LinvilleGorge

This really is day one of Stats 101 type stuff.

I especially like this picture. That face you make when you're going for your maskless photo op and the dude you're walking arm in arm with starts coughing.

I have no doubt that mask wearing percentage is much higher at the protests but let's be fair and post more than one pic. And let's definitely lose those masks when it's political photo op time.

The "but we're testing more now!" crowd doesn't understand math. Yeah, we are testing more now. We're also seeing a much higher percentage of positives. The increase in cases is NOT simply due to increased testing. We're also running a lot more tests right now than other countries because our active case count is rapidly accelerating while their case count is very low.

The rest of the world is certainly doing a far better job than us. They're really not comparable issues. The drug war is a supply/demand issue where we've really only made a legit effort on the supply side. As long as there's a demand and profit to be made, someone will figure out the supply side. That factor doesn't apply to a virus.

Absolutely.

It's why I avoid the major news outlets. They're all tremendously biased to cater to their audience. The problem is that people actually WANT their news tremendously biased. Very few people want to face the discomfort of a differing opinion. Confirmation bias is comforting. I just wish people would stop getting their pandemic news from these sources. I wish they'd stop getting ANY news from them, but if we could start with pandemic news I'd definitely take that.

They're equal in that they're gathering of large numbers of people when medical professionals are saying that is the #1 thing we need to be avoiding. I'm completely removing the sociopolitical motivations from the equations because the virus does too. Do you really think the pool party goers aren't going to look at the media praising the protests and say "Well, if they can gather together so can we!" Nothing happens in a vacuum. I understand the motivation of the protesters but it still doesn't make gathering in huge crowds during a pandemic a good idea.

I can't say the same. It has been a VERY politically motivated decision in my observation. I don't think anyone is cheering mask wearing. Yeah, it sucks. But honestly, it's a relatively minor inconvenience. Certainly less inconveniencing than a widespread pandemic.

Based on my local observations, the mask mandate definitely didn't make things worse. Prior to the mandate, locally mask wearing percentage was very low. Definitely well under 50%. The majority of people definitely weren't wearing masks. After the mandate it has been the opposite. Sure, it made the idiots scream louder but it has resulted in a net positive benefit.

Outdoors transmission has been shown to be pretty low. It was just very ironic to see that situation unfold just days apart. The right has by far played the bigger role in politicization, but that was a clear case of politicization from the left.

I definitely agree with the stance that pandemic deniers are absolutely the biggest culprit in our current situation. Goal post movers who choose whether or not certain behaviors are acceptable based on sociopolitical factors are a (very) distant second.

Honestly, it blew my mind when in the very same week packed Ozark pool parties were widely condemned as reckless behavior while packed protests were celebrated by the very same people. WTF? The virus doesn't care about your sociopolitical views or your motivation for gathering in large numbers.

My best advice to everyone is to simply turn off the news. Turn it the fug off. I tune in once a month or so just to see what they're saying and it's no surprise in the least why America is so divided. Between our politicians and the news, everything is driving a wedge between us. Our politicians and media are leeches feeding on the division so they're dumping gas on the flames with a fire hose. Turn that poo the fug off.

My bad. I do agree with you that the media and politicians SHOULD feel a sense of duty to be truthful, but the reality is that they're a manifestation of society. If this BS didn't work for them, they'd stop doing it. They cater to the lowest common denominator and unfortunately more and more of society is trending toward that lowest common denominator.

Gotta love how people of a certain delusion will cling to the opinions of a tiny percentage of doctors and say, "See! A doctor said it!" while ignoring the reality that the vast majority of doctors are of a far different opinion. And in this case, it's a doctor with a huge political motive being that he's a sitting senator. But, really... it's everyone else who is politicizing this. Good grief.

What can I say, I don't have much patience for stupid people and this pandemic has really challenged what little patience I had.

Okay, Trump. That's the game he plays. Very strongly imply something, then claim that well I never specifically said that.

Yeah, almost 11k Texans are in the hospital right now due to being physically overwhelmed by a hoax. Oh wait, no that would be COVID.

Yeah, almost 11k Texans are in the hospital right now due to being physically overwhelmed by a hoax. Oh wait, no that would be COVID.

Maybe the medical professionals explaining how deaths are classified? But no, let's listen to conspiracy mongers, politicians, and a handful of quacks who somehow achieved a medical degree and are seeking their 15 minutes of fame.

It's a lack of intelligence that leads to a lack of trust that is due to what is found in social media and spewing from the mouths of politicians. When all the virologists and epidemiologists are saying one thing and your idiot friends who barely graduated HS and a politician who is ignoring his own advisors say the opposite, well yeah... it's lack of intelligence that leads to believing group B over group A.

You and your fellow dumbasses were the ones who listened to the politicization. Virtually no actual medical professionals agree with your side. Stop listening to the politicians and start listening to the medical professionals.

Why do people still scream what could we have done differently? How do you explain how the rest of the entire developed world handled it so much better?

Trump will have to ramble incoherently about nothing and build more snowmen (uh, I mean give another speech) again to allow them to reload.