Covid-19 miscellany

[lpetrich]

The Week Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s Balls Dominated Twitter | WIRED - "The Covid-19 conversation has truly hit a nadir."

During the recent gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the one where AOC showed up in a fancy dress with "TAX THE RICH" on it, Nicki Minaj tweeted this:

Nicki Minaj on Twitter: "They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one " / Twitter

She was not sure of whether to get vaccinated, but she endorsed wearing a lower-face mask.

Nicki Minaj on Twitter: "My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied" / Twitter

irst the reactions came in Minaj’s mentions. If you don’t yet know how to play Covid Controversies, here’s the TLDR: Most folks hopped in to explain that the vaccines don’t have any effect on fertility and that people should, you know, get them, and still others jumped in to thank Minaj for supporting “liberty” and to try to claim that governments offering inoculation is somehow coercion.

Then it went to the next level. Late-night hosts started coming in with jabs. Fox News' Tucker Carlson defended Minaj’s tweet, saying “our media and public health officials didn’t like [it] because they make their livings bullying people.” The White House offered to connect Minaj with doctors to talk about her concerns. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci debunked the infertility claim from the tweet in a CNN interview.

Kevz Politics on Twitter: "#BREAKING - Trinidad & Tobago Health Minister Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh responds to swollen testicle claim made by Trinidad-born entertainer @NICKIMINAJ; says there is no such reported case in Trinidad & Tobago (TTT) (vid link)" / Twitter

His department spent a lot of time tracking down this claim, and he found it to be baseless. Nobody else has ever reported that odd side effect. "We unfortunately wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim."

 

[ideologyhunter]

Maybe, maybe, but did you hear about Victoria Jackson's ukelele teacher's gardener? He got the vaccine and broke a gasket in his scrotum.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Hmm. Groom comes back from bachelor party with swollen balls. Bride confronts him. “It was the vaccine, baby. I swear!”

 

[bilby]

Why the fuck would anyone care what Nikki Minaj has to say on the subject of virology, epidemiology, vaccination, or immunology?

I can't recall who said it, and Google isn't helping, but I recently saw an excellent piece of advice online:

Don't take medical advice from Music Hall acts.

If I want to know about the music industry, rap, or even life in Trinidad, I might seek out the opinions or enqure about the experiences of Nicki Minaj.

If I am in any way concerned about possible medical consequences from a vaccination, she will not be in the top billion of the list of people whose opinions I would wish to hear.

WTF is wrong with people? Fame is not a qualification. It requires no medical or scientific education, and those who are famous should on no account be accepted as sources of medical information.

Only if they are medically qualified, or are simply using their fame to help spread a message that comes from a medically qualified person (eg when Elvis got vaccinated as a publicity stunt), should anyone give shit the first about any medical commentary, suggestion, anecdote, or recommendation they might make.

 

[barbos]

Nikki Minaj has a bunch of fans who value her medical expertise. So Fauci can't just say "Nikki, go and fuck yourself you stupid bitch, yeah, and your music is shit, I researched it"

Of course, I think this is exactly what he should say.

 

[Swammerdami]

I think the unvaxed are wrong, but that doesn't mean I should force them.

They are killing people.

So you say. Sounds more like a justification for dictatorship. "I'm doing it for your own good, I swear."

Walk us through this please. Who is trying to dictate, and why? Are Bill Gates' nanochips in cahoots with the Deep State? Or do the "vaccines" contain designer poisons that only target Republican voters?

Or is this just a first step? The vaccines themselves are benign, but with this Liberty chiseled away will the next step of the Dictator(s) be more insidious? Perhaps smart Googling that will identify pregnant women so citizens can be triggered to report possible steps toward abortion? Perhaps Apps that identify people jogging through neighborhoods of different ethnicity so vigilantes can be alerted? Data analysis so wrong-way voters can be identified and targeted with closed polling precincts and locked mailboxes? Apps to track down delinquent borrowers so the profit margins of politically-connected banks can be improved?

To understand what is even meant by the impending "dictatorship," it would be helpful to hear real examples of what the worry is about.

 

[WAB]

Yes. Dad cannot drive anymore because he can hardly see. He is a danger on the road. Mom hasn't driven in years. Also, they live on a fixed income, and have very modest means. They can't afford taxi rides or delivery service.

And they won't mask in the car with you?

No. I've been vaccinated. Had to for work (Nursing Home), but I would have done it anyway. I don't ask them to put on masks. They put me up when I would otherwise have been homeless, for several months, didn't ask for a penny, and didn't put any pressure on me at all when I was so depressed and suicidal I didn't even want to look for work. Besides that, I am not afraid of getting the virus, or of dying as a result. I WOULD worry about infecting someone else if I contracted it, and would always wear the mask. But I can't see troubling them about it.

