Thorough and brilliant post. Makes me wonder how we escape it all or I should say if we escape it. Safetyism, as you point out, is fraught w unintended harms, especially to children. When the possibility has become the probability, as seems to be the case, what IS the off ramp?
"Surface contact was determined to not be a significant route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2..." Recently I went to a supermarket where they had decided to start spritzing their clients with the stupid hand sanitizer upon entry. I said, "Still doing this theatre? No." And I left. I went to a different store of the same chain a few weeks later. Looks like the hand sanitizer harassment is chain-wide. I said, "No," again and left. No doubt the people supporting this figure it's "just" hand sanitizer, but I figure it's important to fight against whatever fronts of this madness I am able to.
Feb 15, 2022·edited Feb 15, 2022Liked by Steve Templeton, PhD.
I went to a restaurant the other day where customers had to line up at the entrance so a girl with a temperature gun could pretend to vet our infection status. When it was my turn I challenged her.
"What happens if I decline?" I asked. She looked surprised -- I can only assume I was the first person to take issue.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I think we'd have to deny you entry." I rolled my eyes. "I'll do your wrist instead of your forehead?"
I was loath to comply but was meeting a friend inside. "Do what you have to do," I said, "But everyone knows it's useless and unnecessary."
Later on I emailed the restaurant to complain but never heard back.
For over a year, the tyrant where I live forced stores to take people's temperature at the door. It didn't matter if the thermometers were broken. (At one place, my temp registered so low, I should have been declared dead on the spot.) As long as the theatre played out, that is what counted. So silly.
The syllogism used by politicians goes like this (borrowed from the TV show Yes Minister):
1. We must do something
2. This is something
Therefore, we must do this.
Also the safety culture described goes back a few decades. I was hoping it was in decline (there were some signs) but with Covid it's clearly still very powerful. I find it interesting that in Greek mythology, the god Soter means "safety", but also "salvation". People today do have a quasi-religious drive toward safety, treating as a kind of secular salvation.
Nobody seems to remember that TV fact-checkers spent a couple of decades ridiculing us for throwing away our money on hand sanitizer. It was a go-to story any time they got bored (second only to lab-testing various objects and comparing the germs found to those on a toilet seat): interview an expert who would say that the only way the stuff could do any good was if you scrubbed with it for 10 minutes and followed up with soap and water. Suckers! Hahaha!
I was just thinking about the big snow of 1982 this morning. I lived in west St. Louis County then. I believe about 15 inches fell that Sunday, and I had to go to work that night downtown. I cleared the snow off my VW Rabbit and headed down I-70. When I had the building in sight, I just parked the car on the street (not in a parking space, literally on the street) as everybody else was doing. Next morning I drove home. Seems so crazy now.
Fast forward to this week. We had about 6 inches here (a little farther west of St. Louis). As of today still no mail, no delivery of a FedEx package scheduled for three days ago, and I doubt schools will reopen even on Monday. When I was a kid, the people you relied on would put on their tire chains and get the job done. Now, about once every five years some school administrator will get the nerve to not cancel when there's a dusting, and sure enough, a bus will slide up against a curb somewhere and the finger-pointing begins. Can't say I blame them for being timid.
I had a bout with what I'm pretty sure was the flu this week. Symptoms were exactly the same as last time I had it 13 years ago: fever for two days and feeling so weak that getting out of bed was a struggle. The fever is gone but I know it will take a couple of weeks before I feel good again. My wife shows no signs of infection, but my sickness cult busybody sister-in-law got wind of it and has been nagging her that I have to "get tested." No, I do not.
I remember the 1982 blizzard. We were really socked in for a few days, but it took that much snow to do it, even with those awful rear wheel drive sedans.
Speaking of awful rear-drive sedans, when my Dad took delivery of his 1960 Chevy Biscayne, the dealer said it was the first time they had installed tire chains on a new vehicle before handing over the keys. That afternoon, our school bus slid off the road and he had to come out in the middle of the blizzard with his brand-new car to help get the kids home. He was a farmer, so he could handle just about anything!
Here in North Florida we also have the same safetyism when we get cold snaps. A few times per year temperatures even below freezing - for just a few hours. When growing up in the 1980's-90's, life continued on mostly as normal, but not anymore.
