Wonder what happened to power posters who no longer post?

[njbm 2,728]

No longer swinging, divorced, no longer interested in the topic, no longer with us. I miss some of the old posters. 

[cplnluv1 804]

Maybe Covid and they are staying safe?

or

They come look and only see the same posters posting and they have nothing to add. 

 

[lcmim 1,008]

When on a diet, most would prefer to stay out of the bakery aisle.

[cplnuswing 4,711]

Yes, it's just the nature of things I guess, but I miss people too.  Sometimes though an old familiar voice shows back up, and it's always nice when that happens.

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

Sometimes life just happens and 'hobbies' are put on hold. I know there was a month or two last year where I wasn't as active with the passing of my father. Now I just wish things would go back to 'normal' so we can start enjoying our 'hobby' again.

[Numex 2,175]

Some folks are posting a lot more. 

[njbm 2,728]

1 hour ago, Numex said:

Some folks are posting a lot more. 

I agree. It’s been more active with some new and interesting voices in the last six months.  

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

It's an interesting question. 

 

• For some, the LS is a hobby. Hobbies come and often are set aside. Interests wane.
• For others, a life choice somehow excludes the LS or at least reduces the priority.
• For still others, the LS was simply a sampling of a variety of opportunities that life offers.
• Occasionally, there is a death (we miss padoc's posts)

Perhaps the reciprocal question is even more interesting: for those who stay, what's the draw? What makes the LS, and what makes *this* LS community, worth our (collective) time and effort?

[TricianMike 732]

3 hours ago, Fundamental Law said:

Perhaps the reciprocal question is even more interesting: for those who stay, what's the draw? What makes the LS, and what makes *this* LS community, worth our (collective) time and effort?

With plenty of time working from home, no busy bodies looking over your shoulder I check in as a change of pace, a diversion. I am amused and at times annoyed at some of the new mega posters, I wonder why they have so much time to to multi post on a topic. I remember one mega poster who left the board due to thinking he was be targeted for his views. 

We only post if we think we have something to add to a discussion, we certainly don’t have all the answers. I sometimes wonder how a poster came to this board and again wonder why a first post by a member happens. 

I am guessing most members have either given up or at the very least cut back on playing leading to less sharing of experiences. 

[Numex 2,175]

17 hours ago, njbm said:

I agree. It’s been more active with some new and interesting voices in the last six months.  

With the Swingersboard generally, I find it easy to pass over posts that I'm not interested in, ignore the very few posts that rude/offensive/stupid, and appreciate the vast majority of what I read.  In an increasingly insane world, I am glad for this place and the honest, polite and intelligent people it attracts.

[hunterdonNJcpl 1,086]

We joined here bc the rona brought our lifestyle activities to (almost) a total halt.  If it wasn't for our involvement here it might seem to us that swinging is dead - except for the occasional online swing party (we attended one and found it depressing and sad).  So we like this board bc it makes us feel connected to a culture that has almost ceased to exist.  I can't imagine not swinging and also not interacting with the swing community online.  At that point you have gone full vanilla [shudder].

[PSULioness 754]

Some of the newer power posters have lessened my interest in sharing my own thoughts. I’m finding myself not even reading some of the posts by  many of these  im posters. 

Edited February 5, 2021 by PSULioness

[GoldCoCouple 4,014]

PSU: We'll always still enjoy hearing what you have to say, even during the rare time we may not totally agree. Having a dissenting opinion, but still being able to be respectful and articulate, occasionally shows us the errors in ones previous mistaken beliefs.

[PSULioness 754]

6 hours ago, GoldCoCouple said:

PSU: We'll always still enjoy hearing what you have to say, even during the rare time we may not totally agree. Having a dissenting opinion, but still being able to be respectful and articulate, occasionally shows us the errors in ones previous mistaken beliefs.

Thank you but our lives are mostly on hold too. 

I try to be honest in my opinions and also try not to flame. I realize being a New Yorker, even if I live across the river now, I can be brutally honest. Some of the posts I read immediately start blasting the BS alarm, I try to add to the crap. Sometimes I just ignore, I should do that more often. 