Let alone tear-gassing them!

I don't want to go on about my parents, or myself. My reason for asking Loren that question was because it is most certainly NOT legitimate to pepper spray someone without a mask, or with their nose uncovered. That is an insane thing to say.

I could understand it in certain cases, like that woman who went around coughing on someone. I can understand someone pepper-spraying someone for doing something so atrocious, and dangerous. I wouldn't do it myself, but I could understand someone else doing it, and I would not blame them for doing it.

***

Imagine if that were to become common practice. See someone with no mask, or with their nose uncovered, pepper-spray them! Yeah, that's the trick! That'll learn 'em! Does anyone think that these anti-vaxxers will suddenly think,

"OMG, I got pepper-sprayed because I wasn't wearing a mask in public! I'm such a terrible person! Oh my goodness have I been taught a lesson. I sure won't ever do that again!" (apologies for all the explanation points!!!!)

No. It would be mayhem. It's easy to suggest such measures, but it would be almost inconceivable to put such measures in practice. I am all for a mandate. Mandate masks, and penalize anyone who won't comply. Just go ahead and do it.

But I am not all for mass vigilantism. And I don't see how any rational person could be.

 

[TomC]

I think the unvaxed are wrong, but that doesn't mean I should force them.

They are killing people.

So you say. Sounds more like a justification for dictatorship. "I'm doing it for your own good, I swear."

It's a bad situation. I am really opposed to giving the government that kind of power, for basically the reasons you do.

But it's almost entirely because of people being stupid and selfish in a way that's causing a ton of damage to the rest of us.
If the broad population had responded intelligently, starting way back in 2020, C19 would be a threat on the level of cold/flu. Instead, the economy is still in low gear, the health system is being crushed, it's all a big mess for everyone. I hugely resent what the covidiots are doing to us, including this threat of government interference in people's personal business.
Tom

 

[Harry Bosch]

I think the unvaxed are wrong, but that doesn't mean I should force them.

They are killing people.

So you say. Sounds more like a justification for dictatorship. "I'm doing it for your own good, I swear."

And yet, we've had these kinds of requirements for a hundred years, and yet we don't have a dictatorship. Workers are required to wear safety glasses in factories. Kids need vaccines before attending public school. People are required to wear helmets when riding a moter cycle. My HOA requires that I paint my house brown. And yet all these requirements didn't create a dictatorship.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Nikki Minaj has a bunch of fans who value her medical expertise. So Fauci can't just say "Nikki, go and fuck yourself you stupid bitch, yeah, and your music is shit, I researched it"

Of course, I think this is exactly what he should say.

He isn't allowed to throw shade unless he has a music video. And butt implants.

 

[ZiprHead]

So you say. Sounds more like a justification for dictatorship. "I'm doing it for your own good, I swear."

Amazing. Accept facts. Antivaxers are killing people.

Interestingly he thinks they are wrong which means they are killing people but he refuses to admit it explicitly that they are killing people.

He's a rebel without a clue.

 

[repoman]

So with ivermectin and the media going in so hard with the horse paste idiocy this is not addressing whether or not it works.

Now IF it did work like a miracle (I am not saying it does) and not being able to get it from a doctor or pharmacist then horse paste cut to human dose (not a trivial calculation) would not be insane. It would be a sad necessity.

So the media needs to have a more sophisticated argument shooting down how the small clinical studies were collated. In this long discussion Rhonda Patrick does this. (it is time stamped at 1:22:28)




Rhonda Patrick has been on Joe Rogan recently and to the JRE lay audience her nuance make it look like she was dumb (read the comments). Kind of sad actually.

 

[James Brown]

Nice infographic by PhD Comics on COVID-19, and how it works.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I think the unvaxed are wrong, but that doesn't mean I should force them.

They are killing people.

So you say. Sounds more like a justification for dictatorship. "I'm doing it for your own good, I swear."

The tyranny is the minority in the US that have continued to give this pandemic wings. Making the US 7-day average daily death toll approach 2,000. And in many cases they are doing this out of political spite.

 

[bilby]

So with ivermectin and the media going in so hard with the horse paste idiocy this is not addressing whether or not it works.

Now IF it did work like a miracle (I am not saying it does) and not being able to get it from a doctor or pharmacist then horse paste cut to human dose (not a trivial calculation) would not be insane. It would be a sad necessity.

And if my aunty had a penis she would be my uncle.

Stop JAQing off in public. It's not clever, and the only people you are fooling are people who deserve your help, not your spite.

Bring evidence. If all you have to bring is innuendo, suspicion, hints, or fear, then do the world a favour and keep them to yourself.

You don't have to help, but you do have a moral obligation not to make things worse by feeding the idiots opportunities to pretend that their preferred nonsense might be credible.

