Formerly DT: COVID-19 - Featuring Lots of Politics, now CR because political talk not going away

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

1 minute ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

That is definitely not true, but again it’s mostly driven by politics. You’d be hard-pressed to find people wearing masks in heavily red populations. Then in heavy blue areas, it’s the opposite.

I can't speak to places I haven't been, and neither can you.   I lean right, and have no issue with a mask.  I'm just saying that most people aren't bitching if they have to wear them or they bitch, but still wear them.  

If they aren't required to wear them that's certainly a different story, but our county has historically been red, and there are more people than not wearing them in stores that I've seen.

[ChickenSandwich 9,855]

Link to elected Texas official’s hoax quotes please?

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

In Austin, 95% of the people not wearing masks in stores are high school and college aged kids. Saw it starting Friday. I don’t think these are the “group” he was thinking about....

That's the immortal group. They never follow rules.

[hornian 5,230]

33 minutes ago, Casual Encounter said:

Imagine being a college graduate in the 2020 job market. This is an impact I hadn’t really thought about.

I graduated law school in 2009. 
 

 

[RDCanecutter 26,476]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, that's not entirely true.  The Eddie Bauer outlet is up in Round Rock

My old Eddie Bauer fake rugby shirt started a chain of events which ended with me marrying up beyond my station. Point allowed.

[Brisketexan 105,451]

Just now, Captainant said:

There's city and state level leaders who have propagated the "it's a hoax" shit. It's echoed on the less fact concerned news networks. If it's a minority of people, they're loud and visible enough and with a big enough platform to make that idea not be so fringe anymore. 

There are literally state leaders in major metro areas on our state, who are RIGHT NOW calling this a hoax, saying that people shouldn't wear masks and should all hug each other.

Yes, there's always an element of ignorant, "I'm invincible," and other demographics who won't take any number of safety measures (they don't wear seatbelts, ride bikes without a helmet, etc.) -- again, I acknowledge that there's a baseline there, and I never expect to see 100% compliance with an safety measure (including those designed to protect others).  It's the open, purposeful defiance on this one that blows me away.  It's as if we had millions of people purposefully speeding at 60 mph through every school zone they could find, while yelling out the window "NOBODY TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!"  That's fucking fucked.  It's like 1,000 layers of fucked.

Even worse, it's counter-productive.  It's heavily correlated with the same groups that demand a full reopening of economic activity.  Which we could get pretty close to, safely, if we had closer to uniform mask-wearing indoors.

I just don't get it.  I admit that the thinking is entirely beyond me, I can't even grasp it.

[Brisketexan 105,451]

3 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Link to elected Texas official’s hoax quotes please?

Not gonna go any further down the CR road (I kept it vague for that reason).  But you can look up Bexar County GOP chair, for example.

[Guest Lobo]

Like most of our observations about masks, this is largely anecdotal...but I think the usage is more economically/education driven than it is driven by politics.  We live in Near-South Austin in a middle class neighborhood.  We are bordered by affluent neighborhoods to our West and North, and more working-class neighborhoods to our South and East.  When it comes to shopping, I don't give two shits about getting back out into the retail economy. 

But two little kids (one is a small toddler who still needs all kinds of speciality baby shit and diapers and wipes for her eczema and the other has digestive tract issues already so she needs certain types of foods from myriad grocers) require me to travel to multiple HEB's, Trader Joe's, and Randall's in a given week.  The grocers in those affluent areas I live near, people are masked up to the tune of 80%.  The grocers in those working-class areas I live near, people are masked up to the tune of maybe 20%.  The one grocery in my neighborhood is a run-of-the-mill Trader Joe's and it's probably in the middle at 50-60% masked up.  

I don't think the political makeup of these wealthy area Austin grocers are 80% Democrat, almost no area leans that high outside of San Francisco.  But 80% of those shoppers are rich and highly educated and they're masked up.  I don't think the poorer Austin grocers are 80% Republicans (not even deep Alabama is that high), but I bet 80% of those shoppers are working poor with a H.S. education or less and they are sans masks.  I think mask usage/mask refusal is infinitely more linked to income and education than it is to politics and conspiracy. 

Having said all that, I would think in the South (and I'm including all of Texas in the South for this comment), where we pride ourselves on manners and looking out for your neighbor, that mask usage would have been the norm here.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Lobo

[ChickenSandwich 9,855]

9 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

That is definitely not true, but again it’s mostly driven by politics. You’d be hard-pressed to find people wearing masks in heavily red populations. Then in heavy blue areas, it’s the opposite.

