At American Council on Science and Health: Political Partisanship is a Public Health Scourge

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July 13, 2020

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Alex Berezow is not optimistic:

My colleague, Dr. Chuck Dinerstein, wrote about a new study that showed that politicians on Twitter could be identified as Republican or Democrat with 70% reliability by an algorithm that analyzed the text of tweets. For instance, Republicans tended to use the words “China” and “coronavirus,” while Democrats tended to use words like “public,” “health,” and “crisis.” It’s almost as if each side was given a script to use. (They probably were.)
This phenomenon isn’t new. It’s just worse and a lot more obvious now than before. The allegedly non-partisan “March for Science” was nakedly political, as is a group called 314 Action, whose goal is to elect scientists into public office, but only if they’re Democrats.
Alex Berezow, “Political Partisanship Is A Scourge On Public Health” at American Council on Science and Health

The situation poses a threat to science itself. For example, politicians act as though COVID-19 restrictions only matter for some people, not others.

COVID-19, trust us, does not care if you are a virtuous Black Lives Matter protestor or a deplorable Trump rally attendee. It is looking for live human cells to destroy, that’s all. If you’re there and you’re alive, well… you’re at risk. How much of a problem that is seems to depend on your age and health but not your virtue.

It’s almost as if we have gone back in time to a prescientific age when everyday life was thought to be directly controlled by good and evil forces. So masks and social distancing only matter when the forces of Virtue and Science say they do. Otherwise they don’t matter. And no conclusions are to be drawn from the outcomes in any situation except that we ought to be ever more respectful of the forces of Virtue and Science.

Sure, that’ll work. About as well as it did in pre-modern times.

See also: COVID-19 and fading respect for Big Science. It’s not the uncertainty that is the problem. It’s the demand for belief and obedience to a variety of conflicting claims in the face of such uncertainty. Sooner or later people begin to doubt whatever they hear, even in matters about which there is considerable certainty. And Big Science is bringing that on itself. It isn’t the “enemies of science” who are doing it.