[cplnluv1 804]

18 hours ago, GoldCoCouple said:

PSU: We'll always still enjoy hearing what you have to say,

Isn’t she cute and honest? I think she really embraced the joy of life. 

[MidwestHoneys 334]

I’m a newbie here and if I ever post too much please call me out. I’m still feeling my way around and I think some posters share too much. 

I have started posts and deleted thinking it’s only going to get me in trouble with a flamer. 

I see east coasters and a west coaster, thinking a Midwesterner is more conservative in my postings. 

[lcmim 1,008]

Midwest. There are VERY few flamers here.

Those that try get shut down pretty rapidly.

The same goes for people trying to sneak an advertisement onto the list.

This group is pretty protective of its honest and polite environment

Those that step over the line get reported by members and the admins clean things up.

Sure we entertain many and diverse opinions of things.

Some of the opinions are forcefully stated, but in the end we all know that they are just opinions.

We , for the most part, are speaking from our own experiences and know that others have different experiences.

 

So relax, speak up. If you skin is thick enough that people can express opinions contrary to yours, then you will be adding to the discussion in a meaningful way.

 

 

 

[Gordo 617]

Don't know if I was ever considered a power poster but for us it was the wife. She got tired of the fake people. Endless meetings where one or the other was an obvious no or they failed to show up. Or call to tell us that they weren't coming. That's probably close to 8 or 9 years now.

 

We had two bad meetings in a row and the final one was the final one for her. We met a couple in a pub. He had pitched this woman as his wife. Turned out she was just a date who had driven 150 miles to spend the weekend with him. She had no idea about his desire to swing and hadn't been told that's what we were meeting for. It was hugely embarrassing for us and for her. Him...I just wanted to pound his lying fucking head in.

 

She did falter a few years back and ask if I wanted to start again. I just said no, I wasn't interested. It hasn't come up since.

[cplnuswing 4,711]

2 hours ago, MidwestHoneys said:

I’m a newbie here and if I ever post too much please call me out. I’m still feeling my way around and I think some posters share too much. 

I have started posts and deleted thinking it’s only going to get me in trouble with a flamer. 

 

Please don't ever think that, we welcome all of your posts!

 

Speaking as the webmaster of this site, here's the simple truth - the number of new posts is directly correlated to the health and continued viability of this site. Like it or not, that's in Google's hands. Google sees it as "fewer posts must mean something is wrong with that place so we aren't going to send people there, more posts must mean something is right about that site and we will send more people there." So, it's sort of a feedback loop. You can easily enter into a death spiral of less activity, which means less Google traffic, which means fewer new members, which means less activity, and so on until the day comes the lights have to get switched off.

 

There's a saying, "Content is king". As @lcmim mentioned, we work really hard at keeping this place welcoming and a good environment for people to post their questions and thoughts aka content. One, because that's the right thing to do to have the type of community we want to have here, and two, because it's the strategy we have chosen to maintain a viable site. It's frustrating sometimes when you see the anything goes kind of sites outperforming yours, at least in the short term. But, this site as been around 20+ years and is still kicking, and that's eons in internet years, so we must be doing something right.

 

So, moral of story, please post, and then post some more, and encourage other people to post :)  Those things all help the site.

[kellimc 214]

I was never a prolific poster here, but I have found myself spending less time here over the past year.  I'm sure you can guess the reason (Covid, cough, cough).  I haven't been to a house/hotel party or meet 'n greet in just about a year and it's frustrating.  The last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time commiserating with other frustrated swingers. It's just too depressing.  

[Numex 2,175]

2 hours ago, kellimc said:

.  The last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time commiserating with other frustrated swingers. .  

Just about everyone here has a regular sex partner at home in addition to lifestyle partners, so that they still have some joy and something to talk about.  Many also have especially close friends they still play with.  And we all have past experiences and memories.  Sharing those bring happiness, to me and my wife at least. 

