[AKN #56] Lockdowns as a service
also if anti-vaxxers cared about physics and a 'natural' fire that doesn't stop burning
Sup homies?
Coming off the best weekend of my life and I am super stoked to tell you more about it next week!
But for now, I will hit you with more hot takes.
On to the newsletter!
LIVE: Lockdowns As A Service
My philosophy on government is as much government involvement as necessary to get the desired result, but no more.
An obvious stress test of this philosophy comes in the form of lockdowns during a pandemic.
Why do you need a lockdown?
We are in the middle of a global pandemic.
To fight off this virus, we require a collective effort of reducing contact with one another to help slow the spread of disease.
Given the presence of irrational actors who will not follow the advice to stay away from others, you need to give the government the ability to enforce that lockdown.
This all makes sense.
Desired result = Slow the spread of disease.
Desired government involvement = Lockdown until you slow the spread of disease.
This is how I imagine the logic went in Australia at the start of the pandemic.
Who could argue with a lockdown? We are all in this together!
Solving spread of COVID by outlawing human interaction
Australia has had 984 COVID deaths TOTAL! Thats amazing!
However, how they got there is by implementing a rolling lockdown strategy throughout the last 18 months.
Therefore, the lack of COVID deaths is due to the strict controls on human interaction.
Even to this day, Australia remains on high alert as they send out nightly news broadcasts which look like this:
This is a lovely piece of propaganda.
Brilliantly cut.
Scene 1: Start with a clear case of a guy being a jackass by testing positive for COVID and then sneezing/coughing in a public space. Everyone in the world thinks that man sucks and should suffer some type of consequence for his wrong doing.
My response: Yea fuck that guy!
But really this scene’s purpose is to get you on their side for when they cut to the next scene.
Scene 2: They move seamlessly into a segment which basically says “Lol and if you think known COVID patient coughing in an enclosed public space is bad, just wait until you get a look at these 18 year olds partying outside like a bunch of fucking assholes!”
My response: Uh. Well actually isn’t it OK to be outside?
Scene 3: “Now check out this other guy who was driving alone! What a dick right!”
My response: Wait. So this guy was by himself...is that really an infraction on the same planet as “known COVID patient galavanting about the public square”?
Scene 4: “And look at this guy trying to work in construction who didn’t scan the QR code! What a moron! Everyone publicly shame this minimum wage worker in the name of COVID safety!”
My response: …
But all in all, the success of this video is in its ability to not mention the drawbacks of their heavy handed approach to controlling COVID.
There is no mention that this lockdown came after only 7 (!) COVID cases were found in this community.
There is no mention of the mental health toll this lockdown strategy has taken on the Australian population.*
There is no mention of the extreme measures they have taken to ensure the effectiveness of this lockdown such as the government sanctioned slaughtering of shelter bound dogs in the name of slowing the spread of COVID.
The only thing you need to know is that your government cares about you and that is why it surveils you during every waking minute, fines you $1000s for being outside with your friends, and publicly shames anyone who dares violate the rules.
The news anchor even drives all of this home when she says “it’s getting harder and harder to hide if you are doing the wrong thing.”
The slow creep of authoritarian tendencies
History is full of examples where a government obtains power during a set of extraordinary circumstances and then slowly creeps further and further into authoritarianism in the name of “this is for your own good”.
These demonstrations of government power are the type of thing that drive me to Libertarianism…you know…until I listen to the Libertarian party speak:
* Risk of getting COVID also contributed to this mental health issue, but prevalence of mental health problems within younger population would suggest that lockdowns also contributed heavily
LAUGH: If anti-vaxxers cared about physics
Some of my favorite lines are actually where he says nothing, but he is just reacting to what the other persona is saying.
LOVE: The door to hell
A massive plot of land which burns forever? Who does it think it is? California?
Ba-Zing.
Closing time
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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are strictly my own. Who else’s would they be?