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Has Covid highlighted how little we really care about tragedy far away?

  • 07-12-2020 7:43pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 7,694 ✭✭✭


    Has all the tragedy in Syria and other war torn countries suddenly stopped since Covid 19? Fascinating how we no longer hear about these things, but instead news is flooded with investigations into lack of social distancing at golf events, retirement parties etc.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 16,191 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    We need to concentrate on getting our own house in order, let those countries sort out their own problems.


  • Posts: 7,712 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Covid has highlighted how little we care about the people around us every day, let alone in other countries.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭✭ednwireland


    dont forget the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , completely ignored just covid covid


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    Well done on making the thread in the end, not being sarcastic, know you got a few jibes in the other thread for bringin it up.It's good that some people genuinely care, it is a valid issue, lack of empathy towards those in the developing world, and as we have well learnt by now Western attention and concern does and can help these situations


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,823 ✭✭✭✭Zebra3


    Chivito550 wrote: »
    Has all the tragedy in Syria and other war torn countries suddenly stopped since Covid 19? Fascinating how we no longer hear about these things, but instead news is flooded with investigations into lack of social distancing at golf events, retirement parties etc.

    Depends if American politicians want to bomb somewhere or blame something on Russia.

    Then it's important.

    RTÉ propaganda then goes in to full swing describing the US president as "The Leader of the Free World".

    That embarrassing sound of tongue licking leather.... :o


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,910 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    https://www.concern.net/donate/hunger-pandemic-appeal
    CONCERN wrote:
    As parents in slum communities are losing their jobs to COVID-19, their children are at risk of losing their lives to hunger. The global crisis is pushing families deeper into extreme poverty. The situation is desperate. By this Christmas, up to 10 million more children could face devastating hunger..

    Restrictions in poor countries lead to loss of income which leads to potentially 10 million children dying of hunger

    It really is idiotic the whole thing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,747 ✭✭✭✭wes


    Yes, it has, but it has also highlighted that people don't even care about people in there own countries. Look at all the anti-maskers idiots, who we see showing there completely and utter contempt's for for everyone else in there immediate vicinity. If we can't get such people to care about people in there immediate vicinity, we have no hope of them caring about people in other countries.

    Basically, there are a lot of people who really are awful, and the one good thing is we can see how they are.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,550 ✭✭✭ShineOn7


    This is the Boards equivalent of Bono saying every time he claps his hands 53 children die

    During a pandemic we care about what is immediate to us and about people we know and love


    Not something that's 5,000 miles away and full of people we don't


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,892 ✭✭✭the kelt


    I wouldn’t just limit it to how little we care about tragedy far away.

    There’s little sympathy for tragedy closer to home amongst many also unless of course they happen to have COVID, then sympathy is endless and nothing else matters!


  • Posts: 4,727 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    More people will die of hunger this year than Covid. And not people 80+ who have had nice lives. Young kids.

    And they don’t need a vaccine, they just need food.

    Hell, we have our own homeless issues and food shelters etc and people don’t care.

    But we can shut the world down when certain people have a tiny chance of dying...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 18,441 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    I would look at Al Jazera news as much as RT Gives a more rounded view of world events and our tiny place in them.

    I “care” about conflicts happening around the world, but covid is here and needs immediate attention. The truth is there is little the ordinary person can do abkut say the conflict in Africa where there is plenty each and every one of us can do about covid in our families and wider communities.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    More people will die of hunger this year than Covid. And not people 80+ who have had nice lives. Young kids.

    And they don’t need a vaccine, they just need food.

    Hell, we have our own homeless issues and food shelters etc and people don’t care.

    But we can shut the world down when certain people have a tiny chance of dying...

    Very true, there does need to be greater balance in concern for health issues other than COVID.

    But COVID is a bigger issue for younger people in the developing world than in the West.Most deaths from COVID in the developing world are not old at all, about half of deaths in Mexico and India for example are under 65.
    As cases remain elevated in Mexico, a large majority of Mexicans (81%) are afraid that themselves or a family member will contract the virus and 70 percent fear dying as a result of the virus.
    https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/blog/running-numbers/lcc/global-public-opinion-and-coronavirus-november-12
    What do you think the percent holding that opinion here would be? Probably a fraction of that number and Ireland has a much much older population than Mexico. So the idea that Westerners are going mad about this old people virus at the expense of people in the developing world who are much more concerned about other issues like hunger than covid is most definitely a fallacy, COVID is just another horrible thing for them to worry about alongside pre-existing issues.
    It's an entirely different pandemic for people outside the West,not just an elderly virus for them, and a major public health issue for those countries eclipsing hunger even if there is a large issues with malnutrition. It's only dangerous to people in poor health but most people in the developing world are not in good health compared to the average Irish person.

