Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[ColePens]

And remember yall.. we dip back/forth with going a littttttle too far into politics. I know it's hard to cut it off at the line, but we have to. This just isn't the place for that discussion. Once it starts to escalate, it has to go to private messaging.

 

[Turin]

I will on record say that I am way more afraid of mass unemployment, hyperinflation and increasing government power than this virus if this state of affairs continues past April. I’m hoping we get to just washing our hands and maybe avoiding large crowds by then.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Maybe there should be a separate politics COVID-19 thread. Here we can post mutual affirmations and such and maybe bash ZAR once in a blue moon.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

And click their links.

Ya know, I was watching the CNN broadcast earlier and they were super pissed about this backdrop of a pier in San Francisco where people were walking/jogging/rollerblading. You had the sense that it was a pier that normally gets a metric ton of foot traffic, but it still had markedly less - maybe 50% less at least. And the reporter noted that car traffic was nonexistent compared to usual. Isn't this...good? The models of social distancing don't have transmission going to 0. They still have some people moving around.

It will never go to 0 in this country. The point is to spread the impact out, not stop the thing outright. The cat is way too far out of the bag for the latter to ever happen. And it just made me sad to hear people being ripped on for jogging/rollerblading down a pier.

I hope a vaccine arrives and fast and in big f*****g numbers. Beyond the economic catastrophe this is inflicting, this is going to ruin our civil society. Looking around in a park thinking about who the carriers are.

I always said the media love disasters because they make loot, but it still doesn’t change the reality that the world is full of vile humans.

None of these ill people would ever wash their hands if they didn’t have primal fear scorched into their souls.

 

[ColePens]

Maybe there should be a separate politics COVID-19 thread. Here we can post mutual affirmations and such and maybe bash ZAR once in a blue moon.

We tried a politics board on HF and it was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Like the worst of the worst for Twitter. We won't be going back. So about that ZAR bashing...? I feel i haven't had a good ZAR Bash.

And i think realization hit me today. Like I was just digging deep and letting time pass. But today I really recognized that 2020 is going to be this way. Hockey will be cancelled. NBA will, too. And in the history books 15 years down the road it's going to be so bizarre.

 

[Gurglesons]

Maybe there should be a separate politics COVID-19 thread. Here we can post mutual affirmations and such and maybe bash ZAR once in a blue moon.

You said you wanted airlines and hotels last thread. Wouldn’t the strongest survive during this time? Southwest was insanely upset during the early 2000s by the subsidiaries proved by our government. Is anyone going to bail out the multiple business owners I know that have had to close their restaurants and bars?

 

[ChaosAgent]

We tried a politics board on HF and it was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Like the worst of the worst for Twitter. We won't be going back. So about that ZAR bashing...? I feel i haven't had a good ZAR Bash.

And i think realization hit me today. Like I was just digging deep and letting time pass. But today I really recognized that 2020 is going to be this way. Hockey will be cancelled. NBA will, too. And in the history books 15 years down the road it's going to be so bizarre.

I dunno. I think fanless sports - especially the NBA playoffs - would draw astronomical ratings at this point in time. I'm not ruling it out. I don't think crowds add much to the TV experience, personally.

 

[ChaosAgent]

You said you wanted airlines and hotels last thread. Wouldn’t the strongest survive during this time? Southwest was insanely upset during the early 2000s by the subsidiaries proved by our government. Is anyone going to bail out the multiple business owners I know that have had to close their restaurants and bars?

Back to politics for a sec and I promise not to go too far down the rabbit hole...I want a bailout (grants & loans) for everything. American Airlines and your business owner friends.

To further your other question, no - the most risk-averse would survive. May or may not be the strongest. Airlines are an incredibly capital-intensive business that then makes money based on % utilization and how it maximizes revenue per utilization. In this case % utilization is plummeting towards 0. Southwest is in the trade group asking for the bailout this time around.

Airline Economics

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

We tried a politics board on HF and it was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Like the worst of the worst for Twitter. We won't be going back. So about that ZAR bashing...? I feel i haven't had a good ZAR Bash.

And i think realization hit me today. Like I was just digging deep and letting time pass. But today I really recognized that 2020 is going to be this way. Hockey will be cancelled. NBA will, too. And in the history books 15 years down the road it's going to be so bizarre.

I don’t think it will be that bizarre.

I’m a huge history buff and I also spent 3 months taking care of my grandfather when he was dying of cancer... learned a ton from him and how much his generation sacrificed... they put their lives on hold for years and went off to war, many not knowing if they would ever come back alive or even have their jobs... and those left home had to pick up the pieces...

People like the Franks had to live in a small attic hiding from the Gestapo for 2 years... 2 damn years!

