Plagued COVID Conspiracy Theorists and other idiots - This is not a political thunderdome or gay slapfight thread.

[Fwiffo]

Hand sanitizer, masks, cleaning supplies. All of things people would want to protect themselves from getting sick.

How much have you spent on these things? How much have your friends and family spent? I’ve purchased maybe $80 worth of hand sanitizer and masks since the beginning of the pandemic last year, and that’s likely an overestimation. Do you really think there’s a worldwide conspiracy to kill millions of people and crash the world economy in a ploy to get people to spend $100 per year each on jellied alcohol?

I don't disagree. But my time frame isn't from the start of COVID (march 2020~) to the end of COVID (Sept 2021~) but beyond. A lot of people who never used Amazon before, or did online shopping, or played games, now all do that and there isn't any going back. So when everything opens, 'covid' will be used as the reason why you should; Buy a new house, buy a new car, go on a much more expensive holiday than you usually do etc etc

Online and digital goods. More so than they have before. Sure, it's offset because it looks like people have saved more. But those new habbits won't go away when things become 'normal'. I would like to see the data of people swapping to fast food vs buying fresh.

My POV is all UK btw, so i can't comment on other countries.

I don't disagree. But my time frame isn't from the start of COVID (march 2020~) to the end of COVID (Sept 2021~) but beyond. A lot of people who never used Amazon before, or did online shopping, or played games, now all do that and there isn't any going back. So when everything opens, 'covid' will be used as the reason why you should; Buy a new house, buy a new car, go on a much more expensive holiday than you usually do etc etc

Online and digital goods. More so than they have before. Sure, it's offset because it looks like people have saved more. But those new habbits won't go away when things become 'normal'. I would like to see the data of people swapping to fast food vs buying fresh.

My POV is all UK btw, so i can't comment on other countries.

Your rationale confuses me. How could someone possibly be motivated to purchase a house or a car when they otherwise wouldn’t... because of COVID?

Sure, retailers that specialize in efficient online distribution such as Amazon are making an absolute killing, and online consumer spending will likely remain a household priority in the near and distant future. But so what? As long as aggregate household spending remains the same, who cares if your $100-per-week grocery bill is spent at the local grocer or online?

Now this is clearly devastating to small, local businesses who cannot hope to compete with this business model, and I do believe that government intervention is required to keep this sector of the economy from atrophying away into oblivion. But, again, this is due to less spending, not more. The reason household spending is so low is a double effect of a crisis mentality (better save up in case something bad happens) as well as simply not having your activity-du-jour available to spend on. I work in a particular entertainment industry that has all but utterly died, and though I am doing fine, many of my clientele simply have no substitute. Where one would spend thousands per year on tickets, now they spend nothing.

I think you’re looking for a nefarious movie-plot scenario where there is merely human tragedy and the effects of a society reeling from crisis. Real life doesn’t have a Kevin Spacey monologue attached.

 

[Billy Beer]

Your rationale confuses me. How could someone possibly be motivated to purchase a house or a car when they otherwise wouldn’t... because of COVID?

Built up/pent up energy on spending. Not that anyone buys cars anymore they rent them. Maybe i should clarify that? Shit that can be rented/leased will be and shit that could be bought, will be. By 'buy' i mean spend money on receiving something.

You tell the idiot masses who haven't gone anywhere or done anything in ages, that they SHOULD go spend all of their savings (so in retrospect they've saved nothing) on shit they don't need, they will do. Again, UK only but i can bet my arse that almost every garden will have some extravagent jacuuzi in there at some time this year. Remember, the majority of people do what they do to keep up with the Joneses'. How many people have done stuff to their home during lockdown, who now want to show it off to their mates?

Sure, retailers that specialize in efficient online distribution such as Amazon are making an absolute killing, and online consumer spending will likely remain a household priority in the near and distant future. But so what? As long as aggregate household spending remains the same, who cares if your $100-per-week grocery bill is spent at the local grocer or online?

