The Definition Of Irony

agmoore (64) · 5 years ago

I think irony may be more dramatically expressed in the fate of Boris Johnson. I hope it is not the case that he dies for his misguided policy. Certainly it is the case that others died for it.

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1 vote

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trumpman (72) · 5 years ago (edited)

Actually, in the case of borris it's not irony, it's his policy in action. Again, chances are that like many other people, you make the same fallacy due to your political bias. Borris is not a child eating monster that loves to kill old people. He didn't come with the herd immunity plan by himself. He listened to his experts and followed their advice despite its political costs. And I am sure many other politicians wanted to follow the herd plan but chickened out because of the immense political costs.

For whatever reason he changed his plan mid way though. Perhaps experts from the other "team" convinced him it's better this way, unlike, Sweden and if I am not wrong Switcherland that follow the herd immunity plan. But I don't see many people complaining about these two countries and their politicians.

Imo, there is no right or wrong way to tackle this problem and we don't know yet how many more people are going to die not from the virus but from the economic crisis that is about to follow. Whatever path you choose there will be death, pain and misery.

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2 votes

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trumpman (72) · 5 years ago (edited)

And of course don't forget, we can blame the politicians but it was the experts and WHO that downplayed again and again the virus saying there's nothing to fear when this thing was only a china problem.

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2 votes

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agmoore (64) · 5 years ago

Hello my friend,
I don't talk politics on Steemit...it's easy to draw conclusions about someone's worldview because of a position on one issue or another. Plus, I'm not sure I'm right. What do I know? I'm the one who invested in bonds that were negotiated in Icelandic currency just before the banking collapse (ouch!). And, I made a brilliant investment in DeCode Genetics, before they went bankrupt. Of course, DeCode took my money and after bankruptcy promptly reopened for business.

I don't think Boris is a child-eating monster who wants to kill old people. I'm sure he sees himself as a pragmatist who is willing to make difficult choices for the overall good. Implicit in his COVID19 policy was a short-term kill-off, which he was willing to accept. A certain number of people die in the beginning and the survivors are immune (at least short-term, we think).

I think the policy is bonkers (forget about morality). When people start dying in large numbers, when bodies start piling up faster than they can be buried, panic ensues. Craziness becomes the rule, and the herd is unpredictable. Even here in New York, where 'mitigation' has been in effect, there are rumors circulating about burying bodies in parks. Gun sales went through the roof. Can't buy bread (don't bring up toilet paper).

I wish Boris a speedy recovery. I truly do. But he was misguided, I believe. I think he was not only foolhardy, but ignorant and careless--of his own life and of others' lives (ex: shaking hands with hospital patients when you know some of them may have COVID-19).

When this is all over, perhaps in a year or so, we will be able to do a postmortem and actually assess which policy was most effective, least damaging to social good. We'll be able to compare outcomes for different countries: for example South Korea and the U. S. Which one was aggressive in testing and containment policies and which one was lax? What were the relative economic outcomes and mortality rates? Did aggressive, early action save lives and money? Or was the herd immunity policy more effective?

In year (if we're both alive) we can look back and compare the numbers. As for politics--you will never hear from me another even remotely political comment here. The blockchain is my stress-free zone. I'm here to have fun, create and meet nice people (like you, even though you pretend not to be) 😇

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1 vote

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trumpman (72) · 5 years ago

Hehe, I ll get back to this tomorrow as I always enjoy a civilized discussion. After all it's the only way to see things from a fresh perspective
Although yeah, I sometimes get to be a bit of a dick and I do certainly make assumptions 😂

But it's time to spend some time with the wife as she just finished work (it's 10 pm here) and then of to bed. Good thing is we both still have our jobs and side gigs, at least for now! How s life for you now?

Oh yeah, you'd better leave more political oriented comments on me cause I enjoyed this one. I'll be back tomorrow!

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2 votes

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agmoore2 (63) · 5 years ago

Hi,
Aren't you lucky, to spend the evening with @ruth-girl and Hera. We're fine. The kids (they're older than you are !) get supplies. My husband and I don't budge. It took 47 years to get here, but we are locked up together, and peaceful :)
No politics, dear friend. We can discuss topics of interest, but politics are often so much more than they seem. Each issue comes weighted with a history of news coverage and conversations that are built into expectations and interpretations. And then there are values. Politics are always a matter of values. No matter how practical we may think our political judgments are, they are influenced by values. And these are so personal. No wonder friendships break up, families break up, over politics.
I too enjoyed our civilized exchange 🌞
Stay well, and take care of your little family.
Warm regards,
AG

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1 vote