Coronavirus Response in SL Communities

[Lyssa Greymoon]

22 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

Any excuse to make a fast buck at the expense of those in need.

I am very much going to enjoy seeing people getting stuck with a basement full of hand sanitizer they can't sell at inflated prices because they keep getting delisted on eBay.

[Marigold Devin]

21 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

We Brit's always tend to get in trouble with things like this due to one of our National pastimes being "taking the p1ss" (poking fun) out of anything and everything!  
 

Yes! We. Do. 

21 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

Anyone who didn't find the humour (humor) in it should just move on, it wasn't meant for you!

 

And really, this is what should have happened, except Bree posted on a General Discussion forum, so it made her original post up for general discussion.

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Marigold Devin
I. Am. Too. Tired. And. Grrr. Did. This. A. Bit. Wrong. Oh. Well. Two. Posts. It. Will. Be.

[Marigold Devin]

24 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

*Disclaimer: I currently have stage 4 COPD and getting this thing would probably send me on a one way trip to "destination f***ed", so I don't really care who finds the thread funny or not. I did...c'est la vie! C'est la mort!
 

Good luck! 

[Selene Gregoire]

[Marigold Devin]

6 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Me too. But then I think you can think you know someone for most of your life and find you don't know them at all. In real life at that. No one really knows anyone in Second Life. Least of all on the forums. Not really. 

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Marigold Devin
There are no reasons.

[Storm Clarence]

1 hour ago, Selene Gregoire said:

If noone has ever told you, you are cold hearted, it's about time they did.

Yes, but for clarity purposes: ICY COLD.  Not snowflake cold.  

[Selene Gregoire]

2 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

Me too. But then I think you can think you know someone for 43 years of your life and find you don't know them at all. In real life at that. 

Yeah...nah. That isn't what I meant but who cares, we're all gonna die and we should just make fun of death and laugh at the people who are dying.

That's not a world I want to live in.

I'm out. Too many people that don't really give a damn about anyone but themselves in this thread.

[Storm Clarence]

40 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

. . .

*Disclaimer: I currently have stage 4 COPD and getting this thing would probably send me on a one way trip to "destination f***ed", so I don't really care who finds the thread funny or not. I did...c'est la vie! C'est la mort!
 

Dude, while alive, LIVE!  Peace to you.     

[Marigold Devin]

1 minute ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Yeah...nah. That isn't what I meant but who cares, we're all gonna die and we should just make fun of death and laugh at the people who are dying.

That's not a world I want to live in.

I'm out. Too many people that don't really give a damn about anyone but themselves in this thread.

I don't think that's true. Honestly I don't. But your post, like Bree's original one, is open to interpretation, depending on who reads it, what mood they're in, how tired they are (and I went to bed two hours ago and couldn't sleep, so I am a bear and shouldn't be posting anyway).

I did not like to see you and Storm coming head to head. 

SL is a game. RL is not a game. 

I hope you sleep well Selene. And I am sorry if I ever misunderstand you, or you misunderstand me. 

Death is certainly no joke. although sometimes people even find themselves laughing at funerals. I shall haunt anyone who sings Abide with Me at mine, especially if they do not keep up with the accompanying music (which I intend to be played by Def Leppard if I can raise enough on a GoFundMe). 

[Lindal Kidd]

4 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Obviously the virus isn't funny. A run on toilet paper kind of is, a bit. At least, it will be until I'm self isolating for a week with a pre-schooler and don't have any.

I've got good news and bad news for your pre-schooler.

The good news is that spring is coming, and soon there will be nice, tender leaves to use if the TP runs short.

The bad news is that the first plants to leaf out are the poison ivy...

[Beth Macbain]

1 hour ago, Dano Seale said:

People cope with things in different ways, they shouldn't be chastized for it just because someone else disagrees.

Much like you’re doing?

And you are just painfully wrong about this being no worse than the flu. Just really incredibly wrong. It’s mind-boggling just how wrong you are.

And even if you weren’t wrong, which you are, there is a vaccine for the flu.

 

[Dano Seale]

14 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Much like you’re doing?

In what way?
 

 

15 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

And you are just painfully wrong about this being no worse than the flu. Just really incredibly wrong. It’s mind-boggling just how wrong you are.

How so?
 

 

15 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

And even if you weren’t wrong, which you are, there is a vaccine for the flu.

There are many vaccines for many viruses. Know how many we can "cure"?....0!

[LittleMe Jewell]

Just because some use humor to deal with their own anxiety about something does not mean that they are laughing at people who are dying. 

They are simply dealing with their own anxiety using a coping mechanism. 

[Beth Macbain]

27 minutes ago, Dano Seale said:

In what way?
How so?
There are many vaccines for many viruses. Know how many we can "cure"?....0!

Chastising people for chastising people is no different than people chastising people.

And this is already outdated... it’s even worse now.

A vaccine can prevent someone from contracting a virus. I’d much rather never contract a virus in the first place than get one, get sick, then have to be cured. 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

3 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

They are simply dealing with their own anxiety using a coping mechanism.

