Our Covid Response

[Cheetodust]

And just like with Covid, taking personal responsibility (careful driving, wearing a seatbelt, etc) greatly lowers your risk of injury if you do get into an accident, the same way personal responsibility will greatly lower your chances of consequences if you should get Covid.

And just like with covid, we don't just trust that people will take that responsibility themselves, we have rules to help ensure that they do. Like jesus christ man, laws exist and you keep insisting that we don't have laws limiting people's "health choices". It's bullshit.

 

[Agema]

unfortunately, culturally, the Western world isn't ready for libertarianism. You can't have freedom without responsibility and individualism has been far too ingrained in our culture for total freedom to not be a complete disaster. To clarify, I don't think that means humans are incapable of living without mandates and threats, just that we've spent the last half a century or so driving home the idea that we're meant to be in competition with each other.

I'm inclined to agree. Libertarianism as exists is far too firmly couched in narrow-minded self-interest to be a viable base model for society.

I'm not necessarily that opposed to libertarianism on a purely philosophical and political level, but I tend to find libertarians have a greater than average chance of being insufferable twats who would collapse their own society in pretty short order.

 

[Buyetyen]

Correct and that is because the media fuckered the messaging. Mandates now, do not erase the failures of the past. But the resistance signifies the inconsistancy in messaging that was done for political gain, when it should have been united, but the government has no desire to protect the people, it only wants to control them. If they wanted to protect us they would have kept their stories straight.

So it's the media's fault? Jesus haploid Christ man. You're here complaining about masks and lockdowns, but you're blaming the media for not selling you on it hard enough? Take some fucking responsibility.

 

[bluegate]

So it's the media's fault? Jesus haploid Christ man. You're here complaining about masks and lockdowns, but you're blaming the media for not selling you on it hard enough? Take some fucking responsibility.

But remember, had the media been selling it too much, they'd have been suspicious and hadn't listened anyway because, well, if the media's trying so hard to sell it, there has to be something up, right?

 

[Buyetyen]

But remember, had the media been selling it too much, they'd have been suspicious and hadn't listened anyway because, well, if the media's trying so hard to sell it, there has to be something up, right?

True. It really is a no-win scenario.

 

[Seanchaidh]

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Newsmax strongly believes and has reported that the Covid 19 vaccines are safe and effective. We do not believe the vaccines contain any toxic materials or tracking markers, and such false claims have never been reported on Newsmax. The many medical experts appearing on Newsmax have supported the use of the vaccine.

What on earth could have prompted these bizarre statements? A tweet from Emerald Robinson, Newsmax’s White House correspondent:


In advancing the bioluminescence claim, Robinson is following the grand tradition of people repeating garbage from social media. Here’s a Facebook post that warns about “LUCIFERASE ENZYME (MARK OF THE BEAST) IN C19 VACCINE.” Here’s another post, also on Facebook, citing a “patent” number “060606.” The three 6s and mark-of-the-beast terminology summon the apocalyptical narrative in the Book of Revelation (which is, as Robinson noted, the last one in the New Testament). Those who carry the mark “shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb,” according to Revelation.


It’s a clever bit of disinformation: Lucifer is a synonym for the devil, a fallen angel who defied God. The Latin roots of the name combine “lux” (light) and “ferre” (to bring or bear). As it happens, the word has a much less apocalyptic meaning in science: Luciferase is an enzyme that, under certain circumstances, produces light from living organisms (such as fireflies).

While none of the available coronavirus vaccines contain this enzyme, there is a connection between Robinson’s tweet and the real world: In July 2020, a report stated that scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston were using luciferase to “develop faster and more accurate diagnostic tests for COVID-19 as well as to analyze potential therapies and gain a clearer understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself.” And as The Post’s Philip Bump noted, some vaccine trials used luciferase, though it wasn’t included in the final products.

Which is to say, the two-thirds of Americans who’ve taken at least one vaccine dose needn’t worry about acquiring a subcutaneous glow.

