#life in a time of covid

[isaacsapphire]

"However, part of how the pandemic was bad for many people was via making their online life their only life." Maybe in retrospect it was a bad idea to shut down the world because of the sniffles, huh.

No. Something was necessary to slow the transmission rates low enough for the medical system to be able to handle the caseload and to buy time for vaccines to be developed, manufactured, and distributed. The medical system came right up to the edge of failure multiple times and did push over in some areas.

The flu kills people every year, but few enough and distributed enough that it's not a crisis, because of existing resistance in the population and vaccines being available to protect the vulnerable and those at elevated risk due to profession. Something similar to the flu hitting a completely naive population was a big problem, even if it was just "sniffles" for many people.

[inkskinned]

one of the things that's the most fucking frustrating for me about arguing with climate change deniers is the sheer fucking scope of how much it matters. sweating in my father's car, thinking about how it's the "hottest summer so far," every summer. and there's this deep, roiling rage that comes over me, every time.

the stakes are wrong, is the thing. that's part of what makes it not an actual debate: the other side isn't coming to the table with anything to fucking lose.

like okay. i am obviously pro gun control. but there is a basic human part of me that can understand and empathize with someone who says, "i'm worried that would lead to the law-abiding citizens being punished while criminals now essentially have a superpower." i don't agree, but i can tell the stakes for them are also very high.

but let's say the science is wrong and i'm wrong and the visible reality is wrong and every climate disaster refugee is wrong. let's say you're right, humans aren't causing it or it's not happening or whatever else. let's just say that, for fun.

so we spend hundreds of millions of dollars making the earth cleaner, and then it turns out we didn't need to do that. oops! we cleaned the earth. our children grow up with skies full of more butterflies and bees. lawns are taken over with rich local biodiversity. we don't cry over our electric bills anymore. and, if you're staunchly capitalist and i need to speak ROI with you - we've created so many jobs in developing sectors and we have exciting new investment opportunities.

i am reminded of kodak, and how they did not make "the switch" to digital photography; how within 20 years kodak was no longer a household brand. do we, as a nation, feel comfortable watching as the world makes "the switch" while we ride the laurels of oil? this boggles me. i have heard so much propaganda about how america cannot "fall behind" other countries, but in this crucial sector - the one that could actually influence our own monopolies - suddenly we turn the other cheek. but maybe you're right! maybe it will collapse like just another silicone valley dream. but isn't that the crux of capitalism? that some economies will peter out eventually?

but let's say you're right, and i'm wrong, and we stopped fracking for no good reason. that they re-seed quarries. that we tear down unused corporate-owned buildings or at least repurpose them for communities. that we make an effort, and that effort doesn't really help. what happens then? what are the stakes. what have we lost, and what have we gained?

sometimes we take our cars through a car wash and then later, it rains. "oh," we laugh to ourselves. we gripe about it over coffee with our coworkers. what a shame! but we are also aware: the car is cleaner. is that what you are worried about? that you'll make the effort but things will resolve naturally? that it will just be "a waste"?

and what i'm right. what if we're already seeing people lose their houses and their lives. what if it is happening everywhere, not just in coastal towns or equatorial countries you don't care about. what if i'm right and you're wrong but you're yelling and rich and powerful. so we ignore all of the bellwethers and all of the indicators and all of the sirens. what if we say - well, if it happens, it's fate.

nevermind. you wouldn't even wear a mask, anyway. i know what happens when you see disaster. you think the disaster will flinch if you just shout louder. that you can toss enough lives into the storm for the storm to recognize your sacrifice and balk. you argue because it feels good to stand up against "the liberals" even when the situation should not be political. you are busy crying for jesus with a bullhorn while i am trying to usher people into a shelter. you've already locked the doors, even on the church.

the stakes are skewed. you think this is some intellectual "debate" to win, some funny banter. you fuel up your huge unmuddied truck and say suck it to every citizen of that shitbird state california. serves them right for voting blue!

and the rest of us are terrified of the entire fucking environment collapsing.

[isaacsapphire]

Yeah, this is the part that's crazy to me. I had to get a vaccine AND a TB test for my first job (in food service) and the TB test hurts worse than any vax imo. So I was very unsympathetic towards the guy we had to let go for refusing to get vaxed when he was all, "it's ridiculous that they want me to get a vaccine as a condition of employment."

"No one should have to get a vaccine in order to have a job."

Really? Of all the things that are expected of employees, getting a vaccine is where you draw the line?

Where were you when employees were paid poverty wages? Where were you when employees were expected to be polite to the rudest customers? Where were you when employees were expected to drive in dangerous weather? Where were you when employees were threatened if they discussed their pay with each other or attempted to unionize? Where were you when employees were prohibited from using drugs even when they're not at work? Where were you when people with criminal records struggled to find jobs even if the job is not relevant to the crime? Where were you when disabled people struggled to find employment because interviews are designed to exclude them?

