I am starting to notice a pattern here

[MarquetteDano]

Looking through the main COVID thread and others there appears to be a pattern.  BTW,  I am not calling out any individual.  I might not have posted these things,  but have thought them just like many others.  It goes like this....

• There is a virus that is making people very sick in Wuhan, China.  Well, it hasn't spread much elsewhere
• The virus has spread to other parts of China and some other Asia countries.  At least it hasn't spread to the rest of the world.
• The virus has spread to certain parts of Europe and a bit to the US.  But it hasn't spread much beyond that.
• The virus has spread all over Europe and is hitting certain states pretty bad.  But it hasn't hit my state.
• It has hit my state but not where I live
• It has hit where I live but it is mainly sick and older people

It seems like we keep reducing our area of concern.  Maybe it will never hit home for many of us but I find it interesting how we keep on ignoring the cases because it hasn't hit "us".  That the number of people in "us" seems to get smaller all of the time.  Before you know it,  "us" will be our specific household.

[wadesworld]

Yup.  I was ignorant to how serious this was until the NBA shut down.  Fortunately for me and the country, it was okay that I was ignorant to it, as leaders at the top are the ones that need to be aware and have a plan.  Unfortunately, those leaders have taken it even less seriously than I was.  The virus isn’t sparing any area.

[GooooMarquette]

Great post Dano.

It's called denial. The car accident, cancer, whatever - people have a way of denying the threat level of many things, sometimes until it hits them right between the eyes. I suppose it's good to a point - we can't live our lives in fear of. everything. But eventually, we need to see past the denial to the reality on the ground.

I am guilty too. I didn't think it would be any worse in the US then the bird flu until I saw what what was happening in Washington and parts of California (around #3 in your list). But I have caught on. The people who terrify me, and who endanger us all, are the people who made it past #5.

[WarriorDad]

Looking through the main COVID thread and others there appears to be a pattern.  BTW,  I am not calling out any individual.  I might not have posted these things,  but have thought them just like many others.  It goes like this....

• There is a virus that is making people very sick in Wuhan, China.  Well, it hasn't spread much elsewhere
• The virus has spread to other parts of China and some other Asia countries.  At least it hasn't spread to the rest of the world.
• The virus has spread to certain parts of Europe and a bit to the US.  But it hasn't spread much beyond that.
• The virus has spread all over Europe and is hitting certain states pretty bad.  But it hasn't hit my state.
• It has hit my state but not where I live
• It has hit where I live but it is mainly sick and older people

It seems like we keep reducing our area of concern.  Maybe it will never hit home for many of us but I find it interesting how we keep on ignoring the cases because it hasn't hit "us".  That the number of people in "us" seems to get smaller all of the time.  Before you know it,  "us" will be our specific household.

If this story turns out true, then it becomes the root of what you mention.  The severity, the ability to spread, the targeted population and other elements that made it appear like any other pandemic that fizzled out here so often. 

If this turns out true, it will not end well for China as the world will turn on them.

https://www.jpost.com/international/who-denies-report-that-china-asked-org-to-cover-up-coronavirus-severity-627504

[tower912]

If the story turns out to be true, then the WHO denies China asked them to cover up.

[wadesworld]

If this story turns out true, then it becomes the root of what you mention.  The severity, the ability to spread, the targeted population and other elements that made it appear like any other pandemic that fizzled out here so often. 

If this turns out true, it will not end well for China as the world will turn on them.

https://www.jpost.com/international/who-denies-report-that-china-asked-org-to-cover-up-coronavirus-severity-627504

Yet we had the benefit of seeing it jump to multiple other countries and still acted like we’d never be hit. Sad.

But hey. No administration in the history of the country would’ve done a single thing differently in an election year. Political suicide, ai’na?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

But hey. No administration in the history of the country would’ve done a single thing differently in an election year. Political suicide, ai’na?

Good news! It was announced today, May 14th, that the Trump administration DID have a pandemic preparedness plan! They developed it in 2019. The Spokesliar even waved some binders around to prove it. See, it wasn’t just Obama that had a plan. Very, very forward thinking. I guess they waited until now to announce it because they are very humble.

They said it superseded the plan Obama left, because, as they told us, that plan was bad and wouldn’t work. Except…they’ve complained for weeks now that Obama left them nothing. Huh, weird. Very weird.

