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The Ricochet Podcast

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This week, John Yoo, the Ricochet Podcast Senior Election Fraud Analyst and the Joan and Ray Kroc McRib Scholar at Hamburger University sits in for Peter Robinson and kicks the show off with a deep dive on where we stand with all of the current court cases and challenges around the election. Then, Avik Roy (listen to his American Wonk/COVID in 19 podcast right here on Ricochet) stops by to science us on the recent resurgence of COVID cases cropping up across the country. Then, National Review's Jim Geraghty (do yourself a favor and subscribe to his must read Daily Jolt newsletter) visits for a bit to talk about Georgia, polling, and to drop a few impressions. Finally, mad props to Ricochet member @MarkCamp for winning the coveted Lileks Post of The Week badge for his tome, Was Perry Mason a Great TV Series? We'll let you decide. Thanks to all who joined us for the live video version of the show. We apologize for Rob's sweater.

Music from this week's show: Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis

Hosted by James Lileks, John Yoo, and Rob Long, with guests ARAvik Roy and JGJim Geraghty

Discussion (203)

  • Full Size Tabby@FullSizeTabby

    With respect to Mr. Roy's comments about masking, my perspective as an anti-mask person. I may be unique, but I don’t think so.

    Between shut-downs (voluntary and state-mandated) and masks, 90% of my human interaction has been eliminated. The near total lack of human interaction has severely diminished my mental health. I don’t contemplate suicide all the time, but it comes up in my mind over a few days every couple of week. Apart from suicidal thoughts, my mental health is poor most of the time. Before last March, my mental health was pretty good.

    I am an introvert, and a shy one at that, so I don’t talk to people much. Thus, facial expression is the major part of my human interaction. So, when in public, masks block my primary form of human interaction. Electronic communication provides for me very little of the value of human interaction. In fact, electronic communication exacerbates my feelings of isolation. Mrs. Tabby can provide only so much of my need for real human interaction. Without human interaction, isolation and feelings of worthlessness and lack of purpose become dominant. In my estimation, my health risks due to mental health problems are greater than my health risks due to the Wuhan virus. Maybe I’m unique, but I don’t think so. Without actual human interaction, I have no way of gauging my feelings.

    On a broader view than me personally, I have seen near universal masking contribute to significant negative changes American (Texas in my case) society. People increasingly see others more as risks to be avoided, and less as fellow human beings who might enrich their lives. Other people are to be avoided. In the past, a hallmark of American (and especially Texan) society was to embrace other people to improve society.

    Maybe universal masking provides some marginal protection against the spread of the Wuhan virus. But it also causes significant damage to mental health, and to American society. In my opinion, the damage is greater than the benefit. That the psychological (mental health) damage never seems to be mentioned in masking demands is a major cause of frustration for those of us affected by it.

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