The COVID Doc and Tik-Tok

This week on America’s Most Benevolent Podcast®, another super-sized episode. First up, the Middle East is breaking out in…peace. That’s good, right? Well, depends who you ask. We discuss. Then, our good pal Dr. Jay Bhattacharya joins to bring us up to speed on the coming vaccine, the (very treacherous) intersection of politics and medicine, whether or not the lockdown was a mistake, and more. The Lileks Post of The Week makes its triumphant return with a terrific post by @kirkianwanderer, Say Goodnight, Blue Eyes”: George Burns on Best Friends. Finally, are you as confused about the social media app Tik-Tok as Peter Robinson? If so, Rob Long is here to explain it to you. Maybe he should make a short video about it?

Music from this week’s episode: What Time Is It by Marshall Crenshaw

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  1. Patrick McClure Coolidge
    Patrick McClure
    @Patrickb63

    Go Peter. 

    • #1
  2. Patrick McClure Coolidge
    Patrick McClure
    @Patrickb63

    Rob I hope your political punditry is as intelligent as it was in 2016

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Considering how openly aggressive Iran has been recently, isn’t it likely that peace agreements between Israel and UAE and Bahrain et al, might have happened anyway?  And if Hillary Clinton had been president, maybe those agreements would have been made behind her back, EXCLUDING any US participation or “credit?”

    But I suppose the point about Trump de-coupling the (so-called) “Palestinians” from the issue deserves credit.

    • #3
  4. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The issue about why would a Biden/Harris administration make a(nother) deal with Iran, is pretty simple.  It’s because the left, especially the hard left, blames Israel for all the problems in the Middle East.  So they want Iran to win.

    • #4
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Rob’s next series: “When Ill-Chosen Metaphors Collide.”

    Or perhaps James’ new book.

    • #5
  6. ToryWarWriter Coolidge
    ToryWarWriter
    @ToryWarWriter

    OH MY GOD.

     

    For the last few months I have been saying to myself and a few others that in the future, historians such as myself will look back on our collective madness the way ‘we’ now look back on the Tulip Crash.

    But to here it said outloud by a professional.

    Astonishing.

    • #6
  7. Mister Dog Coolidge
    Mister Dog
    @MisterDog

    “The Cure has killed for hundreds of years.” 

    What’s Rob got against Robert Smith?

    • #7
  8. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I guess Rob doesn’t understand that companies like Microsoft frequently purchase software/companies that don’t appear to have anything to do with their core business, for a variety of reasons.  Including that they might be able to make use of certain parts of the code elsewhere and then they don’t have to pay royalties, and they also eliminate competition in areas that they might want to go into themselves, again without having to deal with patent or copyright lawsuits, while also putting themselves in the position to be able to sue other companies for that, and block out later competition.

    • #8
  9. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Mister Dog (View Comment):

    “The Cure has killed for hundreds of years.”

    What’s Rob got against Robert Smith?

    On Fridays, he loves them.

     

     

    • #9
  10. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms @jameslileks false assertion that California has no seasons.  We have two very distinct seasons: rainy season and fire season.

    • #10
  11. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Joseph Stanko (View Comment):

    I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms @jameslileks false assertion that California has no seasons. We have two very distinct seasons: rainy season and fire season.

    I was going to suggest describing the weather in Peter’s area as “smokey, with a chance of wildfire/evacuation” or something, but it’s probably “too soon” or “too on-the-nose” or something.

    • #11
  12. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Don’t assume that a successful vaccine would not be similarly politicized, even to the point of rejection.

    If the data has been politicized to maintain indiscriminate restrictions, what is the excuse of Republicans for accepting Democrats’ premises (per usual)? Republicans don’t need bipartsian unanimity to rescind executive orders and rescind support of more local executives prolonging emergency powers.

    • #12
  13. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Patrick McClure (View Comment):

    Rob I hope your political punditry is as intelligent as it was in 2016

    I’ll take that bet with Rob or Peter. But, hey, I’m a Floridan. Election outcomes aren’t really our thing. (Also, let there be a reminder of Rob’s “dumbest person on the room” point. On that I’ll rest my case.)

    • #13
  14. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    Mister Dog (View Comment):

    “The Cure has killed for hundreds of years.”

    What’s Rob got against Robert Smith?

    I missed him saying this. Maybe he’s upset that Robert Smith fought his friend Barbara Streisand.

    • #14
  15. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    From what I see on Twitter, 80% of Never Trump can’t accept what he saying. It also totally interferes with the left’s attempt to engineer a Biden victory.

    That is the best analysis of masks policy I have ever heard. I read everything I can get my hands on end I agree 100%. If some libertarian sugar daddy gave enough money to a PR firm, the pro mask factions could never recover. It is absolutely outrageous how they shove these things down our throats without any explanation as if it were legislated. Not one government official has done it. Dozens have lied about it in various ways.

    The point James made at the end is a very big deal. The difference between COVID-19 and the flu is the spreaders don’t take themselves out of commission nearly as fast, if ever.

     

     

    • #15
  16. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Rob is sinister? It explains so much.

