Covid-19 musings.
15 Jun 2020 11:59![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nwhikerWell, things are not well in Washington state. We started out so well... but it turns out, it started out well in rather blue Western Washington. As soon as the disease made it to red Eastern WA, we were fucked. The state is going backwards. And now, even the bluer areas are trending poorly. Not Florida or Texas poorly, but R0 went from below 1 to just above in King County. NOT ok. We're at 1.1, after being at 0.6 a month ago.
It struck me that this was perhaps the worse case scenario in leadership and public health, a dumb-ass science denying conspiracy theorist moron at the head of the country.
Democratic leadership, listening to science: Dems listen. Republicans don't believe everything, but there is no profound politicization of public health, leading to a good number going with the flow and listening to the science based message, and even, perhaps -I'm an optimist- not throwing their hands in the air and screaming FAKE NEWS each time a message had to be changed because of new data coming in.
Reasonable R leadership, a Mitt Romney, or a Jeb Bush: I think there are a few R who will still listen to scientists and who would have been better leaders than Trump. Dems will listen to a science based message. Some Republicans will not listen anyhow, but again, some will because they will not have been primed to disbelief.
Reality: an incompetent HOAX calling moron at the lead: Dems still listen to the science (note how that's a constant around here). A small number of Republicans do as well, at least at first. Vast majority, however, buy into the "HOAX!", "No worse than the flu!", "It'll just go away!", "FAKE NEWS" ranting of the Malignant Mango, and the end result is this: 2 million + cases, 115 000 dead and no end in sight.
The good news is that we aren't going to get a second wave next autumn. Of course that's because we're never fucking going to get out the first wave we're in.
Trump was truly the worse case scenario.
I'll add that apparently some on the right are calling Covid-19 the "Vagina Virus". Because it turns you into a pussy when you wear a mask. Head. Desk.
I'd shrug and call it evolution at work, but in reality, they hurt everyone. The message given to older and vulnerable people is "stay home". Basically because a bunch of goons aren't willing to wear a fucking mask and behave for a few weeks, people need to opt out of society to save their own lives. That is just not acceptable.
This country is fucked. As I've said before, public health should never have been turned into a divisive issue. But Trump managed that, and I can't seen any leader, not Biden, nobody, being able to turn this epidemic around. There are just too many people who are some convinced that they are right and that all the scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, statisticians are wrong.
It struck me that this was perhaps the worse case scenario in leadership and public health, a dumb-ass science denying conspiracy theorist moron at the head of the country.
Democratic leadership, listening to science: Dems listen. Republicans don't believe everything, but there is no profound politicization of public health, leading to a good number going with the flow and listening to the science based message, and even, perhaps -I'm an optimist- not throwing their hands in the air and screaming FAKE NEWS each time a message had to be changed because of new data coming in.
Reasonable R leadership, a Mitt Romney, or a Jeb Bush: I think there are a few R who will still listen to scientists and who would have been better leaders than Trump. Dems will listen to a science based message. Some Republicans will not listen anyhow, but again, some will because they will not have been primed to disbelief.
Reality: an incompetent HOAX calling moron at the lead: Dems still listen to the science (note how that's a constant around here). A small number of Republicans do as well, at least at first. Vast majority, however, buy into the "HOAX!", "No worse than the flu!", "It'll just go away!", "FAKE NEWS" ranting of the Malignant Mango, and the end result is this: 2 million + cases, 115 000 dead and no end in sight.
The good news is that we aren't going to get a second wave next autumn. Of course that's because we're never fucking going to get out the first wave we're in.
Trump was truly the worse case scenario.
I'll add that apparently some on the right are calling Covid-19 the "Vagina Virus". Because it turns you into a pussy when you wear a mask. Head. Desk.
I'd shrug and call it evolution at work, but in reality, they hurt everyone. The message given to older and vulnerable people is "stay home". Basically because a bunch of goons aren't willing to wear a fucking mask and behave for a few weeks, people need to opt out of society to save their own lives. That is just not acceptable.
This country is fucked. As I've said before, public health should never have been turned into a divisive issue. But Trump managed that, and I can't seen any leader, not Biden, nobody, being able to turn this epidemic around. There are just too many people who are some convinced that they are right and that all the scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, statisticians are wrong.
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