I’ve been thinking about doing a follow up on my We Don’t Talk About Politics Page where I dive deeper into the 30 year history of Rush Limbaugh but this came across my Facebook feed and it’s definitely related. It’s a classic example of a Mainstream Frame and/or the campy concept of common sense. Either means you’re about to hear some low grade barely noticeable bullshit wrapped up in an otherwise rational reasoning framework. The only difference between the Mainstream Frame or common sense is one is crafted and promulgated by political entities and the latter is entirely homegrown.

There’s some barely noticeable fallacy in here that will take a little working through but this type of disinformation is just as bad as the worst stuff. This is the same nonsense astroturfed white terrorists are promulgating but it lacks the overt rage, long guns, and Confederate flags the toothless terrorists are waving around. It’s also easy to push with no political ideology or allegiances worn on one’s sleeve so defences or bullshit detectors are not up.

Not my post-Stealing from this from the EDCW chat page:

Well thought out and written by a friend of a friend who lives in Georgia. I agree 💯%

I am going to try again to throw this out. I’ve typed it about twelve times and then stopped. It’s so touchy.

I am seeing so much anxiety about resuming business, and so much anger about continued regulations. People are feeling the need to catapult to one side or the other, then fight the opposition.

Here’s my perspective, from a mainstream medical model. I think a lot of folks have fallen into the idea that social distancing was meant to stop the viral spread. It wasn’t-it was meant to SLOW it while we put medical infrastructure in place. It has worked. We have, in most parts of Georgia, not been overwhelmed like we likely would have been without protective measures. In the meantime, our testing procedures have gotten better. We’ve increased our ventilator count. We’ve gotten a little better handle on PPE supply chains, and many have helped by making masks and gowns. Phoebe in Albany has a second COVID-19 ICU opened, and Atlanta has a field hospital ready to go. It’s not perfect, but it’s much better than it was seven weeks ago.

A vaccine is a long way off. At some point, people have to be systematically exposed to begin the building of (hopeful) herd immunity. We will likely begin to experience a real increase in cases after reopening. Ideally, that exposure is controlled and calculated, in phases, to allow our medical community to respond adequately, and reduce the number of severe or fatal cases. That’s where we are.

Whether you feel like Georgia is opening too soon, or not soon enough, we were never going to social distance this thing into nonexistence. You now need to proceed as your health, wallet, and conscience allow.

If you are medically vulnerable, you do not need to be a part of what is about to happen. Stay home if you can. If you’re not, or if your financial vulnerability trumps your health concerns, you need to proceed in ways that continue to protect yourself, and the elderly and medically vulnerable around you.

All of us need to calm down. Quit telling people who are financially struggling that they don’t care about human lives. Quit telling people who are truly at risk of dying from this virus that they are cowering in fear. Remember that until you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes, you should probably be careful in your judgements and subsequent harsh words.

We don’t HAVE to choose an either/or proposition and fight. We could choose other ways to be. Examples include but are not limited to:

“I think this may be too soon, so I will continue to shelter myself, and pray/make masks/ check on those who can’t.”

“I really need to go back to work, so I will do so, but I will be careful and try to protect myself, my family, and those around me with healthy strategies.”

See how those positions allow each of us to do what we need to, and also respect those who are choosing differently?

One thing that allows us to do this is humility. I can acknowledge that I am not an epidemiologist/economist/whatever, that I am making decisions based on my understanding of complex subjects and my own personal health and financial situation, that I am not all knowing, always right, and an expert in all fields, and that each person around me is doing their best too. We can make different choices and still be a supportive community. We can learn and evolve in our understanding of these issues.

This is the first fallacy:

I am seeing so much anxiety about resuming business, and so much anger about continued regulations. People are feeling the need to catapult to one side or the other, then fight the opposition.

There are more than two things happening at once. Left out is the anger at people who are rejecting ‘continued regulations’ and acting like petulant children about it. Polling shows the vast majority of people think social distancing and the more aggressive measures to contain infection are warranted. Everybody has axiety about resuming business and continued regulations, this is no specific constituency. There are not two sides here: there is a small astroturfed vocal minority rejecting regulations that are meant to keep us all safe, then the 70% or more of the rest of us who adhere to social distancing and other measures. This is a set up for a Both Sides premise where a flag can be planted on Reasonable Middle Hill.

Here’s my perspective, from a mainstream medical model. I think a lot of folks have fallen into the idea that social distancing was meant to stop the viral spread. It wasn’t-it was meant to SLOW it while we put medical infrastructure in place. It has worked.

This is absolutely not the mainstream medical perspective and whether it’s to slow down or stop viral spread is a meaningless distinction in this context. Once we have medical infrastructure in place social distancing is going to continue to be one of our main tools to navigate this peril. And by no means has social distancing ‘worked:’ it’s working and will need to continue to be used. This is another foundation of Reasonable Middle Hill.

At some point, people have to be systematically exposed to begin the building of (hopeful) herd immunity.

There it is: the Pox Party common sense. I’d be happy to consider this nonsense a reasonable concept if a consistent group of peers in the ‘mainstream medical perspective’ start discussing and promoting this. As of now, nobody in the field is stating we should slowly infect ourselves to build herd immunity.

Whether you feel like Georgia is opening too soon, or not soon enough, we were never going to social distance this thing into nonexistence. You now need to proceed as your health, wallet, and conscience allow.

Nobody ever said or believes we will social distance this thing into nonexistence. But this is where the ‘resonsible citizen’ gives you advice that doesn’t jibe with the experts in the field. But No True Resonsible Citizen would do otherwise. You have to vote with your health, wallet, and conscience, which is much more powerful than epidemiologists and health care experts, right?

If you are medically vulnerable, you do not need to be a part of what is about to happen.

To you medically vulnerable: stay at home because we’re going to do what the fuck we want because I’m empowered by my holy spirits of Health, Wallet, and Conscience.

All of us need to calm down. Quit telling people who are financially struggling that they don’t care about human lives. Quit telling people who are truly at risk of dying from this virus that they are cowering in fear. Remember that until you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes, you should probably be careful in your judgements and subsequent harsh words.

This is a Gish Goulash of interlaced fallacies and half truths not work dissecting. What’s funny is you’re told to calm down before having to consider the tsunami of fuckery they’ve dealt you, a few waves down with a few more to come. But the final wave is the big one:

One thing that allows us to do this is humility.

There it is. The apologia coupe de grace: if you don’t accept my narrow minded dogma it’s because you don’t have the humility required to accept it. ‘I have studied the epidemiology and (stuff) and have made decisions to do things no epidemiologists or health care professionals have told us to do.’ Or, have decided to do things those professionals have told us not to do. Behold the humility.

This is the vocal minority trying to elevate it’s argument by invoking the Both Sides Kobayashi Maru. Don’t fall for it.