Take a deep breath and …

Posted on by Ark

Here is what legendary journalist John Pilger said about coronavirus outbreak

Over the course of nearly three-and-a-half months, the novel coronavirus outbreak has infected over 127,000 and left over 4,700 dead. While this has sparked global panic and a WHO-declaration of a pandemic, then death toll is still a far cry from that of starvation, Malaria and war.

This was the point made by BAFTA-award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger who took to Facebook on Thursday, to highlight how, despite the fact that 24,600 people died each day from starvation and 3,000 children from preventable Malaria, no pandemic has been declared for them.

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64 thoughts on “Take a deep breath and …”

  1. The problem with Whatabout-ery is that it is typically used as a tactic for apologetics of some kind, a means to elevates other problems to a false equivalency and then ‘suggests’ that the issue at hand and under review really can’t be dealt with unless and until the whatabout issue is addressed first. So it raises the issue of proper order rather than seeking solutions. We see this tactic, this fallacious line of reasoning, all the time in response to legitimate criticisms of, say, religion… that the problems we see in trusting faith-based belief aren’t really an issue that requires an equally legitimate response until we first address… and now fill in the blank with whatever the apologist uses to divert us. The most common are issues like consciousness or morality or whatever. In this case, starvation.

    Yes, starvation is a real problem causing real harm to real people in real life. As such it’s an important issue. Being concerned about starvation is a noble concern. Raising it also has the benefit of signalling a virtuous concern. But there really has been significant progress around the globe (or across the disk if CS is reading) on addressing this issue, on reducing the real harm to real people in real life by real actions. An article by a legendary journalist about this massive improvement in the human condition and the impressive reduction in the global rate of starvation could also be written… but that wouldn’t have the attention of people legitimately concerned about Covid-19.

    Why should so much attention be paid to the pandemic when, as the legendary journalist goes to some effort to compare and contrast its affect on deaths, the first three months yielded fewer deaths than starvation? Well, because as any non-legendary, non-award winning yahoo commentator like I am knows, the pandemic – unlike starvation – could kill nearly half a billion people THIS YEAR ALONE, and kill mostly non-starving, healthy people in every country regardless of income or situation or knowledge or even hygiene. It could kill you. You! It could kill people you know, people living in your community, people with access to First World hospitals, hospitals that are right this second being overwhelmed by those suffering from contracting Covid 19. That’s really more of reason for elevating immediate local concern when fairly compared and contrasted with global rates of declining starvation. Even a legendary award-winning journalist should know and appreciate the difference in context (by the way, as I write this, the numbers of infected are more than twice what our journalist/documentarian has used and the death rate more than tripled), especially when funding the starvation response comes almost entirely from people currently confronting and coping with an immediate pandemic threat that could kill them. On behalf of all these selfish bastards currently not concerned with global starvation compared to surviving this week, let me just say very politely, “Well pardon me for wanting to live.” But what more of us should be saying to such an award-winning legendary filmmaker and journalist, “Don’t be such a fucking wanker.”

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    1. Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky R. and a decent man- was diagnosed today with positive c-19.

      Tildeb is correct to compare and contrast the false narratives- this beast that is unleashed shows no prejudice.

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      1. But it does show Nature’s vast indifference to the suffering of people… a Nature that was supposedly designed by an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent divine agent. Something doesn’t quite line up here…

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        1. Thanks tildeb- but until we admit and face the reality of the devastating consequences of sin- we will never understand the pains of ‘the whole creation groans,’ which pains by the way, are first seen as a mother gives birth.

          Awful and beautiful at the same time. But ‘nature’ can not be blamed here, as c-19 is a freak of nature.

          I’ve read the ‘hows’ and ‘why’s’ of the speed- but please do not blame God.

          I’ll honor the host and this post by not lecturing further.

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          1. “Sin” is a nice scapegoat, but if your “God” was all that “he” is claimed to be, these types of things would not affect “his” creations. It’s such events as this pandemic that convince so many of us that the “love of god” is clearly and most definitely a misnomer.

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          2. and that is also why even our esteemed vice president and all the king’s men couldn’t pray this thing away, and I suspect being closeted in that room together, praying, breathing in and out, has now earmarked at least two or three of them for inclusion in the Corona Hall of Fame. Prayer might make someone feel better (as it, “hey, I’m doing something…”) but it won’t cure ANYTHING.

