Open (More or Less) Post on Covid 53

[ecosophia]

As we move into the second year of these open posts, it's pretty clear that the official narrative is cracking as the toll of deaths and injuries from the Covid vaccines rises steadily and the vaccines themselves demonstrate their total uselesness at preventing Covid infection or transmission. It's still important to keep watch over the mis-, mal- and nonfeasance of our self-proclaimed health gruppenfuehrers, and the disastrous results of the Covid mania, but I think it's also time to begin thinking about what might be possible as the existing medical industry reels under the impact of its own self-inflicted injuries. 

(Yes, the change in image theme reflects that; the earlier sequence served its purpose. With a nod to El Gato Malo (1, 2, 3), the posts to come will be headed by thoughtful memes relevant to the Covid mess. Yes, I'll take nominations -- you can post links in the thread.)

So it's time for another open post. The rules are the same as before: 

1. If you plan on parroting the party line of the medical industry and its paid shills, please go away. This is a place for people to talk openly, honestly, and freely about their concerns that the party line in question is dangerously flawed and that actions being pushed by the medical industry et al. are causing injury and death. It is not a place for you to dismiss those concerns. Anyone who wants to hear the official story and the arguments in favor of it can find those on hundreds of thousands of websites.

2. If you plan on insisting that the current situation is the result of a deliberate plot by some villainous group of people or other, please go away. There are tens of thousands of websites currently rehashing various conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 outbreak and the vaccines. This is not one of them. What we're exploring is the likelihood that what's going on is the product of the same arrogance, incompetence, and corruption that the medical industry and its tame politicians have displayed so abundantly in recent decades. That possibility deserves a space of its own for discussion, and that's what we're doing here. 
 
3. If you plan on using rent-a-troll derailing or disruption tactics, please go away. I'm quite familiar with the standard tactics used by troll farms to disrupt online forums, and am ready, willing, and able -- and in fact quite eager -- to ban people permanently for engaging in them here. Oh, and I also lurk on other Covid-19 vaccine skeptic blogs, so I'm likely to notice when the same posts are showing up on more than one venue. 

4. If you don't believe in treating people with common courtesy, please go away. I have, and enforce, a strict courtesy policy on my blogs and online forums, and this is no exception. The sort of schoolyard bullying that takes place on so many other internet forums will get you deleted and banned here. No, I don't care if you disagree with that: my journal, my rules. 

With that said, the floor is open for discussion. 

Comments

Re: Reconciliation?

[(Anonymous)]

I had a similar experience.

I was one of those rare kids who really wanted to go to college to learn. I was lucky enough to go to an elite school that at the time really did have a good, solid, liberal arts program. I did learn so much and it was well worth it, imo.

BUT....I didn't really want any of the jobs that degree could have led to. I just wanted the learning opportunity, not the chance to go to law school or join the corporate rat race. I tried the academic track, but found it to be venal and corrupt. Fortunately, I graduated without debt, so my four years of learning things didn't leave me with a financial burden.

The school I went to has since turned into a woke joke, and I wouldn't recommend anyone go there now. It's horrible.

But I do think that there is a place and a need for good old fashioned liberal arts learning for kids who want it. I saddens me that higher education is so awful and expensive and that those who want the traditional liberal arts opportunity will have a hard time finding it.

Re: Reconciliation?

[methylethyl]

My sister went to a tiny catholic liberal-arts school and got a lot out of it. By the time I was looking at college ten years later, that same school was far, far beyond anything anything I could possibly afford, even with the scholarship they offered me. When my sister went, she was partially subsidized by family, and took on just enough student debt to pay it off in 1 year of working as a bank teller. By the time I was looking at college, the kind of debt I would have had to take on... heaven forfend! I would have been *forced* to try for a competitive high-paying corporate job if I ever wanted to pay it off. The marriage-and-kids track would have been utterly closed to me. Would have ruined my life. I conclude that "a good liberal arts education" for the sake of knowledge and intellectual development is now a luxury item for very rich people, and about as relevant to my family as a yacht or an Italian sports car. I'm sure it does wonders for people who can afford it. Only in a complete fantasy world is it for everyone.

So... sure, in theory liberal arts education has a place. Just not for us. The way it's priced now, it would actively prevent my kids from being able to work in professions they choose (rather than being shackled to the highest-paying job they can get) or start families before middle age. I would never encourage them to do such a thing.

If nice liberal-arts colleges ever decide to bring their tuition back down to earth, I'll happily reconsider. Until then, it's a yacht... and it's so tiresome to hear the ebullient graduates of such places go on about how the liberal arts are essential and great books are going to save the world and blah blah blah (not you personally, but I've known a few bright young Johnnies plus my sister's old classmates and crikey they're irritating)... yes. You bought a Ferrari. It's very nice. Now go away.

Re: Reconciliation?

[(Anonymous)]

The sad thing is, a liberal arts education, even one at a residential college, doesn't have to be as expensive as it is. It didn't used to be this expensive. Somewhere along the line, institutions decided they needed a gazillion over-paid administrators, costly sports programs, fancy new buildings, cutting-edge scientific research equipment, all sorts of non-academic programs, you name it. And now here we are.

Re: Reconciliation?

[methylethyl]

I don't know all the details, but I believe the turning point at my sister's school was accepting federal student aid. It came with a lot of very expensive strings attached, apparently. Still ironic that "student financial aid" made the college completely unaffordable, when it had previously been pretty reasonable.