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Part of it is being informed, paying attention and thinking critically. I recognized things were headed in the wrong direction back in early February of last y

Part of it is being informed, paying attention and thinking critically. I recognized things were headed in the wrong direction back in early February of last year. That's when I went on an online shopping mission for a full week, buying provisions for at least a 90 day lockdown. I told friends, family and neighbors. I also told everyone to buy masks immediately, even if they were a bit more expensive than normal (you could buy real 3M N95 masks for $1 each, which was 5x normal price). A few people laughed at me for suggesting things could get really ugly. Others took the advise and acted on some of it. The first group had to endure long lines and very unpleasant conditions at local markets to get even the basics. The second group did OK. One of the things that was also not helping is that idiot politicians were going on TV to tell everyone everything was fine and were, quite literally, laughing at the Trump administration and calling them racist (and more) for travel bans, etc. The most horrific example of this was New York. Politicians in NY, from the Governor to the Mayor as well as health officials were telling everyone that this was nothing and that they should continue using the subway, going to restaurants, gathering, etc. They, quite literally, were responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths (people from NY panicked when things got bad and exploded out of the state, taking the virus with them everywhere). You don't have to believe me, here they are in their own words (yes, I kept links because I though this would be important to remember): Some of these videos disappeared from YouTube, I had to find them again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k Some of the highlights on this next one (note all the lies and misinformation): • Just like the normal flu • We should relax • We don't think it's going to be as bad as it is in other places • We have been ahead of this from day one • Go about your lives • Go about your business • There has to be prolonged exposure • Just wash your hands • No need to do anything special • We want New Yorkers to go about their daily lives • Ride the subway, ride the bus, go see your neighbors • We have the equipment • It's not like we are dealing with something we haven't dealt with before • We have the ability to address this • We have the capacity to keep this contained • Like the normal flu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM Here's another gem from Dr. Oxiris Barbot, NY Health Commissioner (once again, deadly lies): • The local risk is low • Our preparedness is high • Go about your lives • No indication to be using masks • We have measures • We have screening • No indication that going through the subway is a risk factor • No indications to be using masks • False sense of security • The risk is low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8 Of course, the mainstream media went with these stories, smugly laughing at the Trump administration and gladly characterizing their actions as racially motivated. For context, the travel ban from China was put into place on January 31, 2020. Had these politicians and the media taken this event seriously it is likely hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved. When I heard that I ignored what media and politicians were saying (all is well, not to worry, just like the flu) did my research and got ready early February. My hypothesis was very simple: Such action (the travel ban) would not be taken unless they learned of something very serious potentially coming to our shores. It was, pick a number, five standard deviations away from the mean in international politics. That caught my attention. We need to be honest about this. These politicians and officials were likely responsible for seeding the country with the virus and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Yet most people are uncomfortable with an honest evaluation of history, being biased is easier.

ulucs 6y ago
It's not just the wrong recommendations that have contributed to deaths, they have also undermined trust in governmental advice heavily by changing the narrative so fast. They should do well to remember people aren't goldfish and have memories beyond three seconds.
- zo1 6y ago
  I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I would really like it if people took at least "a bit" of the underlying meaning of a specific phrase used in the ancap community. "Tax Cattle". It's been a really good way for me to conceptually explain quite a few of the actions taken by governments around the world during this pandemic. It's a sort of weird hybrid relationship between "protector" and "farmer". More leaning to the latter judging by how willing officials are to take "calculated risks" with people's lives so as to maintain business, work and normal day to day functioning of the cities/countries. "Freedom" of the people only being an afterthought and something we still don't quite have back yet.
harry8 6y ago
Most news from whatever source seems to be more about pandering to the partisan loyalties of the majority of their readers to make them feel warm and fuzzy. Honest evaluation tends to be used as ammunition by the "side" not being evaluated. "They hate us but even they say their guys were terrible here!" The NYT has gone down this path far further than I would have thought possible. The WSJ is now owned by Murdoch so its less surprising that their news reporting has also slipped. Those are the two best. By a margin. There's a massive problem that isn't being talked about because "Them! They're evil! Just look at what they say about..." edit: I did something similar stocking up based on the Guardian (yeah, not an ideal source) reporting that a woman from Wuhan crossed the country with no symptoms for Chinese New Year and gave the virus to her whole family. She never had symptoms. I thought at that point, this is on, there's a non-negligible chance this will not be contained, so get prepared.
- robomartin 6y ago
  The state of the "news" media is truly sad to behold. They lie, sensationalize and have become political activists for one side or the other. I do not believe the rights they are afforded in the US Constitution were intended to be used in this manner at all. In that sense I agree with the statement that they have become the enemy of the people. They don't provide information, they publish ideology and lies. And, yes, we have to be fair and clearly state that Trump was a complete moron in the way he handled some aspects of this. As an example, I cannot understand why he had such a problem with masks. I can't even imagine the reasons other than to look at it from my background in manufacturing. This is what I think could have happened: The administration quickly understood we don't even make the cloth necessary to make masks. The US and Europe could not manufacture ANY of the safety equipment we needed for this pandemic at scale back in January of last year. We didn't even make the machines that make the masks. Telling the public to go get masks would have resulted in a mess and panic. I get that possibility. Here's what they should have done: Figure out how people could DIY some level of protection and widely publish this. Trump should have gone on TV and told people the truth: We can't make enough masks. They are important. This is what you have to do while we sort this out. Instead he engaged in stupid battles with the media. That was dumb, unnecessary, and, yes, it likely cost lives too. All that said, we are vaccinating at a rate of over a million people per day today because of what the Trump administration set in motion a year ago. They pushed for and succeeded at having multiple vaccines developed in the span of eight months. Something never before done in the history of humanity. And yet he/they were vilified for the stupid shit he did in front of the cameras and, to some extent, rightly so in my opinion. This was a year in which both our politicians and our news media failed us in monumental ways. Both of these groups lied to us. And the consequences were deadly. I hope historians get this one right.