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          4. Why thank you neighbor for the invite; what’s a few ocean or two that would prevent good will toward men.

            But not really in an oratory mood. How bout if I just juggle 3 colored balls (red, blue, yellow) to lighten things up, or 3 balanced pins giving a hard hat to the kid in the first row?

            Yep, I can do that, and done it before. I heard that people in the states have borrowed the idea to sing from isolated rooms while others join in- seems decent cause people have hope.

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          5. I don’t blame any god because I don’t believe in any god. But I had to point out that we live in a systemic system of suffering, one that exists across the entire spectrum of life in the prey/predator model that guarantees tremendous pain and suffering for no other reason than, “That’s the way it is.” I’m saying this system does not align with a hypothetical designed system by any capable agent we would consider ‘moral’.

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          6. Therein tildeb lies the eternal dilemma. What human is qualified to determine what is moral- and I suggest that the very best of falls short, because our information is incomplete and imperfect.

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          7. Fortunately for all of us, we are perfectly capable of understanding and appreciating why given a preference we reduce suffering. Whether we use the term ‘moral’ or something else, the intention is widely regarded as ‘good’. The supposed Designer of this incredibly brutal and indifferent system couldn’t even match us that far. And that tells us something about believing such a Designer to be moral: it’s contrary to the evidence.

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          8. Why do u equate suffering with immoral? As I said, we have biased and incomplete info. Is the suffering of childbirth immoral?

            But ultimately, you are sitting in judgement where you ( and I) cannot reach perfect conclusions. Even a computer is brain dead.

            But there is One who is perfect. 😎

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          9. A freak of nature? But I thought God was in complete control of everything. Are you saying this virus is more powerful than God?

            BTW, Jim recently posted a picture of your house.. Love what you’ve done to the place. Gives it a very other-worldly vibe. Bonus points for re-purposing those old plates.

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          12. Good things: praise God!
            Bad things: blame man.

            No-one ‘logics’ like our very own @CanarySperm.

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        2. “…doesn’t quite line up here” HAHAHAHA!!! 😆

          Wait! Tildeb, you mean that winding, twisty, up and down golden brick road to the great kingdom of H-n-Oz (behind the curtain)… IS NOT IN A STRAIGHT LINE!? It’s crooked!!!??? 😲

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          1. It’s not just crooked: it’s unconnected.

            I wouldn’t mind if the runway path required a hop, skip, and a jump to get to the sand pit because at least it would be in a straight line I could understand that some people might have reason to believe connects the two parts. That would be fine because it had some reason.

            But the system of suffering exhibited by the natural world in no way connects even by the most circumbendibus route to a designing moral agent. In fact it offers nothing but evidence to the contrary… an utter and complete disconnect. So any conceivable reason to connect a divine agent that is moral with our natural world is absent, and that means more than just a lack of evidence but a preponderance of contrary evidence that makes the only reasonable case that can be believed: there can not be a moral creative god. And this means the belief in a moral creative god is based on wishing it were so, and this raises the interesting psychological need to create only in one’s mind a divine parent figure immune from reality’s arbitration of its reasonableness. The belief, therefore, is connected to a psychopathology – a mass psychopathology (excuse the catholic pun) in the case of religion – and not about an object or agent outside of the mind that creates it. There’s the yellow brick road.

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          2. Very well said Tildeb. “Circumbendibus.” 😄 I love it! And it is a real word too! When I read this response and that word Tildeb, I couldn’t help but remember this profoundly truthful scene in a movie I’ve always enjoyed where a dentist and shady future in-law fly to meet Jesús (HAH!) in Honduras:

            That “natural suffering” are life’s Godly bullets hitting everywhere hoping to find their target—US 😲—and the only way to survive this Grand Designed F’d-up life is to SERPENTINE to the awaiting Jesús’ Mercedes-Benz, one of a fleet of fine automobiles we will surely own in heaven because of Honduran Jesús, right!? 😉

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  2. And THAT is why all free countries, i.e. TRULY free in its purest definitions, must possess highly principled journalism (esp investigative journalism and journalists!) and the public institutions that teach and pass on those high principles. Hence, THESE two cherished and critical components of a real democracy can be protected for the people and hopefully thrive for the people:

    People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.
    — Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

    My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.
    — Adlai Stevenson former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

    Scrutiny and/or examination for the sake of refinement or untruths should NEVER be absent in a democratic nation.

