Covid-19 Game Uniforms/Safety

[Guest]

We've slowly become a "me" society. I was living in denial before this, attributing it to a small minority of the population being broadcast on social media - but no, we've become a "me" society.

We're too entitled. We can't be told "no" anymore. We're willing to sacrifice our elders and neighbors for meaningless football games and the "right" to sit in a McDonald's. It's embarrassing.

I remember when 9/11 happened and we came together as a country, for the most part. We grieved for the lives lost and tried to implement protections to prevent it from happening again. The official death toll is 2,977. As of typing this, a reported 99,909 people have died from COVID-19.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don't know that it's about football games or Big Macs. But, how many people are unemployed? How many businesses are down and not coming back? Extreme poverty and desperation leads to a lot of other bad things, too -- rampant crime, drug use, etc.

It's kind of a 'danged if you do ... danged if you don't' scenario.

Famous quote in Shawshank: Get busy livin' ... or get busy dying.

If you haven't missed a paycheck in the past 10 weeks you may have a much different view than the family who hasn't got one in 10 weeks.

[SW_Mustang]

My point exactly, thanks!

It's not me I'm worried about, it's the effect reckless behavior has on others who don't have the luxury to "stay home." But I guess so long as you get to sit in a restaurant, it's all dandy for you.

[SW_Mustang]

I don't know that it's about football games or Big Macs. But, how many people are unemployed? How many businesses are down and not coming back? Extreme poverty and desperation leads to a lot of other bad things, too -- rampant crime, drug use, etc.

It's kind of a 'danged if you do ... danged if you don't' scenario.

Famous quote in Shawshank: Get busy livin' ... or get busy dying.

If you haven't missed a paycheck in the past 10 weeks you may have a much different view than the family who hasn't got one in 10 weeks.

Obviously there are some genuine concerns, I highlighted that in an earlier post - I don't think shutting everything down for an extended period of time is the way to go.

No, I'm referring to the folks who believe it's their God-given right to go to the store without wearing a mask, or those who think football has any actual importance and is willing to risk public health to see a ball get tossed around. That's what irks me.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I was in the Indiana Wal-Mart yesterday to buy some fishing supplies. Immediately I noticed half the the store wasn't wearing masks despite the signs up. The 'greeter' told me they are 'recommending' the use of masks but not 'requiring' the use of masks. Unlike several weeks ago I also saw not a single person wearing gloves. Point of this post is despite all the warnings, lots of people are moving on ... going back to 'normal'. Not saying right or wrong, ... but it is happening.

[SW_Mustang]

I was in the Indiana Wal-Mart yesterday to buy some fishing supplies. Immediately I noticed half the the store wasn't wearing masks despite the signs up. The 'greeter' told me they are 'recommending' the use of masks but not 'requiring' the use of masks. Unlike several weeks ago I also saw not a single person wearing gloves. Point of this post is despite all the warnings, lots of people are moving on ... going back to 'normal'. Not saying right or wrong, ... but it is happening.

I was in a store that required them past the front desk. I didn't want to wear one, but I also remembered that I am a functioning adult who doesn't throw temper tantrums when told "no." I've seen it on social media, it's ugly. I wore it, got what I needed to get, and I left.

I also think it's lame when people get shamed for not wearing masks when they aren't required too, which I've seen as well. If it's not mandated by the store, just leave people alone.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Obviously there are some genuine concerns, I highlighted that in an earlier post - I don't think shutting everything down for an extended period of time is the way to go.

No, I'm referring to the folks who believe it's their God-given right to go to the store without wearing a mask, or those who think football has any actual importance and is willing to risk public health to see a ball get tossed around. That's what irks me.

It's not really a factor at our level so much but when you talk about an Ann Arbor or State College ... those D1 football boom towns ... football really drives the economy. That's really the tricky part. What's one lost weekend worth financially at Penn State? A lot -- restaurants, bars, book stores, hotels, etc. Game weekends in Happy Valley ... the town fills up Thursday and stays until Sunday. To shut that down is obviously a very major decision -- and an extremely costly one.

Money is a really powerful motivator. I'm curious to watch it unfold.

I'm going to take a guess here, but if Penn State hosted Ohio State this weekend with no stadium restrictions ... I'd guess they'd easily have 85,000 inside Beaver Stadium (perhaps more).

[SW_Mustang]

It's not really a factor at our level so much but when you talk about an Ann Arbor or State College ... those D1 football boom towns ... football really drives the economy. That's really the tricky part. What's one lost weekend worth financially at Penn State? A lot -- restaurants, bars, book stores, hotels, etc. Game weekends in Happy Valley ... the town fills up Thursday and stays until Sunday. To shut that down is obviously a very major decision -- and an extremely costly one.

Money is a really powerful motivator. I'm curious to watch it unfold.

I'm going to take a guess here, but if Penn State hosted Ohio State this weekend with no stadium restrictions ... I'd guess they'd easily have 85,000 inside Beaver Stadium (perhaps more).

Absolutely. Those stadiums and teams also employ a lot of lower wage workers who can't simply afford to "go without" a paycheck for a week or two. That's absolutely a valid claim.

The problem is, that's rarely the side I hear. It's usually folks who want to watch the game because that's what they want, and they don't want to be told "no."

