Covidiots thread

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cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,047
12,715
136
I agree 100% with your last couple of lines there. This situation is like a war, as I see it, and in a war you do your bit and accept whatever downside there might be as part of the collective struggle. So I got the booster jab, and if they call me for another one I'll get that as well.

I don't agree with the earlier part about trusting relevant 'experts'. Had a life time of encountering specialists and experts who didn't know as much as they thought they did. For example, none of the teachers at my old school had much of a clue about the lives of their students, or what was going on in their own school. They didn't, for example, know that a couple of their colleagues had been seriously sexually-abusing students on the premises for many years. Since then had any number of experiences with doctors or lawyers or other professionals where it turned out their expertise had major limitations.

I mean, I haven't had much direct experience with priests or cops, but you only need to read the papers to see how untrustworthy they can be, as 'professionals' and how prone they are to assume they know far more than they actually do.

The trouble with the concept of 'experts' and 'specialists' (and, above all, ' professionals') is that it all takes place in the context of a class-system. Some of it is just a pretense, a way of maintaining a heirarchy. Hence you can't fully trust experts. The trouble is in the US a distrust of experts seems to have become exclusively associated with the racist-right. (Though, oddly, the right seem very keen on everyone having absolute faith in the infallibility of cops...but even that seems to be weakening now).

In fact that's directly relevant to something I'm dealing with right now - had a consultation with a specialist medic, and came away thinking that I'm really not 100% convinced they know their stuff, because what they said directly contradicted what I'd read in papers in medical journals on-line. Experts and specialists aren't always right.

I'm in a state of serious confusion, in fact, because I know I might not be right either - maybe I'm entirely misinterpreting what those articles were saying? But as it appears the condition I wanted information about is extremely rare and was only definitively identified as a distinct condition as recently as 2016, it seems entirely possible that a random practitoner, even a specialist, might not be that well informed about it. I suspect they were making a mistake that some of the papers I've read also made (as pointed out by other papers). The real problem is you simply can never question such 'experts' very forcefully, because they get very annoyed and you alienate them. You have to tip-toe around their professional pride, so you always come away still full of doubts.

I mean this is why the Bolsheviks introduced a system of Commissars - to keep an eye on those 'experts' who were needed but who couldn't be trusted. Obviously that didn't work, but the problem it was supposed to deal with is a real one.

I agree with all those lines.
But to me all that just comes down to critical thinking.

If there is only one mechanic in the world, it doesnt really matter what my gut instinct says about his credentials, he is my only vector for getting out of here with a functional ride. Introduce a second mechanic and I have options, I might get that second opinion.

Its that Bayesian inference again. Hey I've walked away from medicinal doctors, a couple of surgeons and a three dentists cause expression of their expertise rubbed me the wrong way. Just cause you put on a white coat... Just like with police or anything else that signals authority, start by recognizing the human underneath.

The Bayesian theorem is super simple though, with all other things being equal you got 100 experts, 95 of them says vaccines are safe by vaccine standards, the 96th say Ivermectin, the 97th look suspiciously like Alex Jones, the 98th 99th 100th are flat earthers... Spock logic dictates I accept the vaccine risc and get the jab.
 
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cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,047
12,715
136
Well, when they're dead they won't be able to vote, so fuck em anyway.

I'm tired of their stupidity


Off to go read sorryantivaxxer.com ...

sorryantivaxxer.com
#Winning

edit : I understand that site is not funny, so why am I laughing so hard?
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,047
12,715
136
It's why the one aspect of the climate-change-deniers' argument that I had a bit of sympathy with, was the claim that for socio-economic reasons, it was possible for a 'false concensus' to emerge within a discipline. And that climate change researchers might share a collective bias.
Agreed. There is a non zero percentage chance that the climate change is not as bad as its put forth. Its just that the consequence of losing that bet is quite disastrous. For our kids. So. Plus the Bayesian aspect of it as well, all pot odds considered, there is but one choice.


This is why I don't entirely agree with that Asimov quote that's been posted on here (something about 'my ignorance is equal to your expert knowledge'). I don't think it's as simple as that. it's not necessarily wrong to be suspicious of credentials and expertise, because we don't live in a perfect world, and those things are always muddled up with class hierarchies.

