outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

This is the central problem of libertarianism

i don't follow the libertarianism scene, but i've been wondering how those guys have been doing with coronavirus. the appropriate response to coronavirus would seem to run exactly counter to everything their ideology suggests?

from the same essay "Which is exactly what libertarianish conservatives and the hypermasculine deny to justify an every-man-for-himself ethos instead. And as it turns out, radical self-reliance ends where social withdrawal actually begins to be a form of care for others in this pandemic. Thus the white men who have been telling us all along that they are rugged commandos of self-sufficiency who could live alone in the post-apocalyptic woods off what they could hunt with their bare hands suddenly claim they need help right away with their hair."

To me, it's less of an actual scene and more of an active ingredient in mainstream Republican attitudes these days. I suspect a lot of these anti-mask people see themselves as vaguely libertarian inasmuch as they can formulate any kind of plausible ideology.

"It's okay if YOU want to put blackout curtains on YOUR windows. Go ahead and be a prisoner of your fear. Not me. I'M gonna leave all the lights on and the window shades wide open because I'M not afraid of German bombers. And no government can make me!"

"Why should anyone else's life affect my own??"

*goes out and affects everyone else's life by being near them without a mask*

A weird libertarian acquaintance of mine said this: "I’ve always felt like Primus wrote the line, 'I’d rather regret something I’ve done than something I haven’t done,' for me."

Yeah, you selfish asshole, except that you're not just deciding your own risk tolerance, you're deciding for everyone you're going to breathe near, for the foreseeable future. They didn't get a say in how edgy and risk-tolerant you get to be. H8.

further Primus both sucks and didn't write that song but whatever

lol

primus would suck less if they had released 'Sweat Loaf'

LOL @ this thread, try living in the UK where next-to-nobody wears masks or has ever worn masks and it doesn't have anything to do with Masculinity as Radical Selfishness.

UK - the ultimate libertarian zone

It's nothing to do with libertarianism and everything to do with the government not advising people to wear masks.

yeah i was about to bring up the UK as having the same issue but decided I like it when an ilxor points out that the world is not the US.

(was jk about uk)

Most terrible things about the US were invented in the UK, I assumed that was another one.

oh, she does group Bolsanaro, Putin, Boris J., Trump all together in their handling of the pandemic.

masks compulsory on public transport and in shops (from 10/07) in this part of the UK

I thought they'd already introduced masks being compulsory on public transport in England but it doesn't look like it judging from the buses passing by me last night.

Boris Johnson and Masculinity as Radical Selfishness, it's a perfect fit!

i kind of want to moonlight as Dr Libertarian and tour the UK, spreading the good news about militant selfishness personal responsibility and making a quick million or two as a keynote speaker for sad gamers in apartment complex laundry rooms. it's all bullshit but then i feel like the UK is ripe for the libertarian message and it would be good for me, financially

xpost, i can't tell what you are attempting but you could read the essay because it's more than the title.

I saw the most bizarre mask related interaction last night that I'm still thinking about today, but not because it was contentious or anything.

Stopped by to pick dinner up from a local place that is doing a really good job about masks, outdoor seating, contactless pick up, etc. They have signs all over the place about masks. While I'm standing there waiting for my turn, this young couple in their early 20s walks in without masks on. The person behind the counter, in a totally chill and friendly way, reaches out to hand them two disposable masks and tells them they need to wear them. They don't argue and start putting the masks on, but one of the couple goes, "Why?". The person at the register says something along the lines of, "well it's one of the recommendations to help stop the spread of coronavirus, for our protection and yours" (clearly something they've had to say more than once since the place has reopened. The girls responds with, "oh really? I had no idea!".

It was totally chill and not at all confrontational, but I was taken aback by how surprised this girl seemed by the whole thing.

im darryl perry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZITP93pqtdQ

ugh, all the jokes about libertarians are way too believable.

ok, here's one: a libertarian walks into a bar

"hey everybody! this round is on me!", the libertarian yelled. dozens of people in the bar cheered and raised their glasses to the libertarian as the bartender quickly got to work pouring drinks. "sometimes it's good to give back to the community, and this bar and all of you in it were there for me when i was going through some really hard times recently. so cheers to you, everyone, and thank you. enjoy your drink!"

actually, dammit, that one's too believable because sometimes libertarians do charitable things, but only when it directly benefits themselves and they personally know the people involved.

oh i was thinking about the memes that libertarians really just want to do drugs and have sex with children with no consequence.

i can't tell what you are attempting but you could read the essay because it's more than the title.

I'm sure it is just noting that, if nothing else, the title fits Boris Johnson to a tee.

ah. sorry, i thought you were just shitting all over the idea.

A weird libertarian acquaintance of mine said this: "I’ve always felt like Primus wrote the line, 'I’d rather regret something I’ve done than something I haven’t done,' for me."

isn't that "Satan" by Orbital

Linvoy Primus lol

which was taken from Sweat Loaf by Butthole Surfers

xp

oh i was thinking about the memes that libertarians really just want to do drugs and have sex with children with no consequence.

― Yerac, Monday, July 6, 2020 4:30 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Not a joke! Ime Gen-X libertarians in the 90s were just republicans that smoked too much pot and thought they were "too smart" to join a political party.

Sure I've heard the spice girls say it
Google says it's from Lucille Ball

NYT on aerosolization:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/health/coronavirus-airborne-aerosols.html

Keisha Bottoms has Covid.

I mean, c'mon, even the Red Hot Chili Peppers knew enough to credit the Surfers:

10 years ago in Hollywood
We did some good
And we did some real bad stuff
But the Butt-hole Surfers said
It's better to regret something you did
Than something you didn't do

In case it hasn't been posted yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZgDsyTbFCo

this airborne thing is infuriating because it's being presented (via headlines at least) as though this is new news, when in fact, everyone already fucking knows this, it's why people should wear masks. I agree though that the CDC at least muffed it either intentionally (because they didn't want to freak people out and have everyone buy up the PPE) or via stupidity (because of course).

but I really don't know why 'airborne' is so much scarier to people than everything else about the virus. that doesn't mean it's an airborne toxic event hovering over the population and floating from suburb to suburb.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/230320/clapping-will-have-magical-effects-residents-feel.html

xp

isn't this exactly what we were arguing about yesterday?

the important aspect isn't whether it is new news or not, but rather how it guides policy and safety measures, which in many cases are lagging the general consensus.

I really don't know why 'airborne' is so much scarier to people than everything else about the virus.

They say that a person can catch the measles just by entering a room that an infected person walked through an hour earlier. COVID-19 isn't as infectious as measles, but that sort of invisible presence whenever you enter a public space can be rather unnerving. Community spread, where people become ill with no known contact with another ill person, accounts for a sizeable portion of new COVID-19 cases. Wearing a (non-N95) mask in enclosed public spaces is unlikely to prevent your becoming infected from someone else.

If those facts don't make you a bit uneasy when you enter enclosed public space, it may be because you don't quite appreciate their import.

also we should be keeping in mind this is not the same strain we were discussing when originally debating all these measures—it's *more* contagious

"but I really don't know why 'airborne' is so much scarier to people than everything else about the virus"

it's pretty fucking scary

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/health/coronavirus-airborne-aerosols.html

would be interesting to find out what the NYT has to say about this

sorry, I see morbs already posted that

:)

Here’s the latest.