We here at the Erik Wemple Blog don’t make a habit of debunking random covid disinformation on Twitter. It’s just that in this case, the person spouting that disinformation also attends briefings at the White House and routinely poses questions to press secretary Jen Psaki. Last May, for instance, Robinson asked about the funding relationship between the National Institutes of Health and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the possibility that the virus leaked from a lab, and whether President Biden had pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping on the origin of coronavirus. After jousting with Robinson for a bit, Psaki said, “I’m sorry, Emerald. I think you’ve had plenty of time today.”

In a September briefing, Robinson attempted to sneak in a question after Psaki had signaled the end of the proceedings. Robinson: “I have a question. On the polling — the president’s polling continues to collapse —” Psaki: “Emerald, I know you like to shout at the end. Next time, we’ll do it during the briefing.”

And on Oct. 19, Robinson tussled with Psaki about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s parental leave. When Psaki insisted on moving to another reporter, Robinson complained, “You give a little — a lot more questions to other people, Jen.” Perhaps that’s because those other people don’t spread rumors about vaccines carrying bioluminescent trackers!

The Erik Wemple Blog asked Robinson if we could chat with her about the luciferase posting. She replied, “What would you like to know about the covid vaccines?” We wrote back to ask if they were safe and effective, as her employer noted. She hasn’t replied to that one.

There’s no way to defend Robinson’s luciferase tweet; if there were, Newsmax would have given it a whirl. The tweet has been deleted.

The mentality that fed the luciferase tweet, however, remains accessible. On her Substack platform, for instance, Robinson posted a “public document” that includes this thought: “Now, we are watching the medical establishment inject literal poison into millions of our fellow Americans without so much as a fight.” Elsewhere, she called Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease doctor, the “Dr. Mengele of our days.” And, as of writing, this false claim about vaccines and DNA is still up for her 438,000 Twitter followers:

What are the countermeasures for this sort of malicious activity? Well, Twitter has “temporarily locked” Robinson’s account “for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy.” As for her presence in the White House briefing room, that’s a stickier matter. The White House Correspondents’ Association manages briefing-room seating assignments, which don’t entail an outlet-by-outlet content analysis. A recent internal WHCA email detailed the considerations that go into such decisions:

A committee of four members of our board will weigh factors such as an outlet’s reach, average daily/weekly/monthly audience (as verified by third-party data), coverage commitment (as evidenced by length of service on the beat, staffing in Washington, participation in pools and attendance at briefings), and diversity and inclusion (geographic variation, diversity of viewpoints, targeting of underserved audiences).

Any White House attempt to oust Robinson would invite court challenges over viewpoint discrimination.

The most forceful remedy lies with Robinson’s employer, Newsmax. Does it have the sense of civic responsibility to support this nonsense? Or does it care too much about the audience, ratings and money that this nonsense furnishes? We asked Newsmax if it remains confident in Robinson’s reporting and received this response: “Newsmax is currently reviewing the posts and during that period Ms. Robinson will not be on air but continue with duties for the network.”

True. It really is a no-win scenario.

It's what happens when crowdsourcing bollocks: every member donates their share of excuses for everything so the others can deploy them as cheap gish-gallop get-outs. Consistency never matters.

unfortunately, culturally, the Western world isn't ready for libertarianism. You can't have freedom without responsibility and individualism has been far too ingrained in our culture for total freedom to not be a complete disaster. To clarify, I don't think that means humans are incapable of living without mandates and threats, just that we've spent the last half a century or so driving home the idea that we're meant to be in competition with each other.

Pretty much all libertarian talk I hear nowadays is whinging about taxes and the age of consent.

 

[Trunkage]

I assume you mean if they come in with a weapon and use it to harm right?

Every restuarant has a shitload of knives everywhere, and they aren't really that dangerous. Even if used in properly the worst that happens is you loose some skin or MAYBE a fingertip. Painful and gross, not fatal.

No. For example, I believe that the current laws in Texas allow open carry if the restaurant permits it. All restaurants allow concealed carry. This does not mean you get to whip out your gun and wave it around. You are expected to holster it properly.