I think that this is very true. As someone (Beth, I think) noted above, people have different ways of dealing with trauma and stress, and so-called "black humour" is one of those ways. That's legit.

The problem is that you need to know your audience. Because there are people who are afraid, are suffering, or maybe know someone who has been hit with this, who aren't going to appreciate that approach. And that's valid too.

It seems to me that the simplest answer here is to accept and account for those differences. If you find humour a relief, then by all means indulge in it -- with people who you know are not going to be upset by it. In other words, probably not on a public forum.

And, equally, if humorous approaches to this crisis are upsetting, it should be possible to ask those employing it to refrain from expressing it in public without accusing them of being heartless or cold or unsympathetic. Bree, for instance, is none of those things. She merely miscalculated, something we've all surely done at times.

It's really just about being considerate and accepting, isn't it? If you know something is upsetting others, legitimately, then surely you should stop doing it where it impacts on them. And, equally, don't impute too much to those who use humour, which is itself just another mechanism for dealing.

[Amanda Crisp]

Ok, as former military I will admit that Gallows Humor is something I have a bit of appreciation for.

But this morning as I was leaving work, I had to stop and engage in a stare-down with three contractors who “suspected” that one from another company -might- be an infection risk-factor. (There was no additional risk factor, they were misinformed)

They were being hostile beyond the bounds of civil behavior and I had to deal with about 5x my weight in angry male construction workers.

Lucky for me I have an overgrown attitude and my “mouse that roared” routine plus a little shaming worked.
 

My heart goes out to everyone effected tonight. Please don’t panic and make it worse.

[FairreLilette]

25 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I think that this is very true. As someone (Beth, I think) noted above, people have different ways of dealing with trauma and stress, and so-called "black humour" is one of those ways. That's legit.

The problem is that you need to know your audience. Because there are people who are afraid, are suffering, or maybe know someone who has been hit with this, who aren't going to appreciate that approach. And that's valid too.

It seems to me that the simplest answer here is to accept and account for those differences. If you find humour a relief, then by all means indulge in it -- with people who you know are not going to be upset by it. In other words, probably not on a public forum.

And, equally, if humorous approaches to this crisis are upsetting, it should be possible to ask those employing it to refrain from expressing it in public without accusing them of being heartless or cold or unsympathetic. Bree, for instance, is none of those things. She merely miscalculated, something we've all surely done at times.

It's really just about being considerate and accepting, isn't it? If you know something is upsetting others, legitimately, then surely you should stop doing it where it impacts on them. And, equally, don't impute too much to those who use humour, which is itself just another mechanism for dealing.

This is a good post Scylla.  

Thanks for saying it.

We all need to also remember there are different ways we all get information.  I have been away from a television for a while now and I did not know how bad things really were until this morning when my friend at breakfast told me about Tom Hanks and his wife testing positive.

Really, a lot of the major news about Coronavirus, I only found out this morning, along with much of the United States in a sense "shutting down" especially public gathering places and the whole Basketball season has been called off/cancelled.  

I live in an apartment building.  We've been asked not to go out unless it's an emergency nor can people visit here except if they go to the front office first in gloves and a mask and receive clearance to enter.

However, we did already receive the hand-washing drill along with a few other things.

It appears the virus may have spread through butchering animals live where other meats were also sold in China.  

Don't eat under-cooked meat either along with the other precautions.

But you are the captain of your own ship and most of us can steer pretty good.  None of us on this forum can Mother each other but we are still a community and this really sucks...this Coronavirus.  

  

Edited March 13, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Beth Macbain]

There actually IS a way that the SL community can, er... respond to COVID-19 that may actually help people fend off the virus.

LINK TO A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE THAT SOME WILL CONSIDER NSFW SO YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

SL isn't necessarily necessary for this exercise, per se, but I've often found it helpful as a means to an... end. 

But don't forget to wash your hands after.

[Drayke Newall]

1 hour ago, Dano Seale said:

How so?

Because you are focusing on only one aspect of the issue, the virus. Yes the virus is bad, despite what you say as the death rate is irrelevant when hospitals cant keep up with the patient demand. But there are other factors at play that are far worse than the virus and have long reaching tendrils throughout the modern world.

To put a little more perspective on how bad things are with the world. Since February, China have not made 1 single thing in its factories. China make up 1 third of the worlds export market. Most countries have closed their borders to china and therefore any manufacturing that may have happened or will happen isn't being shipped into the market. Those Apple phones you usually get around now that are brand new, guess what, they are now delayed. This then has a knock on effect which means Apple reduces it yearly profit forecast and this then flows onto the stock market.

The stock market then goes into free fall due to countries being in lockdown, supply chains being closed and business needing to close up shop for weeks due to no stock. The longer this goes on the worse it gets. This then means countries GPD's don't expand and show negative growth and therefore put them into recession of which most economists now are of the belief another global financial recession like the one in 2008 will happen. Considering Interest rates are already at record lows these offer no buffer to withstand such a thing, meaning it could get much worse than the previous one.