Yet..

NY: 23,083

NJ: 10,843

Penn: 4,624

Mich: 5,129

43,679 deaths population 51.11 million - still locked down

vs

Fl: 2,144

TX: 1,369

Georgia: 1,754

Ohio: 6,987

6,987 deaths, 72.79 million, Partially open

 

go figure 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

5 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

I can't speak to places I haven't been, and neither can you. 

Of course you can. There’s a whole host of ways to observe, learn and draw reasonable inferences about things that aren’t occurring in your life at that moment. 

someone upthread posted a pic of the crowd at a NASCAR race. Is it reasonable to conclude that crowd overwhelmingly chose not wear masks? Or is reasonable to say “hey, you weren’t there so you don’t know.”

[justhookit 4,191]

4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Like most of our observations about masks, this is largely anecdotal...but I think the usage is more economically/education driven than it is driven by politics.  We live in Near-South Austin in a middle class neighborhood.  We are bordered by affluent neighborhoods to our West and North, and more working-class neighborhoods to our South and East.  When it comes to shopping, I don't give two shits about getting back out into the retail economy. 

But two little kids (one is a small toddler who still needs all kinds of speciality baby shit and diapers and wipes for her eczema and the other has digestive tract issues already so she needs certain types of foods from myriad grocers) require me to travel to multiple HEB's, Trader Joe's, and Randall's in a given week.  The grocers in those affluent areas I live near, people are masked up to the tune of 80%.  The grocers in those working-class areas I live near, people are masked up to the tune of maybe 20%.  The one grocery in my neighborhood is a run-of-the-mill Trader Joe's and it's probably in the middle at 50-60% masked up.  

I don't think the political makeup of these wealthy area Austin grocers are 80% Democrat, almost no area leans that high outside of San Francisco.  But 80% of those shoppers are rich and highly educated.  I don't think the poorer Austin grocers are 80% Republicans (not even deep Alabama is that high), but I bet 80% of those shoppers are working poor with a H.S. education or less.  I think mask usage/mask refusal is infinitely more linked to income and education than it is to politics and conspiracy. 

Having said all that, I would think in the South (and I'm including all of Texas in the South for this comment), where we pride ourselves on manners and looking out for your neighbor, that mask usage would have been the norm here.

Stop making sense. These assholes upthread want to make it about politics.

anyway, I’m out for the day. Going to go enjoy this great weather and hit the beach and an outdoor bar patio or two. Y’all stay safe.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

5 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Yet..

NY: 23,083

NJ: 10,843

Penn: 4,624

Mich: 5,129

43,679 deaths population 51.11 million - still locked down

vs

Fl: 2,144

TX: 1,369

Georgia: 1,754

Ohio: 6,987

6,987 deaths, 72.79 million, Partially open

 

go figure 

Go figure what?

[Brisketexan 105,451]

6 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Yet..

NY: 23,083

NJ: 10,843

Penn: 4,624

Mich: 5,129

43,679 deaths population 51.11 million - still locked down

vs

Fl: 2,144

TX: 1,369

Georgia: 1,754

Ohio: 6,987

6,987 deaths, 72.79 million, Partially open

 

go figure 

The vast majority of such deaths being the result of transmission before mask-wearing was ordered/strongly recommended aside....and were mostly in very dense urban areas (NYC, Detroit, Philly).....great point.

In other locations (e.g., Washington state), we've seen large transmission events from enclosed spaces with lots of people in proximity.  In other words, the very places and situations where masks help.

If you're outside at the park, on the farm, whatever....great, no need for a mask.  If you're in an enclosed space with lots of other folks, a mask materially helps reduce the risk of transmission.  If you live in a dense urban environment where you can't help being close to other people even when outside (walking to work on busy streets, etc.)....masks help.  If your droplets can reach other people easily, wear a mask.  If not, it's not nearly as important.  The info you showed correlates both in terms of density, and in terms of timing of recommended mask wearing.  So, other than it being a good data point in FAVOR of mask wearing....yeah.

[Trey3216 15,378]

14 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Not gonna go any further down the CR road (I kept it vague for that reason).  But you can look up Bexar County GOP chair, for example.

Let’s not look into Bexar County’s other folks wanting to throw people in jail if they state where the virus originated in a certain way. 

[JBJ 3,668]

22 hours ago, immamac said:

So the question is when do I lock this thread because it's over lol. 

Certain posters just need to be blocked from this specific thread if possible.