And the plan they developed in 2019 (with the binders to prove it!) must have been a doozy! An excerpt:
“Step 1 – Be informed of a global pandemic"
“Step 2 – Go golfing and hold rallies for 8 weeks"
“Step 3 – Wait for pandemic to magical go away in April”

I’m not sure what is the most pathetic aspect of this. That they want people to believe they really had a plan that they just failed to mention until now, or that they want you to overlook that the plan they supposedly developed lead to their horrendous response.

[pbiflyer]

End of February, I had a trip to three cities, attended a conference with over 1300 people from all over the world, including China and Italy, went to an MU game and may or may not have visited several bars while doing all of that. While at the conference I did use lots of hand sanitizer, that was about the extent of my COVID related actions. Didn't really give it a ton of thought until our trip to the NCAAs was cancelled.
That is the first time I took it seriously. 

[Babybluejeans]

Good post, Dano. Human instinct toward denial combined with astonishing ignorance from our Dear Leader has led the country to a dark and lonely place.

[jesmu84]

Looking through the main COVID thread and others there appears to be a pattern.  BTW,  I am not calling out any individual.  I might not have posted these things,  but have thought them just like many others.  It goes like this....

• There is a virus that is making people very sick in Wuhan, China.  Well, it hasn't spread much elsewhere
• The virus has spread to other parts of China and some other Asia countries.  At least it hasn't spread to the rest of the world.
• The virus has spread to certain parts of Europe and a bit to the US.  But it hasn't spread much beyond that.
• The virus has spread all over Europe and is hitting certain states pretty bad.  But it hasn't hit my state.
• It has hit my state but not where I live
• It has hit where I live but it is mainly sick and older people

It seems like we keep reducing our area of concern.  Maybe it will never hit home for many of us but I find it interesting how we keep on ignoring the cases because it hasn't hit "us".  That the number of people in "us" seems to get smaller all of the time.  Before you know it,  "us" will be our specific household.

Hmm... That reminds me of this:

That didn't happen.

And if it did, it wasn't that bad.

And if it was, that's not a big deal.

And if it is, that's not my fault.

And if it was, I didn't mean it.

And if I did...

You deserved it.

Which is a favorite comment on reddit attributed to Trump's attitude about things he has been caught doing that were questionable/wrong/illegal/whatever

Anyway, there is definitely a contingent of society that won't take anything seriously unless it hits them personally (covid, guns, drugs, natural disasters, etc)

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I’m actually amazed with the speed that we collectively reacted.  There was a week and a half in the NYC metro where we went from an inkling of a problem to everyone at home.  Massive change in a very short time frame. 

[#UnleashSean]

Well that didnt take long. usual suspects.

Give chicos another lengthy one. Give Wade's the jb treatment.  Etc.

[wadesworld]

Well that didnt take long. usual suspects.

Give chicos another lengthy one. Give Wade's the jb treatment.  Etc.

And give Unleash the reigns to moderate the board!

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

We pulled students from Italy the last week in February. The rest of the world the week after. Still never thought it would affect us here much. Less than a week later the NBA went on hiatus.

[Pakuni]

If this story turns out true, then it becomes the root of what you mention.  The severity, the ability to spread, the targeted population and other elements that made it appear like any other pandemic that fizzled out here so often. 

If this turns out true, it will not end well for China as the world will turn on them.

https://www.jpost.com/international/who-denies-report-that-china-asked-org-to-cover-up-coronavirus-severity-627504

I'm sure China is shaking in their Li-Nings.

Seriously, what's going to happen to China?
Nobody's going to war with them over this.
They have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, so that's a non-starter.
Is the world going to stop buying their goods? Good luck with that. Even if we were willing to pay much more for our T-shirts and TVs (we're not!), it would take years and years to build up the manufacturing capacity. In the meantime, say hello to shortages and $250 sneakers.
But that's not a real concern, because multinational corporations aren't going to stop doing business with China no matter what they do.

The notion that China will somehow pay for this seems to be a fantasy. At most they'll get a stern talking to.
But maybe I'm missing something. Explain how China will be punished.

[wadesworld]

We pulled students from Italy the last week in February. The rest of the world the week after. Still never thought it would affect us here much. Less than a week later the NBA went on hiatus.

