CV Pandemic Daily Notes, 200803, 200804, 200805, 200806, 200807, 200808, 200809
-1. Free Press and Science, 2. Famine Fear, 3. Extinction Rebellion
-1. As much as I have complained about Science Journalism 200731-CV30A, 200728-CV30, exacerbating the problem of how science is perceived and misinterpreted by the lay public, creating exploitable mixes of fact and disinformation, there is a positive correlation of free press (speech), free science, and free societies.
-A. Authoritarian’s tend to be data adverse – academic, scientific and journalism – unless they control the data and therefore how it is interpreted 200707-CV15. The infamous Golden Fleece =2= award is an example. Difficult to defend against accusations of wasting taxpayers money on what sounds like ridiculous academic, artistic and scientific work. In fact that is why grants are so carefully scrutinized (or used to be =2=) for methodology and value of finding before money is awarded.
-B. The suppression of science seems to be coordinated with attacks on opposition press =2=, suppression of data, changing of history. Anything that does not fit the current authorities narrative, othering, consolidation of power to neutralize checks and balances, control of education, is attacked, and eventually the authoritarian’s attack on former allies. This tends to be at the cost of being able to tap into the most productive capabilities of its citizens.
-C. These manipulations of science and press synergize the impacts on other social dimensions that undermine the authoritarian regime, and exacerbate the potential harm of a biocalamity that business, developers, manufacturers and gubergenic wants to down play, thereby profoundly increasing its harms, while giving a superficial and non sustainable appearance of wealth and success (as least for a few).
-D. For parademic the throttling of science and press makes the collection of information more difficult. Misinformation is coalescing around specific themes. Valid information tends to have its own narratives, with media in general exhibiting less original thought. Even conspiracy theories are not as creative and wild as they once were. Science collection and analysis is likewise becoming more narrow, and data to parademic collection and analysis is becoming harder and harder to locate in open sources, or is leaked information that tends toward editorial slants. Covid-19 Has Ravaged American Newsrooms. Here’s Why That Matters.
-*E. This contrasts with the opinion that media has done a good job covering CV as expressed in, The Coronavirus and the United States: Almost Everything That Went Wrong … Was Predictable and Preventable. True that what has happened was forecastable (prediction provides more where and when than forecasting, and neither are infallible prophecy) and mitigatable (prevention was always improbable as CV is novel to previous history and experience, while 20/20 hindsight is not of much value in terms of prevention and prediction. The Atlantic’s Ed Yong Tells the Whole Story of America’s Covid-19 Pandemic.
-F. The rub comes in deciding what is responsible communication, opinions, and intentional manipulation. Who decides what will cause harm, while waiting for harm to manifest is a bit late to start correcting. How to assure those who monitor don’t become corrupted in their efforts to create what is best, in fact preventing harm is always the justification of censorship. Just another of those interesting things that make humans humane and inhumane.
-2. Food Is Growing More Plentiful, So Why Do People Keep Warning of Shortages. It's true, of course, that millions of people in the world are hungry or malnourished. But Hertel and Kling say the main reason is that people lack the money to buy food, or because of war and political oppression. Reducing hunger requires addressing poverty and conflict, not just growing more food.
-A. Kling, in fact, is mystified by all the talk about potential food shortages. "Part of the reason may be it's an effective communication device", she says. Farmers and their lobbyists, she says, use the idea that the world needs more food to argue that governments shouldn't impose environmental regulations that might force farmers to pay for all the water pollution they cause, and the wetlands that they destroy. They say, "Oh, we can't possibly impose those costs. Farmers will go out of business and we'll starve", she says. More Farmers Are Declaring Bankruptcy as Coronavirus Upends Industry. Unsure how there can be bankruptcy and rising prices at the same time, 200807-CV05.1.
-B. Agree that food shortages in developed countries is a scare line. There is usually enough labor, transportation and production to meet need. The problems are usually: 1) Malnutrition from poor food choices. 2) Lack of access and costs, often associated with poverty and othering. Famine does exist in the undeveloped world, exacerbated by: Conflicts; Lack of transportation; Lack of labor; Mono agricultures that are either not food stuffs or susceptible to disease, and shipped out of the area. Droughts and other environmental conditions may also destroyed agriculture, which tends to be expanded into other ecologies, decreasing biodiversity and increasing spill over from diseases. It would take a confluence of biocalamities to have a global famine. If nothing changes this will eventually happen, but is not an immediate threat.
-3. The Evolution of Extinction Rebellion. In its first year of existence, XR transformed the global conversation around the climate crisis. But then it was gripped by internal conflicts about its next steps. Can the movement reinvent itself for the post pandemic world. Though they have not been in the news much the past few months this is a movement that is likely to emerge as a whole when the conditions are right. Bill Gates Warns Climate Change Could Be Worse than the Coronavirus.
-A‡. US Listed Climate Activist Group as ‘Extremists’ Alongside Mass Killers; Extinction Rebellion: Former Police Chief Criticises Terror Guide, Police Error over 'Extremist' Extinction Rebellion, Extinction Rebellion: 'Terror Threat' Is a Wake up Call for How the State Treats Environmental Activism, If Our Governments Won’t Stop Climate Change, Should We Revolt. Extinction Rebellion Says Yes. Donald Trump's Record on Climate Change. Greta Thunberg Responds to Meat Loaf's Claim She's 'Brainwashed' on Climate Change =2=. 191013-5.1, <ADDED 190825-190623-6.1>6, Global Movement Extinction Rebellion Is Spawning India’s Future Climate Change Warriors, 190526-2‡, 190505-7B, <ADDED 190428-190106-1.1>2. Orkin Introduces New Extinction Service for Eliminating Pesky Animal Species CV02.
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