I dont think that is what the quote is addressing though.
 

DarthKyrie

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2016
1,531
1,279
146
sorryantivaxxer.com
#Winning

edit : I understand that site is not funny, so why am I laughing so hard?

So you don't cry due to how stupid people are.

Few things in life are as satisfying as watching a hot dogging jackass get laid out by karma.

Especially when they incessantly goad others to follow them in their stupidity.

I am somewhat glad that COVID came around because it has shown the rest of the world exactly what I have known about my fellow humans for the past 30 years. Agent Smith was right about us needing to be exterminated.
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,493
3,159
136
Well as we now know, there is a potentially deadlier variant of covid threatening from abroad. One that may illude current vaccines and hit the youth the hardest. And that pisses me off because those refusing to vaccinate had better not result with elimination of humanity from the face of the earth. Imagine another round of this virus to result in massive deaths and a return back to lockdowns? If that happened, I truly doubt humanity could survive such a reoccurrence, no not a second time. This could be the ultimate twilight zone that everyone dreads. The real physical threat to the human race, and all because of a virus that could have and should have been controlled however human stubbornness and ignorance stopped that from happening. John Kerry once said of Vietnam, how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? Well, how do you ask a man to be the last man to die because of a virus? A virus that could have been controlled?

I've said it before, the human race is just damn lucky this covid was not 1000 times more deadly than it already has been, or did not kill the children in the numbers that it killed the elderly. Imagine thousands upon thousands upon thousands of grieving parents over the loss of a child? Well, thanks to the ignorance and stupidity of the antiVaxers, humanity just might experience that grievance for real. Humanity could be doomed to near extinction just because of one head up their ass political cult, and thus the curse of Trump comes full circle.
 
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fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
6,483
2,352
136
I've said it before, the human race is just damn lucky this covid was not 1000 times more deadly than it already has been, or did not kill the children in the numbers that it killed the elderly. Imagine thousands upon thousands upon thousands of grieving parents over the loss of a child? Well, thanks to the ignorance and stupidity of the antiVaxers, humanity just might experience that grievance for real. Humanity could be doomed to near extinction just because of one head up their ass political cult, and thus the curse of Trump comes full circle.
On the "bright side" if it hit the kids the hardest there would be far less vaccine hesitancy if any. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all the antivaxxers did 180 and mandated vaccines for everybody because how dare you endanger their child.
 

ReggieDunlap

Senior member
Aug 25, 2009
516
49
91
On the "bright side" if it hit the kids the hardest there would be far less vaccine hesitancy if any. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all the antivaxxers did 180 and mandated vaccines for everybody because how dare you endanger their child.
This. 100% This.
 

weblooker2021

Senior member
Jan 18, 2021
749
254
96
On the "bright side" if it hit the kids the hardest there would be far less vaccine hesitancy if any. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all the antivaxxers did 180 and mandated vaccines for everybody because how dare you endanger their child.
Keep dreaming if you think many will change their mind.
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,647
5,220
136
Unfortunately some of the biggest Anti-Vaxx cheerleaders like Tucker Carlson are likely vaccinated. What he does is not misguided, just pure evil.

Yep, they are the top level grifters in all this.

It's like a Ponzi scheme of stupidity.

They recruit other wannabe influencers and general fb idiots to live the life and amplify the message, drive the dollars upwards, meanwhile not giving two shits when the gullible off themselves to prove their purity.

It's just evil.
 
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Mar 11, 2004
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On the "bright side" if it hit the kids the hardest there would be far less vaccine hesitancy if any. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all the antivaxxers did 180 and mandated vaccines for everybody because how dare you endanger their child.

You haven't been around modern anti-vaxxers then. They use the "I won't let you harm my child!" as their reason for being against vaccines. In fact "think of the children!" was the impetus behind the explosion of the modern anti-vax movement after that UK doctor fabricated evidence to link child autism to vaccines.
 