If you've been okay with certain people struggling to find employment for all this time, you can't complain when those people suddenly start including you.

[tea-cat-arts]

Shen Yuan getting transported into pidw isn't "the system punishing him for being a lazy internet hater," but instead representative of "step 1 of the creative process: getting so mad at something you decide to go write your own fucking book" in this essay I will

[whatevahwhatevah]

I was inspired by this absolutely amazing piece :,)) I was listening to “We don’t talk anymore” from Charlie Puth while doodling this, so..I don’t know, do what you want with this information haha-

(Another doodle under the read more)

Wife, mother material. Made to be bred till no end, gorgeous bastard creature-

[asynca]

I hope this question isn't too random. One thing I noticed is people are for some reason are acting like the pandemic is over and just return to normal and no masks. Even though it is still going on and still effects so many people. Why do you think they think its over?

This is probably quite a deep psychological question about the capacity of people to tolerate fear and stress over a long period of time. I could probably answer it in a more professional way than I'm going to.

Several of my friends are doctors. The research that's coming out about how it's likely to shorten the lives of literally everyone who gets it (especially multiple times), about how if we continue to let it rip a huge percentage of the population (20-30%) will end up measurably disabled in some way by it by 2035 is like... this is serious. This is not a 'flu'. We are also discovering several cancers or other disabling conditions are caused by viruses - I worry a lot about the capacity of COVID to ruin lives. It also has a general effect on the brain that causes lower capacity, less ability to regulate emotions and causes aggression. New mental illness is a common long covid symptom.

I do what I can to avoid it. I still wear a n95 mask out in public. I make my wife do it too, even though we are usually the only two people out wearing masks. I don't take my children indoors anywhere public - we go to parks and playgrounds. My daughter has been in a supermarket just once in her life. Is that good for her? Probably not. But it's a darn sight better than a preventable disability (or type 1 diabetes, or hepatitis, or actually dying) at 2 years old. Not to mention the fact I have a baby sub 6 months old and a father who is very ill and would probably die if he got COVID.

COVID is serious. Governments could put in simple useful measures (like mandating better air filtration and circulation in schools and public buildings etc) but they don't. Everyone's just pretending it's over. It's in the 'too hard' basket.

The research and proof is there in peer reviewed journals. People are just ignoring it until they can't ignore it anymore because either they end up disabled themselves, or someone they love does or dies. I don't know what to do anymore, man. I just try and take the precautions I can reasonably take understanding the capacity of this extremely transmissible virus to kill or disable me or the people I love.

[isaacsapphire]

Ok that one is pretty good but I wouldn’t think of it as a parody, but rather a variant.

Anyone else wonder if the people that make this kind of thing realize they're creating pro fascism propaganda, or is that just me?

[ashleyslorens]

kissing vs no kissing shows

+ bonus

[cadriox]

DracoEd broke into my house one day and made their bed here ever since

Through the Gate by Preelikeswriting: https://archiveofourown.org/series/781794

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[puppyeared]

man

[toxooz]

been binging tf outa Avatar the last airbender bc ive been puking my EVERLOVIN guts out since yesterday and hear me out

[rickybaby]

Daniel on Ted’s Notebook | Testing Day 3 | pt.2

“[Lando] is normally pretty honest. So if he’s feeling a little down, maybe they expected to be a little quicker […] but for now, we’re hopefully a Q3 or top 10 car but to be much more than that, I think that’s probably getting too excited 😁😁😁”

[generously-general]

I'm sorry that my blog has become a Gravity Falls repository as of late (lying) but also. Listen. Hear me out. Ford Pines exists and I love him

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

Thank y'all so much for your prayers re: last week's church crisis.

It's been a frustrating week, but I finally confided with my mom about my concerns, we talked for about an hour altogether, and I instantly felt the weight lift from my shoulders.

While I'm still unsure about speaking to the elders, it suddenly seems quite obvious to me that I should delay taking the membership vows, and spend this coming quarter alternating between my parents' church and the more local PCA church to see which is a better fit.

[cloud-ya]

Your ChatGPT IT class story is absolute insanity what the fuuuuck? But good on you for refusing to engage with it until you were forced to 🫡 respect

yea fuck IT classes are just so half-assed and dysfunctional here, like school system is awfully outdated and just doesn't fit the technological development nowadays. it's always do one thing, show it to teacher, get a grade and call it a day because what else can you learn there. I remember having an entire 45 min long class just about creating a new folder and then making more folders in that folder

[mylittleredgirl]

as someone with lifelong chronic illnesses that have bailed me out of some awkward situations in my time, sometimes i feel the need to be like hey universe!!!! listen up!!!! i do NOT want to be rescued from this scenario by getting sick!!!! i mean you know i'll always be grateful for that one time with the midterms, i understand you're trying to be on my side here when you hit the eject button using a whole stick of dynamite, BUT NOT THIS TIME!! I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT BUT I'M GOOD!!