Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1117557 times)

geekette

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3350 on: December 15, 2021, 12:23:17 PM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related. 

JGS1980

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3351 on: December 15, 2021, 01:49:43 PM »
Yep.  This is the same dad who's son has been telling my child that the covid vaccine is going to kill him.

So the vaccine most of us already have had will kill us at some point in the future? I had not heard this angle yet.

I think there simply have been way too many post viral zombie apocalypses movies/novels/tv shows out there for the last 10-20 years. It's just made too many people wary of viruses/vaccines/govt interventions. Propaganda works!

NorthernIkigai

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3352 on: December 15, 2021, 02:50:45 PM »
Yep.  This is the same dad who's son has been telling my child that the covid vaccine is going to kill him.

So the vaccine most of us already have had will kill us at some point in the future? I had not heard this angle yet.

I've heard from a small number of people that everyone who has had the vaccine will be dead within three years.  Stupid qanon shit.

Yeah, I’ve read a few of these, but can’t find all of them anymore. Bolsonaro is of course always a fountain of crazy ideas and quotes: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/12/04/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-covid-aids-intl-hnk/index.html. Robert Kennedy jr is not far behind: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/politifact/article/robert-kennedy-covid-vaccine-deadly-pants-on-fire-16700258.php. But at least some of them are fake quotes: https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7435564002.

NorthernIkigai

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3353 on: December 15, 2021, 03:02:12 PM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

Well, had you known two, one of them would have been screwed ;-p

To be honest, at least where I am, most people who have been seriously ill with Covid in hospital have been people who are one (or often several) of the following: old, sick, obese, immunosuppressed, etc. That’s part of the reason they ended up in hospital! So the fact that some of them should die soonish (of anything) is not hugely surprising. Having Covid probably doesn’t help either.

scottish

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3354 on: December 16, 2021, 03:29:45 PM »
Yep.  This is the same dad who's son has been telling my child that the covid vaccine is going to kill him.

So the vaccine most of us already have had will kill us at some point in the future? I had not heard this angle yet.

I've heard from a small number of people that everyone who has had the vaccine will be dead within three years.  Stupid qanon shit.

Yeah, I’ve read a few of these, but can’t find all of them anymore. Bolsonaro is of course always a fountain of crazy ideas and quotes: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/12/04/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-covid-aids-intl-hnk/index.html. Robert Kennedy jr is not far behind: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/politifact/article/robert-kennedy-covid-vaccine-deadly-pants-on-fire-16700258.php. But at least some of them are fake quotes: https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7435564002.

Hey Robert Kennedy's latest book - the one about how Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci are conspiring to inject you with 5g nanobots - is a bestseller. including #1 on Amazon.    somebody's listening.   In fact it's startling how many people are listening to this crap.

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3355 on: December 16, 2021, 09:28:34 PM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related.

Darn it, this is what I was thinking of. 233% higher (so basically double chances of death), not half the people die. Also, small study. My brain remembers stuff weirdly sometimes. Thanks for the correction.

My sentiment remains the same. People are worried about the vaccine, and the reality is that getting severe Covid probably makes you more than twice as likely to die in the next year as you would be without. Meanwhile, the vaccine strongly reduces the likelihood of severe Covid. The misinformation is sad.

Tinker

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3356 on: December 17, 2021, 03:40:54 AM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related.

Darn it, this is what I was thinking of. 233% higher (so basically double chances of death), not half the people die. Also, small study. My brain remembers stuff weirdly sometimes. Thanks for the correction.

My sentiment remains the same. People are worried about the vaccine, and the reality is that getting severe Covid probably makes you more than twice as likely to die in the next year as you would be without. Meanwhile, the vaccine strongly reduces the likelihood of severe Covid. The misinformation is sad.
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
We've gone from "safe and effective" all the way to "you can still get it, you can still spread it, you still need to wear masks, should restrict your social interactions, maintain distance in those you still have but at least it won't be as bad if you catch it." (and that doesn't even engage on the development of the "safe" part of the original claim)
Maybe it's time to admit it's not a vaccine but merely a prophylactic treatment you need to refresh every couple of months.

People are turning this into some sort of religion and fight each other over it instead of looking at data and drawing conclusions. That's not at all how science works.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2021, 03:42:30 AM by Tinker »

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3357 on: December 17, 2021, 04:07:07 AM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related.

Darn it, this is what I was thinking of. 233% higher (so basically double chances of death), not half the people die. Also, small study. My brain remembers stuff weirdly sometimes. Thanks for the correction.

