Quote:
Originally Posted by beepbeep
I see it this way:
Our multi-store buildings here in Sweden have a fire code saying:
"In case of fire in your building, go into your apartment, close the doors and put wet sheets under the door. Doors are mandated/built to resist fire for xx amount of time and firefighters are expected to be there before that. Do not rush into hallway, you will just die from smoke inhalation. Do not jump out, you will break your bones".
And one day, fire starts. Instead of following rules, people start freaking out. Some of them rush out in hallway as the "do not want to burn in". Couple of them come out unscathed, some of them die of smoke. Some try jumping out from the balcony, breaking legs in process.
One family stays in the flat just as rules say (even if it feels scary). Others point fingers to them saying "what are they doing?? They will die!". Family says: "but this is the fire code! It is deemed as best way of handling this, with least people dying!". Other say: "F$$k rules! F$$k science! I do not want to die! I am jumping from balcony!".
Statistics and science always win over reptile brain in long turn...
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This is a terrific example. One that illustrates another issue -- the education / training that needs to go into making the correct decision (especially when time to make decisions is limited).
I'd admittedly be the first guy to want to flee the burning building -- lizards don't like fire. But I suppose, with repetitive training and education (and data), I could overcome that instinct.
In the case of COVID, which was not nearly as time-sensitive from a decision standpoint, the Swedish government's (and population's) reliance on the preestablished science-based protocols (including as lack of widespread masks) is incredibly laudable. Could the protocol be improved? Sure, I think we'd all agree that the nursing homes worldwide should have better protections.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world (ex-certain Asian nations) freaked the F out. And the world largely continues to do so despite a lot of good data suggesting that this virus isn't The One.
And our non-science friends in the media and their acolytes have no interest in ending the fear mongering.