Mike Rowe's letter to fan regarding COVID

[LeafByNiggle]

Then why should I care what Dr. Fauci says about the economy, mental health or any other subject besides infectious disease?

You shouldn’t. And you don’t have to. When Fauci has mentioned mental health he is not speaking as an expert in the that particular field, but he does echo what experts in that field are telling us. Same with the economy. Dr. Fauci has never put himself forward as an expert on the economy. And in fact that is not the area in which he is being challenged by his critics in this forum. It is in the area of infectious disease.

 

[Tolle_Lege]

Mike Rowe gave more helpful information in that letter than Fauci has in his last 5 months of useless blathering.

 

[1Lord1Faith]

The cure is rivaling the disease in the sense of how much damage has been done, and it’s not over yet. A case can be made that the cure has been worse than disease.

 

[Dan123]

He’s also the only expert I know of who hasn’t walked back his numbers, reconsidered his position, or moved the goalposts with regard to what we must do, what we can do, and what he expects to happen next.

All this means is that this person doesn’t incorporate new information into their analysis. That isn’t how science works. I like Mike Rowe, I’ve watched many of the shows he’s been on and speeches he’s given, but this feels like an instance where someone is cherry picking the opinion that allows them to go on doing what they want, consciously or subconsciously. No matter what you think the ‘right’ number of deaths should be, there should be little dispute that the more traveling people do the more a virus spreads. That’s true of any other virus as well.

 

[Shasta-Rose]

Yes, Mike isn’t just giving his opinion that others have discounted because he’s not a doctor. He does reference an opinion from a credible source:

Dr. Osterholm is the Director of Infectious Disease Research and Policy. This is the same epidemiologist who ten years ago, predicted a coronavirus would come from China and turn our country upside down.

It’s good to read something about the virus that isn’t full screaming hysteria. Mike is intelligent and down to earth. I always thought so, and his letter just confirms it.

 

[davidharper]

unfortunately you came to the wrong conclusion.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Mike Rowe gave more helpful information in that letter than Fauci has in his last 5 months of useless blathering.

Here we see more evidence of the anti-science bias that has become all too common today.

 

[Naga]

All this means is that this person doesn’t incorporate new information into their analysis.

This isn’t necessarily accurate. It could also mean that the initial hypothesis made by the cited doctor was accurate, and that the alternatives were inaccurate.

 

[Dan123]

This isn’t necessarily accurate. It could also mean that the initial hypothesis made by the cited doctor was accurate, and that the alternatives were inaccurate.

Fair, it’s possible this doctor predicted things so accurately at the start of all this that no adjustment was necessary. It seems unlikely that absolutely no revision was needed as real data started pouring in but you are correct.

But it’s also important to critique Mike Rowe’s belief that someone incorporating new information into their plans is a bad thing. Adjusting ones plans based on new information that warrants such change is a good thing.

 

[Naga]

But it’s also important to critique Mike Rowe’s belief that someone incorporating new information into their plans is a bad thing.

I suspect that this quote from the letter is what led you to arrive at this conclusion, specifically the use of the word “reconsidered”:

He’s also the only expert I know of who hasn’t walked back his numbers, reconsidered his position, or moved the goalposts with regard to what we must do, what we can do, and what he expects to happen next.

From this statement alone, it would seem to imply the epidemiologist has refused to give the matter any additional thought. Taken in the context of the rest of the letter, though, I believe Mike Rowe is using “reconsidered” as a synonym for “decided to change.” Contacting Mike Rowe to ask for clarification, or reviewing this epidemiologist’s work directly may provide confirmation one way or the other.

Adjusting ones plans based on new information that warrants such change is a good thing .

This is correct. However, with respect to this topic, it would seem that Mike Rowe is making the point that this epidemiologist doesn’t believe that the information available at this time warrants any changes to his position.

 

[JoeFreedom]

As an aside Dr. Osterholm has weekly hour long podcasts on the subject and his discussions revolve around the most current information.

 

[Shasta-Rose]

I guess you missed the part in the letter where Mike said:

<<Dr. Osterholm is the Director of Infectious Disease Research and Policy. This is the same epidemiologist who ten years ago, predicted a coronavirus would come from China and turn our country upside down.>>

This is not <<the opinion of a television host, narrator, and former opera singer>> , it’s the opinion of an epidemiologist and a pretty prominent one at that.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

You missed the point about masks worn by the general public. They are not primarily to protect the one wearing it. They are to protect everyone else from the person wearing it. And in that regard they work reasonably well.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Not if people are protesting, rioting, and looting which is probably where large part of the surge came from not to mention the hundreds of people at Walmarts and Targets.
[/quote]

No, the largest part of the surge comes from people congregating indoors at bars, etc. Outdoor protests in fresh air are much less likely to spread the virus. That has been confirmed by the lack of correlated outbreaks following protests.

 

[Cruciferi]

They get a pass, DON’T question it!

Meanwhile, me and my friends get heckled and yelled at for going on group runs. Even if you’re legally compliant, somebody has a problem with you.

Ya’ can’t please everyone.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

You do realize that during all these protests, and riots people are literally shoulder-to-shoulder.
[/quote]
Nevertheless the data does not show a correlated spike in the times and places associated with those protests. Individual instances, like the one in the picture you cited, are certainly bad for transmission of the virus. But those instances were the exception, not the rule. Most of the protesters were not involved in that sort of up-close yelling. So even though the few that did it were risking the spread of the virus, the fact that there were not that many of them reduces the overall impact. That is why you don’t see correlated spikes associated with protests.

 

[Beryllos]

Rowe is right on target in that he recognizes the need (and financial rewards) for careers in manual labor.

He should do a show on grave digging.

If he already has, let’s rerun it!

 

[Irishmom2]

There are so many people talking, and people are listening to plenty of “non-professionals” without questioning any of what they say.Yet because Mike Rowe was on tv that is enough for some people to discount what he says. He is allowed to speak as all of us are, and I for one, have always found him to be respectful, sensible and intelligent.

 

[Cruciferi]

Back in the day, he even convinced me to buy junk off QVC!

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[LeafByNiggle]

You can hypothesize all you want about what should have happened as a result of the protests, but the observed data following those protests is what actually did happen.