In the UK, online shopping has almost replaced the norm. Which means people WILL do their weekly shopping as normal, but now it's even easier to just to chuck a load of extra shit in an online basket to get it delivered the next day, on top of their weekly shopping. Even if it ends been £1 more than before, it's more than before. Then add the digital subs. I don't know the exact number but the vast majority of people who pay for a sub, never cancel it. It's why "Get a month trial for free" is so effective.

Now this is clearly devastating to small, local businesses who cannot hope to compete with this business model, and I do believe that government intervention is required to keep this sector of the economy from atrophying away into oblivion. But, again, this is due to less spending, not more. The reason household spending is so low is a double effect of a crisis mentality (better save up in case something bad happens) as well as simply not having your activity-du-jour available to spend on. I work in a particular entertainment industry that has all but utterly died, and though I am doing fine, many of my clientele simply have no substitute. Where one would spend thousands per year on tickets, now they spend nothing.

Government intervention required to a fix a problem caused by government intervention. "Hey, big supermarkets and super-spreader shops with hundreds, if not thousands of different customers every day, you can stay the fuck open! Little local shops that see the same 10's of people from the same local community? You're a threat, stay the fuck closed!"

I think you’re looking for a nefarious movie-plot scenario where there is merely human tragedy and the effects of a society reeling from crisis. Real life doesn’t have a Kevin Spacey monologue attached.

It's not any more nefarious than any other marketing ploy, strategy or persuasion. If you think that big companies aren't going to market their arses off on the backs of "freedom, end of covid, party time!" then i don't know what to say?

That money that people have saved is going to be spent and big companies want that money in their wallets, not yours, and they'll do what they can to get it.

IF i was going to go down the nefarious route i would say "do you remember how much a pint was?" because i sure as fuck don't. Was it £3? £4? (for talk sake let's say it was £3.15 a pint) now those pints are £3.75, like they have 'always been'.

We have no reference points on how much shit costs, other than memory, which can be fooled. Add in excuses like "adjust for inflation" and "the companies are trying to get their money back" and who the hell knows how much basic shit used to cost? But hell, how many people WOULDN'T pay an extra £1 a pint after not going out and drinking for 12 months?

 

[Fwiffo]

Built up/pent up energy on spending. Not that anyone buys cars anymore they rent them. Maybe i should clarify that? Shit that can be rented/leased will be and shit that could be bought, will be. By 'buy' i mean spend money on receiving something.

You tell the idiot masses who haven't gone anywhere or done anything in ages, that they SHOULD go spend all of their savings (so in retrospect they've saved nothing) on shit they don't need, they will do. Again, UK only but i can bet my arse that almost every garden will have some extravagent jacuuzi in there at some time this year. Remember, the majority of people do what they do to keep up with the Joneses'. How many people have done stuff to their home during lockdown, who now want to show it off to their mates?

In the UK, online shopping has almost replaced the norm. Which means people WILL do their weekly shopping as normal, but now it's even easier to just to chuck a load of extra shit in an online basket to get it delivered the next day, on top of their weekly shopping. Even if it ends been £1 more than before, it's more than before. Then add the digital subs. I don't know the exact number but the vast majority of people who pay for a sub, never cancel it. It's why "Get a month trial for free" is so effective.


Government intervention required to a fix a problem caused by government intervention. "Hey, big supermarkets and super-spreader shops with hundreds, if not thousands of different customers every day, you can stay the fuck open! Little local shops that see the same 10's of people from the same local community? You're a threat, stay the fuck closed!"

It's not any more nefarious than any other marketing ploy, strategy or persuasion. If you think that big companies aren't going to market their arses off on the backs of "freedom, end of covid, party time!" then i don't know what to say?

That money that people have saved is going to be spent and big companies want that money in their wallets, not yours, and they'll do what they can to get it.

IF i was going to go down the nefarious route i would say "do you remember how much a pint was?" because i sure as fuck don't. Was it £3? £4? (for talk sake let's say it was £3.15 a pint) now those pints are £3.75, like they have 'always been'.