Yet we have people whining about sitting home and not being allowed to eat at a restaurant, go to the beach, watch sports, etc. for a few weeks or longer.

There is a reason my grandfathers generation was considered “the greatest generation” and this generation is mostly “the selfish me me generation”.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I don’t think it will be that bizarre.

I’m a huge history buff and I also spent 3 months taking care of my grandfather when he was dying of cancer... learned a ton from him and how much his generation sacrificed... they put their lives on hold for years and went off to war, many not knowing if they would ever come back alive or even have their jobs... and those left home had to pick up the pieces...

People like the Franks had to live in a small attic for years... years!

Yet we have people whining about sitting home and not being allowed to eat at a restaurant, go to the beach, watch sports, etc. for a few weeks or longer.

There is a reason my grandfathers generation was considered “the greatest generation” and this generation is mostly “the selfish me me generation”.

Granted.

However, I think that you sell younger generations short. I have been around for quite a while but can't remember a time like this.

Let us hope for the best, but if this indeed does go on for months and we do have losses in the numbers that are being predicted don't sell this generation short. I think that they will surprise you with similar resolve and resilience.

 

[ColePens]

I don’t think it will be that bizarre.

I’m a huge history buff and I also spent 3 months taking care of my grandfather when he was dying of cancer... learned a ton from him and how much his generation sacrificed... they put their lives on hold for years and went off to war, many not knowing if they would ever come back alive or even have their jobs... and those left home had to pick up the pieces...

People like the Franks had to live in a small attic hiding from the Gestapo for 2 years... 2 damn years!

Yet we have people whining about sitting home and not being allowed to eat at a restaurant, go to the beach, watch sports, etc. for a few weeks or longer.

There is a reason my grandfathers generation was considered “the greatest generation” and this generation is mostly “the selfish me me generation”.

I appreciate this site because people can really give you a different vision. And if you take a second to respect the vision, you can learn a lot. So sincerely thank you. A lot of members here are very VERY well educated and have good opinions that make me say "Oh shit.. didn't think of that."

 

[ColePens]

For the record, and this is just my personal take, i've seen each generation do good and bad. There just is such a difference between the two. The good understand the concept and "sacrifice" to an extent. The bad is just f***ing bad and acting like this is a sham.

 

[Gurglesons]

Back to politics for a sec and I promise not to go too far down the rabbit hole...I want a bailout (grants & loans) for everything. American Airlines and your business owner friends.

To further your other question, no - the most risk-averse would survive. May or may not be the strongest. Airlines are an incredibly capital-intensive business that then makes money based on % utilization and how it maximizes revenue per utilization. In this case % utilization is plummeting towards 0. Southwest is in the trade group asking for the bailout this time around.

Airline Economics

If you’re a corporation and you see the government constantly giving bailouts why so you care? It’s just like a GM in the NHL.

Only I’m not the one subsidizing Jim Rutherford,

 

[ChaosAgent]

If you’re a corporation and you see the government constantly giving bailouts why so you care? It’s just like a GM in the NHL.

Only I’m not the one subsidizing Jim Rutherford,

The government themselves shuttered the airline business here. This is not corporate welfare like in 08 (although the impacts of TARP are sadly poorly understood...it was a brilliant program.) This is the government mitigating its own collateral damage.

 

[66-30-33]

Talking to a reg customer at my work, talked about his biz might be gone soon because of this. I feel sorry for the people getting screwed because of this. All these people losing their jobs and here I am safe at this job while lots of people become depressed.

 

[Winger for Hire]

And i think realization hit me today. Like I was just digging deep and letting time pass. But today I really recognized that 2020 is going to be this way. Hockey will be cancelled. NBA will, too. And in the history books 15 years down the road it's going to be so bizarre.

I kind of had that moment of realization as well today and it dazed me for a while.

It was a really, profoundly weird feeling. Like, I knew we're under their cloud of uncertainly and threat, but nothing like having to worry about a visible war on your doorstep or the like. You open the door and everything is normal, but not and you know there's this invisible threat looming out there. I know there's the whole meme going around, "Your grandparents got called to war. You're just being called to binge Netflix", and I don't want to sound like I'm shitting on that generation or saying one had it easier or harder, we all had/have our obstacles and trails in history, but that generation at least had tangible tasks and meaningful work to contribute towards overcoming- factory work, enlistment. The best I, we, can do is literally lock ourselves away or donate your extra computing power to Folding@Home to maybe inch progress a faction of a millimeter forward. And what makes it even more unsettling is the big number of people that either don't care, refuse to take it seriously, or both because they're not the most vulnerable or think it's some Tom Clancy plot or it's nothing because there's not bodies in the streets.

I could go on my midnight rambling about the capitalistic side of it all, but I don't want to force Cole to put me in the HF gulag. I'm sure all this is also exacerbated by the fact I brought a young one into the world recently and all this has me wondering about his safety and future.

