2023-01-31 - 12:55 a.m.
I view Chile’s Broad Front pandemic policy platform and laws since early 2020 as mid 90s to mid 00s Anti Hero (mid 90s- mid 00s Anti Heroes are more heroic and less bad than 90s Anti Heroes but still not as heroic or good as regular Anti Heroes). I feel if for no other reason that a country like Chile deserves those type of pandemic policies and laws (well that and because I am loyal to the left wing in Chile which includes Gabriel Boric's leftist parties and alliances)
My position on lockdowns as a leftistish person and Marxist would seem to be for me to demand early and comprehensive lockdowns alongside adequate economic relief for workers. I mean as a leftistish/Marxist you would think that anything else by me on lockdowns is either unworkable or benefits the ruling class at the expense of workers.
dAfter all, public fear of the virus is what's at least somewhat responsible for the overwhelming majority of job losses, with or without lockdowns right?. The virus is also the cause for the lockdowns themselves and any additional economic losses those bring? (though Krist Noem did say that the virus didn't cause lockdowns and restrictions, the government and its allies did)
So really, it is perfectly reasonable for me on paper as a leftistish Marxist to spout Liberal/Lib leftist talking points like
"by way of mandating disengagement from economic engagement, lockdowns end up accomplishing these two goals: they put the state on the hook for the economic hit and they ensure that the the inevitable decline in economic engagement truly translates into a decline in virus"
Why would I as a leftistish Marxist want to be seen as incoherent by being a 'leftist that anti lockdown guy'. Such incoherence is usually had whenever there are attempts to mix left and right after all
It is true though that since I oppose support economic relief. if I was anti lockdown that would mean that by me being anti lockdown, I would be rooting for the state to not prevent people from working and shopping and thus indirectly and unbeknownst to myself I would be wrongly by extension supporting the state being off the hook for the economic hit that emerged from the pandemic which sadly would make economic relief less likely which can be seen in comparison to the UK and Canada lockdowns and the US lockdowns
So we can follow that line of thinking to this line of thinking 'income support for US workers is much less generous, and demands for direct income support are drowned out by demands to "assist workers" by forcing them back to work'
I have heard that leftist "anti-lockers" claim furthermore to represent the best intentions of the working class as opposed to the capitalists. Yet a significant chunk of the working class does not oppose lockdowns, with the majority of the militant opposition to lockdowns being from smaller and medium sized business, and supposed GOP front groups.
Big business does a-okay with or without soft lockdowns, yet a strong lockdown with liberal income support would be costly for them. Overall, the ruling class would be happy to simply force everyone back to work and into stores, and to pursue herd immunity for the working class. The capitalist state would then be off the hook for costly public health initiative and economic relief efforts.
In practice, all that the anti-lockers ultimately ensure and prolong rolling lockdowns. The pro and anti lockdown positions are absoutely symbiotic. When the virus is less virulent, anti-lockdowners could stall lockdowns. But this necessarily causes in the minds of Liberal 2.0ers unchecked spread, which in turn causes lockdowns to be inevitable.
At that point, the best that the anti-lockers are able to muster is them weakening the lockdown, and so prolonging it.
But, as seen by experience, they cannot prevent the inevitable. Then, when after these lockdown tactics occur and there is eventually a "flattened curve", the anti-lockdowners swing into action and call for reopening, which if there are fresh outbreaks causes them to get blamed for it (though it is rational to believe that the odds really do go up for an outbreak by such openings)
So the lockdown is never allowed to get the job done regardless of whether it would or not, which leads to the cycle of rolling lockdowns. And as such cycles go on and on if God forbid in some way new resistant strains emerge, this cycle keeps happening
The other side of this above view is from people that perceive these lockdowns as a textbook expression of social conflict theory. Where the wealthy weaponized the virus versus the poor and utilized it to accumulate incredible amounts of profit at the same time as restricting the movement of the poor and stripping their wealth away. This is the wealthy taking advantage of the hard truth that the majority of people can't afford to be locked down for long periods of time.
Basic Marxism does run contrariwise to my above pro lockdown views
I can't fall into the trap of me treating these lockdowns as if they are something that people are angry about because they got to stay at home 24/7 and are merely spoiled about it.