My sentiment remains the same. People are worried about the vaccine, and the reality is that getting severe Covid probably makes you more than twice as likely to die in the next year as you would be without. Meanwhile, the vaccine strongly reduces the likelihood of severe Covid. The misinformation is sad.
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
We've gone from "safe and effective" all the way to "you can still get it, you can still spread it, you still need to wear masks, should restrict your social interactions, maintain distance in those you still have but at least it won't be as bad if you catch it." (and that doesn't even engage on the development of the "safe" part of the original claim)
Maybe it's time to admit it's not a vaccine but merely a prophylactic treatment you need to refresh every couple of months.

People are turning this into some sort of religion and fight each other over it instead of looking at data and drawing conclusions. That's not at all how science works.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.

Tinker

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3358 on: December 17, 2021, 04:26:43 AM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related.

Darn it, this is what I was thinking of. 233% higher (so basically double chances of death), not half the people die. Also, small study. My brain remembers stuff weirdly sometimes. Thanks for the correction.

My sentiment remains the same. People are worried about the vaccine, and the reality is that getting severe Covid probably makes you more than twice as likely to die in the next year as you would be without. Meanwhile, the vaccine strongly reduces the likelihood of severe Covid. The misinformation is sad.
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
We've gone from "safe and effective" all the way to "you can still get it, you can still spread it, you still need to wear masks, should restrict your social interactions, maintain distance in those you still have but at least it won't be as bad if you catch it." (and that doesn't even engage on the development of the "safe" part of the original claim)
Maybe it's time to admit it's not a vaccine but merely a prophylactic treatment you need to refresh every couple of months.

People are turning this into some sort of religion and fight each other over it instead of looking at data and drawing conclusions. That's not at all how science works.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives
« Last Edit: December 17, 2021, 04:31:49 AM by Tinker »

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3359 on: December 17, 2021, 05:46:28 AM »
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives

We do talk about treatment options.   Doctors and scientists have been working very hard to develop and learn effective treatment options.  The fact that the mortality rate has dropped from the early days is very much due to the conversations that doctors and scientists have had amongst themselves.

Note the proviso above.  That's doctors and scientists talking amongst themselves.  It's not Edgar or Karen, none of whom bothered to learn much of anything in school (or afterwards, for that matter), talking amongst their ilk deciding whether UV rays up the wazoo or swallowing bleach or using horse dewormer is the better treatment.   Those folk's rantings about their preferred treatment are just sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NOT GETTING THE DISEASE is a SUPERIOR method of damage prevention to that of TREATING THE  DISEASE after one has it.

Nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure out that if YOU DON'T GET THE DISEASE YOU CAN'T GIVE THE DISEASE TO SOMEONE ELSE.   

THAT's why we're pushing vaccinations.  Because they are doing a great job -- and so do social distancing measures.  Both reduce the chance of getting the disease and spreading the disease.

Treatments are only effective FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK.    That means damage has already been done and the possibility of worse damage is now on the table.    So while good treatments are an awesome thing to have, they aren't the first choice.

And here's one other very important point.   Those viruses don't GIVE A DAMN about your notions that things should stay the same as the first time you learned them.   Those viruses are out there mutating -- i.e., changing and adapting to find more efficient ways to infect other living creatures.   They can change with each generation and, boy howdy! the time between generations in a virus is very small compared to that of humans.    So get with the program.

I would also suggest you start evaluating your source of news and information -- because you need better ones.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3360 on: December 17, 2021, 07:02:27 AM »
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives

We do talk about treatment options.   Doctors and scientists have been working very hard to develop and learn effective treatment options.  The fact that the mortality rate has dropped from the early days is very much due to the conversations that doctors and scientists have had amongst themselves.

Note the proviso above.  That's doctors and scientists talking amongst themselves.  It's not Edgar or Karen, none of whom bothered to learn much of anything in school (or afterwards, for that matter), talking amongst their ilk deciding whether UV rays up the wazoo or swallowing bleach or using horse dewormer is the better treatment.   Those folk's rantings about their preferred treatment are just sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NOT GETTING THE DISEASE is a SUPERIOR method of damage prevention to that of TREATING THE  DISEASE after one has it.

Nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure out that if YOU DON'T GET THE DISEASE YOU CAN'T GIVE THE DISEASE TO SOMEONE ELSE.   

THAT's why we're pushing vaccinations.  Because they are doing a great job -- and so do social distancing measures.  Both reduce the chance of getting the disease and spreading the disease.