    • #16
  17. ChrisShearer Coolidge
    ChrisShearer
    @ChrisShearer

    Rob, you disappointed me.  In Peter’s set up I was sure your plot would lead to the discovery that #42 was….

     

    Liza Minnelli

    • #17
  18. ChrisShearer Coolidge
    ChrisShearer
    @ChrisShearer

    Or to be more obscure, #42 would lead to an incredibly large computer in Outer Mongolia named Deep Thought.

    • #18
  19. Rick N. Inactive
    Rick N.
    @RickyCVN76

    Tik Tok is a serious security threat far beyond what any other app is. Rob would do well to educate himself. https://www.boredpanda.com/tik-tok-reverse-engineered-data-information-collecting/

    • #19
  20. Bruce Mamont Thatcher
    Bruce Mamont
    @Bruce Mamont

    I was frustrated by the Dr. J interview.  I was hoping for an explicit “given that ‘lock down’ isn’t an effective strategy for this particular virus, how should policies change and is any policy change feasible before the election?” question.  My sense from the discussion is that the damage of ‘lock down’ restrictions far outweighs the risks of lifting those restrictions; reliance on prudence informed by education and data could be as (or much more) effective than what we’re doing now while avoiding the costs and bad consequences.  For example, if social distancing, masks, sanitizing, and hand washing are about as good as we can do, and certain environments are higher-risk for some segments of the population, open everything.  Let people decide where they want to go and how they want to behave; let businesses decide the kind of distancing and mask-wearing they want to impose on customers, open the schools. Parents can decide if they want their kids to attend school; classes can offer a virtual option for those who don’t.  I am not necessarily advocating any particular policy mix, but I’d like a discussion based on risk-management. 

    • #20
  21. Al Sparks Coolidge
    Al Sparks
    @AlSparks

    On the mask argument.

    I’ve been arguing online, on Ricochet and NRPLUS, that there are PPE solutions out there that actually protect the wearer.  What that means is those wearers don’t have to depend on other mask wearers around them to keep them safer, marginal as that extra safety might be.

    If the production of N95 masks were to be ramped up so that they were available to not just medical workers, then we could go back to insisting that each vulnerable person who isn’t helpless (e.g. nursing home residents, assisted living, etc) take personal responsibility for their health.

    And yes, it might still mean additional deaths, because N95 masks require some knowledge on how to apply them, like having a good seal, and for that matter, not having a beard to get that good seal.  But a personal responsibility culture often means less safety.

    I’m amazed that more anti-maskers haven’t made this argument.  I am not surprised that the media have concentrated on those anti-maskers that are crazed.

    • #21
  22. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Al Sparks (View Comment):
    I’m amazed that more anti-maskers haven’t made this argument.

    Personally, my angle is what we are doing right now doesn’t change the R0 very much. It might even make it worse. They have no idea. I think all of this money and inconvenience is for nothing. It seems like every other week there is new data saying we shouldn’t be doing this.

    Supposedly, there is a big research paper overdue out of Denmark.

    They need to be forced to do a dog and pony show about it.

    • #22
  23. Buckpasser Member
    Buckpasser
    @Buckpasser

    If mask wearing is still an issue wear one if you are afraid and don’t wear one if your not.  Why can’t the individual decide.  I don’t recall too many people wearing a mask at this time last year.  My understanding is the flu kills tens of thousands of people each year.

    • #23
  24. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Buckpasser (View Comment):

    If mask wearing is still an issue wear one if you are afraid and don’t wear one if your not. Why can’t the individual decide. I don’t recall too many people wearing a mask at this time last year. My understanding is the flu kills tens of thousands of people each year.

    The issue is, it’s supposed to mitigate the damage a spreader could do.  It doesn’t do that much to protect an individual. 

    Mathematically I don’t think it’s worth it. 

    • #24
  25. Capt. Spaulding Member
    Capt. Spaulding
    @CaptSpaulding

    Thank you for playing Marshall Crenshaw.

    • #25
  26. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Those farmers in Pennsylvania, even if they’re aware that Biden is against what has brought them prosperity, might very well vote for him anyway just because they’re Democrats.

    • #26
  27. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And I know Ricochet is all about the oldies, but really, this is the “official anthem” of Tik Tok:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs

    • #27
  28. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Capt. Spaulding (View Comment):

    Thank you for playing Marshall Crenshaw.

    One of the greats. 

    • #28
  29. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    kedavis (View Comment):

    And I know Ricochet is all about the oldies, but really, this is the “official anthem” of Tik Tok:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs

    It’s not all about the oldies — I play new stuff all the time. But you need to know your audience. That Ke$ha song would not work for this show because  almost no one would understand the reference. 

    • #29
  30. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    And I know Ricochet is all about the oldies, but really, this is the “official anthem” of Tik Tok:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs

    It’s not all about the oldies — I play new stuff all the time. But you need to know your audience. That Ke$ha song would not work for this show because almost no one would understand the reference.

    Even though they talk about Tik Tok and the show/episode is called “The COVID Doc and Tik-Tok?”

    And the Marshall Crenshaw song played off it too, which seems even more obscure given the context.

    • #30
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