The coronabrexit thread. I mean, coronavirus thread

[GboroRam]

11 minutes ago, TexasRam said:

It’s a vicious circle, MSM overhype, government reacts as they’re scared not too do anything, MSM overhypes more, government reacts more, and on it goes. I’m sure most news networks have been waiting for an event like this to happen for ages and couldn’t wait to unleash the mass hysteria all for their own ratings (and ultimately gain). Anyway as you say (I’ve gone all Richard Keogh) nice to know we’re not totally crazy conspiracy theorists after all. 

I think 24 hour news has a lot to answer for. They can't exactly say, here is the news, nothing is happening. Every event has to be driven to the maximum to justify their existence. Every minor issue has to be whipped into a frenzy otherwise they have nothing to talk about. Minor uninteresting squabbles turn into massive debates, like whether or not Meghan should go to the funeral. I'm sure before 24 hour news it wouldn't have been such a controversial issue, or it might have been in the papers for a day or two before something more interesting came up and the press butterfly-like changed direction.

[ariotofmyown]

16 minutes ago, TexasRam said:

It’s a vicious circle, MSM overhype, government reacts as they’re scared not too do anything, MSM overhypes more, government reacts more, and on it goes. I’m sure most news networks have been waiting for an event like this to happen for ages and couldn’t wait to unleash the mass hysteria all for their own ratings (and ultimately gain). Anyway as you say (I’ve gone all Richard Keogh) nice to know we’re not totally crazy conspiracy theorists after all. 

Probably worth remembering that 10s of 1000s of people have died through Covid and it's left lots of people in grief, including people on this thread. Of the 30 or so people I know who have had it, of them have been left with long term issues (asthma and quarter of lung usage instead). I know a few people who have lost people too.

I know you and others are not heartless by any means, but possibly worth watching your language when posting on this subject. Covid deaths are very real for some people and they could easily get hurt/emotional to read posts saying it's all hype, or profiteering by big companies.

I'm no lover of big business, but recognise that the logisitcs infrastructures built up by the likes of Amazon and the food industry have been pretty useful over the last year. I also appreciate that companies like Netflix have been able to keep us entertained. They aren't all bad.

 

[Gone]

14 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

Probably worth remembering that 10s of 1000s of people have died through Covid and it's left lots of people in grief, including people on this thread. Of the 30 or so people I know who have had it, of them have been left with long term issues (asthma and quarter of lung usage instead). I know a few people who have lost people too.

I know you and others are not heartless by any means, but possibly worth watching your language when posting on this subject. Covid deaths are very real for some people and they could easily get hurt/emotional to read posts saying it's all hype, or profiteering by big companies.

I'm no lover of big business, but recognise that the logisitcs infrastructures built up by the likes of Amazon and the food industry have been pretty useful over the last year. I also appreciate that companies like Netflix have been able to keep us entertained. They aren't all bad.

 

Agree and understand, but the truth is the truth and we should Be able to talk about it otherwise we should just close the thread. Given the nature of views maybe we should close it.

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by TexasRam

[maxjam]

30 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

Probably worth remembering that 10s of 1000s of people have died through Covid and it's left lots of people in grief, including people on this thread. Of the 30 or so people I know who have had it, of them have been left with long term issues (asthma and quarter of lung usage instead). I know a few people who have lost people too.

I know you and others are not heartless by any means, but possibly worth watching your language when posting on this subject. Covid deaths are very real for some people and they could easily get hurt/emotional to read posts saying it's all hype, or profiteering by big companies.

I'm no lover of big business, but recognise that the logisitcs infrastructures built up by the likes of Amazon and the food industry have been pretty useful over the last year. I also appreciate that companies like Netflix have been able to keep us entertained. They aren't all bad.

I thought @TexasRam was speaking accurately and very specifically about the negative circle of hype that has surrounded covid, which we can surely separate from any personal distress it has caused?