Knives in a restaurant are not dangerous SPECIFICALLY because they are used appropriately. If they aren't being used properly, the restaurant can lose their licence.

All masks are is protection for others. As a side note, I don't know why the public service announcements around masks wasn't something like 'holster Covid' just to appease this crowd.

Ok let's be real though. Covid is comparitively rarely a hospitalization, much less a death sentence.

2% death rate world wide. And that doesn't factor any contributing conditions that lead to complications and death.

Yes Covid can be fatal, but fatalities are the outliers of Covid cases.

The attitude of your statement is fearmongering and hyperbole. Because the odds of that being the situation if you get Covid are about the same as the odds of you getting into a car accident everytime you drive. Obviously car accidents happen and they happen everyday all the fucking time, but because of the sheer numbers involved the individual odds on a day to day basis are very low.

And just like with Covid, taking personal responsibility (careful driving, wearing a seatbelt, etc) greatly lowers your risk of injury if you do get into an accident, the same way personal responsibility will greatly lower your chances of consequences if you should get Covid.

2% of the world population is 140 million people. There are 1.3 million people around the world who die to car crashes. Thus, it would take 100 YEARS to have the same death toll. Now, if Covid was let loose it would be going faster through the population, with no lockdown, mask or vaccines, I cant imagine it taking 100 years to get through the population. In fact, without the mitigations, I'd say a few years

And you think I'M being hyperbolic and a fearmonger? We knew it was way worse than car crashes a year and a half ago. Maybe provide an example that proves your point

Correct and that is because the media fuckered the messaging. Mandates now, do not erase the failures of the past. But the resistance signifies the inconsistancy in messaging that was done for political gain, when it should have been united, but the government has no desire to protect the people, it only wants to control them. If they wanted to protect us they would have kept their stories straight.

I do not know who told you that the media had to be on message or exact. I don't know if you know this, but they are actually different companies that dont actually talk to each other much, despite what Trump pretended. Those days of the news being truthful in the 60s was an illusion. It was government controlled. That's why they could get away with so many coups and assassinations. Journalists were not allowed to investigate

As to keeping 'stories straight', go to China. They do that well. Funnily enough, I think its a terrible idea for hopefully obvious reasons. Keeping the story straight just means that the journalists aren't doing their jobs.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

The "keep their stories straight" argument, at least in this case, is "be 100% correct the first time in a way I believe"

Even discounting any political aspects, covid is a rapidly changing situation we didn't have a lot of base knowledge for. We didn't even know how it was spread to start off with. So, naturally, the news covered best guesses and educated maybes that sometimes didn't turn out to be accurate.

 

[Kwak]

It's what happens when crowdsourcing bollocks: every member donates their share of excuses for everything so the others can deploy them as cheap gish-gallop get-outs. Consistency never matters.


Pretty much all libertarian talk I hear nowadays is whinging about taxes and the age of consent.

So what's newsmax? Rightwing gutter press or at least attempts to be credible?

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

So what's newsmax? Rightwing gutter press or at least attempts to be credible?

Fow News for people who think Fox News is too liberal. They're backed by billionaire dollars and a sweetheart AT&T viewership contract

 

[bluegate]

Fow News for people who think Fox News is too liberal. They're backed by billionaire dollars and a sweetheart AT&T viewership contract

Or a sickening propaganda channel, radicalising its viewers.

Letting shit like that fly on a grand scale brings down countries.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

"Luciferase enzyme"? We have now officially gone past "bad fanfiction" territory. I'm being serious- I can envision some 12-year-old edgelord writing a scene for his self-insert Jericho Falcon in a Resident Evil fanfic and thinking "What should I name the virus that gave him his demon horns and forearm blades? Luciferase? No, I can do better than that."

 

[Trunkage]

The "keep their stories straight" argument, at least in this case, is "be 100% correct the first time in a way I believe"

Even discounting any political aspects, covid is a rapidly changing situation we didn't have a lot of base knowledge for. We didn't even know how it was spread to start off with. So, naturally, the news covered best guesses and educated maybes that sometimes didn't turn out to be accurate.

