Part 1: I'm not buying a damn mask!!!

[Initech]

Well, you can see where it goes from here. Moral of this story: Don't listen to idiots. Bottom line: Social media and Fox News propaganda kills.

Link to tweet

[dchill]

1. He paid the ultimate price for being a Trumper.

Irony can pack a hell of a punch.

[Beartracks]

24. Just collateral damage for Trumpist Republicans. "Freedom ain't free," right? n/t

[okaawhatever]

2. So sad. nt

[Zorro]

3. He certainly pwned me

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Kali]

4. extra side dose of irony -

Put-in Bay...Putin? Vlad Putin?

[Codeine]

5. How far will one man go to pwn the libs?

“Hold muh beer.”

[FreeState]

30. I'm not sure he wasn't liberal

He’s Facebook is full of gay pride and BLM posts. Looks like he was a gay veteran.

[TheBlackAdder]

6. I'm sure he has a photo that looks like this.

.



.

[Talitha]

29. I LOVE THIS, Hahahaha!

[dalton99a]

41. +1

[windje]

7. Darwin award nominee

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

8. I could laugh. I'm not going to, though.

I looked at the article linked in the tweet. It looks like his friends are taking COVID-19 seriously now.

I'm sorry they lost their friend in order to have that happen. I hope they're able to convince others.

[grantcart]

11. Noting w/o comment, friends were from paranormal community

[crimycarny]

12. People are complicated

I don’t feel like laughing either. I read some background about this man and he seems to be the type who, if he had survived, would have admitted he was wrong and to make it a mission to educate others on why they need to wear masks. Other than his being wrong about believing COVID was a hoax, he seemed like a decent person. He was a combat vet who served two tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

[BKDem]

15. Thank you for the reality check.

I admit that some of these people have made me so angry, I've dismissed them all morons who deserve what they get. It's wrong to do that, in at least some cases.

[crimycarny]

33. Me too

It is just so D*MM frustrating to see people not taking precautions that could literally save lives! But some are so invested in this politically that it seems backing down is almost worse than death to them.

[LisaL]

23. He didn't survive. Sounds like he was sent home with an inhaler and that's about it.

Sound like he should have been admitted to the hospital and I don't think that happened. Per his obituary he died at home.
So, my advice to people -demand to be admitted if you have trouble breathing. Of course nowdays you might end up in a bed in a parking lot as hospitals are getting full.
But you have to advocate for yourself.

[crimycarny]

27. Yes, I found that odd

Why was he sent home with an inhaler and not admitted? He was obviously very ill!

[LisaL]

42. I am assuming when he arrived there (not sure where) he wasn't yet at the dying stage.

He got tested for covid and told to quarantine. I don't know if he went to the emergency room, urgent care, or what. Sounds like he worsened when he went home and stayed at home for however many days before he died. When he started having serious trouble breathing, he should have called an ambulance. I've heard about other people being sent home from the ER/doctor and then eventually dying.
We still don't have any treatments for people who aren't admitted into the hospital. Except an inhaler, I guess.

[Caliman73]

26. This is a problem and a fundamental difference between liberals/conservatives.

Blanket statements can be problematic but I have to engage here:

Liberals tend to learn from, empathize or sympathize with, and accept information without having a direct involvement with the issue. When I see children starving in an African, Asian, Central or South American country, I feel it and want to do things personally and politically to stop their suffering. Donate to charity, call my representatives to provide aid and support. When there is a public health problem I research and listen to the experts even if I don't know or never see anyone with the problem described.

Conservatives tend to need a very personal exemplar to be moved toward action, especially in these days when they are getting completely contradictory information from their "news" sources. It seems if they don't know someone close and personally who has gotten sick or died, or if they themselves have not experienced the illness, they are content in believing that it does not exist or that it isn't as bad as it seems.

I don't know how to address that problem without trampling on people's rights. I would love to eliminate Right Wing media, but I also value the First Amendment. I think right wing media has allowed for the ossification of people's point of view. It is one thing to debate an issue with liberal v conservative viewpoints spinning from the same set of facts, but right wingers can now live in a world where they get an entirely different AND WRONG set of information. You can't discuss or debate when you aren't even dealing with the same reality.

President Obama was not a Kenyan Marxist. He was a center left American born citizen. He grew up, raised his White mother and White grandparents, but he was Black too so he had a truly American upbringing, even if he did spend some time in another country with his father. Tell that to right wingers though...

It is sad what happened to this guy. The worst thing is that it did not have to happen but for a mindset that is eroding the foundations of society.

[CaptainTruth]

35. Agree 100%, & summed up in this meme I have used many times...

[link:|]

[summer_in_TX]

52. The conflict between the First Amendment and RW media isn't totally insoluble.

If we target broadcast media and podcasts (both audio and video) carefully, we may be able to improve things.