[njbm 2,728]

As I have mentioned, we play Zoom games with 7-9 lifestyle couples/friends/partners. We play a game in which each person adds to a story line. It veers into an orgy in 20 seconds flat. We have fun, we exercise our social skills and we look forward to brighter days. 
 

[AndrewandAnn 359]

Why? They've moved on, literally and/or figuratively. Might they return? Possible. Ann and I went years without posting here. For us, COVID was a large part of the impetus to return. Some intellectual lifestyle stimulation was better than no lifestyle stimulation ;-)

 

However, our humble opinions are that the "lifestyle" will never be the same for any of us. This virus has permanently altered the way people physically relate to each other. Will any of us ever casually, almost thoughtlessly, shake hands with people the way we used to...? I know we won't.

 

Although it's still very early in the cycle, it appears the vaccine is not a panacea. This virus, like many others, is capable of mutating and possibly rendering the current vaccine(s) far less effective, or perhaps not effective at all. The newest vaccine from J&J is about -40% less effective, for instance, against the mutated COVID strain that originated in Africa.

 

At this point, it appears the vaccination program will evolve to be more like the current influenza regime, where you get vaccinated every year for the strain that appears to be the most common and/or dangerous.

 

Not happy about typing any of this.

 

 

[couplers 4,140]

I am guilty of going overboard with posting after being silent for a while.  Not posting is part lack of time, but much of it is mood.  My recent spate of posts was when I had to travel because of issues both technical and personnel that had to be dealt with in person.  The strangeness of the times is more extreme when in a hotel, alone without the usual after work hours distractions.  No getting together with colleagues, no dining, no fitness center, no other diversions (even if available, you can't just show up, you need reservations).  Only the occasional run.

 

The reason I bring this up is that it put me in a really weird emotional state, the isolation and being away from home.  When traveling is about the only time I masturbate, and then it used to be once, maybe twice a day, 15 to 30 minutes, one quick orgasm to wake up and one to go to sleep.  This time it was more frequent, much longer, and much harder, three or four fingers instead of two; staring at the six porn pictures I have on my phone that I hardly ever look at.  Unusual extreme emotions.

 

Then afterwards, visiting the Swingersboard.  From the first time I visited here over a decade ago, I got validation, felt like a deviant, but within normal.  Being here still makes me feel that way.  And I feel compelled to post, please forgive me, not all of it is worth anyone's time.  It made me realize that my visits here are almost always after I have had sex (unlike those who come here to get excited), feeling fulfilled but also puzzled by it all.  Why am I so compelled to do all of the things that I do?  Why are the others?  Is it a massive waste of time?  How strange that it has produced our wonderful children.

 

In case you are wondering, yes, about 15 minutes after making love with Lora and David (hubby loves her move than he loves me, but I accept that, I love her too), then Red and Clair, I logged on here to get a sense of validation and to exhale my feelings.  I'm not the occasional power poster, I am an occasional mess.

Edited February 9, 2021 by couplers

[njbm 2,728]

13 hours ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Why? They've moved on, literally and/or figuratively. Might they return? Possible. Ann and I went years without posting here. For us, COVID was a large part of the impetus to return. Some intellectual lifestyle stimulation was better than no lifestyle stimulation ?

 

However, our humble opinions are that the "lifestyle" will never be the same for any of us. This virus has permanently altered the way people physically relate to each other. Will any of us ever casually, almost thoughtlessly, shake hands with people the way we used to...? I know we won't.

 

Although it's still very early in the cycle, it appears the vaccine is not a panacea. This virus, like many others, is capable of mutating and possibly rendering the current vaccine(s) far less effective, or perhaps not effective at all. The newest vaccine from J&J is about -40% less effective, for instance, against the mutated COVID strain that originated in Africa.

 

At this point, it appears the vaccination program will evolve to be more like the current influenza regime, where you get vaccinated every year for the strain that appears to be the most common and/or dangerous.

 

Not happy about typing any of this.

 

 

Sometimes viruses mutate to be less virulent. Hoping for that. Easy to be pessimistic now with the variants getting out faster than the vaccines. The world deserves a break. I am hopeful in science. 

