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Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic

KenH

Well-Known Member
"The only actions governments took was to collect data, watch and wait, encourage testing and vaccines, and so on. The medical community took the primary responsibility for disease mitigation, as one might expect. It was widely assumed that diseases require medical not political responses.

It’s not as if we had governments unwilling to intervene in other matters. We had the Vietnam War, social welfare, public housing, urban renewal, and the rise of Medicare and Medicaid. We had a president swearing to cure all poverty, illiteracy, and disease. Government was as intrusive as it had ever been in history. But for some reason, there was no thought given to shutdowns.

Which raises the question: why was this different? We will be trying to figure this one out for decades.

Was the difference that we have mass media invading our lives with endless notifications blowing up in our pockets? Was there some change in philosophy such that we now think politics is responsible for all existing aspects of life? Was there a political element here in that the media blew this wildly out of proportion as revenge against Trump and his deplorables? Or did our excessive adoration of predictive modelling get out of control to the point that we let a physicist with ridiculous models frighten the world’s governments into violating the human rights of billions of people?"

Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
I'd say it is different because the situation was handled differently.

Perhaps if with the Hong Kong pandemic the US took measures they took today the death rate would have been much lower with many lives saved. Perhaps if the U.S. did not take action the rate would be higher.

(Just arguing from another perspective).
 

KenH

Well-Known Member
I'd say it is different because the situation was handled differently.

Personally, I think a lot of the difference is that a lot more people look to government for guidance than did so 52 years ago. A major national problem arises and lots of people nowadays respond with, “Please, Government, tell me what to do! Save me!”
 

carpro

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I'd say it is different because the situation was handled differently.

Perhaps if with the Hong Kong pandemic the US took measures they took today the death rate would have been much lower with many lives saved. Perhaps if the U.S. did not take action the rate would be higher.

(Just arguing from another perspective).

And that would have been just as ridiculous a reaction then as it has been now.

Putting 30 Million people out of work and cratering the economy over a virus arguably no more virulent than those of the past was the result of nothing more than over-hyping by the media and playing politics by those who believe there is ...there has to be... a political solution to everything.

The reaction was insanely overboard and panic driven.
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
Personally, I think a lot of the difference is that a lot more people look to government for guidance than did so 52 years ago. A major national problem arises and lots of people nowadays respond with, “Please, Government, tell me what to do! Save me!”
I just keep thinking of Morning Dew. Woodstock brought to mind the Grateful Dead which brought to mind that song (one of Jerry's best). The song is post nuclear apocalyptic but it can apply to the pandemic.

Walk me out in the morning dew my honey,
Walk me out in the morning dew today.
I can't walk you out in the morning dew my honey,
I can't walk you out in the morning dew today.

I thought I heard a baby cry this morning,
I thought I heard a baby cry this today.
You didn't hear no baby cry this morning,
You didn't hear no baby cry today.

Where have all the people gone my honey,
Where have all the people gone today.
There's no need for you to be worrying about all those people,
You never see those people anyway.

I thought I heard a young man morn this morning,
I thought I heard a young man morn today.
I thought I heard a young man morn this morning,
I can't walk you out in the morning dew today.

Walk me out in the morning dew my honey,
Walk me out in the morning dew today.
I'll walk you out in the morning dew my honey,
I guess it doesn't really matter anyway,
I guess it doesn't matter anyway,
I guess it doesn't matter anyway,
Guess it doesn't matter anyway. :)
 

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
And that would have been just as ridiculous a reaction then as it has been now.

Putting 30 Million people out of work and cratering the economy over a virus arguably no more virulent than those of the past was the result of nothing more than over-hyping by the media and playing politics by those who believe there is ...there has to be... a political solution to everything.

The reaction was insanely overboard and panic driven.
But crashing the economy was not the topic (it was the pandemic).

I don't stay at home. Weekend before last I was in the mountains, last weekend I was at the beach. And a lot of the restaurants at the beach were open (but they had outdoor dining).
 

church mouse guy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Personally, I think a lot of the difference is that a lot more people look to government for guidance than did so 52 years ago. A major national problem arises and lots of people nowadays respond with, “Please, Government, tell me what to do! Save me!”

I can't imagine a World War II veteran calling for a shutdown over the Hong Kong flu. As for Woodstock, the big threats there were drug addiction and STDs. This virus killed the elderly but at about half the rate of the Hong Kong flu. The Hong Kong flu was also hyped by the media and it did kill 100,000 people.
 

carpro

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
"The only actions governments took was to collect data, watch and wait, encourage testing and vaccines, and so on. The medical community took the primary responsibility for disease mitigation, as one might expect. It was widely assumed that diseases require medical not political responses.

It’s not as if we had governments unwilling to intervene in other matters. We had the Vietnam War, social welfare, public housing, urban renewal, and the rise of Medicare and Medicaid. We had a president swearing to cure all poverty, illiteracy, and disease. Government was as intrusive as it had ever been in history. But for some reason, there was no thought given to shutdowns.

Which raises the question: why was this different? We will be trying to figure this one out for decades.

Was the difference that we have mass media invading our lives with endless notifications blowing up in our pockets? Was there some change in philosophy such that we now think politics is responsible for all existing aspects of life? Was there a political element here in that the media blew this wildly out of proportion as revenge against Trump and his deplorables? Or did our excessive adoration of predictive modelling get out of control to the point that we let a physicist with ridiculous models frighten the world’s governments into violating the human rights of billions of people?"

Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic

I was in Vietnam during the Hong Kong flu pandemic. It wasn't even a blip on my radar. I only know about it from a historical standpoint.

But everyone knew about Woodstock. Most of us figured spending a little time wallowing in the mud in Vietnam would have done them all some good.
 

timtofly

Well-Known Member
If everyone had a cell phone back then, they would not have had to get together in the middle of nowhere.
 

church mouse guy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
If everyone had a cell phone back then, they would not have had to get together in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, they would. It was a rock concert. They only thing like it now is nurses and doctors dancing on tik-tok. I imagine that Indiana will call up swat teams to deal with people who don't want a Bill Gates vaccine for Wuhan bat flu. They are saying that the best thing is for everyone to stay in their basements for a couple more years and don't look out the window or watch TV, ok?
 
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