There's not a lot to say on the subject of whether Ivermectin works as a Covid treatment. Once you've said "No", "Fuck, no!", and "For fuck's sake, what is wrong with you? NO!!", the conversation is done. The media aren't talking about whether it works because it's done, and they've moved on. You should too.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So with ivermectin and the media going in so hard with the horse paste idiocy this is not addressing whether or not it works.

Now IF it did work like a miracle (I am not saying it does) and not being able to get it from a doctor or pharmacist then horse paste cut to human dose (not a trivial calculation) would not be insane. It would be a sad necessity.

So the media needs to have a more sophisticated argument shooting down how the small clinical studies were collated. In this long discussion Rhonda Patrick does this. (it is time stamped at 1:22:28)




Rhonda Patrick has been on Joe Rogan recently and to the JRE lay audience her nuance make it look like she was dumb (read the comments). Kind of sad actually.

More sophisticated that ‘there is virtually no evidence of any form (forget clinical level evidence) showing this medication works against Covid-19 and we already have a fucking vaccine?!’

Fuck your ridiculous anti-vax bullshit.

 

[crazyfingers]

I'm reading more and more new stories that police are refusing vaccination at higher rates than their communities. Police allegedly exist to protect the community. But many are choosing to endanger the community. Police unions are typically very strong and many are siding with the vaccinated. Will the politicians have the balls to force cops to get vaccinated?

I sure hope so.

If for some unknown reason a cop wanted to stop me for whatever reason, I'd have no choice but to deal with him and what if he's not vaccinated? If I asked if he was vaccinated and he says No, I'd be inclined to tell him to get the fuck away from me. Retaliation??? Cops around here that I see were also less likely than the average person to wear masks back in the winter when everyone was supposed to wear a mask inside or outside. I was tempted to photograph the law breaking cop.

Once again, will the civilian authorities have the balls to make cops get vaccinated so that they don't infect others in the name of protecting the community?

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/a...y-police-prisons-vaccination-mandates/619879/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/02/police-low-vaccination-rates-safety-concerns/
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/p...id-vaccine-mandates-get-shots-at-lower-rates/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...r-unions-oppose-vaccination-mandates-n1277608
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/nyregion/nypd-covid-vaccine.html
https://time.com/6092508/nypd-low-covid-19-vaccination-rate/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/16/california-police-prison-guards-vaccination-rates

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Yes. Dad cannot drive anymore because he can hardly see. He is a danger on the road. Mom hasn't driven in years. Also, they live on a fixed income, and have very modest means. They can't afford taxi rides or delivery service.

You be the delivery service. Better for them not to go to the store.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Yes. Dad cannot drive anymore because he can hardly see. He is a danger on the road. Mom hasn't driven in years. Also, they live on a fixed income, and have very modest means. They can't afford taxi rides or delivery service.

And they won't mask in the car with you?

No. I've been vaccinated. Had to for work (Nursing Home), but I would have done it anyway. I don't ask them to put on masks. They put me up when I would otherwise have been homeless, for several months, didn't ask for a penny, and didn't put any pressure on me at all when I was so depressed and suicidal I didn't even want to look for work. Besides that, I am not afraid of getting the virus, or of dying as a result. I WOULD worry about infecting someone else if I contracted it, and would always wear the mask. But I can't see troubling them about it.

Let alone tear-gassing them!

I don't want to go on about my parents, or myself. My reason for asking Loren that question was because it is most certainly NOT legitimate to pepper spray someone without a mask, or with their nose uncovered. That is an insane thing to say.

I could understand it in certain cases, like that woman who went around coughing on someone. I can understand someone pepper-spraying someone for doing something so atrocious, and dangerous. I wouldn't do it myself, but I could understand someone else doing it, and I would not blame them for doing it.

***

Imagine if that were to become common practice. See someone with no mask, or with their nose uncovered, pepper-spray them! Yeah, that's the trick! That'll learn 'em! Does anyone think that these anti-vaxxers will suddenly think,

"OMG, I got pepper-sprayed because I wasn't wearing a mask in public! I'm such a terrible person! Oh my goodness have I been taught a lesson. I sure won't ever do that again!" (apologies for all the explanation points!!!!)

No. It would be mayhem. It's easy to suggest such measures, but it would be almost inconceivable to put such measures in practice. I am all for a mandate. Mandate masks, and penalize anyone who won't comply. Just go ahead and do it.

But I am not all for mass vigilantism. And I don't see how any rational person could be.

I'm talking about making it a legal form of self defense, not vigilantism. People without masks are a threat.

 

[ZiprHead]

Anti-vaxx Chronicles: A peek inside their bizarro alternate universe (a closed Facebook group)

Too much stupid to quote.