[Gordo 617]

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Israel has made some real progress.

 

Experimental cancer drug hailed as coronavirus 'cure' in Israel | Daily Mail Online

[ToeDippers 79]

11 hours ago, couplers said:

In case you are wondering, yes, about 15 minutes after making love with Lora and David (hubby loves her move than he loves me, but I accept that, I love her too), then Red and Clair, I logged on here to get a sense of validation and to exhale my feelings.  I'm not the occasional power poster, I am an occasional mess.

You are no more a mess than many other posters.  I think many are masturbating while posting

[samandtammi 99]

We (or should I say me, he never posts anymore) have gone from spending 3-4 nights per week in a swing club to staying home.  We have had 2 occassions where we invited lifestyle friends over (one couple at a time) and actually did end up playing (even though we said we wouldn't).    I occasionally check the board but really don't have much to add.  I don't like to call people out if I don't agree with them so there hasn't been much to contribute...

[couplers 4,140]

On 2/9/2021 at 7:51 AM, ToeDippers said:

I think many are masturbating while posting

I don't know about other posters, but from the very beginning I log on here after sex to confirm my normalcy (within this group at least) and ponder what I am doing and what it is all about.  I'm only slightly closer to the answer, but feel better after reading and posting.  (I guess that even after years of being in "the lifestyle," I am not the cool, confident person I sometimes think that I am and try to be.  Or maybe I am, but keep turning it over in my mind.

Edited February 11, 2021 by couplers

[AndrewandAnn 359]

On 2/8/2021 at 10:51 PM, njbm said:

Sometimes viruses mutate to be less virulent. Hoping for that. Easy to be pessimistic now with the variants getting out faster than the vaccines. The world deserves a break. I am hopeful in science. 

True.

 

However, I'm being realistic, not pessimistic. The director of the CDC acknowledged recent data indicates the virus is mutating in such a way as to render the current vaccines significantly less effective.

 

I am optimistic research teams will continue to find ways to respond. But I am not optimistic that there is going to be a conclusive "end" to this virus anytime soon, if ever.

[njbm 2,728]

1 hour ago, AndrewandAnn said:

True.

 

However, I'm being realistic, not pessimistic. The director of the CDC acknowledged recent data indicates the virus is mutating in such a way as to render the current vaccines significantly less effective.

 

I am optimistic research teams will continue to find ways to respond. But I am not optimistic that there is going to be a conclusive "end" to this virus anytime soon, if ever.

Now hoping for a booster. I had Moderna shot one. 

[PonderingCouple 58]

Hubby here (Wifey makes me be the one typing via process of "not it" lol), but we're newbies here and have tried to be mindful of differing opinions and we have enjoyed observing, reading, learning although also admitting that this pandemic has been a real downer on some of our early explorations (just over a year ago). These boards have helped keep interest for both of us and to the point where we've been daring enough to post a few pics just to participate in the community and escape our reality a bit (being in healthcare we've both seen the pandemic from unique angles and it sure has a way of making you feel helpless to make a difference). We do post via unverified pics on Reddit as a way to do this to but Reddit is a mess of positive and negative folks, so this place generally (to us) has a very positive vibe. So it's been refreshing to come on here and read/learn/observe.

[adamgunn 1,456]

Pondering, we appreciate your presence, and we're glad you're here. Keep posting your intelligent comments.

 

[AndrewandAnn 359]

 

How did your body react? We're hearing about wide variations in the side-effects, everything from extremely mild to rather severe. Our daughter, an RN, after the administration of the second dose, ran a fever in excess of 102F for a couple of days accompanied by body aches, chills, etc.  Took her about a week to return to feeling normal. However, some friends of ours were administered the vaccine with zero side effects. Strange.

 

We are in que for the vaccine. Disappointingly, at this point, it appears we won't have it administered until fall. 

