Once more unto the COVID doomers (and #BernAnon) vs COVID wingnuts breach

A week ago, I wrote about that Cochrane Review study of early this year that didn't claim all that much and certainly didn't claim what its Great Barrington-associated lead author said it did.

I then started venturing further and realized I'd written more than too much.

But, I'm picking that up here.

COVID wingnuts are going to wingnut. Zeynep Tufekci said she things part of the antimasking reaction is due to many of the early rules being dumb. That may be part of it, but, I think it's a smaller, maybe much smaller, portion than she claims. A much bigger portion? Tribalism, and wingnuts, tribalism fueled by politics. And, given that she's a sociologist, I don't "get" that she didn't pick up on that angle.

With doomers? I think it's a variety of psychological reasons, from my guesstimates, but with some, I think it is fed itself by tribalism, too.  And, it goes beyond "just folks."

DOCTOR Kent Sephowitz, and an infectious disease specialist to boot, talking about "potentially lethal" paper money? Oh my fucking doorknob. First, given that it's agreed-upon, except for a few wingnuts probably trying to troll rather than promote fringe-of-fringe science, that COVID is airborne, worrying about money (or other "surfaces") is SO 2020. (Beyond that, he looks like a younger, slimmer Ben Stein. Probably comes off as one, too.)

The Skeptical Raptor may be dipping his toes in Doomer water, too. First, WHO has labeled many variants in the last two-plus years "variants of concern." Many of them turned out not to be. (He does, at least, note the "small sample size" of just nine cases with this particular variant.) Second, while he talks about hospitalization rates, he doesn't talk about death rates. See both in the following paragraphs, starting with addressing both him and Sephowitz on severity issues.

So, let's drive out bad science with good, from a doctor in Tex-ass no less but NOT Peter Hotez? Or Peter Hopium? This:

Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease physician with Texas Health Resources, says the latest COVID symptoms are similar to a common cold.

Is indeed the bottom line. (To refresh regular readers and advice new ones, months ago I called Hotez a "#BlueMAGA tribalist, grifter, gaslighter.")

So, stop dooming, and stop being a Tar Baby to wingnuts' Brer Rabbit. And, #BernAnon, stop trying to use this, these lies (they are) about a surge) to own Joe Biden. 

I know, I know, in both cases, I'm trying to vaccinate you against misinformation and that doesn't work. For the doomers, per the better angle of "preaching" or emotional appeal, I'm not sure what will. Realistically, I would "preach" acceptance, turning their anger into better self-protection, and noting that for a variety of other illnesses, from, say MS to recovery from strokes or lung cancer which also have respiratory concern, there are no special societal public health concessions, either. But, before I leave, I'm going to slip back into "vaccinate" mode. Two of the most common "comorbidities" associated with Long COVID are over/misdiagnosed. But, back to the emotional angle. If it's "wanting to be heard"? That ties back to cancer recoverees and others. In a nation of 330 million and growing, there are lots of people wanting to be "heard" on lots of issues.

For the #BernAnon, I guess writing Bernie in as the Green Party candidate for president might float your emotional boat. Yes, that's snark, lest any of them think, "Hellz yeah." The likes of a Pat the Berner, who I don't know if he's an actual Green now or not, probably would lust for that.

Otherwise, even though I'm in a rural-ish area, it is still "exurban" and I'm just 30 miles away from a city of 200K and county of 900K that is a satellite of the Metromess, in turn. I see no reason as of this time to mask up. And, given that I got the J&J, no reason to subject myself to a relatively ineffective mRNA booster.