My brother goes to Xavier but did a study abroad in South Africa through Marquette. All of my brother’s Xavier friends got brought back from their study abroads weeks before he was brought back by MU. There was a student from Loyola Chicago in the program as well and Loyola told her she needed to return home. Marquette told her she would lose all of her credits for the semester if she did, but Loyola didn’t give her the choice it sounded like. Xavier told their students in the program that they were recommending they return home but would send a waiver they needed to sign to stay overseas. MU told everyone they’re staying or losing their credits. By the time they finally told the kids to come home my brother had about 4 flights cancelled as entire airlines were shutting down. Pretty hectic couple days between MU finally saying “come home” and being able to find flights.

[🏀]

Good news! It was announced today, May 14th, that the Trump administration DID have a pandemic preparedness plan! They developed it in 2019. The Spokesliar even waved some binders around to prove it. See, it wasn’t just Obama that had a plan. Very, very forward thinking. I guess they waited until now to announce it because they are very humble.

They said it superseded the plan Obama left, because, as they told us, that plan was bad and wouldn’t work. Except…they’ve complained for weeks now that Obama left them nothing. Huh, weird. Very weird.

And the plan they developed in 2019 (with the binders to prove it!) must have been a doozy! An excerpt:
“Step 1 – Be informed of a global pandemic"
“Step 2 – Go golfing and hold rallies for 8 weeks"
“Step 3 – Wait for pandemic to magical go away in April”

I’m not sure what is the most pathetic aspect of this. That they want people to believe they really had a plan that they just failed to mention until now, or that they want you to overlook that the plan they supposedly developed lead to their horrendous response.

Please. It’s play golf, not golfing.

[Warriors4ever]

My cousin was in Madrid for a study-abroad through Syracuse. They weren’t ordered home  until March 10, when Spain closed their schools,  and she returned March 13.

[JWags85]

Looking through the main COVID thread and others there appears to be a pattern.  BTW,  I am not calling out any individual.  I might not have posted these things,  but have thought them just like many others.  It goes like this....

• There is a virus that is making people very sick in Wuhan, China.  Well, it hasn't spread much elsewhere
• The virus has spread to other parts of China and some other Asia countries.  At least it hasn't spread to the rest of the world.
• The virus has spread to certain parts of Europe and a bit to the US.  But it hasn't spread much beyond that.
• The virus has spread all over Europe and is hitting certain states pretty bad.  But it hasn't hit my state.
• It has hit my state but not where I live
• It has hit where I live but it is mainly sick and older people

It seems like we keep reducing our area of concern.  Maybe it will never hit home for many of us but I find it interesting how we keep on ignoring the cases because it hasn't hit "us".  That the number of people in "us" seems to get smaller all of the time.  Before you know it,  "us" will be our specific household.

Interesting post. But I don’t necessarily think it’s fair. I think there is a difference between denial and perspective.

I arrived in NYC on March 11 to do some work, stay with my GF who lives here, and catch a BET game or two. I stayed through the following week and worked remotely as things developed to support my GF. Once it became apparent that Wisconsin was soon to shut down as well, I made plans to ride it out here with her.  So I’ve been in the heart of it the entire time, it happened right around me.

Between myself, my GF, her team and work, and my two siblings who also live in NYC, we’ve known about half a dozen who got truly “sick” and tested positive. All between the ages of 25 and 55, all recovered rather quickly and without issue. Another 10-12 who were associated with people who were sick and tested positive but asymptomatic.

Clearly I realize it’s an issue, I’ve seen how bad it got in NYC, but I’ve also seen the manageable nature of it for many people. I’ve seen the ebb and flow of sentiment here as well.

I’m not a COVID denier. I’m not saying “it’s not my problem” or it’s just for the olds, but I’m not racked in fear by it. It’s insulting to put people into buckets and just assume anyone who isn’t approaching this with the gravest of expectations and caution/fear just hasn’t experienced it yet or is in denial.

[MU82]

Good news! It was announced today, May 14th, that the Trump administration DID have a pandemic preparedness plan! They developed it in 2019. The Spokesliar even waved some binders around to prove it. See, it wasn’t just Obama that had a plan. Very, very forward thinking. I guess they waited until now to announce it because they are very humble.

