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Imagine a pill that completely cures cancer, 100% of the time. But maybe one in a million pills gets stuck in someone's throat and they choke to death. So inst

Imagine a pill that completely cures cancer, 100% of the time. But maybe one in a million pills gets stuck in someone's throat and they choke to death. So instead of 10 million cancer deaths per year, suddenly we see zero. But also 10 extra choking deaths. "The Anti-Cancer Pill caused 10 people to choke to death this year. In contrast, 0 people died of cancer. 10 is much bigger than 0! Why hasn't this pill been banned immediately?"

vixen99 5y ago
You have a point to make and you choose your assumptions to make sure it's made.
- Blackthorn 5y ago
  Yes, that's how communication works.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  What assumptions? It's a thought experiment showing off one end of the spectrum.
nickthemagicman 5y ago
Lockdown is different than a pill. Lockdown is more akin to a straight jacket. A more accurate analogy is only 20% of the population 55 or up is vulnerable to cancer. Now the government puts everyone in a straight jacket with no end in sight to keep that 20% safe. Now substitute the word cancer for covid and straight jacket for lockdown. More people die of car accidents yearly than died of covid in the 80% of the population that is below 55 years old. The average death from covid is 80 years old with multiple comorbidities. We appear to be totally fine as a society to let kids kill themselves to save unhealthy old people. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-from-covid-by-age-us/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-... https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/ https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  Doing something that affects the suicide rate in very complicated ways is not being "fine" with kids killing themselves. And if you're going to compare potential covid deaths to car deaths then you should compare suicide to car deaths too.
  - nickthemagicman 5y ago
    Were people that unaware to not expect covid restrictions to have massive corollary side effects like inflation, increase suicides, massive evictions, increases in homelessness, massive loss of small businesses, addiction increases, and countless more social problems.... This article about suicides are just one of many in a massive list of side effects from questionable government overreach into our lives. Everyone but the rich are going to pay for this lockdown in numerous ways for the foreseeable future.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      The problem is that a lot of people dying or suffering permanent damage will cause a big list of problems too. And can motivate suicides! Also the numbers in your analysis are totally forgetting the part about hospitals getting overwhelmed and death rates spiking. > Everyone but the rich are going to pay for this lockdown in numerous ways for the foreseeable future. Well, let's take more of their money to fix basic societal problems like lack of housing and addiction treatment.
      - nickthemagicman 5y ago
        Not a single hospital was overwhelmed in the United States. Please provide a source for that and not just a source that says 'near capacity'. E.R.s constantly operate 'near capacity'. > Well, let's take more of their money So use the government to fix the problems that the government created? That makes as much sense as wanting to increase government regulations but defund police to enforce those new regulations.

vixen99 5y ago

You have a point to make and you choose your assumptions to make sure it's made.

Blackthorn 5y ago
Yes, that's how communication works.
Dylan16807 5y ago
What assumptions? It's a thought experiment showing off one end of the spectrum.

nickthemagicman 5y ago

Lockdown is different than a pill. Lockdown is more akin to a straight jacket. A more accurate analogy is only 20% of the population 55 or up is vulnerable to cancer. Now the government puts everyone in a straight jacket with no end in sight to keep that 20% safe. Now substitute the word cancer for covid and straight jacket for lockdown. More people die of car accidents yearly than died of covid in the 80% of the population that is below 55 years old. The average death from covid is 80 years old with multiple comorbidities. We appear to be totally fine as a society to let kids kill themselves to save unhealthy old people. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-from-covid-by-age-us/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-... https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/ https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/

Dylan16807 5y ago
Doing something that affects the suicide rate in very complicated ways is not being "fine" with kids killing themselves. And if you're going to compare potential covid deaths to car deaths then you should compare suicide to car deaths too.
- nickthemagicman 5y ago
  Were people that unaware to not expect covid restrictions to have massive corollary side effects like inflation, increase suicides, massive evictions, increases in homelessness, massive loss of small businesses, addiction increases, and countless more social problems.... This article about suicides are just one of many in a massive list of side effects from questionable government overreach into our lives. Everyone but the rich are going to pay for this lockdown in numerous ways for the foreseeable future.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    The problem is that a lot of people dying or suffering permanent damage will cause a big list of problems too. And can motivate suicides! Also the numbers in your analysis are totally forgetting the part about hospitals getting overwhelmed and death rates spiking. > Everyone but the rich are going to pay for this lockdown in numerous ways for the foreseeable future. Well, let's take more of their money to fix basic societal problems like lack of housing and addiction treatment.
    - nickthemagicman 5y ago
      Not a single hospital was overwhelmed in the United States. Please provide a source for that and not just a source that says 'near capacity'. E.R.s constantly operate 'near capacity'. > Well, let's take more of their money So use the government to fix the problems that the government created? That makes as much sense as wanting to increase government regulations but defund police to enforce those new regulations.