Thorough and brilliant post. Makes me wonder how we escape it all or I should say if we escape it. Safetyism, as you point out, is fraught w unintended harms, especially to children. When the possibility has become the probability, as seems to be the case, what IS the off ramp?
"Surface contact was determined to not be a significant route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2..." Recently I went to a supermarket where they had decided to start spritzing their clients with the stupid hand sanitizer upon entry. I said, "Still doing this theatre? No." And I left. I went to a different store of the same chain a few weeks later. Looks like the hand sanitizer harassment is chain-wide. I said, "No," again and left. No doubt the people supporting this figure it's "just" hand sanitizer, but I figure it's important to fight against whatever fronts of this madness I am able to.
I went to a restaurant the other day where customers had to line up at the entrance so a girl with a temperature gun could pretend to vet our infection status. When it was my turn I challenged her.
"What happens if I decline?" I asked. She looked surprised -- I can only assume I was the first person to take issue.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I think we'd have to deny you entry." I rolled my eyes. "I'll do your wrist instead of your forehead?"
I was loath to comply but was meeting a friend inside. "Do what you have to do," I said, "But everyone knows it's useless and unnecessary."
Later on I emailed the restaurant to complain but never heard back.
For over a year, the tyrant where I live forced stores to take people's temperature at the door. It didn't matter if the thermometers were broken. (At one place, my temp registered so low, I should have been declared dead on the spot.) As long as the theatre played out, that is what counted. So silly.
The syllogism used by politicians goes like this (borrowed from the TV show Yes Minister):
1. We must do something
2. This is something
Therefore, we must do this.
Also the safety culture described goes back a few decades. I was hoping it was in decline (there were some signs) but with Covid it's clearly still very powerful. I find it interesting that in Greek mythology, the god Soter means "safety", but also "salvation". People today do have a quasi-religious drive toward safety, treating as a kind of secular salvation.
Excellent, Steve. Thank you.
Nobody seems to remember that TV fact-checkers spent a couple of decades ridiculing us for throwing away our money on hand sanitizer. It was a go-to story any time they got bored (second only to lab-testing various objects and comparing the germs found to those on a toilet seat): interview an expert who would say that the only way the stuff could do any good was if you scrubbed with it for 10 minutes and followed up with soap and water. Suckers! Hahaha!
I was just thinking about the big snow of 1982 this morning. I lived in west St. Louis County then. I believe about 15 inches fell that Sunday, and I had to go to work that night downtown. I cleared the snow off my VW Rabbit and headed down I-70. When I had the building in sight, I just parked the car on the street (not in a parking space, literally on the street) as everybody else was doing. Next morning I drove home. Seems so crazy now.
Fast forward to this week. We had about 6 inches here (a little farther west of St. Louis). As of today still no mail, no delivery of a FedEx package scheduled for three days ago, and I doubt schools will reopen even on Monday. When I was a kid, the people you relied on would put on their tire chains and get the job done. Now, about once every five years some school administrator will get the nerve to not cancel when there's a dusting, and sure enough, a bus will slide up against a curb somewhere and the finger-pointing begins. Can't say I blame them for being timid.
I had a bout with what I'm pretty sure was the flu this week. Symptoms were exactly the same as last time I had it 13 years ago: fever for two days and feeling so weak that getting out of bed was a struggle. The fever is gone but I know it will take a couple of weeks before I feel good again. My wife shows no signs of infection, but my sickness cult busybody sister-in-law got wind of it and has been nagging her that I have to "get tested." No, I do not.
I remember the 1982 blizzard. We were really socked in for a few days, but it took that much snow to do it, even with those awful rear wheel drive sedans.
Speaking of awful rear-drive sedans, when my Dad took delivery of his 1960 Chevy Biscayne, the dealer said it was the first time they had installed tire chains on a new vehicle before handing over the keys. That afternoon, our school bus slid off the road and he had to come out in the middle of the blizzard with his brand-new car to help get the kids home. He was a farmer, so he could handle just about anything!
Thank you for another great article!
Here in North Florida we also have the same safetyism when we get cold snaps. A few times per year temperatures even below freezing - for just a few hours. When growing up in the 1980's-90's, life continued on mostly as normal, but not anymore.