They said it superseded the plan Obama left, because, as they told us, that plan was bad and wouldn’t work. Except…they’ve complained for weeks now that Obama left them nothing. Huh, weird. Very weird.

And the plan they developed in 2019 (with the binders to prove it!) must have been a doozy! An excerpt:
“Step 1 – Be informed of a global pandemic"
“Step 2 – Go golfing and hold rallies for 8 weeks"
“Step 3 – Wait for pandemic to magical go away in April”

I’m not sure what is the most pathetic aspect of this. That they want people to believe they really had a plan that they just failed to mention until now, or that they want you to overlook that the plan they supposedly developed lead to their horrendous response.

Not too surprising. I mean, more than a year into his emperorship, he was claiming that the voice on the Access Hollywood tape wasn't really him.

[D'Lo Brown]

Nationalism is a state of mind.

There was this story recently in a nearby town:

https://www.dailybulletin.com/san-dimas-protesters-oppose-plan-to-house-homeless-in-motel

Vienna and Badar, who supported the protest, say the city is concerned the project will bring more homeless to the area and they are concerned about the motel’s proximity to businesses and services used by local youth. Vienna also argues that if the project secures all 118 rooms at the Motel 6, “at least 91% of the participants will be from outside of our city.”

“The shopping center where this motel is located has a pizza parlor and other restaurants often used by Little League Teams, School Athlete Programs, and other organizations,” Vienna said in the news release. “The potential long term use of this site should concern all of us and is an attack on local control.”

According to a county website outlining plans for Project Roomkey, individuals who participate most likely would come from nearby communities, starting with local shelters. To qualify, participants must be older than 65 or have an underlying health condition that would make them vulnerable to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The San Dimas motel would house only homeless individuals who have not tested positive for COVID-19.

San Dimas is an average suburban town in southern CA. It's okay. Further, the "shopping center" they speak of houses a craphole pizza parlor & a dollar store. But the political leadership in the town successfully weaponized the "us vs them", nationalistic mindset that people of that persuasion have taken to heart over the last few years. There were literally people outside this Motel 6 protesting to keep it such a pristine, wondrous motel. Even though this program would have cleaned the establishment up better than it's ever been & brought in more money than they've made in decades. Maybe they could upgrade to color TV sets with all the money they would've made?

The virus comes from "them" - and anyone can be turned into "them" with a little fear-bait.

[🏀]

[drewm88]

My brother goes to Xavier but did a study abroad in South Africa through Marquette. All of my brother’s Xavier friends got brought back from their study abroads weeks before he was brought back by MU. There was a student from Loyola Chicago in the program as well and Loyola told her she needed to return home. Marquette told her she would lose all of her credits for the semester if she did, but Loyola didn’t give her the choice it sounded like. Xavier told their students in the program that they were recommending they return home but would send a waiver they needed to sign to stay overseas. MU told everyone they’re staying or losing their credits. By the time they finally told the kids to come home my brother had about 4 flights cancelled as entire airlines were shutting down. Pretty hectic couple days between MU finally saying “come home” and being able to find flights.

Not a good look for MU. Did X or MU pay for his flight back?

[wadesworld]

Not a good look for MU. Did X or MU pay for his flight back?

Yes, I believe he was getting reimbursed for the difference between his original flight back and the flight he ended up taking back, as well as being reimbursed for a portion of the program due to it being cut short.  I think they are now doing online courses, as the program started later (I think late January) and was scheduled to run later into the summer.

[forgetful]

My brother goes to Xavier but did a study abroad in South Africa through Marquette. All of my brother’s Xavier friends got brought back from their study abroads weeks before he was brought back by MU. There was a student from Loyola Chicago in the program as well and Loyola told her she needed to return home. Marquette told her she would lose all of her credits for the semester if she did, but Loyola didn’t give her the choice it sounded like. Xavier told their students in the program that they were recommending they return home but would send a waiver they needed to sign to stay overseas. MU told everyone they’re staying or losing their credits. By the time they finally told the kids to come home my brother had about 4 flights cancelled as entire airlines were shutting down. Pretty hectic couple days between MU finally saying “come home” and being able to find flights.

Interesting how different Universities handled this. My University was advising that people abroad return home ASAP the first week of February, and was promising they would get all credits if they returned early.

By mid February, they were paying for flights for anyone overseas to return immediately.