What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where the best information about the coronavirus comes from a humor video?

One in which the government and the news media have lost control of the narrative.

This is what all the anti-social media screeds are about, this is what all the anti-smartphone, anti-technology wanking is about, the oldsters missed the technological revolution and don’t understand the schism between the young and the old. Hell, if you extrapolate, this is why the youth vote for Bernie Sanders and the old vote for Joe Biden.

D.C. talks to itself. Reporters talk to D.C. The people talk to each other.

Friday was freak-out.

Saturday was acceptance.

Sunday, today, is about humor and blowback.

Oh, you get these same insider nincompoops railing against Twitter. That’s where information is spread! It goes from one to many and then those many spread it to many more. This is completely different from the top-down distribution of news in the past. Now the public is in control of the news and those who used to dominate don’t like it, it’s no different from the record execs denying Napster and the internet back at the turn of the century. You either get on board or you’re left behind. Hell, look at music development today…the label comes LAST! You break it yourself on Tik Tok or YouTube or Soundcloud or all of them and when you reach a fever pitch, the major label signs you. And before they do, they want to know all about your socials, your impact in the world. The major labels just amplify your presence, they don’t develop it, certainly not from scratch, this is a sea change.

But, once again, the rest of media refuses to learn the music business lessons.

Newspapers are not the only ones who can gain and distribute evidence. Furthermore, with the cutbacks in manpower (and womanpower!) and the decrease of the newshole there’s a limit to how much news a paper can distribute. So, today there are stories broken online that the papers pick up AFTER! As for television…it’s all opinion all the time. The TV “news” outlets are all about ratings, advertising, so it’s all combat all the time. The edgier you are, the more people tune in. It’s really not so different from the WWE.

So, the people take over.

I don’t know about you, but today my text feed and e-mail inbox are full of observations, solutions, humor…

I mean look at the video above. It explains the situation better than any news story I’ve seen.

And, if you go online, you’ll see the video of Italians singing Rihanna from the windows of their building:

A whole neighborhood in Italy singing “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna while on lockdown

The graph showing the difference between R’s and D’s when it comes to the virus:

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1239195103576633348?s=20

(and scroll down and watch the entire video here:

Sixty percent believe worst is yet to come for the U.S. in coronavirus pandemic

The inane video wherein Devin Nunes tells everybody to go out to a restaurant when Fauci is saying just the opposite:

“If you’re healthy, you and your family, it’s a great time to go out and go to a local restaurant, likely you can get in easy. Let’s not hurt the working people in this country…go to your local pub” pic.twitter.com/jXdhOfwe9R

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 15, 2020

 

You see online, the news is not slanted, you do not only get one side, but all of it.

And even if you think you can narrow your feed, you can’t, the other stories seep in. Which is why those online, like the youth, are more susceptible to change and those not online, the oldsters, are not. Oldsters watch Fox or MSNBC, youngsters are grazers, sponges who get their info from everywhere.

Furthermore, the newspapers are so busy with their false equivalencies and their boring writing styles that the young don’t cotton to them, they want their news in plain English. Give Trump credit, this is one of the reasons he won. Furthermore, he’s not afraid to employ emotion. Meanwhile, the oldsters want a return to normal, yesterday, not knowing the world has changed and online conversation is coarse, primarily because the public is punching up, they’re pissed at the rich and those with power, and those at the top are not used to this. Want to know how to cope with blowback? Ask an online king or queen, they deal with it every day. If you think you’re better than everybody else, forget it. Meanwhile, it’s the public, the mass, which decides who is anointed. And those who are know it’s only temporary and they’re still just a member of the group, not above it.

Trump tries to make a deal with Germany for exclusive rights to a vaccine and it’s everywhere.

Youngsters, the web-savvy, know that privacy is history, that your whole life is laid out online. Oldsters believe they can turn back the hands of time, isolate everybody and their information once again. As if you wouldn’t be able to Google someone before you had a meeting or a date. There’s good and bad in every tech development. Ride with it, the future is coming and the past is never returning.

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach

“The Boys Of Summer”
Don Henley

Are you bored yet?