And whilst the likes of Amazon etc have helped out during the crisis, they have also profited massively from it - both in the short term financially and in the long term as many of their smaller rivals will have folded.  Furthermore (and not a topic for this thread) it is difficult to give them much benefit of the doubt when even their push to increase the minimum wage for example has altruistic motives.

[ariotofmyown]

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

I thought @TexasRam was speaking accurately and very specifically about the negative circle of hype that has surrounded covid, which we can surely separate from any personal distress it has caused?

And whilst the likes of Amazon etc have helped out during the crisis, they have also profited massively from it - both in the short term financially and in the long term as many of their smaller rivals will have folded.  Furthermore (and not a topic for this thread) it is difficult to give them much benefit of the doubt when even their push to increase the minimum wage for example has altruistic motives.

Agreed there are lots of stuff things Amazon are not very good on. They were lucky their operation works so well in this crisis, unlike say Airbnb where everyone stopped going on holiday.

If there was, say, a major issue with overseas supply chains, then the likes of Amazon may suffer whilst the local farm shop goes crazy.

It's convenient for Amazon they have benefitted from lockdown. And that is all it is. To see some hidden agenda that helps some types of big business, but not others (airline industry, hospitality etc) is false.

[maxjam]

5 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

It's convenient for Amazon they have benefitted from lockdown. And that is all it is. To see some hidden agenda that helps some types of big business, but not others (airline industry, hospitality etc) is false.

This has been my argument for a while now, as a consequence of the first lockdowns some big business and the media made substantial profits.  Since then we have seen the goalposts shift time and again and the arguments for remaining locked down grow steadily weaker.  

I hope in the fullness of time we get a proper inquiry into the various responses to the pandemic - and if, as the related CNN sting shows us, some big businesses have been putting pressure on Governments to prolong lockdowns for profit or promoting a certain narrative for selfish reasons, appropriate action is taken.

[JoetheRam]

If people didn't watch these channels/visit their websites/buy their newspapers/follow their social media, then they would all stop being overblown, scare-mongering, frenzy-driven PR machines for the World's biggest corporate/political interests.

Unfortunately most people do at least one of these things. I, unfortunately, read the BBC website every day at work and it's just as bad as the rest. But you learn to sift out the 90% BS and take away the 10% of the story that is true/useful to know.

What's the old saying? Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see... unfortunately encouraging critical thinking and independent thought is not high on most Government's to do lists.

Last thing the Governments of the world want is the plebs getting ideas above their stations.

COVID is real and awful, however like most things, it has been weaponised by political parties on all sides, and perpetuated by the media to further divide society and help pit the general public against themselves - "Covidiots" vs "Snowflakes", rather than allowing a post-Brexit/post Trump media vacuum to be created which might be more dangerous to those at the top.

 

 

[Stive Pesley]

1 hour ago, JoetheRam said:

If people didn't watch these channels/visit their websites/buy their newspapers/follow their social media, then they would all stop being overblown, scare-mongering, frenzy-driven PR machines for the World's biggest corporate/political interests.

Unfortunately most people do at least one of these things.

Its worse than that though isn't it, because it doesn't actually matter if you choose not to visit the content - it gets pushed on you from all angles and you get sucked in anyway. It's all consuming if you're not careful

To me the most important lesson to teach future generations is not critical thinking - because in an era of widespread misinformation you can't trust most of what you read anyway. So critical thinking too often leads people down youtube rabbit holes. The important lesson to teach people is that just because the internet gives you an instant voice it doesn't always mean you have to use it. 

[Archied]

1 hour ago, JoetheRam said:

If people didn't watch these channels/visit their websites/buy their newspapers/follow their social media, then they would all stop being overblown, scare-mongering, frenzy-driven PR machines for the World's biggest corporate/political interests.

Unfortunately most people do at least one of these things. I, unfortunately, read the BBC website every day at work and it's just as bad as the rest. But you learn to sift out the 90% BS and take away the 10% of the story that is true/useful to know.

