Jim Wright

Jim is a Gem... and a vet.

SFC (Join to see) A Fine Cryptologic Officer and Friend.

As usual, I agree about 50/50 with Jim (although since I deleted FB about 4 years ago, I haven't seen him in a while).

Don't get me wrong, I am fanatical in wearing my mask, and I make sure my wife wears hers, as well. When I am eligible for the vaccine, I will get it. In my opinion, even if it only helps a little, or only helps SOME of the time, that is still better than no help at all. But.....

Remember when we were going into lockdown for two or three weeks, just until we flattened the curve? And then we flattened the curve, but in many places that wasn't enough. Or we flattened the curve - after four or five weeks, not two or three - only to have it get curvy again?

Remember how California and Florida have the same basic stats for COVID, despite Florida basically telling Fauci to stick a thumb up his bum, and California doing everything they could to take away every last shred of personal autonomy?

Remember how Fauci has repeatedly changed the story, moved the goalpost, and even reversed himself on both policy and proper precautionary protocol?

Remember how we are going to follow the science - until the science tell us we can let kids go to school?

Remember how masks didn't protect you, but did protect others - until they DID protect you?

Remember when the vaccine was 95% effective, but then suddenly it didn't mean you couldn't get infected and didn't mean you couldn't infect others - which really means it isn't a vaccine at all, but more of a pre-treatment to reduce severity of the disease?

Remember when we had to take all of these actions to stop the spread and prevent deaths, and then we continued to lead the world in both number of cases and number of deaths?

The reason all of these conspiracy theories abound is because too many people are sick and tired of "the science" and "the experts" changing the narrative. If the experts appear to not be expert, then why should I believe them more than I do Jim Bob? I mean, Jim Bob ain't gotten sick, and he don't wear a mask. Must mean that masks ain't that important. When masks don't protect you, but then they do protect you, but then only some masks protect anyone, and yours probably isn't one of them, and then no, wait, any mask is better than no mask, then... I've lost track. After a while, people tune it out.

Can anyone tell me, definitively, whether an egg is healthy? It used to be a superfood (the incredible, edible egg!). Then it was super dangerous because of cholesterol. THen it was healthy again. Then there was something about the yolks that were bad (and thus, the invention of egg white omelets). Now... I got no clue. I stopped paying attention because science, it seems, can't make up their mind.

So too, it seems with Fauci. Especially when there are scientists and doctors who disagree with him most of the time. Why should I believe Fauci and NOT Dr. Schmetlap? Why should I believe Fauci and NOT Professor Finklestein?

Jim has it right - we SHOULD be taking precautions.
But Jim has it wrong - people aren't ignoring these things because they are "ignorant, backward, foolish, selfish, brainless, stupid, fearful, toothless redneck fucks." They are ignoring them because A) they are tired of being told what to do only to be told something else, B) they are just sick of being told what to do - we live in America, the land of the free goshdarnit, C) They have simply stopped trying to keep up with the latest trend in prevention, D) Their livelihoods have been ruined through lockdowns and emergency measures which have NOT prevented the spread of the disease or (apparently) saved lives with NO END IN SIGHT, E) They foolishly believe that getting a vaccine* means you are.. I dunno... VACCINATED, or F) Some combination thereof.


*From dictionary.com. Vaccine: any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to CONFER IMMUNITY against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production (emphasis mine).