COVID Fear Mongering

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 08/12/2020 at 09:39 • Filed to: None

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This is classic. The sheriff bans masks in his sheriff’s office and on his personnel. Problematic, yes, potentially, but t his headline leaves that out of the headline. Complaints of media COVID fear mongering are not unfounded.

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Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 09:51

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i think its only problematic if youre one of those people that dont actually read the articles but just go on headlines, which is problematic in itself

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 09:52

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Seems like a reasonable headline to me?

CobraJoe > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 09:54

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“Effective immediately, any individual walking in to any one of our lobbies (which includes the main office and all district offices) that is wearing a mask will be asked to remove it,” Woods wrote.

Not just for his personn e l, but for visitors as well.

Anyone who doesn’t want to remove their mask will be told to leave, according to a memo written by Woods and obtained by the Ocala Star Banner .

And it certainly sounds like a zero tolerance policy.

Here, the fear mongering seems to be focused on the BLM movement and the anti-cop protesters . The mask ban is being claimed as a method to better identify people as well as to improve communication.

Now, what is the bigger logical worry? That people in a police station will get infected from COVID, or that protesters will pose as some sort of visitor to gain access to a police station for an attack?

Seems to me that the pandemic should be the bigger worry. Because, logically, anyone wanting to attack a police station by infiltration is likely going in knowing it’s a suicide mission, and any group large enough to take a police station by force wouldn’t need to follow a mask mandate.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 09:58

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I mean it’s a headline, it’s obviously not going to be the full story. That said it obviously could be better written, the Post’s headline for example makes clear that this is not a general ban: ‘This is no longer a debate’: Florida sheriff bans deputies, visitors from wearing masks

TheRealBicycleBuck > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 08/12/2020 at 10:04

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It’s problematic for those who read the articles because someone will turn the headline into a meme without reference to the article and the morons of the world (some of my family included) will start spreading the meme over facebook and other social media. Onc e it goes viral it affects us all.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 10:04

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Here, the fear mongering seems to be focused on the BLM movement and the anti-cop protester.

Which isn’t an invalid concern. However, wouldn’t that mean only visitors should be prohibited from masking up?

MonkeePuzzle > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 10:13

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ok, but the headline IS accurate, and teh very first paragraph of the article gives the detail you seek.

thats how headlines work

CobraJoe > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 08/12/2020 at 10:14

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Wh ich isn’t an invalid concern. However, wouldn’t that mean only visitors should be prohibited from masking up?

True, not an invalid concern, but has there been any attacks on police stations?

It feels like a “ solution” to a problem that doesn’t really exist, and a very ineffective solution at that.  It won’t prevent attacks from happening, if they were to happen.  Anyone willing to attack a police station might be willing to wear a mask anyways.  

And you’re absolutely correct, if that is the real reason, you should still want to help prevent your officers and other associated employees to avoid getting sick from a highly contagious pandemic.

LongbowMkII > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 10:22

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Pretending it’s not a big deal doesn’t make it not a big deal

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 10:27

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“ Now, what is the bigger logical worry? That people in a police station will get infected from COVID, or that protesters will pose as some sort of visitor to gain access to a police station for an attack?”

I agree with you.

BUT

When you pose the question that way, I 100% guarantee that there are many people out there that will say the latter is a bigger concern for them.

wafflesnfalafel > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 10:32

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I agree that “click bait” type journalism is generally bad (though effective at maximizing ad revenue...) - but the fear mongering test on this topic I think is that if additional fear was being caused then we should see more precautions taken and transmission rates dropping which we just have not seen. We have had several Sheriffs out here do something similar and it largely has been in preparation for a run at a political position - basically compromising their staff and public’s safety for personal political gain.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 10:32

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True, not an invalid concern, but has there been any attacks on police stations?

I mean... CHAZ?

But yeah, this isn’t going to do anything worthwhile, people who are attacking a police station aren’t going to attack a police station the way the police ask them to.

CobraJoe > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 08/12/2020 at 10:40

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I guess I haven’t heard the whole story of the Autonomous Zone.

It is on the far side of the country though. I’m not familiar with the politics or local events in central Florida.

But yeah, this isn’t going to do anything worthwhile, people who are attacking a police station aren’t going to attack a police station the way the police ask them to.

It is funny that the law makers and police sometimes forget that people willing to break the law in one way are also likely to break the law in other ways too.  

CobraJoe > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/12/2020 at 10:44

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When you pose the question that way, I 100% guarantee that there are many people out there that will say the latter is a bigger concern for them.

I guess I can’t really say what the local political and societal conditions are near this sheriff’s jurisdiction, so he might have a legitimate worry...

But the evidence of the pandemic, both in terms of infections and potential short and long term symptoms should be hard to ignore.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 10:55

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You’d think so, but America has proved that wrong sadly.

ttyymmnn > facw 08/12/2020 at 11:10

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Having seen many, many poorly written headlines, it is clear that writing an effective headline is a skill.

Tristan > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 11:13

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Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis, just off the top of my head. Police are also faced with a 28% surge in killings since June. 

CobraJoe > Tristan 08/12/2020 at 11:57

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Did those occur in the station? By a masked individual that was unable to be identified?

I believe that cops are under attack and threats now, but I haven’t heard of any attacks happening in the station yet.  

CobraJoe > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/12/2020 at 12:01

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Yeah, the lack of belief in scientific evidence is pretty disheartening.  

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MonkeePuzzle 08/12/2020 at 12:29

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There are headlines, and then there is clickbait. This is Gizmodo, though...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 08/12/2020 at 12:31

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Just going on headlines can be fine for keeping up with things on a macro level. But your point is well taken and Buck states the problem well in the other reply.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/12/2020 at 12:31

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Well said, Sir.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 08/12/2020 at 12:32

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And an unrealistic expectation of Gizmodo. I would argue that writing a good headline is also a responsibility for the press if they don’t want to be considered fake .

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > LongbowMkII 08/12/2020 at 12:33

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Right, but pretending it’s not a big deal angers people that you hate, so SCORE!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > wafflesnfalafel 08/12/2020 at 12:38

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I think that click bait versus fear mongering is a fair test to apply to this headline. In fairness, it may have been the former and not the latter, and I had not considered that. Then again, it’s Gizmodo, and how seriously are they to be taken anyhow?

I argue that the primary factor in lots  more Americans not wearing masks is President Trump’s vanity. He thinks wearing a mask looks wimpy. Also, asking people to wear them might make people in his base whine and there again, because vanity, he’s the only one allowed to do the whining.

BigBlock440 > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 08/12/2020 at 12:53

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After reading the headline, w here do you thing the sheriff banned masks at?

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 13:15

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I’d prefer to live in a first world location , but Florida is cool too.

Tristan > CobraJoe 08/12/2020 at 13:52

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https://www.policemag.com/tags?tag=station+attacks&page=2

I’m not sure if they were wearing a mask or unable to be identified or chewing gum or whistling while standing on one leg for all it matters. Police and police stations are facing major threats currently.

CobraJoe > Tristan 08/12/2020 at 14:04

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Ok, I haven’t read about any of those attacks in the news. It certainly could be a legitimate worry, depending on the area.

But that being said, banning masks for all officers, employees, and visitors sounds very ineffective.  Is someone planning to shoot up a police station really going to pull off their mask before going inside?  

wafflesnfalafel > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 14:18

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exactly right, (including my my own MIL ... )

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 08/12/2020 at 17:11

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Negative.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 17:19

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It can be scenic, and other aspects make you appreciate home a little more.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 08/12/2020 at 20:46

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Hard pass.