Where others perceive it as through almost a year plus of lock downs they've been subjected to live off, or potentially might have been subjected to live off of, of mere scraps from the federal government as the unemployment mechanisms their states used almost collapsed. Famines or homelessness is merely as lethal as the virus itself in these cases
So this anti lockdown counterpoint gives me pause. And I can see why anti lockdowners who live in a country where the Government did not give them more money than the US gave to its citizens or a place with a lower cost of living than the US or at a job without the benefit of working from home would be anti lockdown and have their concerns
How am I going to filter between the evident real and propagandic critiques of China. My view is addressing the bigotry against the Chinese is the highest necessary part of it and the rest is an all encompassing grey area that will only lead to chasing our own tails and going after each other randomly. .
Maybe I can justify being pro lockdown by me saying 'opposing lockdowns in principle is the authoritarian position'
But I would come off as someone who sincerely believes the government by force preventing someone from leaving their home is not authoritarian and thus I would be seen as someone who cannot be reasoned with.
But maybe as a compromise I could view lockdowns as authoritarian but a more preferential authoritarianism in comparison to the assumed outcomes of libertarian views on the situation.
Russia had nothing to do with the Canadian trucker protest. Every bad thing that happens in the US/Canada is not because of Russia or Vladimir Putin. Only Russophobic crackpots would say otherwise
I am mixed to pragmatically neutral on Bill Maher's late Oct 2021 view on natural immunity
It's wrong , mean, and defamatory to call anti vaxxers or anti restriction/anti lockdown people 'pro co vid' or to want to deny them medical help. Many people who are not hardcore right wingers have such views
I am fine with the peaceful Trucker Freedom convoy protesters but I don't condone or endorse the ones who shut everything down (assuming they did but whatever)
I also don't believe most of hem are racists or neo nazis. Justin Trudeau was wrong to smear them harsh labels and I echo Bill Maher on his comeback to that. It was also wrong to freeze their bank accounts and to shut their businesses down. As for both sides (the government and some protesters) allegedly shutting businesses down, two wrongs don't make a right
Australia went too far with their pandemic restrictions, mandates and lockdowns. This of course is ironic since most Australians are descended from British criminals who were forced to settle in Australia (since Australia was founded by the UK as a penal colony). So I guess if you look at it that way, the pandemic restrictions, mandates and lockdowns in Australia were being consistent with Australia's founding principles (of being a penal colony) and letting Australians get a taste of what their criminal ancestors went through there
I am appreciate the fact that leftist anti vaxx, anti lockdown and anti restriction protesters get blowback, critique and heat by Liberal 2.0ers and fellow leftists for having anti vaxx, anti lockdown and anti restriction views.
I appreciate this blowback, critique and heat by Liberal 2.0ers lefltists toward the anti vaxx, anti lockdown and anti restriction leftist because that shows that Liberal 2.0ers and other leftists are consistent and not hypocritical on hot button issues like the virus/pandemic.
I also feel like this because leftists who are anti vaxx, anti lockdown and anti restriction are even more sanctimonious and Liberal 2.0 like in protesting against pandemic restrictions, mandates and lockdowns than right wing people are , it's annoyign when right wingers do it but when leftists do it it is so over the top and cringe I beg for the Liberal 2.0ers and other leftists to call them out for it
I don't think Ron Desantis is a murderer or 'obsessed with death'. I think his heart was in the best place
I live in Florida and maybe I am biased, but I think he did a meh job if not somewhat decent job with our state during the pandemic. I guess its because of propaganda but I get the sense from Ron that he thought he was doing a pro freedom, pro liberty type of thing by easing up on the pandemic laws.
He didn't want the economy to collapse so no matter how hard we go at him with pro science arguments on this that excuse will always be what he throws at us . At the very least we have to respect him for doing something unique. Keep in mind some Democrats in Florida called him Mr Lockdown guy
That is because he rightfully or Wrongfully issued stay at home orders early in the pandemic which prevented countless lives from being added to the co vid victim list. Anyway despite what I wrote above, I still will call him Ron 'Deathsantis' however
Joy Reid and other Liberal 2.0ers had a right to be skeptical of the vaxx in 2020 because they think that DJT who was working on getting scientists to develop the vaxx , is a modern day Josef Mengele so its natural and understandable for them to question to question a vaxx that was DJT had input on.
