3. I don't need a degree in epidemiology or medicine to know bullshit when I see it. Fauci telling people we cannot shake hands or even been within 6 feet of others, but having a hookup on tender is perfectly fine would be a great example. Tinder Hookups Ok
From the interview that led to that link:
Fauci on if handshakes would disappear: "That’s not going to happen. What I hope happens is that people do something really simple, and that’s called washing your hands as often as you possibly can and using some sort of alcohol-based Purell, or something like that. Because handshaking, I mean, I think people will go back to handshaking, but we should probably be a little bit reserved in how we do that unless it’s in a social situation where it’s necessary."
On Tinder: "that’s tough. Because it’s what’s called relative risk. If you really feel that you don’t want to have any part of this virus, will you maintain six feet away, wear a mask, do all the things that we talk about in the guidelines? If you’re willing to take a risk—and you know, everybody has their own tolerance for risks—you could figure out if you want to meet somebody. And it depends on the level of the interaction that you want to have. If you’re looking for a friend, sit in a room and put a mask on, and you know, chat a bit. If you want to go a little bit more intimate, well, then that’s your choice regarding a risk."
Is that bullshit? Seems like the headline someone else put on it and the reaction were bullshit. I dunno.
Yeah, I don't get the sense that Fauci was saying that hookups on Tinder were "perfectly fine". That's an utterly ridiculous mischaracterization of what he said. Clearly he's saying that it's risky.
Basically everything we do is make a choice re: risk. The goal at a societal level is to stop practices that result in mass transmission.
In this country, it's customary to greet nearly everyone with a handshake, unless they're close enough to warrant a hug. Business meetings, meeting friends, general introductions, etc. Think about Italy and Spain, where it's customary to greet close friends with a kiss on each cheek.
If I travel for business during normal times, between all the meetings I might shake 10-30 hands in one day. And those people might shake a heck of a lot more hands than mine. And that's with a bunch of people who aren't social distancing, so transmission chains from one person going to a bunch of meetings can be extensive. If one person is infected there could be tens who are affected downstream.
Compare that to a Tinder date during lockdown... You have two people who are probably social distancing, and are asymptomatic, so at the very least both are unlikely to have the virus, but even if one does... And it gets hot and heavy... The net infection transmission chain is +1 unless you're about to go on 4 more Tinder dates that night.
From a societal standpoint, a normal business interaction where people are shaking hands with large numbers of other people IS actually more risky than a Tinder hookup where two people get it on.