First, require equal time for anyone who is maligned on the same channel in the same show and require all to allow for rebuttal. Same for groups maligned on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, or point of view.*

Second, break up consolidated broadcast media. Limit the number of radio and television stations owned by a single company to a number (like 10), none in the same market. Limit the percentage of other media the company could hold in the same market to under a combined 40 percent (cross-ownership rules).

Third, enact and/or strengthen public interest requirements for all broadcast media including cable and internet based audio and video media. Establish a nongovernmental board to receive reports and investigate violations, and provide sanctions. Charge the board particularly with investigating hate speech, revenge speech, and inciting hatred toward others based on race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, and point of view if those are done on broadcast media.

Fourth, set up an independent system for funding public media that is not kept beholden to the powers that be and commercial interests. Something like a 0.5 percent tax on electronic devices, with a governing board appointed by academia and communities, not elected officials.

Fifth, elevate truthfulness in broadcast media so that knowingly broadcasting disinformation subjects the show's staff and the network to sanctions, particularly if it is done as a pattern of behavior. And likewise, killing a true story that is in the public interest by the executives would also be a violation and be sanctioned.

Sixth, make it mandatory that all public schools at all levels teach students to analyze media messages for credibility and elevate detecting propaganda in all communications to a foremost societal priority for students and adults.

Seventh, set up a system of providing access to broadcast media for all viable candidates so they may get their message out without charge, perhaps a certain amount of interview time per month, and during that time the focus would be on drawing out stances on issues, not on the polls. Political advertising charges need to be controlled so they stay affordable for candidates. (Checks and balances on the media/politician/money conglomerate.)



Some of these may be easier to find agreement on than others. I can't foresee all the consequences of each of these suggestions and when we have a free-wheeling debate between people on them, I don't expect all to win approval, or to go unmodified. I may well change my mind based on good arguments from others.

Personally I consider audio and video uniquely problematic because they are capable of bypassing the rational part of the brain and produce effects that are designed to manufacture consent. The research paid for by major corporations on persuading people to buy their product has also been used to persuade people about a candidate. So I focus on those media.


*Exception: The right of rebuttal for those groups who use hate speech, in my personal opinion, would be disallowed or only allowed in limited circumstances. (Yes, I find our version of free speech has some problems not found to the same degree in some other democracies, like say Germany.)

[Caliman73]

53. Good points.

It is certainly not unsolvable. It will be extremely difficult because the people with the resources and power in society right now, benefit from White Supremacy and will not give up easily.

[summer_in_TX]

55. Very difficult. I've been puzzling over what might make it possible to achieve.

I'd like President Biden to establish a blue-ribbon panel of people across the political spectrum (both academics and thought-leaders in the industry), including some of the Lincoln Project people to do three things:
1) Establish the history of media policies and changes that brought us to the brink of fascism and how they occurred;
2) Detail the harms those changes wrought;
3) Propose policies that will foster democracy and protect it from devolving again.

At least that's what seems to me to be the approach that could bring about change.

I think of it as part of the process of deprogramming needed.

[Wednesdays]

59. Huzzah! I agree wholeheartedly!

Your proposal, unfortunately, would get two votes maximum in even a Democratic-controlled Senate.

[malaise]

9. Bye bye n/t

[Moostache]

36. My thought as well...

That is just one of too many Darwin Award winners for 2020. Science is NOT a hoax. And life keeps on teaching the same lessons whether we WANT to "believe", "accept" or "learn" them. The lesson is being offered to all right now. For that sad sack, he is reduced to nothing more than a cautionary tale. In the end, maybe he will save the life of someone else in their cult, someone who will go on in life do great things...if so, then maybe his 'sacrifice' will be redeemed.

More likely though is no one in the cult will as much hear about this nor care if they do...

[Goodheart]

10. Gee, what a shame there will be one less vote for trump.

[crimycarny]

14. Or perhaps one more vote for Biden if he had survived

People deserve second chances in life. This man served two combat tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

[llashram]

22. so what

trump has dissed vets time after time. This individual chose to be stupid and ignorant. I served 13 months in Vietnam and know that trump could give a damn less. d trump didn't give a damn about this individuals two tours in Afghanistan, yet he chose to follow the devil. He's now paid the devil's dues...

[crimycarny]

34. Whatever

I never want to be so rigid in my thinking that I’m incapable of seeing shades of gray. That’s right wing thinking.

[llashram]

44. I do not want

the traitor who has known about Russian bounties on American soldiers, a bone spur liar afraid of serving, a sexual predator, Jeffrey Epstein confidant, a criminal releasing convicted felons, nor will I feel pity for a vet who follows a traitorous POTUS such as described above and proven true. I'm not thinking RW, I'm thinking as I know I feel about a traitor to vets and vets who follow a traitor. In my book, Donald trump is the 21st century Jefferson Davis and the dead vet was a 21st-century "johnny reb"...

[crimycarny]

45. Meanwhile ...

I’ll stick to non-extremes and try to see people as human beings versus “us against them”.