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K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,884
32,668
136
Today's Covidiot: the WSJ opinion page

wsjmorons.jpeg



Perhaps some of you remember this outlet from when they published a similarly hot take bestowed by the previous administration:


E3-_7YmWUAILeJg.jpeg
 
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K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
45,884
32,668
136
Like I said, the balls on these people are impressive - they deliberately and publicly fight against all COVID mitigation measures and then blame Biden for allowing them to succeed.

Just like they're trying to crown DeSantis a miracle worker for having the 8th most deaths per capita. Trump's biggest gift to conservatism is total and absolute shamelessness.
 
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fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
83,716
47,399
136
Just like they're trying to crown DeSantis a miracle worker for having the 8th most deaths per capita. Trump's biggest gift to conservatism is total and absolute shamelessness.
It really is - it was his one true political innovation. If you refuse to apologize or acknowledge any error you can just brazen your way through almost any scandal.
 

DaaQ

Golden Member
Dec 8, 2018
1,278
923
136
They all need drug testing, all of them. Federal and State elected workers. Requirement to be able to be sworn in and to retain your office, I would even be as lenient as my company, once to get the job, and then if there is an accident, or cause for one, like erratic behavior.
Na, fuck it, random screening x times a year.
 
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MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
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They all need drug testing, all of them. Federal and State elected workers. Requirement to be able to be sworn in and to retain your office, I would even be as lenient as my company, once to get the job, and then if there is an accident, or cause for one, like erratic behavior.
Na, fuck it, random screening x times a year.
If the local grocery store requires drug testing for kids to get a job as "bag boy", then hell yes.
 
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repoman0

Diamond Member
Jun 17, 2010
4,442
3,280
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They all need drug testing, all of them. Federal and State elected workers. Requirement to be able to be sworn in and to retain your office, I would even be as lenient as my company, once to get the job, and then if there is an accident, or cause for one, like erratic behavior.
Na, fuck it, random screening x times a year.

If the local grocery store requires drug testing for kids to get a job as "bag boy", then hell yes.

Well it’s certainly one dumb take to think that drugs have literally anything at all to do with these peoples’ behavior.

I never got drug tested when I was a bag boy as a teenager by the way and have never been drug tested for work in my adult life either despite holding a top secret security clearance, and would never advocate for such a gross invasion of bodily privacy and autonomy
 
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fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
6,483
2,352
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Keep dreaming if you think many will change their mind.
You haven't been around modern anti-vaxxers then. They use the "I won't let you harm my child!" as their reason for being against vaccines. In fact "think of the children!" was the impetus behind the explosion of the modern anti-vax movement after that UK doctor fabricated evidence to link child autism to vaccines.
People are not exactly rational even in the best of times, and anti-vaxers are the least rational of them all. These are the same bunch of people that already did 180 not too long ago, first they chanted "all hail Trump" for cutting down bureaucracy to speed up vaccine development in record time with operation warpspeed, and it only took them a few months after the election to switch to "I'm not taking this vaccine that did not have proper testing because it was developed in record time".

Again, if COVID starts hitting kids I fully expect them to do another 180 to come full circle personal freedoms be damned.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
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Well it’s certainly one dumb take to think that drugs have literally anything at all to do with these peoples’ behavior.

I never got drug tested when I was a bag boy as a teenager by the way and have never been drug tested for work in my adult life either despite holding a top secret security clearance, and would never advocate for such a gross invasion of bodily privacy and autonomy
Same for me, was never drug tested for work or anything else, including for top secret clearance in military and as a civilian to install and maintain networks in multiple government three letter agencies.

I did find it odd that if I had a security clearance for access into FBI server rooms, it was only for the FBI. Had to go through the whole process for clearance into ATF server rooms, but the forms I had to fill out were identical. Was really confusing when I had to access the "joint task force" offices that was created to investigate the Centennial Park bombing in Atlanta.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
136
Again, if COVID starts hitting kids I fully expect them to do another 180 to come full circle personal freedoms be damned.
That would seem like the rational response... much like getting little Johnny vaccinated when the Polio epidemic was hitting children the hardest.

The problem is, these people are not rational... as demonstrated as they threaten and even attack school board members over masks mandates to keep kids safe. They are and will let their children die... because... because... freedumbs