutouxc 6y ago
    Yep, and the numbers are just as shitty.
  - roytries 6y ago
    How do you conclude that from that PDF? It shows almost all of the states in the US in yellow (low mask usage). While almost all of Europe (except for the UK and Scandinavia) in blue (medium mask usage) There's even a special call-out in the PDF about the US being such an outlier: "US states and Canada stand out for their low levels of mask usage compared to many countries in Asia and South America. "
    - blhack 6y ago
      >compared to many countries in Asia and South America. I said that mask use was practically identical to Europe, not Asia or South America.
- andrewem 6y ago
  I mostly agree with you. On the topic specifically of whether protests over the summer were a significant factor in spreading the virus, I haven’t seen evidence that’s true. This article is from August so practically ancient history now, but it describes an analysis concluding the protests weren’t a major factor. If there is evidence to the contrary I would love to see it. https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/08/11/racial-justice-protests-were-not-a-major-cause-of-covid-19-infection-surges-new-national-study-finds/ https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/08/11/racial-justice-prot...
  - blhack 6y ago

GavinMcG 6y ago

Even prior to the pandemic, real wages were stagnant for decades. Wealth inequality has been a growing problem since before many of us have been alive, at this point. We are definitely making progress in absolute terms, but there is plenty of good reason to be concerned about the benefits spreading in general, and particularly when we're talking about technologies to replace labor.

mattmcknight 6y ago
>Even prior to the pandemic, real wages were stagnant for decades. This is not true from a global perspective. In addition, there has been significant immigration, where people are are entering the economy at the bottom (increasing inequality in a country, while they are making more than they would where they came from). This is not to say things couldn't be better, but the economy is global, and nationalistic perspectives presume a closed system.
- Retric 6y ago
  Any data on this? It’s true for many individual countries, but global population growth has been dominated by poor countries for a while which should dramatically drag down wage percentiles. In the last 30 years UK’s population for example is up 19% where India’s is up 58%.
  - dash2 6y ago
    Google “elephant graph” or go to ourworldindata and you should find it. Population growth has been dominated by income increases. The average person in China in particular got much richer.
    - Judgmentality 6y ago
      https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/2/16868838/elephant-graph-chart-global-inequality-economic-growth https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/2/16868838/el... I'd never heard of this before. This is the most interesting thing I learned today. Thank you.

elliotec 6y ago

> I think the risk that the wealthiest few will rule the world is largely misplaced and overblown. This has literally been reality in every sense for all of history, and the point here is it's getting worse which a quick google will find you mounds of backing proof.

pjc50 6y ago

> We’ve lifted millions out of poverty in the last few decades Which "we"? Which millions? Do you mean in China?