Oh Kojima, you did it again!

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I never disagreed there are more probable causes of death than Covid-19 but dismissing this as just another flu also diminishes the gravity of the situation. Espescially with so many unknown variables, the rapid infection rate and high complication risk. Organizations like the WHO don't give the most severe warnings if this was just a seasonal flu.

In terms of mortality it is "another flu". The gravity of the situation lies in the sociological consequences of its' rapid transmission and the number of concurrent cases, such as economic loss, partial (if temporary) breakdown of social functions etc.. I've pointed to these issues several times in our exchange, but you've kept coming back to the risk of dying. At this point you are just moving the goalposts.

What would be the point of that?

What would be the point of abducting and imprisoning Gui Minhai after he already published all his books criticizing the leadership of the PRC? Totalitarian states thrive on information control and you can't have that if you let people get off the hook when they blow the whistle on things happening in your country, no matter how benign or seemingly inconsequential.

If a doctor goes public to the world about an epidemic growing in one of your provinces while you are trying to pretend everything is normal, that's a problem. It is further a problem if said doctor also criticizes your response to said epidemic. Those two reasons alone are enough for the PRC to want him permanently gone. Which is why it is highly suspicious that he contracted Covid-19 (well, that part was to be expected) and died, considering the very low mortality for healthy men of his age and the fact that China otherwise has a first world healthcare system in the region where he lived.

 

[Dalisclock]

Look, I know everything is not 1:1, I'm blowing off steam and having fun. So don't take it too personally or seriously.

Kojima does has an amazing record of getting stuff right in between incredibly heavy handed metaphors(MGS3+4), bizarre ass plots(MGSV) and his cringey stuff(pretty much everything he's ever done). It's kinda of fascinating, to be honest.

MGS2 is like the king of this, making great points about self referential worldviews and internet culture, and then juxtaposed with "Russian Cowboy possessed by the ghost of a dead clone through a grafted Arm"

 

[stroopwafel]

In terms of mortality it is "another flu". The gravity of the situation lies in the sociological consequences of its' rapid transmission and the number of concurrent cases, such as economic loss, partial (if temporary) breakdown of social functions etc.. I've pointed to these issues several times in our exchange, but you've kept coming back to the risk of dying. At this point you are just moving the goalposts.

I'm not moving goalposts you are continuing to put the carriage before the horse. It is exactly this fear of an unknown outcome that necessitate drastic measures to try and contain the outbreak. The flu virus don't have this many unknown variables. Mortality rates in absolute numbers don't say much if there is such an unpredictable pattern. No country would sacrifice their economic interests unless they had reasonable assumptions to believe it could get much, much worse. And it did. The last few weeks the situation deteriorated almost by the hour, espescially in places like Italy where the healthcare system is stretched to it's limits because of the rapid infection and complication rate. What do doctors there have about the message that the hospital might be full with people on artificial breathing machines but in absolute mortality rates it's still about on par with the flu?

What would be the point of abducting and imprisoning Gui Minhai after he already published all his books criticizing the leadership of the PRC? Totalitarian states thrive on information control and you can't have that if you let people get off the hook when they blow the whistle on things happening in your country, no matter how benign or seemingly inconsequential.

If a doctor goes public to the world about an epidemic growing in one of your provinces while you are trying to pretend everything is normal, that's a problem. It is further a problem if said doctor also criticizes your response to said epidemic. Those two reasons alone are enough for the PRC to want him permanently gone. Which is why it is highly suspicious that he contracted Covid-19 (well, that part was to be expected) and died, considering the very low mortality for healthy men of his age and the fact that China otherwise has a first world healthcare system in the region where he lived.

Again, healthy people can contract the virus and die from it as well. There is a person here in the Netherlands who is 16 years old and in otherwise good health who is in critical condition and kept in an induced sleep because of Covid-19. ICU's have about 40% of younger people. People can get sick and die, even in dictatorships. Not everything is a nefarious conspiracy.

 

[BrawlMan]

Look, I know everything is not 1:1, I'm blowing off steam and having fun. So don't take it too personally or seriously.

Kojima does has an amazing record of getting stuff right in between incredibly heavy handed metaphors(MGS3+4), bizarre ass plots(MGSV) and his cringey stuff(pretty much everything he's ever done). It's kinda of fascinating, to be honest.

MGS2 is like the king of this, making great points about self referential worldviews and internet culture, and then juxtaposed with "Russian Cowboy possessed by the ghost of a dead clone through a grafted Arm"

Exactly. Take a look from this reading from the Colonel Campbell himself.