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> We need to face the reality that on average people make bad choices which leads to substantial negative outcomes for any group. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic again confirms empirically that humans on average don’t have self-responsibility.

None of this has to be accepted or conceded to, somehow East Asian countries are able to do to this right, even New Zealand just so we don't start hovering on West vs East, this is absolutely not "humans on average don't have self-responsibility", this is a specific culture that has promoted entitlement, selfishness, materialist hedonism, and ruthless, hackneyed individualism since the late 60s and now the bill has come due




I would love to agree fully with you but even in China they had to weld people into their apartments because they would go out.

But you’re right that culture can bring out the worst out of people and that we are getting the bill now.


But I bet they had their mask on when they tried. I could look outside my window in my urban American city and see people walking around without a mask, especially when the weather is nice. Last night my downstairs neighbors had a big loud party and another tenant yelled at them to turn the volume down. In the summer, not one pre-teen or teenager was wearing a mask in my neighborhood. Are we really gonna compare the limited instances of people being weld into their apartment to sheer collective wantonness going on stateside? And I live in a blue city.




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