Treatments are only effective FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK.    That means damage has already been done and the possibility of worse damage is now on the table.    So while good treatments are an awesome thing to have, they aren't the first choice.

And here's one other very important point.   Those viruses don't GIVE A DAMN about your notions that things should stay the same as the first time you learned them.   Those viruses are out there mutating -- i.e., changing and adapting to find more efficient ways to infect other living creatures.   They can change with each generation and, boy howdy! the time between generations in a virus is very small compared to that of humans.    So get with the program.

I would also suggest you start evaluating your source of news and information -- because you need better ones.

MASSIVE CLAPPING ! ! ! ! ! ! !

DeniseNJ

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3361 on: December 17, 2021, 07:06:34 AM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oww1OS5IY4
Clapping and also a link to Neil DeGrasse Tyson speaking with a head of a company devising treatment options.  The treatments are extraordinary and leading the way for treatments for many other diseases.  the guy also explains very well how vaccines work, why they don't work for everyone, and how they work for most ppl.  Great info on both vaccines and treatments.

LaineyAZ

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3362 on: December 17, 2021, 07:50:45 AM »
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives

We do talk about treatment options.   Doctors and scientists have been working very hard to develop and learn effective treatment options.  The fact that the mortality rate has dropped from the early days is very much due to the conversations that doctors and scientists have had amongst themselves.

Note the proviso above.  That's doctors and scientists talking amongst themselves.  It's not Edgar or Karen, none of whom bothered to learn much of anything in school (or afterwards, for that matter), talking amongst their ilk deciding whether UV rays up the wazoo or swallowing bleach or using horse dewormer is the better treatment.   Those folk's rantings about their preferred treatment are just sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NOT GETTING THE DISEASE is a SUPERIOR method of damage prevention to that of TREATING THE  DISEASE after one has it.

Nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure out that if YOU DON'T GET THE DISEASE YOU CAN'T GIVE THE DISEASE TO SOMEONE ELSE.   

THAT's why we're pushing vaccinations.  Because they are doing a great job -- and so do social distancing measures.  Both reduce the chance of getting the disease and spreading the disease.

Treatments are only effective FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK.    That means damage has already been done and the possibility of worse damage is now on the table.    So while good treatments are an awesome thing to have, they aren't the first choice.

And here's one other very important point.   Those viruses don't GIVE A DAMN about your notions that things should stay the same as the first time you learned them.   Those viruses are out there mutating -- i.e., changing and adapting to find more efficient ways to infect other living creatures.   They can change with each generation and, boy howdy! the time between generations in a virus is very small compared to that of humans.    So get with the program.

I would also suggest you start evaluating your source of news and information -- because you need better ones.

MASSIVE CLAPPING ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Amen. 
(and I'm writing this as the sibling of a college-educated man who read the Robert Kennedy Jr. book on Fauci and believed what he said.  My sib is double-vaccinated but is now refusing to get the booster and has started ingesting 6mg of Ivermectin twice a week.  So I'm in a front row seat for this stuff, including finding out what happens to those who have decided to use Ivermectin.  Ugh.)

innkeeper77

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3363 on: December 17, 2021, 08:39:51 AM »
So weird. The actual statistics are indicating that of the people who were hospitalized with severe Covid but survived and went home, 50% die within 12 months. It’s so wrong that people are making stuff up that is not just untrue but is the near opposite of reality.

Source?

I can't tell if Taran is joking with the line about people making stuff up there.

I only know of one person who went to ICU and survived. It hasn't been 12 months yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

The mortality rate is higher, but not quite that bad.  According to this article, the mortality rate in a small, localized study was 233% higher than the control group, and most were not heart or lung related.

Darn it, this is what I was thinking of. 233% higher (so basically double chances of death), not half the people die. Also, small study. My brain remembers stuff weirdly sometimes. Thanks for the correction.

My sentiment remains the same. People are worried about the vaccine, and the reality is that getting severe Covid probably makes you more than twice as likely to die in the next year as you would be without. Meanwhile, the vaccine strongly reduces the likelihood of severe Covid. The misinformation is sad.
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
We've gone from "safe and effective" all the way to "you can still get it, you can still spread it, you still need to wear masks, should restrict your social interactions, maintain distance in those you still have but at least it won't be as bad if you catch it." (and that doesn't even engage on the development of the "safe" part of the original claim)
Maybe it's time to admit it's not a vaccine but merely a prophylactic treatment you need to refresh every couple of months.