[Poe It Up 126]

I’ve fought a lot of losing battles in my life, but taking my mask-wearing 3 year old into a grocery store ranks right at the top. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,823]

I’ve fought a lot of losing battles in my life, but taking my mask-wearing 3 year old into a grocery store ranks right at the top. 

Jesus shit dicks. Why would you self inflict such pain to ones self?

[JBJ 3,668]

1 minute ago, Poe It Up said:

I’ve fought a lot of losing battles in my life, but taking my mask-wearing 3 year old into a grocery store ranks right at the top. 

Our pediatrician said don't bother.  They are more likely to be a vector messing with their masks all the time than not wearing one at all.

[Pato del Muerto 52,623]

2 minutes ago, Poe It Up said:

I’ve fought a lot of losing battles in my life, but taking my mask-wearing 3 year old into a grocery store ranks right at the top. 

We did everything possible to not being our 3 year olds into a grocery store, and masks were never part of the equation. I don’t know your situation, but is it not possible to shop alone?

[Walte464 450]

Looks like Louies Backyard at South Padre island was very strict on the 25% capacity rule. This is the DJs footage of the over capacity bar last night, music is loud FYI 

https://www.facebook.com/oliverio.resendez/videos/10158417289724489/?

[Poe It Up 126]

2 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

We did everything possible to not being our 3 year olds into a grocery store, and masks were never part of the equation. I don’t know your situation, but is it not possible to shop alone?

We have groceries delivered for the most part, this was just one of those situations where I didn’t have a choice. Growing up my mom just left us in the car sometimes. Those were the days. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

24 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Of course you can. There’s a whole host of ways to observe, learn and draw reasonable inferences about things that aren’t occurring in your life at that moment. 

someone upthread posted a pic of the crowd at a NASCAR race. Is it reasonable to conclude that crowd overwhelmingly chose not wear masks? Or is reasonable to say “hey, you weren’t there so you don’t know.”

True, you're correct about events like that. My post was more in a locality, store, man in the street level.  I don't doubt a lot of those NASCAR fans don't wanna wear masks or have issues with it.  I also bet lots of those folks are in more rural, less dense areas that haven't seen the Covid issue burn thru their neighborhoods and towns.

[Poe It Up 126]

7 minutes ago, JBJ said:

Our pediatrician said don't bother.  They are more likely to be a vector messing with their masks all the time than not wearing one at all.

Yeah, I figured as much. I just felt weird wearing a mask and exposing her. Welp, live and learn for this moron. 

[UT_OB1 2,225]

23 minutes ago, JBJ said:

Certain posters just need to be blocked from this specific thread if possible.

Ban them from coming to DT completely. 

[Somnio 751]

54 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, that's not entirely true.  The Eddie Bauer outlet is up in Round Rock, and that's where my wife and I got good down winter parkas for visiting our daughter in Canada.  And the Ikea is up there as well -- got a new dresser and desk for the boy.

And....that about covers Round Rock positives.

Oh, I like hitting an Express game every now and then -- minor league baseball is cool.

Fresh Round Rock Doughnuts are pretty awesome, too.

[bullzak 422]

Mask indoors. No mask outdoors keeping distance. 

Nobody is getting this outdoors or from ATM and doorknobs. 

People get this inside, close quarters. 99%. 

Gigantic difference between detectable amounts of Covid RNA and transmissible virus. Understand this and act accordingly. 

Wash your damn hands. All the time. 

All IMHO not a doctor. 

[HRSchenker 2,275]

Yesterday I was doing deliveries in east Dallas and saw a ton of masks. Today I was doing deliveries in Highland Park and saw absolutely no one with a mask. Very interesting.

[atomheartbevo 89,841]

2 hours ago, South Austin said:

Same here.  I shop at the Central Market on North Lamar.  A few weeks ago I don't think I saw anyone without a mask.  I went yesterday morning and was surprised to see a handful of shoppers with no mask. 

I live near that CM, and noticed a few were not wearing them.  That area has a lot of olds, and not just the retirees at the Gables, so kind of surprised.

[Js1 85,612]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Not gonna go any further down the CR road (I kept it vague for that reason).  But you can look up Bexar County GOP chair, for example.

Oh that lady is BATSHIT

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

True, you're correct about events like that. My post was more in a locality, store, man in the street level.  I don't doubt a lot of those NASCAR fans don't wanna wear masks or have issues with it.  I also bet lots of those folks are in more rural, less dense areas that haven't seen the Covid issue burn thru their neighborhoods and towns.

