[QatzelOk]

Why is Sweden the punching bag now?

Because we're "learning" from commercial media that there is only one side to the story. There is no alternative story, only the one that commercial media is telling. Believing that Sweden might have had the better approach is like thinking it's okay to vote for the wrong party, or to support the wrong football team.

See, commercial media really cares about public health.

Sure, they've been selling the public fast food, SUVs, and even cigarettes and alcohol (when they were allowed to), but now we have to believe that their screaming headlines and manipulative narratives regarding "cases" are all in the public interest. They're not just selling something to the public (like they have always done). They are there for us. To take care of us so that we're all safe.

Here's a mass media ad, featuring a scientist authority-figure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCMzjJjuxQI

WMDs, Y2K, Syrian chemical weapons, those students in Libya that we "saved..." ... whatever you give us, we will believe because that's the kind of dogs that we are.

[Atlantis]

Why is it that some people still pretend that Sweden is a model to follow, @Rich?

Sweden has now 7 times more deaths than neighboring Norway or Finland.

http://www.casualhacker.net/covid19/#dt ... OR;FIN;SWE

While new infections are declining in most of Europe, Swedish growth in daily new infections is still exponential. Since they are still lagging behind with testing, the real number of infections is bound to be far higher. Yet they are far away from herd immunity. Even in particularly hard hit countries like France, no more than 4% of the population have anti-bodies. I don't believe that anybody in France wants to repeat the experience of the last 2 months for 20 more months to reach herd immunity.

Economic decline in Sweden for 2020 is estimated at 6% of GDP. That's about the same as in Germany and only marginally less than in France or Italy. Thus, there is no gain and if Swedish figures further increase, Sweden might have to impose even harsher measures while other economies are recovering.

They are getting rid of the vulnerable and elderly. Was that the aim? I can't believe that anybody could be that cynical to deliberately follow such a strategy; however, it is clear that the high number of fatalities could have been prevented.

The serious mistake that Sweden made with the coronavirus

“Greed and privatization have been deadly”.

I guess that sums it up, greed and privatization in the name of neoliberal economic doctrine.

To think that Sweden was once known as a social-democrat model country ... Today, the Swedish model is in the gutter.

The race to the bottom, sacrificing social and environmental standards to maximize corporate profits, deregulation, privatization, etc, have gone too far. Even before the pandemic, there was a shift away from neoliberal doctrine. In the future, we will see increase State interventions to counter the negative effects of globalization and to match China. The pandemic will accelerate this with calls for repatriating supply chains for essential industries.

The Swedes have bet on the wrong horse.

[Godstud]

Thailand(200 miles from China, with massive Chinese tourism) should be the model to follow, not Sweden:


Coronavirus Cases:
3,018
Deaths:
56
Recovered:
2,850
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir ... /thailand/

[QatzelOk]

Karim Sharara also laments that, now that Iran is doing much better, it's no longer in the news.

When its number of mortalities was spiking, Iran was half of our Covid coverage, with hints that millions of body-bags and mass graves were near. This was all false, according to Karim.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/05/14 ... you-think/

And this demonstrates that our commercial mass media has used its ability to "frame" in order to create panic narratives. These narratives are then picked up on by nobodies like us, who think that by "repeating the correct narrative" we will look clever and wise. But repeating unmitigated narratives just makes us look really easy to control.

Like we're just waiting for that "therapeutic" kool-aid from Jimmy Jones, the authority.

[Godstud]

To be honest, @QatzelOk, the USA and it's propaganda machine are doing everything in the world to make it out that Iran is EVIL and must be destroyed for the sake of its people, who will probably get killed anyways, in the crossfire.

[Rich]

Why is it that some people still pretend that Sweden is a model to follow, @Rich?

Sweden has now 7 times more deaths than neighboring Norway or Finland.

Sweden has a lower death rate than Belgium, Spain, Italy the UK and France. The deaths in Sweden have peaked, totally contradicting what the Liberal lie machine has told us.

Just to note that on the Far centre we are welcoming to Cultural Marxists who fall foul of the Cultural Marxist thought police. This is how the fanatical ideological left has always been, turning on each other. Its the same way we welcome radical feminists who are refusing to go along with the trans agenda. Many of can say we never abandoned progressive politics, it was the progressive movement that abandoned us.

[Godstud]

Thailand, with a population of 68 million people, has a lower death rate and infection rate than Sweden, so maybe you shouldn't even be using Sweden as a model.

Cultural Marxism? Maybe it's Chem trails and 5G that's the real problem.

[Beren]

Half the population of Thailand are rural, whereas it's 12-13% in Sweden's case, so it's easier for Thailand to be pandemic-resistant. Do you mean the world should be more rural in general?