Anyways, thanks for tuning into this episode of Winger's Ramblings, everyone. I hope this all made at least a little bit of a coherent thought

 

[Ryder71]

I will on record say that I am way more afraid of mass unemployment, hyperinflation and increasing government power than this virus if this state of affairs continues past April. I’m hoping we get to just washing our hands and maybe avoiding large crowds by then.

100% Agree! I said this a couple days ago I believe. That how this adversely affects the economy and society in general, may do much more in the way of harm than the virus itself. Yes it needs to be taken very seriously, but to try to completely alter peoples livelihoods, routines and habits could drive people to do even more damage to one another. If many people lose their income or worse yet their businesses completely, it's gonna get real ugly.

If by early April things get loosened up a bit we may pull through this ok. But if this continues to this degree through April and May there's gonna be lots of people losing their minds. Suicide, drug use, binge drinking etc will be a far greater issue for people forced to live as an unproductive slacker who aren't conditioned for it. Marriages will face challenges they could not anticipate. Being thrown together for a long period without getting away from one another (in some cases anyhow) will get cumbersome and old very quickly.

 

[EightyOne]

This shit officially f***ing sucks now

f***

If I could stay home or even had to work from home I'd be okay

But I can't. This is getting to bullshit levels of stupid.

 

[ImporterExporter]

This shit officially f***ing sucks now

f***

If I could stay home or even had to work from home I'd be okay

But I can't. This is getting to bullshit levels of stupid.

You know, we're living in a society.

 

[billybudd]

100% Agree! I said this a couple days ago I believe. That how this adversely affects the economy and society in general, may do much more in the way of harm than the virus itself. Yes it needs to be taken very seriously, but to try to completely alter peoples livelihoods, routines and habits could drive people to do even more damage to one another. If many people lose their income or worse yet their businesses completely, it's gonna get real ugly.

If by early April things get loosened up a bit we may pull through this ok. But if this continues to this degree through April and May there's gonna be lots of people losing their minds. Suicide, drug use, binge drinking etc will be a far greater issue for people forced to live as an unproductive slacker who aren't conditioned for it. Marriages will face challenges they could not anticipate. Being thrown together for a long period without getting away from one another (in some cases anyhow) will get cumbersome and old very quickly.

I don't think drug or alcohol abuse will be a problem. Not because idle hands don't do the Devil's work, but because of logistical concerns.

Liquor stores/bars have closed, delivery times have quadrupled in most consumer-facing businesses and there's increased import/export scrutiny from both the US and Mexico, not to mention I don't think the cartels can even get what they need from China to make opioid narcotics at this time. The Mexican illegal narcotic industry has supply lines that start in Wuhan, China. A month ago I saw an article saying hospitals in certain areas were seeing big increases in walk-ins displaying drug withdrawal symptoms due to lack of availability. I can only assume it's worse now and will be worse still in two weeks.

 

[Ryder71]

Talking to a reg customer at my work, talked about his biz might be gone soon because of this. I feel sorry for the people getting screwed because of this. All these people losing their jobs and here I am safe at this job while lots of people become depressed.

Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Agitation and other issues will run rampant. When people are forced out of their jobs to no fault of their own you're taking away their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Some will not handle this very well at all. Their sense of purpose and their role within the family dynamic will be altered so abruptly and significantly, it may have a lasting impact even beyond the next little while.

I understand precautions need to be in place. But I think some of these steps put in place will hurt far more than this virus ever could. Some news reports suggested as many as two million US citizens could die from this. I can't say that's remotely accurate. But I suspect if we're largely isolated for months at a time the alternative will be worse.

 

[EightyOne]

You know, we're living in a society.

f*** society right now lol

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

@Honour Over Glory I saw your post in the other thread. Get well, buddy.

Definitely take it seriously. It sounds a lot like a covid case I was just reading about on twitter with the shortness and headache. He goes into some detail in the thread if you're interested.

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

You said you wanted airlines and hotels last thread. Wouldn’t the strongest survive during this time? Southwest was insanely upset during the early 2000s by the subsidiaries proved by our government. Is anyone going to bail out the multiple business owners I know that have had to close their restaurants and bars?

It's all good, Pixies. Trickle down, and all of that. Poor SW, btw. To say they are tethered to the 737 is a vast understatement. Hope their backroom deal with Boeing re the MAX fiasco was a good one. I like Southwest...

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

I dunno. I think fanless sports - especially the NBA playoffs - would draw astronomical ratings at this point in time. I'm not ruling it out. I don't think crowds add much to the TV experience, personally.

March Madness says "Hold my beer"... Oh well. This would have been a super fun MM. No one is great.