I live in a very small, rural community that happens to be a pretty liberal place. We have had very few reported cases locally. I would estimate 95% of people wear masks at the grocery store, gas station, etc.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

7 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

I live in a very small, rural community that happens to be a pretty liberal place. We have had very few reported cases locally. I would estimate 95% of people wear masks at the grocery store, gas station, etc.

Liberal, and rural are typically not words found in tandem like that.  You know that right ?

[Guest Lobo]

57 minutes ago, bullzak said:

Mask indoors. No mask outdoors keeping distance. 

Nobody is getting this outdoors or from ATM and doorknobs. 

People get this inside, close quarters. 99%. 

Gigantic difference between detectable amounts of Covid RNA and transmissible virus. Understand this and act accordingly. 

Wash your damn hands. All the time. 

All IMHO not a doctor. 

Excellent summary, accurate and concise.  So obviously you're a witch, and unfortunately we have to burn you.  

We also need people to quickly shift their bullshit thinking that this is spread rapidly because of densely populated areas.  It's not the people per square mile that's doing this, it's the people per square foot.  That's why meat packing plants staffed by healthy young males got outbreaks despite most of the places not being located near major Subway lines.  And plenty of New Yorkers don't have the virus because they live in just 400 square foot apartments, but they live there by themselves.  It's the number of people, regardless of city, are shoved into a fixed volume of breathable air, and how long they spend in there with one another and how many people exhale virally charged spittles.  I mean, I get that there's a lot of false information out there and conflicting reports and what was said in March isn't true today about mitigation and treatment and all that, but holy fucking shit---did I miss a meeting about the country disavowing Physics?  I mean not the crazy ass Quantum Mechanics or String Theory.  It's basic physics.  People close together, breathing/talking/coughing on one another accounts for 95%+ of new Covid-19 cases.  Unless your building completely recycles the air every few minute.s 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

16 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Liberal, and rural are typically not words found in tandem like that.  You know that right ?

My town is definitely an outlier, but I’m not sure why that matters...?

[Guest Lobo]

23 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Liberal, and rural are typically not words found in tandem like that.  You know that right ?

Must be all those big urban areas in deep blue states like Maine, Vermont, Oregon, and Minnesota?  

[Lat22 4,019]

2 hours ago, Walte464 said:

Looks like Louies Backyard at South Padre island was very strict on the 25% capacity rule. This is the DJs footage of the over capacity bar last night, music is loud FYI 

https://www.facebook.com/oliverio.resendez/videos/10158417289724489/?

That’s nuts, considering the thousands of Spring Breakers who died because they did the same thing. 

[Lurch 5,931]

Imagine being a college graduate in the 2020 job market. This is an impact I hadn’t really thought about.

My oldest. We watched a YouTube ceremony yesterday and took cap and gown photos in the front yard. Getting a job in the next 6 months doesn’t seem likely. Not super confident in next 18 months either.

[Pato del Muerto 52,623]

8 minutes ago, Lurch said:

 

My oldest. We watched a YouTube ceremony yesterday and took cap and gown photos in the front yard. Getting a job in the next 6 months doesn’t seem likely. Not super confident in next 18 months either.

 

Have you tried looking in the mortuary/funeral home/cemetery plot sales/casket sales areas?

[InkaUtexas 26,179]

4 hours ago, Casual Encounter said:

Imagine being a college graduate in the 2020 job market. This is an impact I hadn’t really thought about.

Spoke with my son today. He has 1 year left and is considering enlisting. His friends are all quite nervous about their chances. Most have big loans, etc. Sucks for them. 

We decided last night my daughter will not be attending university in the fall. They will allow her to defer 1 semester and still keep her scholarships. Full ride is a hard thing to walk away from. But they require freshmen to live in dorms and I can imagine what that will be like in downtown DC. Shitty time for all the kids, but at least we are able to have a rationale discussion about it. 

[GHOSTUSER 361]

3 hours ago, Lat22 said:

That’s nuts, considering the thousands of Spring Breakers who died because they did the same thing. 

This is my section of the beach at Padre. It’s like social distancing never existed here. Laguna Bob’s on Friday and Saturday night had some tables roped off you couldn’t use but was pretty packed. I haven’t been here before for a holiday weekend to compare but it’s pretty damn crowded. Only place requiring a mask to enter is the Blue Marlin supermarket. I have been wearing my mask when ordering drive through from Whataburger and in elevators. Despite the crowds, I don’t think you’re going to see a spike of coronavirus from this but maybe that’s just my hope.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Iconoclast Texan

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, Lurch said:

 

My oldest. We watched a YouTube ceremony yesterday and took cap and gown photos in the front yard. Getting a job in the next 6 months doesn’t seem likely. Not super confident in next 18 months either.