There was certainly no one on the road yesterday. The 405 south was a ghost land. However, on the way back up the hill there was traffic, because it’s raining. It hadn’t rained since January 1st, now we’re getting a week of wetness. Which is kind of weird, because the days are getting longer. We equate wetness with winter, darkness. What did George Harrison say, “Beware of darkness”?

So it started to feel like “Testament.” You remember that Jane Alexander movie from 1983, don’t you? The people are slowly dying after a nuclear bomb. It’s grim, but it’s not panicky. You’re just enduring…

I’m convinced I’m gonna get the virus. Yup, after Angela Merkel said 60-70% of the public would get it. And then there was that U.S. prognosticator who claimed 40-60% yesterday. It seems that we’re self-quarantining as to not overwhelm the health system, but how long is that gonna last?

My text and e-mail feeds yesterday were full of people at loose ends. Funny how you’re always looking for free time, but when you get it you don’t know what to do with it.

But I finished “The Underground Railway” by Colson Whitehead, you know, the book that won the Pulitzer and the National Book Award? The one wherein the underground railroad is really a railroad? I’d started it, but couldn’t finish it. But then I got hooked earlier this week. I’m trying to finish all the books I’ve purchased but haven’t read, but first I might have to read Erik Larson’s “The Splendid and the Vile,” his book about Churchill during the bombing. I swore I’d never read another Whitehead book after “Sag Harbor,” which is one of the first books I bought when I got my Kindle back in 2009, it was a slog. And at first I got really hooked on “The Underground Railroad,” then again, it’s not one of those books where you can concentrate on every word. I do not skim, but if you read “The Underground Railroad” word by word, you’re gonna get bogged down and still not fully understand what’s going on. And yesterday I almost fell asleep reading after partaking of the kokosh which Avi Ellman sent me. And earlier in the week Fiona Bloom sent me some babka from Breads Bakery. Actually, the cinnamon one was better than the chocolate one. And I’ve got insulin resistance so sweets put me to sleep and is that why I was having trouble reading “The Underground Railroad” or is it Colson’s style? I’d say both, although I will say there’s a good ending, not great, but good.

Let’s see, what else have I read…

I finished Jenny Offill’s “Dept. of Speculation.” I used to write in this style in college, it flummoxed the teacher. But I don’t recommend it.

“Strangers and Cousins” was better, but also not great. I don’t have a single new book I can recommend. I’ve read other stuff, but if you read those books you’ll never trust me again, just like we can no longer trust Trump.

Oh, a couple of days ago the story was how the governors usurped Trump’s power, but today…I kind of feel like I want to tune out the news, if something dramatic happens, I’ll hear about it. Like Vail and Alterra closing all their ski resorts, my text feed blew up about that.

As for Trump, there’s a “New York Times” article about all the lies he’s told in the past few days. But I’m still getting e-mail from his acolytes saying it’s Obama’s fault and there’s not really a problem. Proving, once again, if the Democrats are planning to win by swaying Trumpers, forget about it, like Bitecofer said, it’s about rousing their base. As for the election itself…it may not happen. Come on, if states can postpone primaries do you really think that Trump can’t postpone the election?

And I’ve heard a couple of cool tunes on the Spectrum. That’s Sirius XM’s adult rock station. If you pay attention to the media, we live in a hip-hop world 24/7, but that is not true. We need a new metric for success, streaming quantity is important, but it’s not everything.

Anyway, I thought I didn’t like the Black Keys, but then I heard the opening cut from their new album, “Shine A Little Light,” on the aforementioned Spectrum and I got into it, if you’re a rocker you will too. Also, the channel plays “Uneventful Days” from Beck’s last album, “Hyperspace.” We’ve been overhyped on both these acts, tried them and been disappointed, but these two cuts don’t fit today’s cookie-cutter world, they don’t pay attention to streaming rules, they evolve, as opposed to needing to grab you immediately, if only there were a way to bring music other than hip-hop to the forefront.

And we finished “Safe,” the first Harlan Coben Netflix show. The ending sucked, unpredictable and unsatisfying. The road was fun to follow, but don’t put it on the top of your list.

