It's depressing that people think 25% of the workforce can be out of work for an indeterminate period of time without massive, potentially society-ending effects.

I can only assume you mean without drastic changes to our current economic system, because otherwise in this modern age of automation that seems entirely possible.

No one thinks that.

I think that.

Specifically, I think that first world societies can afford to give 25% of the workforce a paid sabbatical without ceasing to exist. And I find it depressing that there are people who think this is a shock that rich societies cannot absorb.

Sure, it'll be painful. Taxes will have to go up afterwards, the retirement age might have to rise. But it's possible.

> massive, potentially society-ending effects.

"Society" ending or "Socialism only for the rich" ending?

That's not the result of having "forgotten". It's the dual squeeze of pitiful government response for workers (a single $1200 check vs. near full-benefits in Europe) combined with a hysterical "we gotta open up" corporate funded protest campaign from the extreme right.

Don't forget the gaslighting "100k people dead is doing a good job" BS.

People are being hoodwinked while they're scared shitless.

I do truly believe that almost any reasonable person will look at the death rate and realize that the US has fucked up the response in a big huge way. The conspiracy people saying that the death rates are a lie are not that many. This is one where the silent majority does realize whats going on and how bad the administration is fucking it up.

Anyone can go look and see that south korea, a far more urbanized state is open for business right now.

"examine this discrepancy" vs. "it's fake news" - for some the latter just makes more sense.

Active disinformation campaigns work.

Saying SK is open while we're not leads to "let's open America" for that mindset.

They'll have that mindset regardless of the reasoning for it. We'll just all have to watch as they show up on the news going "I never believed this could happen to me!".

> Don't forget the gaslighting "100k people dead is doing a good job" BS.

It always looked bad and looks worse the closer 100k becomes. It can’t be too long before some measures will say it has been exceeded. Then what will the claim be?

Goalposts can be moved - in fact, hasn't that happened before? Next claim will be 150k, then 300k. It will never be enough to actually do anything until/unless Prince Prospero or his castle gets sick.

Stumbled on the below - just denying covid is the cause of death is another angle. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/09/us/politics/coronavirus-d...

Not all countries in Europe are going full benefits. Mine has given peanuts to all those people who cannot work at all due to the lockdown (and only a tiny fraction got the money). Or worse, it has offered them loans.

> Don't forget the gaslighting "100k people dead is doing a good job" BS.

Now do the per capita numbers and see that we’re actually doing better on a deaths/million basis than several European countries.

Anxiety over an inability to procure resources due to economic uncertainty for the future and lack of income is also an epidemic.