Coronavirus

jpat wrote: I'd agree that the anti-intellectual strain is specifically American

Nah. Pol Pot killed a couple of million people in Cambodia and having an education put you in the express lane. The 1979 Iranian Revolution was about returning to more or less a barefoot and pregnant society. Polio vaccines in southeast Asia can no longer be delivered because government leaders tell the populace that it's a plot to sterilize Muslims. Anti-intellectualism is a proven method to govern without opposition. We Americans just happened to be next in line.

The real question becomes what Republicans do once Trump leaves office, either next January or four years after that (or feet-first in between). If his son is tapped his successor even if via election that's the end of the Republic. I think that's unlikely, as Donald Junior is (if you dare believe it) stupider than his dad.

We really perfected anti-intellectualism. We practically re-invented it once the Inquisition finally ended.

harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid...n-american-politics/

QAnon, Pizzagate, Fake News, Truthers, it's all part of the big bullshit machine that keeps this country dumb enough to keep electing people that actively oppose their best interests.

I'd spoken carelessly and really meant that there is a particular strain of American anti-intellectualism that has deep roots. I didn't mean to suggest there was no anti-intellectualism anywhere else. Indeed, populism (which isn't the only sort of anti-intellectualism, or strictly anti-intellectual) is on the rise in many places and is obviously opposed to elitism, of which intellectualism can be seen as a part. And of course there are other strains of thought, such as authoritarianism, that thrive in ignorance and distrust. But I think American society has come close to reaching the apotheosis of a certain brand, born of a wide mix of factors, including Enlightenment individualism, evangelicalism, propagandization (Fox News, right-wing talk radio, YouTube, and especially social media), government corruption, distrust in institutions, distrust in truth as a concept, and cynicism.

Believe it or not, there are people here in Queens who refuse to wear masks. They make eye contact with a 'say something, motherfucker' look. Over 15k people confirmed dead in NYC alone, and this is the stand you want to take? I've lost several dear friends to the virus itself as well as suicide in the past two months. I have no patience for this shit. You want to not wear a mask because you value your 'rights' over other people's health and safety, what can I do? These are the same assholes who believe their 2nd amendment right trumps my son's right to not get shot in school. You're a piece of shit, but I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. But if you come close to my son and I, I'm gonna excercise my right to knock you the fuck out after one warning to back up.

This is how I see everyone in my community now;

Mask: A good person who at least pretends to give a shit about others.

No-Mask: A selfish asshole who deserves to be shunned.

ChristopherMD wrote: This is how I see everyone in my community now;

Mask: A good person who at least pretends to give a shit about others.

No-Mask: A selfish asshole who deserves to be shunned.

Exactly. We're 95% sure that we had the virus back in the beginning of all of this. We're still extremely cautious, but a big part of why I cover my face when I leave the house is out of respect for my fellow New Yorkers. People are dying and folks are scared. It's quite literally the very least I can do. People act like their 'rights' are a pie and that if someone else gets some it means less for them. What's so fucking unamerican about peace, love, and understanding?

ChristopherMD wrote: This is how I see everyone in my community now;

Mask: A good person who at least pretends to give a shit about others.

No-Mask: A selfish asshole who deserves to be shunned.

For me, I tend to equate wearing a mask with smoking in public. Some years ago, we decided as a society to largely ban smoking in public spaces, because it had harmful effects on OTHER people. If you want to smoke, do it in the assigned space or at home, but don't give the rest of us lung cancer. That was the theory.

Masks follow the same philosophy. They're not intended to keep YOU safe (for the most part). They're intended to keep everyone else safe FROM YOU, in the event that you are an asymptomatic spreader.

I do not recall at the time when public smoking was banned that there were mass protests with armed fools storming state legislatures to bark about how their freedoms were being trampled upon. So, why the protests with masks that we didn't see with smoking bans? Is it simply evidence of more divisions, more ignorance, more polarization?

It certainly doesn't help when disingenuous politicians spout the word "freedom" (as in people's freedom has been forcibly taken away) by the same politicians who rightly put these "freedom-taking" public health orders and guidelines in place to begin with. They talk out of both sides of their mouths, but now much more loudly use words they know will trigger their voter base. They talk about freedom but pay small lip service to safety.

As an aside, do none of them have enough self awareness to be embarrassed that their biggest supporters are mostly fucking morons? Though I guess embarrassment doesn't come into play when it's all a game with money at stake.

bfkiller wrote: . . . when it's all a game with money at stake.

Ding!

Money is one of the, if not THE, largest factors, but there's another aspect that has developed since the Reagan years: ideology. The supply side economic theory became, almost literally, a religion. It became the only "sensible" way to do anything; so much so that Republicans since 1994 would look back on their 1954 platform (the one that called for things like universal healthcare) as a communist plot. (I wish that was a joke.)

When you've wedded not just your political career but your entire existence to promoting a set of ideas that are roundly false or disproved, it's the equivalent of telling an ardent believer in religion that their god doesn't exist. It's not something that can enter their frame of reference. Look at Justin Amash; apostate to the GOP because of Trump, but still spouting the standard ideology on Twitter on a daily basis, despite the fact that significant parts of that ideology are being blown up by this public health crisis.

The ignorant followers are just icing on the cake. These are the same people that embodied Nixon's Southern Strategy: tell the poor, White folk that their problems aren't caused by the rich, White folk who own all the land, but by the even poorer Black folk down the road. Somehow. It's like how the lazy immigrants are coming to take our jobs. It doesn't have to make sense if it's a religion. You just have to have faith. And if you have faith, then it's not just about money; even if the latter is the bedrock that supports the farcical structure.

One of the sadder aspects of rampant anti-intellectualism (aside from needless deaths and economic ruin I guess) is the situation where self-professed constitution-lovers are ignorant of the constitution.

If anyone ever complains that quarantine orders are “unconstitutional,” please point them to this SCOTUS case from 1902:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compagnie_Francais...iana_Board_of_Health

7-2 decision affirming that states can order citizens to quarantine and it does not violate their rights.

Several restaurants in my NH town have added outdoor function tents/tables, even using part of the parking lot, in anticipation of next weeks allowing of outside dining being allowed. That will be interesting to see how that works in light of this episode down in MA last week:

www.boston25news.com/news/one-day-after-...UYJE2LMHXB3NOFF6ITE/

People are dying to eat out, I get it - I am as well. And the warmer weather increases the pent up demand of people cooped up inside. I drove over an hour each way for a mountain bike ride today and in normal times would have stopped at multiple road side places for food and drink.

This is going to be interesting to watch but I plan on staying away. Plus as someone who often dines alone, I don't want to take up a scarce two person table for myself.

jay718 wrote: These are the same assholes who believe their 2nd amendment right trumps my son's right to not get shot in school. You're a piece of shit, but I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. But if you come close to my son and I, I'm gonna excercise my right to knock you the fuck out after one warning to back up.

The same geniuses who show up to these protests with guns to defend themselves have no qualms about assaulting others with a deadly virus.

Personally, I think stand your ground/self-defense should be used against any jackass that wants to enter another person’s vicinity unmasked.

"If we didn't do testing, we wouldn't have so many cases."

-- President Donald J. Trump (today)

The stupidest f*cking man in America.

I saw that video. I wish I was surprised that he said that.