We have no reference points on how much shit costs, other than memory, which can be fooled. Add in excuses like "adjust for inflation" and "the companies are trying to get their money back" and who the hell knows how much basic shit used to cost? But hell, how many people WOULDN'T pay an extra £1 a pint after not going out and drinking for 12 months?

Most of the things you’re describing here have existed in one form or another for decades. Covid hasn’t really made any of them worse. You even neglect to mention one of the single greatest curses of modern society: easy, unregulated access to credit. I would say that alone is far more devastating to the financial health of a nation’s peoples than any of the other things you mentioned.

You describe people impulse-buying products that become available again after Covid, but what about the products available now? With lockdowns, a popular thing to do was to reno your house, or buy expensive play equipment for your kids, etc all things that one would want to make their at-home existence easier. But did people on the whole spend themselves into financial oblivion? Not really, quite the opposite. Why would this be different after Covid?

The small business thing I agree with. Clamping down on small entities while giving big box chains carte blanche was a boondoggle of massive proportions, and one we will be paying for for years to come. What SHOULD have happened was financial and rent/mortgage/payroll support for small businesses that were shuttered, and shelter from their commercial landlords.

Also, I feel like you are at odds with the entire concept of the modern financial world. My only response is: can you do better? Some have tried (enter crypto) but every alternative has either turned into a pyramid scheme making the founders fabulously wealthy, or being so ass-backward that they end up getting completely scammed. As one person pointed out, most crypto is basically the same as our existing monetary setup, but with over a hundred years of consumer protection mechanisms stripped out. (End crypto rant)

 

[Billy Beer]

Most of the things you’re describing here have existed in one form or another for decades. Covid hasn’t really made any of them worse. You even neglect to mention one of the single greatest curses of modern society: easy, unregulated access to credit. I would say that alone is far more devastating to the financial health of a nation’s peoples than any of the other things you mentioned.

Like you say, it has been going on for decades. Every decade adds a new layer of bullshit that people think they need to buy. This decade it's covid/disease bollocks.

You describe people impulse-buying products that become available again after Covid, but what about the products available now? With lockdowns, a popular thing to do was to reno your house, or buy expensive play equipment for your kids, etc all things that one would want to make their at-home existence easier. But did people on the whole spend themselves into financial oblivion? Not really, quite the opposite. Why would this be different after Covid?

Because the illusion of "we're free again! normality, yey!" will give a false sense of security to the masses, and they will spend whatever money they've saved. I don't think many people would be shocked if a major recession hit next year. Gotta get those peeps spending their savings so that they have nothing to fall back on. Like has been done for decades.

The small business thing I agree with. Clamping down on small entities while giving big box chains carte blanche was a boondoggle of massive proportions, and one we will be paying for for years to come. What SHOULD have happened was financial and rent/mortgage/payroll support for small businesses that were shuttered, and shelter from their commercial landlords.

We're all in it to save granny...except those fucking over granny, grannies kids, grannies grandkids and grannies grandkids' kids. I agree, rent should have been reduced to 0 if you were forced to shut, with the voluntary option of being able to open, while following guidelines, and you pay 75% of the rent/mortgage.

Also, I feel like you are at odds with the entire concept of the modern financial world. My only response is: can you do better? Some have tried (enter crypto) but every alternative has either turned into a pyramid scheme making the founders fabulously wealthy, or being so ass-backward that they end up getting completely scammed. As one person pointed out, most crypto is basically the same as our existing monetary setup, but with over a hundred years of consumer protection mechanisms stripped out. (End crypto rant)

Capitalism is one of, if not the, greatest concepts ever designed by humans. I mean that 100%. There is no better. The problem is, or is soon going to be, that the hyper-elite are just taking the fucking piss. I get it, go to work, mortgage a house, have a holiday, buy shit. We're all slaves, BUT at least we got something out of it before; better education, better health, better technology. Hell, i grew up with a 26" TV with 4 channels. Now i couldn't watch all the TV's shows and films on by 65" TV if i tried. (Big mistake buying a big TV, i regret it).