We left wing pro vaxxers should not pride ourselves on our supposed moral superiority to left wing anti vaxxers (or possibly not pride ourselves on our supposed superiority to even right wing anti vaxxers but very maybe not)
The reason being we left wing pro vaxxers might have been anti vaxx like those left wing anti vaxxers (or possibly even anti vaxx like those right wing anti vaxxers but very maybe not) if we had a different life and upbringing.
We should debate anti vaxxers as it is a deeply divisive issue, however, the tone of that debate should not cause us left wing pro vaxxers to despise left wing anti vaxxers (and not want to literally bash the snot out of right wing anti vaxxers) no matter how wrong they might be. Fostering such disdain isn’t only unjust, but imprudent too, since a healthy (no pun intended) country requires some semblance of affection among its citizens as opposed to mutual animosities
I do hope people are restricted like they were during the pandemic but permanently, for reasons that have NOTHING to do with health and only to restrict them from doing recreational things in public
People are so brainwashed to do recreational things in public like in person theme parks, in person concerts, in person sporting events, in person conventions, in person porn, traveling by flight long distances, in person night clubs, in person parties, in person holiday events etc, that I would love seeing them be forced by law to permanently stop doing those things via restrictions and thus be as restricted from doing those things in the future as they were restricted from doing those things in 2020, 2021 (some right wingers would also have this view but not for my reasons but purely out of spite for co vid restrictions in 2020 2021 etc)
I have no issues with Russia's Sputnik vaxx. To Liberals, Libs and leftists (and neocons), don't criticize me for stating this, the Sputnik vaxx being so ineffective actually makes Russian soliders easy prey for NATO and Ukraine so you should be happy the Sputnik vaxx isn't effective
I am fine with the Atlantic's article in 2022 which calls for mandates to end.
I conditionally vote not present lean conditional mild support for Mike Braun's amendment to the Prevent Pandemics Act.
Since February 2022 I no longer give off any oppositional vibes on Nancy Pelosi's mask mandates being overturned allowing congress people to the freedom to choose if they want to cover their faces in the HoR.(not that I ever was a radical cheerleader for such draconian [ymmv] measures such as Nancy's mask mandates to begin with)
I am begrudingly tolerant of Joe Rogan in the whole Spotify ordeal and I have no major issues I know of with him having those particular doctors on his show in those situations.
Rogan also surprisingly had a plausible defense even though he provided no evidence and may have taken things out of context. My views on this aren't that far off from aligning with Marianne Williamson's views on that issue.
I am sensitive with the way Boris Johnson and his Conservative party handled the pandemic . Though I wouldn't go as far as to demand that the Conservative Party UK apologize for lockdowns (even if doing so would theoretically win anti science people to the Conservative Party UK side). I am too stubborn to go that far. The UK handled it like the US did and regardless of our views on the pandemic that is a fact
I am Anti centrist/radical centrist-Objectivist to Christian Democratic on some of what Larry Sanger said about the pandemic mandates, restrictions, lockdowns etc . This isn't to say that I agree with his views on those subjects, it's just I have non MSM views on his views on those subjects. Keep in mind that Sanger co created Wikipedia which is super pro science and Sanger has at least some of that pro science in him somewhere. Moreover, I am afraid to criticize him since he is a harsh counter criticizer
I have no issues with Adam Kinzinger’s anti China comments in 2020 (in relation to the pandemic). China is a mess of an issue in terms of how syncretic and weird China's policies are. At the very least it was good to hear Adam criticize someone other than Republicans (since Adam beating a dead horse even ones like the Repbulican party gets old after awhile)
It is sad and unfortunate that anti vaxxers think they are being persecuted
I have no major issues if any with the Defeat the Mandate and they might be in the right
I wonder why 'pro co vid' people never embraced forced herd immunity as that would be a perfect match for their sick views on the pandemic.
I will concede that as fucked up as forced herd immunity is , forced herd immunity is still a better and more tasteful idea than the 'go back to normal' decree by MSM , corporations and pro vaxx, pro restriction and pro lockdown Liberals, Libs, radical progressives (a decree to nudge people after the pandemic to go out again and live like they did pre pandemic)
I don't think this meme is that far off from being correct but it should apply to people of all sexual orientations not just queer people.
Orgies in particular should have been banned during monkeypox