[njbm 2,728]

5 hours ago, AndrewandAnn said:

 

How did your body react? We're hearing about wide variations in the side-effects, everything from extremely mild to rather severe. Our daughter, an RN, after the administration of the second dose, ran a fever in excess of 102F for a couple of days accompanied by body aches, chills, etc.  Took her about a week to return to feeling normal. However, some friends of ours were administered the vaccine with zero side effects. Strange.

 

We are in que for the vaccine. Disappointingly, at this point, it appears we won't have it administered until fall. 

I heard glut of shots by May. I got my first Moderna on 2/16, slightly sore are for 2 days. 

[Idahocouple6969 294]

4 hours ago, njbm said:

I heard glut of shots by May. I got my first Moderna on 2/16, slightly sore are for 2 days. 

My wife had 2nd dose yesterday. Her arm is really sore and a swollen lymph node in her neck today. No fever. I am still waiting for my 1st.  She says she feels "puny" but still worth it.

[njbm 2,728]

I had a sore arm, not are. I also have a sore ankle. Unrelated to the vax, I slipped on ice and fractured my ankle. But for the pandemic, we would have been in Florida. But we didn’t want to travel. Could have been much worse, air cast for a month. 

[AndrewandAnn 359]

14 hours ago, njbm said:

I had a sore arm, not are. I also have a sore ankle. Unrelated to the vax, I slipped on ice and fractured my ankle. But for the pandemic, we would have been in Florida. But we didn’t want to travel. Could have been much worse, air cast for a month. 

Like you, we split our time between various locales (at least I am inferring you do, too.)

 

Although we normally fly, we made the decision to drive. Ugh, was that miserable. But, overall, we think it was far more safe than being hustled through airports like cattle and stuck in a flying aluminum tube where it is *literally impossible* to even pretend you can maintain any kind of social distancing.

 

And we brought my mom down, too. Normally, she would fly down with us and stay for a month or so. Then she goes back. It was a difficult decision this year with the pandemic... but, we decided it was her call to make, not ours. In the end, she reasoned that, at her age (mid-80s) she doesn't have many more opportunities to travel and decided it was worth the smallish risk. And staying  back had its own set of risks for her. She's terribly arthritic and being cooped up for many months was not doing her body or mental health any favors, that's for sure. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful and it all worked out fine.

 

Just ranting, here... But, I can understand why some people don't trust the government spokespeople or the messaging. It is so confusing and full of glaring, obvious contradictions. They tell us: It's not safe to eat at an indoor restaurant, right? But air travel is okeydokey? And this makes sense?? 

 

Anyway, thanks for listening. And I hope your ankle heals up soon ? We are glad we made it down south and don't plan on returning until late May or June at the earliest. For fear of you hating me, I don't even want to tell you what the weather has been like! Lol ? 

[adamgunn 1,456]

1 hour ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Just ranting, here... But, I can understand why some people don't trust the government spokespeople or the messaging. It is so confusing and full of glaring, obvious contradictions. They tell us: It's not safe to eat at an indoor restaurant, right? But air travel is okeydokey? And this makes sense?? 

 

Sigh . . . not really disagreeing here,  there's a lot of confusion out there. The National and state and local governments are issuing various regulations. They have their own agendas, formed by different needs, the differing political constraints, the very real need to not tank the economy. And the media, whatever their particular bias is (they all have bias!) will report what they think their readership wants to hear, damn the implications. Let's not even get into the uninformed opinions masquerading as fact on Facebook and other social media platforms.

 

I am a simple guy. I decide to listen to only one spokesperson about what I should be doing in this pandemic. I've decided my guide is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here is what they say about travel: Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

 

And on dining out: While the safest way to enjoy and support restaurants and bars is to take out food and eat it at home with people who live with you, there are ways that you can go to a restaurant and bar and still reduce your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.

They then go on to say don't go there at busy times, watch the ventilation, wear a mask while you'e not actually eating, etc.

 

By listening to only one source of information, I find the confusion diminished. If you care, the CDC's recommendations can be found at CDC.org

 

 

[Lionheart72 2,186]

I used to post a lot on here, then I stopped and now I'm dipping my toe back in. That's the short version. If you want the long version, keep reading...