To put it further into perspective. The US Federal Government has in place a stock protection team that inject money into the stock market to try and stop any form of drastic market drop that could be bad for economies. They also have in place circuit breakers that when a plunge happens of 7%, 13% and 20% trading is halted for 15 minutes and then stopped for the day at the 20% mark. The last time a circuit breaker went off in the market was in 1987 it went off once called Bloody Tuesday and fell 7%. Take note of the year - how long ago that happened. This week alone, we have had 2 circuit breakers go off and worse still they went of within 10 minutes of the start of trading meaning in the first 10 minutes the market fell by 7%. Despite the PPT injecting money into the market it has still continued to fall.

To top it off, yesterday due to the market plummeting at a rate not seen since 1987 the federal government issued a repo bailout of more than the entire US Military Budget for the year. The military budget for the year in the US is close to $1 trillion dollars and they issued $1.5 Trillion dollars.

This saw the market rebound almost 1000 points and even with all that money it was removed in the day leading to the Dow Jones closing at 10% down for the day not seen since 1987.

To further emphasise the enormity of what is happening in the financial world, on Friday in the US the Federal Government will pay a further $1.5 trillion dollars to try and keep things going. That means a total of $3 trillion dollars spent to try and keep the economy working. To show how much this money is refer to this website and the graph on it. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ny-fed-conduct-1-trillion-repo-over-two-days-stabilize-treasury-financing-market

While the markets have boomed for 11 years they are now in free fall. So of course as you say, its no worse than the flu.🙄

EDIT:

Just thought I would also say this. The S&P VIX is an index that tracks the Volatility of the market. In 2008 GFC it peaked at 58.95%. As of this edit that index is at 75.47%. Also one just needs to look at this website to see what the world economy looks like at the moment and to give you a clue RED IS BAD. https://tradingeconomics.com/stocks . Also you know its bad when the entire world market is showing red and Zimbabwe's market is one of the very few green on that website. 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Drayke Newall

[Lyssa Greymoon]

9 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

There actually IS a way that the SL community can, er... respond to COVID-19 that may actually help people fend off the virus.

LINK TO A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE THAT SOME WILL CONSIDER NSFW SO YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

SL isn't necessarily necessary for this exercise, per se, but I've often found it helpful as a means to an... end. 

But don't forget to wash your hands after.

If that was true, I’d be like Deadpool by now.

[Selene Gregoire]

22 minutes ago, Drayke Newall said:

long reaching tendrils throughout the modern world.

Not just financially either.

Quote

Catching the virus can mess up your life in many, many more ways than just straight-up killing you. "We are all young"—okay. "Even if we get the bug, we will survive"—fantastic. How about needing four months of physical therapy before you even feel human again. Or getting scar tissue in your lungs and having your activity level restricted for the rest of your life.

[...]

Now, odds are, you might catch coronavirus and might not even get symptoms. Great. Good for you. Very bad for everyone else, from your own grandparents to the random older person who got on the subway train a stop or two after you got off. You're fine, you're barely even sneezing or coughing, but you're walking around and you kill a couple of older people without even knowing it.

Young and unafraid of the pandemic? Good for you. Now stop killing people

Edited March 13, 2020 by Selene Gregoire

[Drayke Newall]

2 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Not just financially either.

Young and unafraid of the pandemic? Good for you. Now stop killing people

Certainly agree. I think from memory SARS victims still suffer with damaged lungs.

I just get sick of people acting like everything is fine and say its no worse than the flu when the don't realise that the virus is impacting on every aspect of our daily lives not just the body.

[KikiJadyn]

Geez, its called a joke people what happened to having a sense of humor?? damn. everyone getting upset over stuff they can easily laugh at and get on with their day.. yeah people are dying, but even without the virus everyone has to die eventually. 

Edited March 13, 2020 by KikiJadyn

[CheriColette]

10 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

Ok. I get it. Not only is this "too soon", it's "while it's happening". I actually wrote those jokes on the subway surrounded by masked people. I guess I truly am an SL immersionist who keeps my RL and SL separate. To all, my apologies. I didn't realize how badly it is going around the country and around the world. I hope you and all you love get through this and feel better.

I loved your assessment of SL containment procedures and sent it to a few of my SL friends, so thank you Bree. 

I have been saying for a while, at least we are safe in SL. 

[KikiJadyn]

@Drayke Newall Well, I made a order on Wish so I hope it gets here one day it says not til may but it shows on tracking that it is here in the U.S. So, who knows.. but yeah things are bad but im sure if everyone uses their brain and actually thinks over ***** they can come up with something instead of going into a full panic before anything has even happened to them,and yes it is good to be prepared for a crisis but damn other people need the same supplies that people are stockpiling from what i hear.. it is times like these when you really see the true nature of the human being. Yeah survival of the fittest and all that jazz but hey if nobody is here to carry on the human race because everyone was being greedy and straight up STINGY.. then is it really gonna matter in the end?? I mean, think about it...I would hate to see what would happen if the walking dead episodes ever came true... 😕