Endless Propaganda

[Bewareoftheblob]

I cannot believe the endless Covid propaganda on the news channels at the moment. There doesn't seem to be any challenge to the stay at home/don't kill Gran/crying nurses narrative at all.

I am pretty disgusted by the emotional manipulation and attempts at behaviour modification going on.

Or am I being unreasonable...

@MistressoftheDarkSide

It's all a bit Fight Club sometimes..... the first rule of Covid / lockdown is you don't talk about Covid lockdown....the second rule of Covid / lockdown is.....

I am, by nature, quite cynical.....apologies.

I noticed this too. I noticed it especially with immediate family. If something is being said about Covid they behave like I asked them for advice on my sex life ... excuse the comparison but i don't understand why the hiding and dismissive attitude. It is affecting us all 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think that because this is something that could and should have been prepared for In a fairly straightforward manner, yet is being presented in such a complicated way with moral value attached, it leaves people feeling a bit bunny in the headlights. I do myself sometimes, it's the cognitive dissonance between keep calm and carry on versus this is panic worthy and we need to change everything about how we live.

In my household, conversations about managing the situation on a personal level have ranged through calm and collected to toy throwing rage and frustration. I accept the role of personality types at play but we're all capable of rational debate as a rule.

And in terms of preparedness, I'm surprised at the lack of outcry that despite science predicting this scenario for years as an almost certainty, successive governments cut the department assigned to these logistics to the bone in recent years. This is the lack of logic that breeds distrust in the powers that be.

'People are allowed to have opinions and being anti lockdown doesn't mean you don't believe in Covid. Such a misperception.'

Oh of course you're allowed an opinion. I couldn't give a rat's ass about your opinion it is your behaviour that pisses me off if you're a flouter.

This is hard for everyone, what makes you so special that you're above the rules?

The more people who think they can do what they like, the more infection rates remain high and hospital admissions remain too high.

So stop making excuses and do what many many others are doing. Adhere to restrictions in a public health crisis. Go on, try and act responsibly.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'People are allowed to have opinions and being anti lockdown doesn't mean you don't believe in Covid. Such a misperception.'

Oh of course you're allowed an opinion. I couldn't give a rat's ass about your opinion it is your behaviour that pisses me off if you're a flouter.

This is hard for everyone, what makes you so special that you're above the rules?

The more people who think they can do what they like, the more infection rates remain high and hospital admissions remain too high.

So stop making excuses and do what many many others are doing. Adhere to restrictions in a public health crisis. Go on, try and act responsibly.

Excuse me and who said I'm not adhering to the rules? Believing lockdowns are a total waste of time doesn't mean I'm Not adhering to the rules. I've been adhering to them up to now.

I couldn't give two fucks about you believe and if I think something is not right I will not follow it blindly.

Most people are adhering to the lockdown as it stands though - the gubmint says so. Even if they express doubts about its efficacy. Not many will risk a fine. The point being made is that having the wrong opinion, regardless of actions, is being posited as just as dangerous. It is thought policing by the people on the people. Silencing debate allows corruption to flourish.

I come from a different angle.

I am endlessly frustrated by the mainstream media misreporting the data to create "clickable" headlines.

Most recently (a couple of days ago0 the headline about the ONS study saying infections weren't dropping was entirely misreported (and irresponsible IMO). Not sure if anyone else noticed it?

Interestingly, the article on Sky News did not disclose a journalist.
Perhaps no journalist was willing to put their name to it. I don't blame them; they would have looked like idiots to anyone who is following the data carefully.

That said, I also feel very strongly that people need to see the horror occurring in our hospitals to realise the gravity of the situation. The horrifying "inside-the-hospital" stories on the news of late are long overdue IMO.

Persoanlly, I prefer to scan the news from the main media, dip into some solid data group discussions, and look at the data and make up my own mind.

The reality is that the vast majority of journalists are not data scientists or epidemiologists and most media outlets (TV or paper) are driven by readership so it is all too tempting to post sensational stories, I guess.

Anyway, if you want to what the data and make up your own mind you can see the situation in hospitals in every region in the UK here (daily admissions (plus age breakdown), total cases and ventilator beds).

Then make up your own mind:
www.covidmessenger.com/hospital-admissions/

I think everyone has realised that “piss takers” are the problem. Unfortunately as we have all realised its everybody else.
I wear a mask but they are shoved in pockets or bags and not washed often. I’ve got friends that will go on holiday but not go shopping. I have family that won’t mix with people but do risky hobbies far from home.
Just let everyone moan about the bits they like and ignore the bits they don’t comply with.

The horrifying "inside-the-hospital" stories on the news of late are long overdue

I don't know what news you've been watching but I've seen such stories since the very start!

I agree that journalists don't know shit about data interpretation.

Agree the messaging is OTT/‘propaganda’ relative to the threat but I don’t let it wind me up. I just reach for the off switch.

@ChimaeraEgg

The horrifying "inside-the-hospital" stories on the news of late are long overdue

I don't know what news you've been watching but I've seen such stories since the very start!

I agree that journalists don't know shit about data interpretation.

Journalists know exactly how to interpret data.

They also know which red buttons to press to create controversial headlines to achieve clicks on websites, and sales of newspapers!

It's such a reckless approach as it means people lose any faith or trust in mainstream media. So they start to disbelieve it and turn to other sources of information.

Tonight the BBC is reporting on the 'scum' riots in the Netherlands. The word scum being a quote from a Dutch establishment figure that they chose to highlight in their headline. So as to subtly discredit the riots.

@redsquirrelfan I like the roundheads and cavaliers approach. The last time a government through its actions or inactions killed as many people as this one. The last one that sought to cancel Christmas as we know it.

Though I expect Oliver Cromwell acknowledged the existence of all his children.

Cbeebies this afternoon had the kids version of an advert saying ‘stay at home and don’t kill your grandparents’ (not quite but very close to it)

It’s unacceptable.