    Excess deaths in Mexico since April equate to almost 0.2% of the population, most of them attributed to COVID - same at 10,000 deaths here. COVID is by far the leading cause of death in much of the developing world currently. I think you are drastically underestimating how much of an issue it is, for the developing world especially. Do you really think developing world economies would be strangling their economies still with further lockdowns if COVID was not a major health issue?


  • Registered Users Posts: 859 ✭✭✭OwenM


    bb1234567 wrote: »
    Very true, there does need to be greater balance in concern for health issues other than COVID.

    But COVID is a bigger issue for younger people in the developing world than in the West.Most deaths from COVID in the developing world are not old at all, about half of deaths in Mexico and India for example are under 65.


    https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/blog/running-numbers/lcc/global-public-opinion-and-coronavirus-november-12
    What do you think the percent holding that opinion here would be? Probably a fraction of that number and Ireland has a much much older population than Mexico. So the idea that Westerners are going mad about this old people virus at the expense of people in the developing world who are much more concerned about other issues like hunger than covid is most definitely a fallacy, COVID is just another horrible thing for them to worry about alongside pre-existing issues.
    It's an entirely different pandemic for people outside the West,not just an elderly virus for them, and a major public health issue for those countries eclipsing hunger even if there is a large issues with malnutrition. It's only dangerous to people in poor health but most people in the developing world are not in good health compared to the average Irish person.

    Excess deaths in Mexico since April equate to almost 0.2% of the population, most of them attributed to COVID - same at 10,000 deaths here. COVID is by far the leading cause of death in much of the developing world currently. I think you are drastically underestimating how much of an issue it is, for the developing world especially. Do you really think developing world economies would be strangling their economies still with further lockdowns if COVID was not a major health issue?

    Population of Mexico is 125m, so excess deaths of 0.2% = 250k?

    WHO data states 115k deaths from Covid in Mexico and and John Hopkins give a mortality incidence of 87/100k, behind Spain, Italy, UK and Argentina.

    More like 4k deaths if replicated here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭Risteard81


    More people will die of hunger this year than Covid. And not people 80+ who have had nice lives. Young kids.

    And they don’t need a vaccine, they just need food.

    Hell, we have our own homeless issues and food shelters etc and people don’t care.

    But we can shut the world down when certain people have a tiny chance of dying...
    The totalitarian response to COVID is utterly, utterly criminal. I sincerely hope that politicians around the world will be punished in the most severe way imaginable for what are - and let's be honest about it - crimes against humanity. The likes of Martin and Varadkar are not innocent of this either and must be likewise punished.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 547 ✭✭✭BeefeaterHat


    If you want to talk about tragedies, look at the mother and baby homes information being snuffed out by the government. Any other time it'd be scandal and all over the news for weeks on end. Instead it's the third story on rte once they're finished the daily covid sermons. It was just let burn out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,474 ✭✭✭Mimon


    Risteard81 wrote: »
    The totalitarian response to COVID is utterly, utterly criminal. I sincerely hope that politicians around the world will be punished in the most severe way imaginable for what are - and let's be honest about it - crimes against humanity. The likes of Martin and Varadkar are not innocent of this either and must be likewise punished.

    :rolleyes:

    You sound like you are going to take action Risteard?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭Risteard81


    Mimon wrote: »
    :rolleyes:

    You sound like you are going to take action Risteard?
    Don't roll your eyes. Locking up the world for something which isn't even particularly dangerous or unusual is one of the greatest crimes ever perpetrated against humanity.

    They must feel the wrath of the people.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,938 ✭✭✭✭pjohnson


    Risteard81 wrote: »
    Don't roll your eyes. Locking up the world for something which isn't even particularly dangerous or unusual is one of the greatest crimes ever perpetrated against humanity.

    They must feel the wrath of the people.
    Scary.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭Risteard81


    pjohnson wrote: »
    Scary.
    No. It's just honesty and realism being injected into the conversation.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Chivito550 wrote: »
    Has all the tragedy in Syria and other war torn countries suddenly stopped since Covid 19? Fascinating how we no longer hear about these things, but instead news is flooded with investigations into lack of social distancing at golf events, retirement parties etc.
    Perhaps ..but we can't really affect those far away tragedies ...but we can affect covid. So that is my take.

    This is something we can do something about. Social distancing etc.

    I can't bring about peace in the middle east though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    OwenM wrote: »
    Population of Mexico is 125m, so excess deaths of 0.2% = 250k?

    WHO data states 115k deaths from Covid in Mexico and and John Hopkins give a mortality incidence of 87/100k, behind Spain, Italy, UK and Argentina.

    More like 4k deaths if replicated here.

    It's why I said excess deaths. Mexican government has said the official deaths are underreported by tens of thousands. Yes excess deaths were just under 200,000 as of 6 weeks ago

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-26/mexico-has-nearly-200-000-excess-deaths-double-its-covid-count
    https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4182


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