What's the old saying? Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see... unfortunately encouraging critical thinking and independent thought is not high on most Government's to do lists.

Last thing the Governments of the world want is the plebs getting ideas above their stations.

COVID is real and awful, however like most things, it has been weaponised by political parties on all sides, and perpetuated by the media to further divide society and help pit the general public against themselves - "Covidiots" vs "Snowflakes", rather than allowing a post-Brexit/post Trump media vacuum to be created which might be more dangerous to those at the top.

 

 

Spot on , this all in it together fairytale is garbage and we are hugely divided as people, we have people desperate to live a normal life again , we have people so scared by this virus they will probably struggle to ever return to normal life , we have people destroyed by lockdowns , we have people who’s lives have in big parts been improved by lockdowns in terms of work/life balance , it a bloody mess that is not going to be righted for a very long time if ever , personally followed all the rules , had first jab but I very much doubt I will be having the second the way the rhetoric is going whats the bloody point,

there is a virus and it has very sadly taken lives but the response to it from government s and media has been and is inhuman 

[Eddie]

To summarise - one death is a tragedy. 127,191 deaths is a statistic.

[Rev]

3 hours ago, Archied said:

Spot on , this all in it together fairytale is garbage and we are hugely divided as people, we have people desperate to live a normal life again , we have people so scared by this virus they will probably struggle to ever return to normal life , we have people destroyed by lockdowns , we have people who’s lives have in big parts been improved by lockdowns in terms of work/life balance , it a bloody mess that is not going to be righted for a very long time if ever , personally followed all the rules , had first jab but I very much doubt I will be having the second the way the rhetoric is going whats the bloody point,

there is a virus and it has very sadly taken lives but the response to it from government s and media has been and is inhuman 

You might as well take the second one,  you'll only make things more difficult for yourself by not having the top up.

Belt and braces, isn't it.

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

With 77 cases of the variant from India which has what sounds like a very dangerous double mutation and according to a health professional on the news is exceptionally transmittable why isn't India on the red list.  Leave it any longer this vaccine rollout may be pointless.

Unless I'm missing something ?

[Archied]

Duck me , it’s come to something when I’m looking in this thread desperately hoping for something to lift the spirits ,,,,,, what a humdinger of a crap year , life down , Derby down ??‍♂️ 

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

1 hour ago, Archied said:

Duck me , it’s come to something when I’m looking in this thread desperately hoping for something to lift the spirits ,,,,,, what a humdinger of a crap year , life down , Derby down ??‍♂️ 

It's been said in another thread that if we go down, it is the governments fault so you are in the right place.

The pubs are kind of opened & shops are opened. Vaccine is going well (mostly) so reasons to believe we can have a good summer. There you are i tried!

[Gone]

6 hours ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

variant from India which has what sounds like a very dangerous double mutation

When life is starting to return to some sort of normal, as if by magic, here we go...............#cultofcovid

[ariotofmyown]

1 hour ago, TexasRam said:

When life is starting to return to some sort of normal, as if by magic, here we go...............#cultofcovid

Unfortunately, lot's of that magic happens when infected people mix, the virus spreads more and mutations occur.

Brazil looks to be the place where they are putting this to the test, with some pretty bad results.

Ironic that one of the places worse hit in the world is in the Amazon. That's what happens when you don't obey the other Amazon (as well as ignoring science but that is just #mediahype).

[Gone]

1 hour ago, ariotofmyown said:

Unfortunately, lot's of that magic happens when infected people mix, the virus spreads more and mutations occur

Well next never mix again just in case the nasty variant appears #cultofcovid

[ariotofmyown]

2 minutes ago, TexasRam said:

Well next never mix again just in case the nasty variant appears #cultofcovid

Lol and you accuse the media of sensationalism! #brazildiditright

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, TexasRam said:

Well next never mix again just in case the nasty variant appears #cultofcovid

#bonkers

[Gone]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

#bonkers

You’re not Eddie