But now we’re four episodes into “Giri/Haji,” which I picked because it was number five in some online list of the best Netflix shows ever. And it’s really damn good. I don’t know how it slipped under the public’s radar. Maybe it’s the title, maybe it’s the occasional subtitles, but “Giri/Haji” uses film production techniques, it’s visually interesting, and the story is intriguing too. Just watch the first episode, you’ll be hooked. Now I really want to go to Japan (although most of the series is set in London). More when I finish.

And speaking of streaming… Isn’t this the time when some studio should launch a new movie pay per view? I mean Disney is releasing “Frozen 2” on its streaming service Sunday, but I’m talking about a theatrical film that’s never been released. It’s not like God is gonna make new weekends, flicks will be dying on the vine. Sell them to Apple, they’ll pay and they need a hit. Better yet, Netflix. Or, you could go pay per view, as I said above, but the distributors are too anxious about pissing off the theatre owners, as if everyone’s gonna continue to go out to the movies in the future, like everyone is still buying CDs…

And now is the time to get your Kindle! Or use the Kindle app on your iPad or smartphone. No touching needed! Just go online and the book is whisked to you. Try it, you might like it.

And yesterday everybody was too freaked out to leave the house.

But after being in the house for days straight, I ventured out to Poquito Mas to get some grub. At first I was gonna sit there, but then Felice wanted me to bring her some takeout, but I was stunned that people were sitting in booths like they always do. And unlike yesterday, you could get a spot in the Gelson’s parking lot (that’s a market, for those not SoCal savvy).

As for the Shell station (you know, where the turtles go), I figured they’d be out of paper towels, but they had plenty, and I did use them to hold the pump, then again, my hand hit the side of the dispenser and…

I realized, this self-quarantine ain’t gonna stay on lockdown soon. Yesterday people were scared, today…it wasn’t like Italy out there, it was almost like a normal Saturday afternoon. Unless someone they know dies, expect people to come out of their houses. Sure, offices may not be open, primarily because of liability, but people are social animals, they can stay inside for a few days, but not much more than that unless there’s a grave danger.

Then again, I’m convinced I’m gonna get it. I mean that’s what Tom Petty said, right, “You’re gonna get it”, but I am anxious because of my compromised immune system. But yesterday I thought if I was vigilant, I just might escape, but now I’m thinking the only way to be that vigilant is to never leave your house, never accept any mail and grow your own food. I’m not saying you should go to a concert, but I am saying that people are gonna loosen the reins.

As for Trump?

No one is listening to him anymore except those that are.

But Trump has been successful in making science and facts irrelevant, unfortunately.

So I’m leaving you to your own judgment.

Until tomorrow…

The CEO of Nederlander Concerts, Alex Hodges started in Macon with his school buddy Phil Walden and ultimately went from day to day with Otis Redding to agent for the Capricorn bands to the manager for Gregg Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan and…listen for the stories!

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What are we supposed to do?

I went to the hospital today, UCLA, the waiting room was nearly empty, what normally takes three hours took seventy five minutes, what was going on? THE CORONAVIRUS!

The phlebotomist told me there’d been a patient in the hospital, that they’d closed the entire floor.

The hematologist just heard they were closing his kids’ school. But didn’t that expert in the “New York Times” say that young kids aren’t getting it and this makes no sense?

I’m getting e-mail from people holding tickets to canceled/postponed concerts.

Everybody thinks that by the fall we’ll be back to normal, BUT WHO KNOWS?

Should I fly or not?

Should I touch door handles or not?

Should I stay at home or not?

What places do I avoid?

Do I stop going to the doctor because I might get sick as a result of the visit?

This is the conversation, and no one has any facts, because facts have been discredited, by Trump and the right wing, by the anti-vaxxers, people who are convinced they’re right because it feels good to them or they find bogus, discredited info online or because they’re trying to manipulate the populace. Trump tells us to come together? IT’S EVERY PERSON FOR THEMSELVES!

This is where we’ve ended up.

We couldn’t be protected because it costs too much. And we no longer care about what happens outside our borders. Who cares if the rest of the world is sick, WE’RE THE UNITED STATES!

Trump laid the blame on Europe.

Yup, China and the rest of Asia may get a pass, but those bad people in Europe, they let the virus foster.

Meanwhile, I’ve heard from a source in Italy that the reason the numbers are so high there is because they’ve tested so many people. And they’re taking strict measures to prevent further infections. How many people have been tested in the U.S? How many people have got it? I mean if someone at CPAC had it, what are the odds I’ll encounter a patient at Ralphs?