Sweden’s Coronavirus Strategy Will Soon Be the World’s — Herd Immunity Is the Only Realistic Option — The Question Is How to Get There Safely

[Godstud]

Bangkok, a city of around 9 million people, was where the coronavirus started. That's pretty near the entire population of Sweden(10.1 million), in one small area.

Sweden is not the model to follow.

Thailand: 3019 Coronavirus cases, and 56 deaths. <- That's the model to follow.

Taiwan: 440 infections. 7 deaths. An even better model to follow.

[Beren]

:roll: Bangkok, a city of around 9 million people, was where the coronavirus started. That's pretty near the entire population of Sweden(10.1 million), in one small area.

You are talking from a position of ignorance, @Beren.

Thailand: 3019 Coronavirus cases, and 56 deaths.

Well, I wonder if those numbers can be trusted then.

[late]

Sweden’s Coronavirus Strategy Will Soon Be the World’s — Herd Immunity Is the Only Realistic Option — The Question Is How to Get There Safely

I used to read FAQ regularly. It's the Readers Digest for anyone interested in international relations. Wish I could still afford it.

Anyway, you can also think of it as a water hole in the jungle for all the players. It's one of the more diverse publications out there. It's diversity also means you are going to have superb articles cheek to jowl with self serving tripe.

Not that this article is tripe.

In America, the Right has been trying to use Sweden to excuse their abysmal failures. There are a few different ways to deal with the pandemic, as a nation, we have failed at all of them.

Here is another article from the same issue:

"The institutional and political vulnerabilities that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has exposed in multilateral organizations are real. But to blame such vulnerabilities on a lack of effort or expertise in the institutions themselves mistakes the symptom for the cause. At the heart of the problem is the failure of the world’s leading powers, starting with the United States and China, to invest in and empower the multilateral system. Washington’s sins of omission and Beijing’s sins of commission have conspired to sideline international institutions, helping frustrate their common goal of ending the pandemic."



https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2020-05-14/international-order-didnt-fail-pandemic-alone

[Godstud]

@Beren Thailand has been very open to its citizens regarding Covid-19. They issue frequent public service messages and local news regarding it. You assuming they are not trustworthy is completely without validation, and you are doing it merely to downplay the success, and no doubt reinforce the flawed argument that Sweden is a role model for Covid-19 response.

https://covidtracker.5lab.co/#



Just in our town, yesterday, a family came up from Bangkok. At the border to our province(edge of town) they were tested, and someone had Coronavirus symptoms. The ambulance and a response team from the local hospital arrived and took them all to the Udon Thani hospital 150 km from here, so they could be properly cared for.

A team of medical people stops by local shops to ensure social distancing procedures along with masks, sanitizing gel are in place before any shop can open. They police it, afterwards, as well.

Also, as you noticed, the Prime Minister is letting the medical professionals run the show.

[Atlantis]

@Rich, you have to compare what is comparable. Sweden is very comparable with Norway and Finland, but not with Italy or France.

As I have explained a million times, Sweden was lucky to import a few cases in March while the epidemic was already in full swing in Italy and elsewhere. Italy dropped the ball with the known consequences while Sweden deliberately missed the opportunity to control the epidemic. There will be hell to pay.

While you juggle around with meaningless figures, you are obviously immune to reason and facts.

[Beren]

Are you a Thai citizen, @Godstud? You should be granted with Thai citizenship out of turn, if you haven't been yet, for such a great trust in the Thai government and their stats especially. They should particularly appreciate that you also propagate them so wholeheartedly and enthusiastically.

[Godstud]

Can you prove that their figures are untrustworthy? They are the same figures used by the John Hopkins Hospital. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

It is up to you to provide evidence that the Thai numbers are untrustworthy, if you're going to say stupid shit about it.

I think it's because it pretty much invalidates your Sweden argument. It's hit a nerve, has it? Your feelings have been hurt, @Beren?

Is that why you suddenly go to attacking the poster, instead of the argument?

[Beren]

Can you prove that their figures are untrustworthy?

No, it's just impossible to believe them. Your Thai jingoism is adorable, though.

[Godstud]

By attacking the poster, you have demonstrated a complete lack of argument.

Your accusation is unfounded, and you can't prove it, so it is obviously based on your feelings, and no facts of any kind.

Is there a problem? You can usually make an argument. Maybe take the day off.

[Beren]

Is there a problem?

Your arrogance could be a problem, however, since I know its reason, it's rather funny.

[Godstud]

I am merely pointing out that you are not making an argument. You are attempting to dismiss my source because you have a feeling that it's untrustworthy, while you cannot actually prove that claim.

That is arrogance!

[Beren]

I am merely pointing out that you are not making an argument. You are attempting to dismiss my source because you have a feeling that it's untrustworthy, while you cannot actually prove that claim.

That is arrogance!

I cannot actually disprove the Thai government, I just don't believe them, how is that arrogance? You're the usual arrogant here, especially if it's about Thailand, which is supposed to be a role model for the rest of the world it seems.