 

Honestly, the reason I stopped is that I felt that at the time the community had changed. A different group of people seemed to be driving the conversations and doing so in directions I wasn't comfortable with. I didn't feel like it was a place I wanted to be anymore, so I left. Now, I know this probably comes off as harsh and accusing, but I don't really mean it that way. (Maybe I would have then, but I don't now.) Groups grow. They change. It's natural. Sometimes, when a group changes, people don't fit anymore... so they leave, maybe for a time, maybe forever. That's also natural.

 

Sometimes, people come back. I came back because... well, I was bored. The community we've moved to is small and rural. The nearest swingers group is an hour away and after COVID hit, even that was off the table. After a long time with no one to talk to, I wondered what was happening with the community here... so here I am, dipping my toe back in the water.

[njbm 2,728]

People come and go. Always several or more nice people. Learn new things. Get new ideas. 

[AndrewandAnn 359]

19 hours ago, adamgunn said:

 

Sigh . . . not really disagreeing here,  there's a lot of confusion out there. The National and state and local governments are issuing various regulations. They have their own agendas, formed by different needs, the differing political constraints, the very real need to not tank the economy. And the media, whatever their particular bias is (they all have bias!) will report what they think their readership wants to hear, damn the implications. Let's not even get into the uninformed opinions masquerading as fact on Facebook and other social media platforms.

 

I am a simple guy. I decide to listen to only one spokesperson about what I should be doing in this pandemic. I've decided my guide is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here is what they say about travel: Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

 

And on dining out: While the safest way to enjoy and support restaurants and bars is to take out food and eat it at home with people who live with you, there are ways that you can go to a restaurant and bar and still reduce your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.

They then go on to say don't go there at busy times, watch the ventilation, wear a mask while you'e not actually eating, etc.

 

By listening to only one source of information, I find the confusion diminished. If you care, the CDC's recommendations can be found at CDC.org

 

 

I know you are not trying to be argumentative and neither am I.

 

With that in mind, it's worth reminding that the CDC is equally guilty of contradicting itself. It wasn't that long ago when the honorable Dr. Fauci, head of the CDC, went on national television to explain, in significant detail, why the wearing of masks by the general public would actually *increase* one's chances of getting the virus. Today, they tell us that wearing one mask isn't good enough and that we should probably wear two. Lol... In fact, Fauci now publicly admits that he has been intentionally misleading the public about aspects of COVID-19 because he felt justified in doing so; he felt the public "wasn't ready" for the entire truth. I find that to be very Orwellian and more than a little scary.

 

Concerning your decision to limit your information to one source, I have a 180-degree opposite viewpoint. Throughout my life I've found that paying attention to a variety of sources, especially those with opposing/contradicting view points, leads to a better, more full understanding of any issue,COVID-19 included. The CDC is not agnostic or entirely objective. It is, just like every part of our government, a bureaucracy staffed by bureaucrats with their own egos, agendas, biases, etc. Getting only one side of any issue is probably not going to serve anyone very well.

 

Lastly, it doesn't take a Harvard-educated epidemiologist to tell us that staying home will limit our chances of catching *any* virus. But, it is not a zero-sum game. Staying perpetually isolated for months on end creates its own sets of very real, very dangerous health problems, not to mention the massive socio-economic consequences that we will be feeling for decades to come.  I am reminded of the way Howard Hughes, one of the richest people on earth at that time, spent his final years in complete isolation, dying as a miserable, lonely, hollow version of a human being. Collectively, we seem to have lost sight of the fact there are worse things that can happen to a person than catching a virus from which we have a high ninety-percentile chance of total recovery.

[Lionheart72 2,186]

11 minutes ago, AndrewandAnn said:

With that in mind, it's worth reminding that the CDC is equally guilty of contradicting itself. It wasn't that long ago when the honorable Dr. Fauci, head of the CDC, went on national television to explain, in significant detail, why the wearing of masks by the general public would actually *increase* one's chances of getting the virus. Today, they tell us that wearing one mask isn't good enough and that we should probably wear two.