I don't particularly want to let the media of the hook for Covid analysis. But I recognize a lot of this is true. Then you put on the biases on top of a already shaky foundation. Then you also have to put on drama necessary to be a journalist in a Capitalists society

Here's a hot take.

TLDR there was no Blue Scare in USSR, analogous to the Red Scares, due to restrictions on press coverage. I don't know how true this actually is, but capitalism forces all journalists to be clickbaiters. Otherwise, they wouldn't be journalists anymore. We want drama. We want villians. And the truth is good if it lines up, but not necessary

 

[Chimpzy]

"Luciferase enzyme"? We have now officially gone past "bad fanfiction" territory. I'm being serious- I can envision some 12-year-old edgelord writing a scene for his self-insert Jericho Falcon in a Resident Evil fanfic and thinking "What should I name the virus that gave him his demon horns and forearm blades? Luciferase? No, I can do better than that."

Eh, luciferase is a real thing. It's a type of enzymes that produces bioluminescence. Combined with another compound called luciferin, it's the stuff that gives for example fireflies and deep sea jellyfish their glow. It's name is derived from the Latin "lucifer", a contraction of "lux" and "ferre", meaning "lightbearer". It is also used in molecular biology as a reporter, because it gives whatever organism you add it to traits that are easily identifiable and measurable.

Of course, the naming is a little unfortunate, especially if you're the kind of dumbass who sees nefarious conspiracies everywhere, or the actually nefarious kind of asshole looking to make an easy buck off the aforementioned kind of dumbass.

 

[Trunkage]

Eh, luciferase is a real thing. It's a type of enzymes that produces bioluminescence. Combined with another compound called luciferin, it's the stuff that gives for example fireflies and deep sea jellyfish their glow. It's name is derived from the Latin "lucifer", a contraction of "lux" and "ferre", meaning "lightbearer". It is also used in molecular biology as a reporter, because it gives whatever organism you add it to traits that are easily identifiable and measurable.

Of course, the naming is a little unfortunate, especially if you're the kind of dumbass who sees nefarious conspiracies everywhere, or the actually nefarious kind of asshole looking to make an easy buck off the aforementioned kind of dumbass.

I just wish they'd learn about Tom Ellis because I'm pretty sure you cant hate Lucifer after seeing him

 

[Fallen Soldier]

Dumb question here but I migrated from a forum where discussion of Covid isn’t allowed at all. Is that the case here on the escapist?

 

[Chimpzy]

Dumb question here but I migrated from a forum where discussion of Covid isn’t allowed at all. Is that the case here on the escapist?

Nope, you can talk about Covid as much as you want. Aside from the usual stuff gaming forums tend to not allow, like talk of piracy and illegal stuff, or just generally being an asshole, the only topic of discussion that explicitly isn't allowed is Gamergate.

Tho even if it was allowed, you probably wouldn't find a lot of people willing to discuss it anyway. This place has history with that particular topic, and not a good one.

 

[Avnger]

Dumb question here but I migrated from a forum where discussion of Covid isn’t allowed at all. Is that the case here on the escapist?

Discussion is not banned. On other topics (Jan 6th insurrection denial being one example), Nick has in the past come down on people with warnings/etc for spreading misinformation that could harm others though.

 

[Fallen Soldier]

Nope, you can talk about Covid as much as you want. Aside from the usual stuff gaming forums tend to not allow, like talk of piracy and illegal stuff, or just generally being an asshole, the only topic of discussion that explicitly isn't allowed is Gamergate.

Tho even if it was allowed, you probably wouldn't find a lot of people willing to discuss it anyway. This place has history with that particular topic, and not a good one.

Ah gotcha. Recently left a fan forum for transformers where they outright banned discussion of Covid for some reason.

Discussion is not banned. On other topics (Jan 6th insurrection denial being one example), Nick has in the past come down on people with warnings/etc for spreading misinformation that could harm others though.

Thank you for the heads up. I never did believe in the big lie being pushed by trump and his base anyways. I don’t trust information without viewing a reliable source.