Care, end of 2024 edition

Right, I came across a lot of articles, videos, and personal experiences where the main topic was some form of caring for other people.

There’s this video where Evan Edinger (YouTuber, makes videos on cultural differences between UK and US, language, UK stuff, and the occasional travel content) talks about how Marques Brownlee (tech YouTuber, reviews gadgets, and cars as of late) drove at 93mph on a residential 35mph road with “kids in the street” signs everywhere. The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TviDSxpGNjA. I agree with Evan, those were choices Marques made, and pretty selfish ones.

Elsewhere I was talking to a friend of mine and told her I’m annoyed because I tested positive for covid, so had to cancel a dental hygienist appointment and the next one is in three months. She asked me why did I even think of doing the test because I look fine and don’t have symptoms. I told her I just do this every time I go to the dentist on the off chance I’m non-symptomatic, and if I can prevent an infection by doing something that takes me at most 15 minutes, why not? Apparently that’s a level of care about others that’s rare according to her.

Still elsewhere, Tamás wrote a blog post “On being chalant” that I found excellent. Though there’s a nuance to the end about nuance, which I’ll get back to in a moment. His article was the one that made me sit down and write this one. Go read it!

And then finally, yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend of mine and told her I have covid to which I got the following responses:

But I think “covid” has a stigma right and a “name” but had mutated to the point of being a “regular flu”. Your thoughts?

They are both respiratory viruses. Very similar just different root causes. Like herpes 1 and 2...same same but different.

One is influenza virus and one is SARS-CoV2. Since they already called inFLUenza flu they can’t call SARS-CoV2 a flu but it is flu like and closely related.

It’s mutating wonderfully though so that’s a positive.

Imagine the chaos influenza caused and how many mutations it went through to get to this point.

I can guarantee that the initial influenza outbreak was worse than what we experienced with CoVid.

Note that she is not a medical professional. This kind of response to me all but ensures that I will withdraw from the friendship or any kind of relationship, because I also don’t know how to tell you that you should care about other people.

What’s the point of all the above besides minimising the very real consequences that people suffer from getting covid. And you might be thinking that I’m not open to alternative opinions, to which the only thing I can respond, yet again, is I don’t know how to tell you that you should care about other people. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fundamental difference in base morals. I’m not your dad, I’m not going to spend time and energy trying to get you to see what I believe to be really basic human decency. It is far easier for me to detach.

On nuance

This is going to be rambly, and somewhat unstructured, but I noticed that generally the people demanding we debate them, demanding we see nuance, and demanding we reach across the aisle are the ones who hold the kinds of views that aren’t inclusive. On account of nuance.

“Oh, you can’t just cut out your racist uncle who went on a full rant about immigrants at Thanksgiving, because there’s nuance to it!” Like what? That he’s a “product of his time?” Does that give him the permission or an excuse to be horrible? Or that he’s brainwashed and misinformed by Fox News? Same question, does that give him a pass?

I do have a knee-jerk reaction when I read the word “nuance,” because what tends to follow is a list of reasons why I should be okay with abusive behaviour.

I’m also curious why people on the left aren’t responding with “no, YOU debate ME! Kids should have free lunches, everyone should have free healthcare!” The side that sets up the debate also automatically positions their argument as the default, correct one, for the other side to try to poke holes in. I’m tired of having these arguments. Plus the whole point of having pointless arguments is to exhaust you without wanting to come to a resolution. It’s a documented tactic, whether deployed consciously, or not. The debate is the point, not the points being debated. See https://bsky.app/profile/chadloder.bsky.social/post/3laurbeeo5k2b.

My take: sometimes there is no nuance to an argument. Sometimes an argument or act or opinion is just Bad™.