 

I left grad school for the job market just before the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. 

I left working at a family office for corporate America right before Sept. 11th.  

I left there to open my own independent platform for what I was doing at the large corporation, right before the 2008 collapse.

I switched to a bigger firm in 2012, then back to a firm I co-founded in 2016.  Uneventful years for us, though the country took a couple sharp turns.

in late February, unrelated to Covid-19, I began to legally unwind from this firm I co-founded and hope to be done and at a new shop by start of July the latest.  So yeah, in hindsight this appears to be my fault.  Whenever I say I'm making a career change---start selling, start shorting, and start sharting.  

 

[DDD Dad 14,356]

1 hour ago, Lurch said:

 

My oldest. We watched a YouTube ceremony yesterday and took cap and gown photos in the front yard. Getting a job in the next 6 months doesn’t seem likely. Not super confident in next 18 months either.

 

We did this with my youngest for his MPA from McCombs last night. He didn't have a cap and gown though.  Fortunately he has a job with Deloitte starting at some point in the fall.

[South Austin 52,633]

31 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

This is my section of the beach at Padre. It’s like social distancing never existed here. Laguna Bob’s on Friday and Saturday night had some tables roped off you couldn’t use but was pretty packed. I haven’t been here before for a holiday weekend and can compare but it’s pretty damn crowded. Only place requiring a mask to enter is the Blue Marlin supermarket. I have been wearing my mask when ordering drive through from Whataburger and in elevators. Despite the crowds, I don’t think you’re going to see a spike of coronavirus from this but maybe that’s just my hope.

We can talk about the wisdom in this lack of social distancing, and whether there will be consequences in the form of increased cases of COVID-19.  But instead can we focus our disappointment on the fact that this is the best beach picture you can offer, with no talent whatsoever?  Be better.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 hours ago, Lobo said:

Must be all those big urban areas in deep blue states like Maine, Vermont, Oregon, and Minnesota?  

Wow, like 1% (maybe)  off all the rural areas in America.....

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

3 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

My town is definitely an outlier, but I’m not sure why that matters...?

It matters because typically rural areas are more conservative, and probably more prone to say muh rights, and fuck masks....

Edited May 24, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[Guest Lobo]

20 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Wow, like 1% (maybe)  off all the rural areas in America.....

That 1% of rural areas in America accounts for 24 Electoral Votes, nearly 5% of the total...nothing to sneeze at.  

Yes, we all know rural areas tend to lean one way and urban areas tend to lean another way.  We should get you and I's analysis to Nate Silver, post haste!  ;)  

When looking at the stats on those states, I was surprised to see that Hawaii is the 13th most densely populated state.  I thought it was much sparser than that, and was about to add it to my list.  We've only been on Oahu to fly in/out of to smaller islands, never spent any time out on the island which I'm now guessing must be incredibly dense to make up for the other islands that have a very rural vibe to them (I guess Maui is sorta in the middle).  Anyway, Texas is expected to rise to just under 90% of its citizens living in urban/suburban environments, a far cry from the cowboy/cattle ranch/oil country identity once to closely associated with the state.  

[Iceman 2,726]

3 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Liberal, and rural are typically not words found in tandem like that.  You know that right ?

Maybe it's Vermont.

[ChickenSandwich 9,855]

2 hours ago, Lat22 said:

That’s nuts, considering the thousands of Spring Breakers who died because they did the same thing. 

Wait, died or infected?  Kind of a big difference. All of those kids from UT simply were infected. I’ve yet to see one has died yet, maybe I missed it. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 minutes ago, Iceman said:

Maybe it's Vermont.

Yeah there certainly are those outliers that are rural and liberal.  Not much of a piece of the pie chart when it gets cut up though, and it's an organic, vegan pie probably.

[South Austin 52,633]

4 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Wait, died or infected?  Kind of a big difference. All of those kids from UT simply were infected. I’ve yet to see one has died yet, maybe I missed it. 

I think he was trying to say they died on the inside.

[Iceman 2,726]

5 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Wait, died or infected?  Kind of a big difference. All of those kids from UT simply were infected. I’ve yet to see one has died yet, maybe I missed it. 

you're fucking up the narrative...