Comments

First lady Melania Trump reminded Americans on Tuesday to wear a mask or facial coverage to be safe and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “Even in the summer months, please remember to wear face coverings & practice social distancing. The more precaution we take now can mean a healthier & safer country in the Fall,” she said on Twitter posting a photo of herself wearing a plain, white mask. The posting came a day after President Trump appeared publicly for the first time wearing a mask during a tour of the Walter Reed Medical Center where he met with wounded troops on Saturday. Trump, who has resisted calls to wear a mask to set an example for others during the pandemic, donned a navy blue one bearing the presidential seal. The president told reporters at the White House before the visit that masks should be worn in “appropriate locations.” https://nypost.com/2020/07/14/melania-trump-tweets-appeal-for-people-to-wear-face-masks/rhampton7_{July 14, 2020
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It may not be a super effective treatment but it is safe and seems to work in many cases
Zelenko claims high 90's percent success in high risk group. Maybe he is exaggerating but there is $200,000 on the table to show he is wrong. No takers yet.jerry_{July 14, 2020
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Wearing mask since mid March. Indoors and when in close contact with people. I am a firm believer in loose fitting masks that contain droplets and much vapor. It is not perfect but will greatly reduce an viral load you are exposed to. My bigger concern is why we are not treating people (esp HCQ, antibiotic [azith or docy), and zinc) immediately on suspicion of exposure. Too many stories of untreated people with infections that just go on and on and on. It may not be a super effective treatment but it is safe and seems to work in many cases.GCS_{July 14, 2020
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@KF Your concerns for a vaccine are not misplaced, if I’m not mistaken there is no vaccine for SARS (covid 1) Mars, or any type of covid, amongst a list of other rapidly changing viruses that we still contend with I would be skeptical of anyone coming out and saying we have a vaccine for this particularly since we cannot confirm that we carry a long-term immunity to it in the first placeAaronS1978_{July 14, 2020
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Folks, there are many issues and trade-offs. I think, layered protection and limiting spreading rate through reducing the infection rate peak. Masks help, so I start there even though my own asthma tells me the debilitating implications of straining my breathing. People doing serious manual work or facing crowds for long daily periods have challenges. I see it with cashiers and bank tellers. There are no magic bullets and I am concerned regarding likelihood of success of vaccines. KFkairosfocus_{July 14, 2020
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By the way I have a whole bunch of sites for all of you to look at when it comes to masks both pros and cons, you can Google the research yourself surgical masks are not close to 100% effective, they are there as a possible prevention to stop you from infecting other people It works real cool in the lab environment but in a real environment it’s a hell of a lot less effective Just do a little logical breakdown, look at all the surface areas that you were contaminated with that you touch day in and day out This virus not only contaminates through droplets it contaminates through touch, fluid transfer, inhaling, it can actually stay in the air for up to three hours, it can stay on any surface for up to four days When you mix all of those factors together the lab environment, where the masks are tested, isn’t that effective to test the mask You can pick the virus up just by walking to a gas station and filling up at the pump and then later on contaminate yourself because you scratched your eye This is not to mention the fact that the mask is not airtight, anybody wears glasses knows this, And this is just a fact, every time you exhale, guess what physics works and the breath travels through the path of least resistance Think about how many times do you inhale and you exhale in one day if you do both in one second Then think about the fact that the mask is on average filtering out 65% of the particulars coming out of that breath Also keep in mind that a sneeze and a cough has enough force to shoot particulates it’s through a standard surgical mask This is not including Particulates instead of dried onto the mask and will now be dislodged when you cough Everything I am saying right now is not make-believe nor is it fiction, it’s common sense You really want to stop the spread of the disease stay in doors Do you want effective? mask use an N 95 mask Surgical masks were simply meant to keep the surgeon from dribbling into the body cavity of the patient If his surgeon was ever sick he would not be allowed to work on a patient, As it is guaranteed contamination and the patient could die A mask can be kind of useful but they are not and invincible shield for this nor a bottomless basket to catch all of the disease also is everybody throwing their contaminated masks into trash cans? You know masks that are covered in the coronavirus being laid all over the place that should possibly be put In a hazardous materials bin. Just food for thought Oh and by the way if you have the coronavirus and you adjust your mask and then touch something else you just contaminated what you touch It’s a hyper infectious disease and pretty much has every single one of the ways that you can transmit this disease at its disposalAaronS1978_{July 13, 2020
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We have seen Mitch McConnell gloating about how he blocked Obama’s nominees for vacant seats on the bench and ensured all Trump’s nominees were appointed instead which no doubt pleased Trump and the Trump Republicans. Nah McConnell stated immediately with the announcement of the loss of the justice, exactly what was going to happen and why, and that was it. On the same day. To say that he was "gloating" on the day of Scalia's death is a plainly stupid assertion. Dems would do the exact same thing nobody is fooled by this. The rest of the tirade is just that. How does one behave like a Mafia Don? Mafia Dons behave in a certain manner, uniformly, on any given day? All police are "infected" (it is "endemic", how else could it be)? Really? Kind of like saying all illegal aliens are rapists if anyone would ever actually say it. And we are intrigued to ascertain that all of those races represented on police forces are endemically infected; it is a quite a revelation to realize that all races are racist. According to contributor. At least racial realism is a break from the usual - the only racists in the world are all "white" or something. I will agree with one part and it is reassuring for a lot of us on here to be on the side with significant firepower, including the professionals that wield it every day. We have seen who are the mentally unstable over the last weeks and it will be necessary. As this video even further illustrates (insanity in the streets enabled by insanity in the urban towers of power): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw&fbclid=IwAR2LGyE3XIxRezbcPzBZw7gB7Uh5dxKNGQucsbDd9-G_c6Kl4pC_w472JvM Otherwise what. a. stupid. screed.groovamos_{July 13, 2020
