David Burns emails:
My biggest problem with libertarians today is that we are not doing a very good job of listening to the concerns of the masses. I am not saying we should be joining them in panic. I am saying we may be a little oblivious to how panicked they really are.
RW response:
I am not sure it is a case of listening to the masses. It seems pretty clear to me that they are spooked by the COVID-19 propaganda. It is mass hysteria.
The problem is: How do you reach the masses when they are in a mass panic?
In their current state, they are absorbing scare headlines without attempting to think through the logic of the claims. It is a real tough nut to crack, especially when most do not appreciate how important freedom is to a well-functioning society.
It is good to see some resistance out there to the lockdowns but we do not yet have the number of protesters that will give politicians concern.
The pain vs. fear scale for most is still weighted down on the side of COVID-19 fear.
The fear must be overthrown somehow.
I am not sure it is a case of listening to the masses. It seems pretty clear to me that they are spooked by the COVID-19 propaganda. It is mass hysteria.
The problem is: How do you reach the masses when they are in a mass panic?
In their current state, they are absorbing scare headlines without attempting to think through the logic of the claims. It is a real tough nut to crack, especially when most do not appreciate how important freedom is to a well-functioning society.
It is good to see some resistance out there to the lockdowns but we do not yet have the number of protesters that will give politicians concern.
The pain vs. fear scale for most is still weighted down on the side of COVID-19 fear.
The fear must be overthrown somehow.
We know libertarians want mass immigration from turd world places with various diseases of all sorts. Maybe libertardians could start with 'open borders' and 'muh cheap labor'.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot reason with someone who is irrational.
ReplyDeleteThe original justification for the lockdown was to avoid overwhelming the health care system (i.e. "flatten the curve").
While I disagreed with the method to achieve this goal, at least the goal itself was rational.
But now the goal posts have shifted from flattening the curve to ZERO cases and therefore ZERO deaths. This is completely irrational.
There is no reasoning with people like that.
Flattening the curve should not be the goal. Herd immunity should be along with selective isolation.
DeleteOne key objective of libertarians should be to push for the breakup of the United States (to weaken the power of the largest and most evil instance of government at the moment). I wonder if folks in "blue" states could be convinced more than ever now that they should want to part with those in "red" states -- including erecting immigration barriers -- and vice versa? Perhaps libertarians could help foment discord about how awful one's state neighbors are, and help breathe life into secession movements.
ReplyDeleteC-19 has prompted me to venture onto Facebook and Twitter, something I abandoned about ten years ago, and to read more comments at “normy” sites. As expected there is a lack of critical thinking and some cognitive dissonance. But there are also a lot of people not buying the Fauci BS 100%. Mind you that the majority of article I am reading have had info that can be interpreted as anti-Lockdown-20.
ReplyDeleteWe freedom oriented have such a small voice and an isolated community I have found engaging in these normy outlets the only way for myself to engage the masses with messages of freedom. C-19 has made this more important than ever so I will keep chopping wood.
RW's comment is once again right to the point. The hysteria is so overwhelming it is difficult to communicate to anyone. Hysteria is now the danger not Covid-19 and there seem few examples of understanding let alone ending hysteria. It seems to be rooted in misinformation often provided by established and/or respected authorities. Perhaps all that can be done is to keep reminding people that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are not medical professionals nor are they health care specialists. They are career government bureaucrats. They should be viewed as you would view a postal worker or a clerk at the DMV. These people have very narrow very specialized knowledge that you can use in a specific context. But you wouldn't stop using email because the postal clerk insisted that it was somehow safer to use the postal mail even though it was less convenient and less timely. Its also important to remember that hysteria is always with us. The hysteria over Trumps election, the hysteria over swine flu and before that bird flu, the hysteria over drugs, the hysteria over guns, the hysteria over terrorists... The list seems endless. The best to be dome is to live as rationally as you can and stay out of harms way. RW's website is a great place to be reminded that there exists a significant number of rational people in the world.
ReplyDelete