Nowadays the hyper rich are just bending us over and bumming us dry, not to the detriment of 'us' the 'relatively poor' but to the detriment of the capitalist system. After a century of fascist and commie slaughters that cost the lives of 100 million people, brought down the Soviet empire and ballsed up more countries than any natural disaster combined, we shouldn't be taking the piss out of the system. If they keep going with this crap, the system will collapse, and then everyone is shagged.

I don't agree with violence or rebellion or revolution etc, but, if the choice is the end of capitalism or some elites heads on a spike...The system wins. I don't want for that to happen. I would much rather see Bezos et al do what the rich used to do; show off by making extravagant shit for us to enjoy. Bezos could build 10 taj mahal style buildings, instead he just polishes his head and walks around like a human sperm. Because if they don't do that, then revolution is a high probability, which ends badly for everyone, or the end of capitalism, which ends badly for everyone.

 

[Huge Fuckin Nerd]

My POV is all UK btw, so i can't comment on other countries.

You got a loicence for being retarded bruv?

 

[Billy Beer]

You got a loicence for being retarded bruv?

They don't do licenses in Britain for people as retarded as me. I had to get the standard-tard license mail-ordered from America

 

[Huge Fuckin Nerd]

They don't do licenses in Britain for people as retarded as me. I had to get the standard-tard license mail-ordered from America

Admitting to being a retard to spite a stranger on the internet. Bit sad innit?

 

[Billy Beer]

Admitting to being a retard to spite a stranger on the internet. Bit sad innit?

Spite? It's the internet. None of this shit matters, just have a laugh with it.

 

[Huge Fuckin Nerd]

Spite? It's the internet. None of this shit matters, just have a laugh with it.

You’re out here seethposting about 5g towers and Amazon bruv. Everyone else is laughing at you.

 

[Billy Beer]

You’re out here seethposting about 5g towers and Amazon bruv. Everyone else is laughing at you.

Seething? Spite? What is this, reddit?

It's the internet bruv, i don't care if people laugh at me or with me, as long as they're laughing.

 

[Radical Cadre]

5G towers are nefarious. Destroy them whenever possible.

 

[Fwiffo]

5G towers are nefarious. Destroy them whenever possible.

Why?

 

[Radical Cadre]

Why?

The fuck kind of question is that?

5G is yet another technological advance that further speeds up the rate at which people misunderstand one another. The world needs to slow down. And stopping 5G technology and cellular telephones are the key to accomplishing this. It also causes cancer and can be used along with chem trails to accentuate mind control across populations.

 

[Coily]

The brightest minds Indeed.

Tell me how washing your hands is a tool of the Trilaterial Commission.

 

[eternal dog mongler]

Also, I feel like you are at odds with the entire concept of the modern financial world. My only response is: can you do better? Some have tried (enter crypto) but every alternative has either turned into a pyramid scheme making the founders fabulously wealthy, or being so ass-backward that they end up getting completely scammed. As one person pointed out, most crypto is basically the same as our existing monetary setup, but with over a hundred years of consumer protection mechanisms stripped out. (End crypto rant)

Bitcoin (and most of crypto, since I haven't seen a good solution yet) is an inherently deflationary currency. I'd talk more about it but I have to save my hot takes since they'll be worth more in the future.

Built up/pent up energy on spending. Not that anyone buys cars anymore they rent them. Maybe i should clarify that? Shit that can be rented/leased will be and shit that could be bought, will be. By 'buy' i mean spend money on receiving something.

You tell the idiot masses who haven't gone anywhere or done anything in ages, that they SHOULD go spend all of their savings (so in retrospect they've saved nothing) on shit they don't need, they will do. Again, UK only but i can bet my arse that almost every garden will have some extravagent jacuuzi in there at some time this year. Remember, the majority of people do what they do to keep up with the Joneses'. How many people have done stuff to their home during lockdown, who now want to show it off to their mates?

Well, you're not really wrong. Revenue shifted from some businesses to others during lockdown. Events were the worst hit, since at least restaurants could deliver (although Northern Ireland banned that at some points 'cause they're insane.) This is due to lockdowns, but in the absence of lockdowns the same thing would have occurred. Not sure event planners are doing booming business in India right now.