I only watched Trump’s “speech” because I wanted to see him go off-script, like he always does, exhibit emotions, ramble, but they wrote a script and he stuck to it, reading it like a hostage, as Frank Rich said on Twitter.

It was a political speech. We have the greatest economy, even though the stock market is in bear territory. We’ve got the greatest health system, even though the uninsured infected are wary of seeking care because of the cost. Did you hear that? Insurers will wave copays, but what about the uninsured?

And the focus on small businesses. As if they’re the only ones in America. Trump was preaching to his base, and telling us it’ll be all right, as believable as that guy in the Isuzu commercials.

And my point is not to beat up on Trump, even though it’s so damn easy, but to point out that Trump did not assess the situation for us, did not tell us what to do, he didn’t make us feel at ease.

Read some of the stories. They don’t know the percentage of deaths because they don’t know the percentage of infected. One expert postulated the death rate could be TEN TIMES what has been bandied about.

And, if the virus is already here…sure, keeping foreigners out might help, but how much quarantining should we do in America?

And the quarantining makes no sense. College after college is closing, like my alma mater in Vermont, but I’d posit the students would be safer isolated in Middlebury than they will be in their own hometowns, almost all with a greater population, never mind the flights/trips home.

But it’s about liability. No one wants to be on the hook. And if you shut down, you’re cool.

And businesses… I work at home, but then I realized I go to the SiriusXM studios every week, do you know how many people pass through there, from all over the world?

I’m not paranoid, I’m not gonna stop going unless they tell everybody not to, but…

You could have a plan, like Italy, shut everything down and wait for the cases to burn out.

But in America we have no plan, to discover who has got the virus and how to contain it. Americans are very willing to get together for the greater good if a leader convinces them so, but tonight I’m just convinced that I need to take my own counsel.

But then there are those who get their news from Fox. My friend John Dick at Civic Science did a poll and found out that Fox viewers were less concerned with the coronavirus, less worried about it…BECAUSE THEY’RE PRIVY TO DISINFORMATION!

I don’t care if you’re left or right. I just need to know, do we go into the bunker or not?

And in Italy, it can take six days for food to be delivered from the grocery store. Forget people being a month away from bankruptcy, how much food do you have in the house, were the survivalists right?

And this is a crisis unlike any we’ve experienced. None of the traditional solutions work. It’s not about money, it’s not about partisan politics and it’s not about Wall Street.

As sophisticated as we’ve become, it’s no different from primitive times.

And isn’t it funny that the anti-vaxxers believe a coronavirus vaccine will appear soon but they won’t let their kids get measles shots, so measles is rampant while smallpox has been eviscerated.

Ain’t that America, the land of disinformation.

It’s uncontrollable, but almost no one is taking responsibility.

Margaret Sullivan in the WaPo told Murdoch to tell his troops at Fox to lay off the falsehoods, for the good of the country. This is a guy who needs to be shamed.

As for the anti-vaxxers… They’re like anti-abortion advocates when their kids get pregnant, then an abortion is all right. When it happens to you, it’s different.

But the coronavirus is not threatened by military attack, all that money poured into the Pentagon is useless.

Only two things can combat it, science and leadership.

Meanwhile, science is out the window, we’re all running on feel. There are cold days, so climate change cannot be happening. The elites are always the problem, and to a degree they deserve this reputation, so we can’t hand the reins to a qualified person. Mike Pence? You can’t fight the coronavirus with religion!

America is a dumb nation. With smart people in it. We fight over everything but the real thing. Mexican immigrants did not deliver the coronavirus. Gay people did not deliver the coronavirus. Everybody’s waiting for a bogeyman when the truth is we only have ourselves to blame.

You got it. Those who voted for Trump. (Oh, don’t shake your fist at me, he got rid of the pandemic response team.)

Those who believe if they just accumulate enough money they’ll be immune.

Those who believe taxes are bad and the government wastes money so it must be drowned.

If everybody needs to stay home for a month TELL US, WE’LL DO IT!

But we don’t want to live our lives normally only to find out in thirty days it’s worse.

But it looks like that’s what’s gonna happen.