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  3. I guess “those other people” don’t want to live, cause their lives don’t matter – ehh?
    It’s not called population control for any other reason but to control the population – one way is starvation another way is pandemic.

    Pick your poison

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    1. Ron, is it possible that our Leadership and his mafia-bosses and Yes-men don’t understand mathematics, science (microbiology, epidemiology, etc.), and how to properly and concisely communicate it to the mass public in a very timely manner, like BEFORE a pandemic spreads exponentially? Case and point…

      I hadn’t realized that some of this high school level Algebra 1 & 2, basic Calculus and Sciences that are SUPPOSED to be in our state curriculums were so poorly taught OR ignored by our rising populations of private and charter schools. Not to mention more and more private universities versus exceptional public universities ranked highly in the world.

      P.S. That last paragraph contains much sarcasm and rhetorical curiosity… to make a point.

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      1. Whoops. Apologies Ark. I thought I had shared this video on one of your other posts. Scrolled down after posting it and saw my misgivings and over excitement. Please forgive me Sir. 😬

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      2. I trust the people in the District of Criminals and the presstitutes from the MSM about as much as I trust the people who claim to speak to me in the name of God — that is to say, not at all.

        What does it say about professional journalism when people with cheap camera equipment and a laptop computer can deliver more accurate information than the so-called experts with million-dollar budgets?

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        1. Valid point Ron. 🙂

          However, regarding what “another” human or peer-acclaimed “expert” posits to the public, I personally like to employ two similar concepts on their postulation:

          1) Law of Large Numbers (Hedging) — the number of identically distributed, randomly generated variables increases, their sample mean (average) approaches their theoretical mean.

          2) Diverse Peer-review similar to Benefits of Genetic Diversity or Antibiotic Adaptation — basically, diversity increases protection against errors, gullibility, or deception… or against disease, infections, etc. This second rule-of-thumb is more accurate, foolproof IF the peer-group or panel is large; the larger the better and the higher educated the better.

          But even these two useful concepts are not 100% perfect all the time. It is best defined/measured on a case by case basis. Every single human postulator/expert has unique dynamics, background and context. But that DOES NOT excuse complacency or laziness in employing them 99% of the time!

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  5. In that regard, they also failed to forsee the greedy among us who feel that 4 dozen rolls of paper and two cases of sanitizer aren’t nearly enough for three occupants in one home.

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    1. Greedy?
      Forty-eight rolls of tissue isn’t all that much for 3 people – we actually have 6 in my house. I actually bought 2 forty-eight roll packages. One of those bundles stayed in my house while the other bundle was repackaged and shipped to a friend in TN – costing me less than if I could have gotten it shipped from Amazon.

      And no, for the record I didn’t buy any sanitizer. Soap and water has never failed me. ***but I’m only speaking for myself.

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      1. I watched a u-tube that explained how and why soap and running water are far better than alcohol based slops. It was something to do with the soaps destroying the fatty outer layer of the virus.
        Dunno how true (or not) but it was well done.

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      2. In the Republican ultra-Conservative America the motto’s (theocratic Constitution?) are…

        Students: Accept and conform to what you are told, not what you discover, explore, analyze critically, and test yourself.

        Teachers/Leaders: Don’t teach them how to think/behave, teach them what to think and punish all scrutiny, controversy, and doubting… HARD!

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  6. Hey Ark, want to share this excellent, easy to understand 8-minute PBS mathematical and science video on COVID-19 and why it is so critical for the public to be well-informed, diligent, and reacting based on proven facts! DO NOT BE FOOLED by our current American Leader and his mafia bosses. Epidemiology for the last century and a half has taught us MANY truths about pandemics, especially those airborne!

    Share it freely if you like it Sir.

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  7. Tildeb is on point. IPilger’s macro analysis is simplistic.
    Madrid ICU’s have been at double their capacity for the past 48 hours. The same is true in various parts of Italy. So the mortality numbers might not be equivalent to other causes of death but we’re talking about major disruption and pressure to health systems around the world. Imagine what happens when it hits Venezuela which has a health system already on the edge of collapse? How about impoverished Americans who will be stuck with thousands worth of hospital bills? This has the potential to absolutely shatter the functioning of the world as we know it – a functioning that’s already haphazard and precarious for much of the population.

