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mushrooms

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do" VoltaireConsidering how mankind treats the planet, the environment, global warming, war, famine, inequality, despots and each other I am rather inclined to be disappointed that the survival rate of COVID19 is as high as 99%

Imbuzi Yentaba ● 2234d14 Comments

Mr AinsworthYes this person is certainly a man with a very wide range of interests and opinions and erudite and sensitive comments !If Ms Hammond is LBC he/she is more TalkSport.Good to have a competitive media !

John Hawkes ● 2233d

"This person is writing under an assumed name and is just trying to show, in a cowardly fashion, how clever and provocative (so he thinks) he is.Please don't humour him !"Oh, I was pretty sure about that, and I do not approve of it as it is against the Code of Conduct. I assumed that he wouldn't last long, but I thought that it would be helpful to see whether he retracted his posting a bit or carried on with it. Sometimes we get carried away and need to rethink and readjust. Sadly he went from complaining about the price of eggs to eventually welcoming the genocide of half of humanity.

David Ainsworth ● 2233d

This person is writing under an assumed name and is just trying to show, in a cowardly fashion, how clever and provocative (so he thinks) he is.Please don't humour him !

John Hawkes ● 2233d

I thought it was starting to sound like eugenics.

Philippa Bond ● 2233d

'How would this 50% be decided? Wealth, age, sex, area?'Susceptibility to the virus, which seems to be fairly random.I'm wondering if there's a genetic element, which might be one reason for the extra deaths among BAME people.

Frances Clarke ● 2233d

The people considering drinking bleach as per Trumper's advice are most certainly going to be playing the natural selection game, as are those who cross roads while checking their phone, believe Covid-19 is a hoax and of course, selfie takers on cliff edges. And for further confirmation of natural selection in action - the Darwin Awards. https://darwinawards.com/

Freddie Francis ● 2234d

"how do we know if those who survive this cull will be the good guys rather than the bad ones?"Cynicism Mode On:- Well, that would be a first.

David Ainsworth ● 2234d

Well Imbuzi, the natural selection during the 1342-1353 bacterial Black Death pandemic was inevitable as antibiotics did not exist then.   Today's viral COVID-19 pandemic cannot be treated with antibiotics.  However, is there a parallel between herd immunity and natural selection, I wonder?  Also, the survival rate you refer to is based on recorded deaths in hospital.  When deaths in care homes are recorded (and hopefully properly), the statistics will be very different. You say you are disappointed with the COVID-19 survival rate of 99%, you would rather it be a lot lower than that.  I expect you mean this, but that the deaths be of other people and not your own. What I do wholeheartedly hope is that mankind will learn a lesson from the pandemic and start treating the planet, the environment and way of life with greater care and attention.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2234d

So is natural selection not happening now?

David Ainsworth ● 2234d

Darwin had his critics but he’s right that natural selection is what rules in nature. But it’s a bit too brutal for most humans now we have evolved into organised societies and communities. Natural selection removes the weakest. A society that does that tends to be condemned as totalitarian. I would not want even our elected representatives to decide who should survive or not. And anyway, human nature being what it is, how do we know if those who survive this cull will be the good guys rather than the bad ones?  I don’t think human nature has changed over the millennia- there were always kind, helpful people and there were always selfish arrogant types too. I think we have to collectively muddle through and save as many as we can from the virus. The government has not done a brilliant job but they’re genuinely doing their best as they see it. Not sure there’s a better way.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2234d

nature's way ... natural selection with a dash of luck and misfortune

Imbuzi Yentaba ● 2234d

How would this 50% be decided? Wealth, age, sex, area?

David Ainsworth ● 2234d

Well the Black Death took 50% of the population, which if replicated would leave 3.5 billion humans. This could be argued is still far too many parasitic humans.Swazi saying: we do not inherit this land from our ancestors but look after it for our children. We are failing miserably

Imbuzi Yentaba ● 2234d

"I am rather inclined to be disappointed that the survival rate of COVID19 is as high as 99%"What survival rate would please you?

David Ainsworth ● 2234d