[CALUPA69]

We've slowly become a "me" society. I was living in denial before this, attributing it to a small minority of the population being broadcast on social media - but no, we've become a "me" society.

We're too entitled. We can't be told "no" anymore. We're willing to sacrifice our elders and neighbors for meaningless football games and the "right" to sit in a McDonald's. It's embarrassing.

I remember when 9/11 happened and we came together as a country, for the most part. We grieved for the lives lost and tried to implement protections to prevent it from happening again. The official death toll is 2,977. As of typing this, a reported 99,909 people have died from COVID-19.

Difference from 9/11 is that the C19 "enemy" isn't clearly definable. Living in NYC I'm quite used to the distain a good number of Americans have for the city and it's inhabitants. Post 9/11 for maybe 3-6 months New Yorkers were acceptable if not beloved fellow citizens. Not so much with C19. The social media world really doesn't care so much what becomes of New York, Chicago or San Francisco/ LA. What they fail to grasp is that those three states create 27% of the US GDP and if they don't come back we're all going to hell in a hand basket. MEism is a major obstacle in any attempt to right the domestic economic ship. Time will tell.

[SW_Mustang]

Difference from 9/11 is that the C19 "enemy" isn't clearly definable. Living in NYC I'm quite used to the distain a good number of Americans have for the city and it's inhabitants. Post 9/11 for maybe 3-6 months New Yorkers were acceptable if not beloved fellow citizens. Not so much with C19. The social media world really doesn't care so much what becomes of New York, Chicago or San Francisco/ LA. What they fail to grasp is that those three states create 27% of the US GDP and if they don't come back we're all going to hell in a hand basket. MEism is a major obstacle in any attempt to right the domestic economic ship. Time will tell.

That makes sense, although that would mean it's less about "loss of life" and more about having an enemy - IMO.

As a resident of the rural Midwest, that assessment is spot on. There is a large disdain for "urban" communities, even Minneapolis and Sioux Falls. Personally, I'd love to visit the major cities of the US. I've been actively discouraged against doing so by people who can't point out NYC on a map, let alone those who've actually been there. In the social media age, everyone wants to draw lines in the sand and oppose everyone else. I've made my mistakes too - but I try not to live in the "us vs. them" mentality.

[CALUPA69]

That makes sense, although that would mean it's less about "loss of life" and more about having an enemy - IMO.

As a resident of the rural Midwest, that assessment is spot on. There is a large disdain for "urban" communities, even Minneapolis and Sioux Falls. Personally, I'd love to visit the major cities of the US. I've been actively discouraged against doing so by people who can't point out NYC on a map, let alone those who've actually been there. In the social media age, everyone wants to draw lines in the sand and oppose everyone else. I've made my mistakes too - but I try not to live in the "us vs. them" mentality.

Sadly, as I'd previously indicated, a large percentage of Americans have become inured to the devastation of C19 much as they have gun deaths, automobile accident deaths and smoking deaths. Right or wrong the story has become dog bites man news which is to say no news at all.

[SW_Mustang]

Sadly, as I'd previously indicated, a large percentage of Americans have become inured to the devastation of C19 much as they have gun deaths, automobile accident deaths and smoking deaths. Right or wrong the story has become dog bites man news which is to say no news at all.

I misinterpreted that post earlier - sorry. I didn't mean to make it seem like I was calling you out.

We're being led into a false sense of a security out here. The initial mega-explosion in NY/NJ appears to be over, but that significantly dropped the national average of new cases/day. We keep adding cases like crazy, which is partly due to increased testing - yet our percentage of returned positive cases seems to keep climbing slowly. We're also still well below the national average for tests per capita. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

For the time being, I'll just be as cautious as I reasonably can. I'd hate to be the cause of someone else getting sick.

[iupgroundhog]

Sadly, as I'd previously indicated, a large percentage of Americans have become inured to the devastation of C19 much as they have gun deaths, automobile accident deaths and smoking deaths. Right or wrong the story has become dog bites man news which is to say no news at all.

Interestingly, the federal government, through coordinated efforts, has greatly reduced automobile deaths (also car manufacturers) and smoking deaths over the course of several decades. We do not have that federal government coordination with regards to gun deaths or the current COVID-19 situation.

[iupgroundhog]

You validate his comments about the "me" culture. The attitude that you have, while you're entitled to it, is incredibly callous and disrespectful.

This is (hopefully) a temporary situation. You just toss aside elderly and people with pre-existing conditions like they don't have the same rights to enjoy life as you do. It's about collective responsibility. The idea is that we all do our part so we can overcome this and then everybody can go out and enjoy life again, regardless of your age or health status.

To protect themselves these groups have been advised to stay in and take precautions. But in the larger picture what you say amounts to horrible discrimination.

[Guest]

You validate his comments about the "me" culture. The attitude that you have, while you're entitled to it, is incredibly callous and disrespectful.

This is (hopefully) a temporary situation. You just toss aside elderly and people with pre-existing conditions like they don't have the same rights to enjoy life as you do. It's about collective responsibility. The idea is that we all do our part so we can overcome this and then everybody can go out and enjoy life again, regardless of your age or health status.

To protect themselves these groups have been advised to stay in and take precautions. But in the larger picture what you say amounts to horrible discrimination.

Your clueless.