 

 

COVID is something completely new. It seems people expect scientists to have a full, complete and consistent understanding of a brand new, never before seen disease instantly... which makes a kind of sense since in most of our experience, they do that in roughly the span of a 45 minute episode of whatever television show we're watching. However, for good or ill, reality isn't a TV show. As scientific understanding of the virus changed, scientific advice on how to deal with it changed. That's how science works. Sometimes, they get it wrong and they change or even reverse course. Life is complicated like that.

[AndrewandAnn 359]

3 minutes ago, Lionheart72 said:

 

COVID is something completely new. It seems people expect scientists to have a full, complete and consistent understanding of a brand new, never before seen disease instantly... which makes a kind of sense since in most of our experience, they do that in roughly the span of a 45 minute episode of whatever television show we're watching. However, for good or ill, reality isn't a TV show. As scientific understanding of the virus changed, scientific advice on how to deal with it changed. That's how science works. Sometimes, they get it wrong and they change or even reverse course. Life is complicated like that.

Again, I'll preface my comment by saying I'm posting this in a very friendly, unargumentative way.

 

Your understanding needs a little clarification:

 

COVID-19 is a type of corona virus. Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that mostly effect birds and mammals. The medical research community is familiar with corona viruses and has been studying these types of viruses for many years. Both SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle-east Respiratory Syndrome) are corona viruses.

 

So, it is incorrect to say COVID-19 is "new" virus. It is correct to say it is a new "strain" of corona virus. This is important because all corona viruses act in similar ways. We know the basics about how they are transmitted, how they enter (infect) the body, how they reproduce inside the body, etc. For example, SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are all primarily transmitted in the same way--largely by droplets from coughing, sneezing, talking, etc. passing from one person to another.

 

So, while you are correct that science was doing some "catching up" on how to better understand this new strain of corona virus, it doesn't excuse the basic mis-information/dis-information/contradictory information that has plagued the messaging throughout the pandemic. The wearing of face coverings, for instance, should have been recommended from Day One. The fact that the head of the CDC initially went on national television to discourage the wearing of face coverings is, frankly, unconscionable. The medical community knew then, as it does now, that this was a corona virus and the likeliest form of transmission was similar to both SARS and MERS.

 

[AndrewandAnn 359]

1 hour ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Again, I'll preface my comment by saying I'm posting this in a very friendly, unargumentative way.

 

Your understanding needs a little clarification:

 

COVID-19 is a type of corona virus. Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that mostly effect birds and mammals. The medical research community is familiar with corona viruses and has been studying these types of viruses for many years. Both SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle-east Respiratory Syndrome) are corona viruses.

 

So, it is incorrect to say COVID-19 is "new" virus. It is correct to say it is a new "strain" of corona virus. This is important because all corona viruses act in similar ways. We know the basics about how they are transmitted, how they enter (infect) the body, how they reproduce inside the body, etc. For example, SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are all primarily transmitted in the same way--largely by droplets from coughing, sneezing, talking, etc. passing from one person to another.

 

So, while you are correct that science was doing some "catching up" on how to better understand this new strain of corona virus, it doesn't excuse the basic mis-information/dis-information/contradictory information that has plagued the messaging throughout the pandemic. The wearing of face coverings, for instance, should have been recommended from Day One. The fact that the head of the CDC initially went on national television to discourage the wearing of face coverings is, frankly, unconscionable. The medical community knew then, as it does now, that this was a corona virus and the likeliest form of transmission was similar to both SARS and MERS.

 

I should add: That basic familiarity with corona viruses is what allowed medical research teams to develop a vaccine so quickly. Had it genuinely been a "brand new" kind of virus, it would have taken far longer. The usual timeframe to develop a vaccine of this type, start to finish, is about ten years.

 

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the vaccine. It has been wrongly criticized for not being properly tested and that safety was compromised in exchange for speed. This is because people do not realize we have been studying the corona virus family for years. More than 250,000 (not a typo) strains of corona virus have been genetically sequenced in labs over the years. The real "breakthrough" was in the use of mRNA technology which, essentially, allows the vaccine to introduce COVID-19 proteins (not the virus, just the proteins) into the body to "train" the body's natural immune response to kill off COVID-19.

