Originally Posted by
Letters
Of course. I posted about that before - I think it was on here. Of course this sort of statistical data is useful.
Your mistake is to think that this is being done for some malicious purpose. It's wrapped up in your paranoia that "they" are out to get you. They aren't.
And no, that doesn't mean that they are bending over to try and help you either, those aren't the only 2 options. You seem unable to think in anything but extremes. You are the one who has been claiming that "they" are trying to keep everyone in their homes or stop people chatting in pubs. You're the one implying this is all personal. It isn't.
At worst it's being done to try and extract more money out of us but no-one is marching you to a cashpoint. It's up to you what you buy, they're just using data to target ads at you for things they think you'll be interested in. Not very well right now, but I guess it'll get better. Right now it's as blunt as "Ooh, I see you bought some shoes, here's some adverts for shoes. You like shoes, right?". How many feet do you think I have, algorithm? I just bought some shoes, I'm not immediately going to buy more shoes. Might work on Imelda Marcos, otherwise your algorithm sucks.
But at best this data actively helps us. Mapping apps can use data points to tell us where there are traffic jams so it can avoid them, data around how people shop and travel can help businesses make people's experience better. Even if you think that ultimately this all comes down to us parting with more of our money, it still helps our experience too. Not everything has a sinister ulterior motive behind it.
Nor do you.
You are the one who was confidently predicting the army on the streets, curfews and checkpoints.
Now, none of us know the future of course so it's not fair to dig at you for getting that wrong, but it's fair game in the context of your continued rock solid confidence in your ability as a wise seer. For my part, the big thing I got wrong was the second wave. Till end of October the death rate was a little above average but not enough that I thought there was any big second wave. But then it all exploded. I was wrong. I can't sensibly use data to back up one opinion and then deny the same data when it shows me to be wrong.
No it isn't.
Comparisons with China are spurious, completely different regime.
And, actually, it's not too bad there. I mean, I'm not defending the regime and there are certainly human rights abuses. But I work with people from there, have visited a couple of times. Day to day people live a pretty much ordinary life.
I wouldn't want to live in such a regime but it's not the Orwellian dystopia some would have you believe.
Are you grouping the people who carried out the vaccine trials there? These are just ordinary people.
Nurses and doctors are administering these vaccines - are they doing so knowing it isn't safe, or may not be? All the medical professionals I know have had the vaccine.
Your biggest issue is your paranoia. Even if you think they people at the top are evil and corrupt - which I think is a silly caricature - the people doing Covid tests and administering vaccines are just ordinary people. They're not out to get you.
But I don't think the vaccine should be mandatory and I'm against the "vaccine passports" or "no jab, no job" ideas floating around. Those things should be resisted, although exactly how to do that...you're the wannabe revolutionary, you tell me.