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I don’t see what the problem is here this is perfectly consistent with evolutionAaronS1978_{July 13, 2020
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Mac @ 1, >Do you support the wearing of a mask when entering stores or other public indoor spaces? I support it and have been doing it.EDTA_{July 13, 2020
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Surgeons have been wearing masks for decades and for hours at a time. There are plenty of professions that require them- masks. And yet there hasn't been any science to support any damage done. So what gives?ET_{July 13, 2020
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Polistra @ 4- Masks don't have to stop the virus. Masks just have to stop the water vapor the virus is attached to. and in. It isn't as if the masks stop the water vapor and the virus has enough inertia to break free and keep on truckin'.ET_{July 13, 2020
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Mac McTavish at 1: I (O'Leary for News) live in a part of Canada from which COVID-19 has been extirpated (no current cases). However, we still practice social distancing. We are not obliged to wear masks but we are urged to. I do so, principally as a courtesy to those who suffer from anxiety over COVID-19. I consider it unlikely to make much practical difference if no one has COVID-19 anyway. BUT - and this is John Ioannidis's point - the collateral damage from COVID-19 can be high but is often ignored. If my neighbour's blood pressure goes up because she sees that many of us ignore the recommended (though not required) precautions, that's a bad thing for her health and could result in an ER visit. After the show is just plain over, we can deal with people who have lingering anxieties in a more therapeutic way. For now, it is best just to follow all the rules.News_{July 13, 2020
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This phenomenon isn’t new. It’s just worse and a lot more obvious now than before. The allegedly non-partisan “March for Science” was nakedly political, as is a group called 314 Action, whose goal is to elect scientists into public office, but only if they’re Democrats.
I think it's potentially much worse than that. We have seen Mitch McConnell gloating about how he blocked Obama's nominees for vacant seats on the bench and ensured all Trump's nominees were appointed instead which no doubt pleased Trump and the Trump Republicans. The real danger with this is that the courts (and the police) can only really function if people are confident that they will administer justice and enforce the law fairly and impartially. But if the courts are packed with judges with impeccable conservative credentials (meaning Trump-friendly) and the police are infected with endemic racism and a culture which protects "bad apples" from any serious penalty, then that confidence will be - and is being - seriously eroded. Couple that with a President who behaves like a Mafia don when it comes to looking out for his own and it is clear that, if he doesn't smile on you, you could wind up "sleeping with the fishes", metaphorically, at least. In the worst case, that means that each person will have no alternative but to look out for themselves, to take whatever measures they deem necessary - up to and including arming themselves - to protect themselves and their interests, especially since it looks like groups on the far right are already better prepared and more heavily armed than the rest of us.Seversky_{July 13, 2020
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I've worn my mask for around 30-40 mins while in store and, while it certainly impedes breathing noticeably, I've not noticed any of the symptoms of high CO2 concentrations in that period. But it is a trade-off. You have to balance the mild discomfort against the risk of unknowingly spreading the infection. If you were shedding virus, most people who are infected as a result might show no symptoms or experience very mild symptoms. But you might infect some one who becomes seriously ill or even dies from it. Would you want to live with that knowledge? Would you want to have to explain to the victim's family why they are dead because you couldn't put up with a little inconvenience or you thought it was all a conspiracy and a hoax?Seversky_{July 13, 2020
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Jerry
For example, is this evaluation of mask usage accurate? Seems pretty damning of the use of masks, not so much for face shields.
I’ll put you down as No.Mac McTavish_{July 13, 2020
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Do you support the wearing of a mask when entering stores or other public indoor spaces?
I posted this on another thread and no answer For example, is this evaluation of mask usage accurate? Seems pretty damning of the use of masks, not so much for face shields. https://bit.ly/2CvpJ0ljerry_{July 13, 2020
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Do you support the wearing of a mask when entering stores or other public indoor spaces?
Depends where you are. I'm not sure it will have a noticeable effect here in Norway at the moment (and in New Zealand it certainly won't), but in the UK or Brazil (for example) it probably will.Bob O'H_{July 13, 2020
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I support being able to eat, so I follow the law when in a store. But I also know that the masks have no connection at all with any microscopic viruses. The masks and lockdowns serve solely to increase the perverted pleasure of the demented psychopaths who are ruining the earth and killing all of its people for their own satisfaction.polistra_{July 13, 2020
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Yes. It's what I have been doing.Seversky_{July 13, 2020
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Yes, I support the wearing of a mask properly when entering stores or other public indoor spaces.ET_{July 13, 2020
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Just out of curiosity, I would be interested to see the numbers of frequenters to this site for the following question: Do you support the wearing of a mask when entering stores or other public indoor spaces? My answer is Yes.Mac McTavish_{July 13, 2020
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