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    1. PINK:

      folks find it hard to accept or credit but the Lunatic Fringe Conspiracy Theorists have been predicting exactly this scenario for many months (if not years).

      The next stage, if it follows the predictions, is for some entity to step forth and end up as the single (desperately needed etc etc) co-ordinating authority.

      Dare I say it—One World Government?

      Naaaahhh … surely not …

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      1. Do you mean like a world-wide-medical authority, composed of doctors and scientists from all over the world? Which sets forth best practices guidelines for the world to follow more or less as an imposition? OMG, is the World Health Organisation the real Deep State? 😀

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        1. PINK:

          I mean a One-World-Government.

          Of course under such there’d be (as you suggest) just one overarching Medical Authority. And police force, armed services etc.

          Can you think of any possible arguments against such a system? Your views would be appreciated.

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          2. Can’t happen except rising from the ashes and aftermath of a total war. And there’s no reason for total war. There is no way a dozen personalities like Trump’s would or could agree to pass over all their authority to a single body for any reason we see today unless either human nature altered overnight or we faced a global annihilation event. This flu isn’t even in the time zone of the ball park you’d need to offer even a remote possibility this could happen.

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          3. And before anyone suggests I’m advocating such—NO bloody way!

            Government should devolve always to the smallest entity capable of supporting it. Self.

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          4. The role of government must at least equal the role of any other sector of a society PLUS have the power necessary to regulate balance. A small self-sustaining government is incapable of balancing multinational influence and so the population is therefore susceptible to great abuse. The genius of western liberal secular democracies is making the government susceptible through elections to having that power removed. So this messaging of limiting government to be unable to successfully regulate and enforce that regulation on any other sector does not come from people; it comes from vested interests in usurping the power of the people. Unfortunately, people are susceptible to this messaging. That’s why PUBLIC education in civics is always a target because this is where students learn of their civic power. And it’s seen as a threat it really is by those who control these other sectors, which is why it’s always under attack. We the people… that’s the solution and not the problem. Don’t succumb, Dog; recognize that the leash is just as appropriate to bind the master as it is to control the dog in civil society.

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  8. Sloterdijk in Germany has said more or less the same thing. “3 cases in Bavaria. Sad, but there are 2,000 deaths a day in Germany.” I don’t want to enter a debate, I just think what we are seeing worldwide is a gross ineptitude of our free-world elected leaders and others.
    Having said that, we’re in partial lockdown in Mexico, and the shit is about to hit the fan, as ‘Murikans’ say.
    I hope you stay safe in SA.
    All the best
    Brian

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  10. Okaaaay … I haven’t read all the comments. I switched off when I realised again that everything is all thanks to God—as the Original Unique Prime Mover/Creator, omnipotent and omnipresent (and omni everything else) God alone is the source.

    As I’ve said before, Corona virus, cancer, the Black Plague, leprosy, swine flu bird flu duck flu and every other flu that ever flu in on us … is all courtesy of Big G (from whom all blessings flow).

    I think the reason nobody ever argues this point (or even acknowledges it?) is because:

    a. it is self-evident

    b. it is unarguable

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  11. CS:

    “But there is One who is perfect. 😎” … true.

    (And if you want to give me a quick worship, I live in New Zealand.)

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    1. 🤣 And stop off in Texas on your way to Kiwi-land for sheer perfection galore everywhere!!! YEE-HAW! 🤠 (empties his two 6-shooters in the air Yosemite Sam style!)

      Oops. Cover your heads! ⛑️

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      1. You know the penalty for making a dozen holes in the holy wings is eternal penance, don’t you?
        But empty your wallet into the nearest church and I’ll forgive you. (If I don’t, they sure should.)

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        1. btw… tithing hasn’t been suspended. The church still requires 10% of all toilet tissue horded. (48 rolls – requires 4.8 rolls – might just as well round up to 5)

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          2. LOL… I tell them the same thing Kenneth, including my own children and any of their maternal family members. Sometimes I add…

            “Please. There are much more bigger, more constructive prayers you could be doing. Better yet, stop praying, get off your chanting asses and DO SOMETHING philanthropic and humanitarian!” 🙄

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  13. Yes a lot of people die every damn day for all sorts of terrible reasons. I fail to see how that has anything to do with this new threat.

    Bad + more bad = even more bad. How is arguing that point doing anything but massaging some loudmouths ego? Maybe I’m missing something?

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