[lit-ideas] Re: flu vaccine

  • From: Paul Stone <pas@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 22:55:41 -0400

Well, it's a good thing there was a lunar eclipse to keep me awake. WHERE 
do I begin? These discussions are EXACTLY why I fought so vehemently 
against the 3-post rule on that other list. It's impossible to defend your 
argument when you are limited. Of course some will say that it's simply 
impossible to defend my argument.
>I don't know where the notion that 'millions of people...[who don't need flu
>shots] are getting them' comes from.

I have a hard time believing that 1/3 of the population NEEDS flu shots. As 
I said before, if they do, then we've got serious issues.

>That certainly hasn't been reported locally ornationally

Aside: This is a lovely accidental enjambement.

>(although Marlena did suggest that her library staff didn't want to
>be making decisions about who did and didn't need innoculation and was giving
>everyone a pass). In Oregon there's no flu vaccine for anybody, let alone 
>those
>who are in the 'at risk' category.

That's terrible and I'm not trying to be callous to anyone.

>The lines shown on TV and reported in the press are made up of aged folk, 
>some in wheelchairs, most assisted by abler
>persons. The innoculation of people who fall outside the guidelines didn't 
>create the present US flu vaccine shortage.

NO... and that was never my contention. I'm only saying that the HUGE 
outcry is because of the general unavailability of it, not JUST because of 
the vaccine shortage for those who actually need it. Previously, if you had 
10 bucks, you could get one... and MANY, MANY did.

>And later:
>
> >They are not being altruistic, whining about how their grandmothers and kids
>can't get it.<
>
>Who are 'they'? I guess I'm asking which planet's newspapers you read.

Yes, the planet iceasedtogiveashitlastmonth.

>Yet further:
>
> >It's like air bags, car safety, seatbelts etc. How about learning how to
>fucking drive so that you don't smash into anything? How about more difficult
>driving tests? How about making sure that people who are not extremely 
>competent
>drivers DON'T DRIVE?<
>
>'It's like'? I have a hard time seeing how it is. It seems odd to say that
>because most accidents are caused by people who don't know how to fucking 
>drive,
>there is no need for seatbelts and airbags in general (if that _is_ what's 
>being
>said). Although there are lethal one car accidents, I think there are far more
>multiple car accidents, and it takes only one incompetent driver to ruin your
>day, however competent you may be.

Not really. If you are FULLY at attention, the odds of you getting creamed 
by an errant driver are very low. Even head-on collisions, if not caused by 
someone suddenly just deliberately creaming you, are generally avoidable if 
you are paying attention. How many times have you seen a close call on the 
highway? HUNDREDS of times. The fatal collisions are mostly caused by both 
the causer and the person who is hit NOT paying attention at the same time. 
I'm not blaming the 'innocent' creamee, but they ARE at fault somewhat. If 
you are always prepared to drive into a ditch to avoid that semi coming 
your way, then the VAST probability is that you will NOT die in a car 
accident. YEs, I am still idealistic, but I've ridden a donorcycle for 20 
years defensively and successfully.

>Are you saying that if the Kingdom of God on earth resulted in only 
>'competent' drivers there'd be no need for safety devices on cars?

NOPE. I'm saying that the more safety devices that are invented, the LESS 
responsibility the driver feels. Do you EVER feel remotely vulnerable on a 
rollercoaster? NO! That's because you are completely at the mercy of the 
safety precautions that were taken to ensure your safety and you have faith 
in them. But LIFE is not an amusement park. It has been marketed as such, 
but it's not. People have been lulled into a false sense of security about 
life in general. When you drive, you are taking a 1 1/2 -2 ton projectile 
and hurtling it around at 60-70 miles an hour. Most people who do this have 
no appreciation for the momentum they carry and the subsequent damage that 
can inflict. The fact that 'safety' is a major selling point on cars is 
telling. Nobody wants responsibilities. It's no longer "IF" I crash, it's 
"WHEN" I crash.

>I'm waiting for the Paul Stone isolation-satisfaction unit, which is 
>modeled on
>early brain-in-a-vat technology, to come on the market. When it's available it
>will be so attractive that nobody will want to leave its cozy confines and
>expose themselves to germy people and Massachusetts drivers.

The internet is a pre-cursor.

Going out to check on the eclipse's ebb. Still trying to interact with my 
artificial world.

paul 

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