ulucs 6y ago

It's not just the wrong recommendations that have contributed to deaths, they have also undermined trust in governmental advice heavily by changing the narrative so fast. They should do well to remember people aren't goldfish and have memories beyond three seconds.

zo1 6y ago
I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I would really like it if people took at least "a bit" of the underlying meaning of a specific phrase used in the ancap community. "Tax Cattle". It's been a really good way for me to conceptually explain quite a few of the actions taken by governments around the world during this pandemic. It's a sort of weird hybrid relationship between "protector" and "farmer". More leaning to the latter judging by how willing officials are to take "calculated risks" with people's lives so as to maintain business, work and normal day to day functioning of the cities/countries. "Freedom" of the people only being an afterthought and something we still don't quite have back yet.

harry8 6y ago

Most news from whatever source seems to be more about pandering to the partisan loyalties of the majority of their readers to make them feel warm and fuzzy. Honest evaluation tends to be used as ammunition by the "side" not being evaluated. "They hate us but even they say their guys were terrible here!" The NYT has gone down this path far further than I would have thought possible. The WSJ is now owned by Murdoch so its less surprising that their news reporting has also slipped. Those are the two best. By a margin. There's a massive problem that isn't being talked about because "Them! They're evil! Just look at what they say about..." edit: I did something similar stocking up based on the Guardian (yeah, not an ideal source) reporting that a woman from Wuhan crossed the country with no symptoms for Chinese New Year and gave the virus to her whole family. She never had symptoms. I thought at that point, this is on, there's a non-negligible chance this will not be contained, so get prepared.

robomartin 6y ago
The state of the "news" media is truly sad to behold. They lie, sensationalize and have become political activists for one side or the other. I do not believe the rights they are afforded in the US Constitution were intended to be used in this manner at all. In that sense I agree with the statement that they have become the enemy of the people. They don't provide information, they publish ideology and lies. And, yes, we have to be fair and clearly state that Trump was a complete moron in the way he handled some aspects of this. As an example, I cannot understand why he had such a problem with masks. I can't even imagine the reasons other than to look at it from my background in manufacturing. This is what I think could have happened: The administration quickly understood we don't even make the cloth necessary to make masks. The US and Europe could not manufacture ANY of the safety equipment we needed for this pandemic at scale back in January of last year. We didn't even make the machines that make the masks. Telling the public to go get masks would have resulted in a mess and panic. I get that possibility. Here's what they should have done: Figure out how people could DIY some level of protection and widely publish this. Trump should have gone on TV and told people the truth: We can't make enough masks. They are important. This is what you have to do while we sort this out. Instead he engaged in stupid battles with the media. That was dumb, unnecessary, and, yes, it likely cost lives too. All that said, we are vaccinating at a rate of over a million people per day today because of what the Trump administration set in motion a year ago. They pushed for and succeeded at having multiple vaccines developed in the span of eight months. Something never before done in the history of humanity. And yet he/they were vilified for the stupid shit he did in front of the cameras and, to some extent, rightly so in my opinion. This was a year in which both our politicians and our news media failed us in monumental ways. Both of these groups lied to us. And the consequences were deadly. I hope historians get this one right.