I don't know if you are an idiot or not. And I don't want you to be an idiot. And I haven't actually ever called you an idiot. But I do make lots of posts under the premise that you are an idiot. Hypothetically, and I'm not saying this is true, if one were to call you an idiot, I would feel like there is a certain logic there.
Question, do I think you are an idiot? Yes no.
Lets look at it another way
A part of me just feels like, lets get this shit over and done with. Mitigate the spread as much as we can, but fuck this lock down shit.
Not sure many people are with me on this though. And I'm not sure I am to be honest. It's just that the more I read about how it is going to take years, and that obviously we can't keep shit shut down for the long term anyway, the more I kind of feel like, 'fuck it then!'.
I didn't jump on it, I said I understood it after reading more about the issues with containing it. It's not like I wouldn't want a better solution or anything.
I will say one thing though. I also understand there is a tragic side of life, something the West has forgot a little bit. We've gone through this many times already. Sometimes it is inescapable.
Yeah. And I'm not sure I even want to do it anyway just yet. The thing is though, it seems like there is no way out of it. That eventually we will give up on it anyway.
I was never that confident in it to begin with. That's the first thing. This was me just thinking aloud on current news.
And I never stated it was the right or wrong course of action:
None of this is true though. The idea is quite clearly coming from epidemiologists. Goodness knows, I have listened a lot to them over past week. It is not some plot to save the economy over lives. Although economic meltdown isn't great either.
It may seem like a risky strategy, which is why many countries will choose the other option though. And it might not be the best course of action. Suppression has seemed to work in places like China. What we don't yet know is what happens when China goes back to normal. Things could change just like that.
The weird thing I notice the arguments are actually the same. It's you talking about the 'herd immunity' strategy being all about the economy and me arguing against it.
The other thing is, I state it might not be the best course of action. Looking back, I always thought there was at least a logical argument in the mitigation strategy, I still do. And was a little annoyed by people completely mocking the UK approach to it. I never said it was necessarily the right strategy though. I didn't know. Only that it seemed there was at least some logic to it.
I will say one thing though, I do believe that if things come back in a big way, governments will seriously consider it. Hopefully there will be a vaccine or some working treatment before then.
Do you know what weasel words are?
Definition of weasel word
: a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position
All you did is bold them to try to hid the fact that your feels are pretty clear on the matter.
Now maybe you want to answer these:
Do you think the UK would have suffered unnecessary deaths due to PPE shortages had they gone through with their initial strategy?
Do you think it makes any difference when people get the virus in terms of death toll? Like if we all get it once will the death toll be the same as we all got it over two years?
Why do you think the UK changed its strategy?
Has your opinion changed over the last three months?
Or they were highlighted because it actually shows doubt in those opinions. The point being I was never as confident in that argument as you think I was. The other thing highlighted is me clearly acknowledging that it may not be the right course of action based on how successful China was. I mean, the words are actually there. The argument you're really making is I didn't really mean those words. That if you read between the lines, I do strongly believe that 'herd immunity' is the right and best course of action.
Okay so the question: Has your opinion changed over the last three months?
Well, first of all, another post of mine back in early April.
Not exactly. I accept the advice that the lockdown is the way to go with this one. However, I also acknowledge that there is no exit strategy, the virus might come back when lockdown restrictions are lifted, and that the economic consequences to all this might be devastating. The truth is, the lockdown measures were the safest option in a period of uncertainty. We simply didn't know (still don't really) what the outcome would be.
A lot of my posts on this are on the premise that there is no exit strategy, and the virus is going to come back. And in those terms, yes, I do believe there is a possibility that we may have to face up to this one. A vaccine could take years to develop. I just don't think it is feasible to keep going into lockdown for years to come. Again this is predicated on whether the virus comes back in a big way.
The truth is, I was never as committed to this idea as you think I was though. I was quite happy to accept lockdown for instance. I know that isn't satisfactory to you, but the truth is, I'm not an expert and can't predict the future. I just realise that the other strategy is also a very real possibility based on the factors I've mentioned. And to be honest, I would accept it if the experts turned around and said that was the only way out of it.