[llashram]

57. yeah, you do that

[Initech]

28. Really sad that he was a victim of social media stupidity.

[Upthevibe]

13. kick.................n/t

[abakan]

16. stupid kills

Just another gene pool that should disappear. After this is over the IQ's of this nation may increase.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. He did it...Hiiiis Waaaay!

[irisblue]

18. He has a Mom & family for them 🕯️

[llashram]

19. oh well

ignorance and stupidity in this pandemic kill. His RW vote won't be missed.

[DesertRat]

20. This Texas woman believed the pandemic was a "media driven" hoax.

“MAGA”: Karen Kolb Sehlke, a Trump-loving woman from Texas is dead from COVID-19 after claiming the virus was a “media driven” hoax.

In a sad, cautionary tale of willful ignorance and hubris, Karen Kolb Sehlke is dead from COVID-19 after claiming the virus was a “media driven” hoax “controlled by the radical people in powerful places.”

In a long-winded Facebook rant Sehlke claimed that “our government is under attack from within” while comparing the coronavirus to “the impeachment hoax” and arguing that those who take the current pandemic seriously “panic like sheep.” 2 weeks later she died from #COVID.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2020/04/texas-woman-who-claimed-covid-19-was-media-driven-hoax-dies-from-virus

[peggysue2]

37. A screed like this is infuriating. It's also sad

Sad that so many people like the late Ms Sehlke swallowed the Big Lie promoted by Trump and his Fox mouthpieces.

A virus doesn't care about political leanings or false accusations of hyped-up dangers. In fact, I'm certain Covid-19 (if it had consciousness and/or emotions) would be quite happy with the current state of things, relishing Trump's helpful herding of victims through mismanagement and deception.

What a frigging mess!

Btw, this blog entry from Sehlke sounds remarkably like my cousin on Facebook. Same attitude and posturing. Fortunately for my cousin, she lives in a Blue state where the Governor has taken the necessary precautions to protect his citizenry.

[DesertRat]

47. I looked at this woman's Facebook page

One of her "Likes" was Fox News. I live in a red area where many people still believe as she did. I'm so angry that trump and his sycophants have fueled this pandemic and have caused needless suffering and death.

[LisaL]

21. Dude believed covid is a hype.

Refused to buy a mask. Attended some pool party (crowded) and also a bar (per heavy.com). So not taking precautions. Presumably thinking he is young and even if he gets covid, he has nothing to worry about. Covid proved him wrong.
I still feel sorry, though.

[plimsoll]

50. Yep, about sums it up.

I feel sad the fellow died, but for shits sake, a global hoax to make you wear a mask and socially distance. That's not rational thinking.

[bluecollar2]

25. Thoughts and prayers?...

Nope..

[Talitha]

31. Be very careful what hill you choose to die on.

[Initech]

32. Yup, I definitely ain't choosing to die on this one!

[Roc2020]

38. man wow

what an idiotic and senseless way to go out.

[yonder]

39. What an awful reality presented in the two up thread examples.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be getting sicker each day when the grim realization dawns on them that they might (and eventually will) die because they didn't accept the truth and take preventative steps to avoid it.

IMO, a pre-death awareness that personal hubris really does kill would be a terrible thing to take to the grave.

Knowing that one may get sick and die from the virus even after doing all you can to avoid it is the camp I place myself in.

[dalton99a]

40. He should have listened to real doctors, not Dr. Trump

[Initech]

43. Or Dr. Moe, Dr. Oz, Dr. Nick, Dr. Drew, Dr. Phil....

[Wednesdays]

60. Dr. Laura...

[lark]

46. Karma and no tears whatsoever.

You reap what you sow and he earned this.

[McCamy Taylor]

48. I feel bad for these people. Trump is to blame for their deaths.

[rurallib]

49. What really makes me mad is that he may have infected may more who in turn infected

multiple people who in turn infected many more .............
All because HE didn't feel like wearing a mask. So, so selfish and inconsiderate.
Killed himself and probably others.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

51. Should have been packin' and been a good guy with a mask.

You don't even need a license to pack a mask in public.

[Iggo]

54. Wow! I am so fucking owned!

Well played, Trumpy!

[Hugin]

58. +1

Color me snowflake triggered.

[Iggo]

61. I'll light a candle for him on my way to the ballot box.

[Hugin]

62. A very kind and thoughtful gesture on your part.

Proving once again there is always hope.

[Iggo]

64. KInd of a dick thing to say, actually.

I do care.

I was just mad.

[Hugin]

65. You're a good egg, Iggo.

I didn't doubt it for a second.

These are tough times.

Take care and I'll see you at the polls.

[Iggo]

66. Can you imagine if I'd said it on camera at a Costco?

I’d be lookin’ for a job today! 😂

And that’s how I’m trying to move through life recently, with a think-before-you-speak mentality. It’s hit and miss.

[GeoWilliam750]

56. I have family that is going there later this week

Says COVID is over-hyped

[mackdaddy]

63. CoronaVirus don't care what you believe ........ n/t