There's no conspiracy behind this to peddle rampant consumerism because bitch we're already knee-deep in it.

 

[Sustainable War]

Like you say, it has been going on for decades. Every decade adds a new layer of bullshit that people think they need to buy. This decade it's covid/disease bollocks.

Because the illusion of "we're free again! normality, yey!" will give a false sense of security to the masses, and they will spend whatever money they've saved. I don't think many people would be shocked if a major recession hit next year. Gotta get those peeps spending their savings so that they have nothing to fall back on. Like has been done for decades.


We're all in it to save granny...except those fucking over granny, grannies kids, grannies grandkids and grannies grandkids' kids. I agree, rent should have been reduced to 0 if you were forced to shut, with the voluntary option of being able to open, while following guidelines, and you pay 75% of the rent/mortgage.


Capitalism is one of, if not the, greatest concepts ever designed by humans. I mean that 100%. There is no better. The problem is, or is soon going to be, that the hyper-elite are just taking the fucking piss. I get it, go to work, mortgage a house, have a holiday, buy shit. We're all slaves, BUT at least we got something out of it before; better education, better health, better technology. Hell, i grew up with a 26" TV with 4 channels. Now i couldn't watch all the TV's shows and films on by 65" TV if i tried. (Big mistake buying a big TV, i regret it).

Nowadays the hyper rich are just bending us over and bumming us dry, not to the detriment of 'us' the 'relatively poor' but to the detriment of the capitalist system. After a century of fascist and commie slaughters that cost the lives of 100 million people, brought down the Soviet empire and ballsed up more countries than any natural disaster combined, we shouldn't be taking the piss out of the system. If they keep going with this crap, the system will collapse, and then everyone is shagged.

I don't agree with violence or rebellion or revolution etc, but, if the choice is the end of capitalism or some elites heads on a spike...The system wins. I don't want for that to happen. I would much rather see Bezos et al do what the rich used to do; show off by making extravagant shit for us to enjoy. Bezos could build 10 taj mahal style buildings, instead he just polishes his head and walks around like a human sperm. Because if they don't do that, then revolution is a high probability, which ends badly for everyone, or the end of capitalism, which ends badly for everyone.

I think the main issue with everything you're saying (well...sort of...), is how you're acting like this is all some organized thing. There are bits of truth in a lot of what you're saying, but it's not a conspiracy, it's people taking advantage of shit. There's a pandemic that kills people that probably needs some kind of action - when the government oversteps or McDonald's gets away with being a diabetes industrial complex, it's just people and entities taking advantage and making poor decisions. How do you go from something like "COVID lockdowns are too strict and McDonald's and Amazon profited off the pandemic" to "this is a plot to further enslave the populace" instead of "Politicians and corporations make poor and/or greedy decisions?"

 

[Doctor of Autism]

I don't like Fauci but "FAUCI IS LITERALLY HITLER" is very retarded

 

[The eternal eye]

These people don't even care about their own grandmas. I saw a patriotic Americunt jump out of his massive truck without a mask, and there beside him was this old, shriveled up lady that's probably dead by now. And then, of course, he had to go into the gas station without a mask to show everybody how big his balls are. Theyre too stupid to care about other people's grandmas, let alone their own grandmas. But hey, she was asking for death without knowing it as much as he was.

 

[Fwiffo]

The fuck kind of question is that?

5G is yet another technological advance that further speeds up the rate at which people misunderstand one another. The world needs to slow down. And stopping 5G technology and cellular telephones are the key to accomplishing this. It also causes cancer and can be used along with chem trails to accentuate mind control across populations.

How does it cause cancer? What is unique about 5G that can do this where regular signals don’t?

 

[TV's Adam West]

Doctor Fauci is a hero saving lives with hia vaccine. You're all screaming that vaccines cause autism but it seems you all already have it.


It's honestly pathetic not getting the vaccine that will save billions because "muh government conspiracy. "