Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

My revelation of the other day: the internet--specifically social media--is really good at spreading misinformation and mass hysteria, and pretty weak at spreading useful, fact-based information.

Which makes me appreciate this crowd all the more. Sure, we disagree--that's kind of the point--but most of the time we do it without hysteria (misinformation, like claiming Austin is a habitable city, happens, but what are you going to do).

Kudos. If only our little slice of the internet could spread to other outlets.

I read this, and my friend, I have to disagree.

The internet and even social media are wonderful at spreading useful, fact-based information. Both things are great at it. But the issue is how we process it. There really isn't nearly as much misinformation as there is fact-based information, but the former is often amplified in such a way that it catches a lot of attention. 

It does have the ability to bring together people with problematic worldviews and let them fester. It does allow a more amplified version of some of the worst kinds of confirmation bias. But it's not like TV or newspapers in their times didn't spread hysteria or even misinformation (stranger danger is a lie, never forget). 

Anyway, it's a way to spread information. Most of it is fact-based. Much of it is useful. But the other stuff is a problem, maybe an intractable one. 

This isn't some guessing game where the consequence of being wrong is equal, whether you're wrong above or below the line. 
If we're too cautious, zero additional deaths will occur and it would have wasted some money.
If we're wrong the other way, it would cause unknown numbers of deaths and would cost more money in the long run.
.
So in this situation of the great unknown, it's an easy choice of which way to be wrong on - we must be cautious.  It's not even a choice.  No, the masses aren't responding well, but it's due to so much being unknown (ie - lack of testing) and not because they're overly cautious.  The masses are stupid and animalistic and prone to such behavior - it's predictable. 
Prudent cautiousness is what the situation calls for.  And no matter what anyone's opinion of Trump is, we can all agree he doesn't possess the capacity to influence anyone with cautiousness, nor prudence. 

This is where you are wrong. Over Cautiousness will cost people jobs, livelihood, money, retirement funds. Being overly cautious will cause the economy to go into a temporary recess that is not a matter of how sound the economy is. Tell the people whose living depends on the income from working sporting events, etc. that being overly cautiousness doesn't hurt. 

And I agree Prudent cautiousness is what the situation calls for, however shutting down all these events, etc. is not "prudent" in my opinion. 

I know it is not one to one equivalent but with the H1N1 60M in the USA got it. 212K were hospitalized, 12K died. Covid-19 is nowhere near these numbers in the US. Where was the massive shutdowns then? Like all of these things in my lifetime, the virus runs it course, people take prudent precautions. People get sick, some die, but society continues without a gigantic disruption to society. 

Sorry, but I am amazed how you seem to know what is good for the "masses" You are superior in your judgement then the Stupid and animalistic hoi polloi. Hate to say but typical elitism, we know what is good for you better than you know yourself. 

I'm looking forward to looking back on all of this

Amen, Brother!


I'll drink to that

I'm looking forward to looking back on all of this

I was gonna say "Oh God why?" because what good is most of this doing?

But then I realized you might mean in terms of just getting past it, which would be nice. 

Oh, and there's about 57 million K-12 students in the U.S.  I guess many will get sick and ho-hum, some will die.  Just as long as it's not an inconvenience.

I'm pretty sure we're not closing schools to save the children. The good thing about this one (relative to influenza) is that it seems to spare the kids. 

We're closing schools because kids are wonderfully efficient disease vectors. They're like little febreze bottles full of germs, and schools are where they share the germs between them. 

Considering how it changed global economy,convenience and pleasure it's an unfortunate trade off.Ask all the people who made it to a hospital on time who otherwise wouldn't have