[adamgunn 1,456]

3 hours ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Concerning your decision to limit your information to one source . . .

I only meant for the science regarding this pandemic. I certainly pay attention to the social issues through other sources.

[Lionheart72 2,186]

Responding in the same friendly, respectful manner... saying the disease is a corona virus is like saying it's a bird. It's a board, general category. Just like a duck is not an eagle, COVID19 is not SARS. There are lots and lots of different corona viruses and they have similarities and differences. I'm not an epidemiologist. I'm not even a doctor. I'm going to trust the guys who are. While I can easily Monday morning quarterback them, I don't know the science and I don't know the challenges they face, so I'm not going to. I'm going to believe they're doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and trust in their experience, training and skills.

[AndrewandAnn 359]

1 hour ago, Lionheart72 said:

Responding in the same friendly, respectful manner... saying the disease is a corona virus is like saying it's a bird. It's a board, general category. Just like a duck is not an eagle, COVID19 is not SARS. There are lots and lots of different corona viruses and they have similarities and differences. I'm not an epidemiologist. I'm not even a doctor. I'm going to trust the guys who are. While I can easily Monday morning quarterback them, I don't know the science and I don't know the challenges they face, so I'm not going to. I'm going to believe they're doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and trust in their experience, training and skills.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.  Here is another perspective you may want to consider:

 

All corona viruses share a great deal in common, that's why they are all part of a single family. Of the hundreds of thousands of corona virus variants that have been gene sequenced, corona viruses show fewer mutations (read: differences) than do other families of viruses. In other words, they show a great deal in common. Sticking with your analogy, ducks, eagles, sparrows, and grouse, share far more in common than simply their feathers. Likewise, COVID-19 is far more similar to SARS and MERS than it is dissimilar. And we know, for example, they are all spread through the same mechanisms.

 

Concerning the issue of trust, I give mine to people who earn and respect it. The honorable Dr. Fauci's credentialing is not in question. What is in question is his integrity and decision making. He has publicly admitted to *intentionally* making false and misleading statements about this virus, moving the goal posts, etc. His motivations may have been well intended, but that is not relevant to me. I insist on being treated as a responsible adult. I insist on being told the entire truth, as best as it is understood at the time, regardless of whether or not some unelected healthcare bureaucrat believes I am "ready" for it or not.

 

More to the point: Fauci originally telling people not wear face coverings, and going to some lengths to convince people that wearing face coverings would actually *increase* the possibility of contracting the virus, undoubtedly cost lives and created confusion and lingering doubt.  That is not something I can simply ignore. And, it certainly begs the question, If they lied to me several times already, why wouldn't they do it again and again and again? For example, it is becoming more and more evident that the notion there is going to be a conclusive "end" to the virus is unrealistic. As it appears today, this virus is likely to be with us indefinitely. I wonder how long they have known, or at least suspected, it? I wonder when they will feel we are "ready" to hear that news? 

 

I appreciate people have varying views on this. And I'm not attacking, or even criticizing, someone for having a different opinion. It's complex. And we all have our own perspectives.

[AndrewandAnn 359]

3 hours ago, adamgunn said:

I only meant for the science regarding this pandemic. I certainly pay attention to the social issues through other sources.

Yes, I understood that.

 

The point I was making is that there is an entire world of scientists that exist outside of the sphere of the CDC. Some of them have a very different perspective on this virus. I like to hear from them, too.

 

For instance, I understand scientists in Israel have made some remarkable discoveries about using a cancer drug to treat patients with COVID-19. Researchers at the largest hospital in Tel Aviv have been using a drug regime that reportedly has a 96% cure rate. Reducing the rate of fatalities by such a huge margin would render this disease far less serious and would have enormous implications.

[TricianMike 732]

I think the dialog this thread as evolved into might be a reason power posters have disappeared. 

The posts might be intelligent and not flaming yet it has taken a new track unrelated to the question posed.