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COVID has become an absolute wet dream for the surveillance state. It's amazing to me to see so many of my anti-establishment peers throw their convictions out

COVID has become an absolute wet dream for the surveillance state. It's amazing to me to see so many of my anti-establishment peers throw their convictions out the window because of tribal issues around the vaccine. The government so easily divided us, and now as we bicker and complain about each other on social media they turn the screws on our freedom.

sofixa 5y ago
> It's amazing to me to see so many of my anti-establishment peers throw their convictions out the window because of tribal issues around the vaccine Or they consider that a public health emergency such as a pandemic can only be dealt efficiently from a higher level authority making difficult decisions that have to be followed in order to work? Masks, social distancing, vaccines aren't really effective if they're not deployed on at least country level scale.
- steelstraw 5y ago
  The surveillance and mandates are the direct result of the failure of government officials to prepare for any kind of pandemic, even a relatively mild one such as this. They should have been using the past 22 months to improve services and improve general health (obesity? mental health?) instead of dividing the public and destroying small businesses. Suicide and fentanyl overdoses far exceeded covid deaths in those under 45 this year[1]. 1] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fentanyl-overdose-death/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fentanyl-overdose-death/
  - sofixa 5y ago
    This pandemic is mild only in lethality for <50 year olds. The spread is anything but mild. Preparation varied greatly among countries, some were more prepared than others (mostly in East Asia), but even they were heavily impacted. Many countries have drastically improved since the start of the pandemic, and after all, we now have vaccines to help. If the public is getting divided over a subject like if wearing masks to limit the spread of an airborne virus, it's the public that's wrong and that's not the fault of a public health authority. > They should have been using the past 22 months to improve services and improve general health (obesity? mental health?) instead of dividing the public and destroying small businesses Some did. France did, and also did everything possible to limit the impact on children (schools stayed open) and businesses ( free loans, grants, covering of expenses like salaries and rent etc.). And the society isn't divided on masks and vaccines, the ones opposing the latter are a small minority. > Suicide and fentanyl overdoses far exceeded covid deaths in those under 45 this year Don't people over 45 matter too? I agree that for 80 year olds with a limited time span remaining it's not that tragic, but 50-60 year olds still have decades of life remaining in normal circumstances. Not to mention a non-zero number of <50 year olds have also died from Covid.
- ed25519FUUU 5y ago
  As other people have said: when you let the government expand its power in emergencies then you’ll never run out of emergencies.
  - sofixa 5y ago
    Heavily disagree. A pandemic is a legitimate emergency, and I don't live in absolute fear that "the government" ( as if it's some monolithic entity) is composed of power hungry people whose only goal is more power, because, it isn't ( speaking for where i live, maybe you live in a place so terrible).

sofixa 5y ago

> It's amazing to me to see so many of my anti-establishment peers throw their convictions out the window because of tribal issues around the vaccine Or they consider that a public health emergency such as a pandemic can only be dealt efficiently from a higher level authority making difficult decisions that have to be followed in order to work? Masks, social distancing, vaccines aren't really effective if they're not deployed on at least country level scale.

steelstraw 5y ago
The surveillance and mandates are the direct result of the failure of government officials to prepare for any kind of pandemic, even a relatively mild one such as this. They should have been using the past 22 months to improve services and improve general health (obesity? mental health?) instead of dividing the public and destroying small businesses. Suicide and fentanyl overdoses far exceeded covid deaths in those under 45 this year[1]. 1] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fentanyl-overdose-death/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fentanyl-overdose-death/
- sofixa 5y ago
  This pandemic is mild only in lethality for <50 year olds. The spread is anything but mild. Preparation varied greatly among countries, some were more prepared than others (mostly in East Asia), but even they were heavily impacted. Many countries have drastically improved since the start of the pandemic, and after all, we now have vaccines to help. If the public is getting divided over a subject like if wearing masks to limit the spread of an airborne virus, it's the public that's wrong and that's not the fault of a public health authority. > They should have been using the past 22 months to improve services and improve general health (obesity? mental health?) instead of dividing the public and destroying small businesses Some did. France did, and also did everything possible to limit the impact on children (schools stayed open) and businesses ( free loans, grants, covering of expenses like salaries and rent etc.). And the society isn't divided on masks and vaccines, the ones opposing the latter are a small minority. > Suicide and fentanyl overdoses far exceeded covid deaths in those under 45 this year Don't people over 45 matter too? I agree that for 80 year olds with a limited time span remaining it's not that tragic, but 50-60 year olds still have decades of life remaining in normal circumstances. Not to mention a non-zero number of <50 year olds have also died from Covid.
ed25519FUUU 5y ago
As other people have said: when you let the government expand its power in emergencies then you’ll never run out of emergencies.
- sofixa 5y ago
  Heavily disagree. A pandemic is a legitimate emergency, and I don't live in absolute fear that "the government" ( as if it's some monolithic entity) is composed of power hungry people whose only goal is more power, because, it isn't ( speaking for where i live, maybe you live in a place so terrible).