People are turning this into some sort of religion and fight each other over it instead of looking at data and drawing conclusions. That's not at all how science works.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives

What the FUCK are you talking about?

The Covid-19 vaccine is a vaccine. It improves immunity to covid 19, some are done the traditional way (Johnson and Johnson) and some are the awesome new mRNA tech (Pfizer, Moderna) that also has the potential to save your life from cancer years down the line! (Yeah, mRNA vaccine research was already underway for CANCER TREATMENT which is frankly awesome)

The improved immunity from ANY of the vaccinations has also been shown to dramatically reduce the chances of getting severe symptoms if you DO catch Covid, which makes sense.... as it improves your bodys ability to fight that virus, so your body gets a head start on the disease.

Lastly, breakthrough infections are a thing, and statistically some vaccinated people will also need treatment. Of COURSE people talking about vaccinations also promote finding more effective treatments. Vaccination makes those treated patients more likely to survive.

Talk to someone in your community who is connected to healthcare and/or science. You are spreading dangerous misinformation, which will stretch this pandemic out even longer. The more people who are vaccinated, the slower the disease will spread, and the easier people will be to treat when they do get it. You also may want to take a course on statistics, because nobody who knows what they are talking about has EVER said masks PREVENT covid, or vaccines PREVENT catching it. Only that they improve your statistical chances, and make a significant positive effect on the problem on a population scale.

The only alternative to you being under educated on this topic (I was as well! I am not a scientist, I just married one) is you are being malicious. I am not a large presence on these forums, but I am fairly sure malicious misinformation is not welcome here.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2021, 08:45:05 AM by innkeeper77 »

Tinker

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3364 on: December 17, 2021, 09:53:05 AM »
I find the constant shifting of goal posts irritating to say the least.
Right there.   In your first sentence.

That's HOW science works, particularly in areas that are brand new to research.    Conclusions change as new data is found.

You know, like a never-before encountered disease that's mutating -- fancy scientific word for CHANGING -- as it works its way thru the world's population.

The problem isn't that scientific conclusions are changing as new evidence is found.   The problem is that a whole lot of people want to learn something once and never, ever have to change their mind about it -- and that's a sub-optimal life strategy too many of them want to impose on everyone else.
Oh, but the conclusion is still the same after all these changes: everybody needs to be "vaccinated" (it's not a vaccine)
Everybody who does not get vaccinated (now: does not get a (second) booster) is a certified Bad Person tm and Killing Grandma.

If we were remotely engaging with data, we'd be hearing about treatment options instead.
Talking about treatment options is even demonized as "promoting vaccine hesitancy" and similar neologismic pseudoderogatives

We do talk about treatment options.   Doctors and scientists have been working very hard to develop and learn effective treatment options.  The fact that the mortality rate has dropped from the early days is very much due to the conversations that doctors and scientists have had amongst themselves.

Note the proviso above.  That's doctors and scientists talking amongst themselves.  It's not Edgar or Karen, none of whom bothered to learn much of anything in school (or afterwards, for that matter), talking amongst their ilk deciding whether UV rays up the wazoo or swallowing bleach or using horse dewormer is the better treatment.   Those folk's rantings about their preferred treatment are just sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NOT GETTING THE DISEASE is a SUPERIOR method of damage prevention to that of TREATING THE  DISEASE after one has it.

Nor does it take a rocket scientist to figure out that if YOU DON'T GET THE DISEASE YOU CAN'T GIVE THE DISEASE TO SOMEONE ELSE.   

THAT's why we're pushing vaccinations.  Because they are doing a great job -- and so do social distancing measures.  Both reduce the chance of getting the disease and spreading the disease.

Treatments are only effective FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK.    That means damage has already been done and the possibility of worse damage is now on the table.    So while good treatments are an awesome thing to have, they aren't the first choice.

And here's one other very important point.   Those viruses don't GIVE A DAMN about your notions that things should stay the same as the first time you learned them.   Those viruses are out there mutating -- i.e., changing and adapting to find more efficient ways to infect other living creatures.   They can change with each generation and, boy howdy! the time between generations in a virus is very small compared to that of humans.    So get with the program.

I would also suggest you start evaluating your source of news and information -- because you need better ones.

case in point on religious fanaticism on the issue.
it's impossible to have a conversation on this topic when you're just going to throw someone who's vaccinated and following guidelines into a grand old pot of flat earthers and Q-anon believers because they've read studies and stopped agreeing with the narrative.

"Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that NOT GETTING THE DISEASE is a SUPERIOR method of damage prevention to that of TREATING THE  DISEASE after one has it."
since there's no complete protection, simply preventing everybody, or at least the willing, from getting the disease is not an option.

"Treatments are only effective FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY SICK.    That means damage has already been done and the possibility of worse damage is now on the table.    So while good treatments are an awesome thing to have, they aren't the first choice."
A good treatment doesn't begin when you're too sick to stay out of the ICU

ducky19

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3365 on: December 17, 2021, 11:05:04 AM »
Any chance we can move this conversation to one of the numerous COVID related threads and get this thread back on track? I don't come here for the COVID arguments, I come here to hear stories about your dumb af coworkers and the poor decisions they make. Christ.

NorthernIkigai

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3366 on: December 17, 2021, 11:11:10 AM »
Any chance we can move this conversation to one of the numerous COVID related threads and get this thread back on track? I don't come here for the COVID arguments, I come here to hear stories about your dumb af coworkers and the poor decisions they make. Christ.

Just as the conversation was starting to make me think of some of my dumb coworkers and the poor decisions they make… :-p

ducky19

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3367 on: December 17, 2021, 11:15:07 AM »
Any chance we can move this conversation to one of the numerous COVID related threads and get this thread back on track? I don't come here for the COVID arguments, I come here to hear stories about your dumb af coworkers and the poor decisions they make. Christ.

Just as the conversation was starting to make me think of some of my dumb coworkers and the poor decisions they make… :-p

Got any stories...?

NorthernIkigai

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3368 on: December 17, 2021, 11:21:31 AM »
Any chance we can move this conversation to one of the numerous COVID related threads and get this thread back on track? I don't come here for the COVID arguments, I come here to hear stories about your dumb af coworkers and the poor decisions they make. Christ.

Just as the conversation was starting to make me think of some of my dumb coworkers and the poor decisions they make… :-p

Got any stories...?

None that don’t involve the subject you suggested we move away from…

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3369 on: December 17, 2021, 04:29:04 PM »
Any chance we can move this conversation to one of the numerous COVID related threads and get this thread back on track? I don't come here for the COVID arguments, I come here to hear stories about your dumb af coworkers and the poor decisions they make. Christ.

And just when I was going to share my two bits...  but you're right, I'll go find a COVID thread.

Mairuiming

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3370 on: December 20, 2021, 06:43:43 PM »
Back on topic...

I live in Shanghai. Our company has recommended that no one leave the city over the Christmas season, mainly because the laws here are quite strict, and if you travel somewhere which ends up being a medium or high risk area (even one COVID case in the neighborhood will turn the neighborhood into a medium risk area), you will be forced to quarantine for two weeks either at your vacation destination or when you return to Shanghai, and the company cannot afford to have large groups of employees away from work (most of us have to be physically present to do our jobs).

The anti-Mustachian piece is that many people booked non-refundable vacations to Sanya (a warm, tropical, beachy part of China) a few months ago. Now they are all freaking out because everyone is cancelling their traveling plans, and they're stuck with a $$$ vacation package to a five-star resort hotel.

I'm like, "Folks, if you're in the middle of a pandemic and living in a country that can get locked down at a moment's notice, pay that extra few hundred dollars and get a refundable package." Or make a decision to do a staycation. I can understand their desire to get away though...it's been a long pandemic.

Sanya is really nice specially this time of the year. Been there on vacation in 2014. Loved it.

Yes, refundable tickets are the way to go for the foreseeable future.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3371 on: December 20, 2021, 09:45:25 PM »
Alright, I have a shorty from this week:

Coworker is peeved about last year's 3% raise. Says that they don't care about how much compensation is covered by 401k matching automatic deposits or the ESOP program, that the salary is the only thing that matters. Verbatim: "I don't care about retirement, I want the money now." I asked what their comparison salary research was showing for a wage gap, they said they haven't looked into it.


Eeesh.


onward19

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3372 on: December 20, 2021, 10:21:59 PM »
Alright, I have a shorty from this week:

Coworker is peeved about last year's 3% raise. Says that they don't care about how much compensation is covered by 401k matching automatic deposits or the ESOP program, that the salary is the only thing that matters. Verbatim: "I don't care about retirement, I want the money now." I asked what their comparison salary research was showing for a wage gap, they said they haven't looked into it.


Eeesh.

 Well I'm sure they'll have a comfortable retirement with that mindset...

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3373 on: December 21, 2021, 06:59:19 AM »
Alright, I have a shorty from this week:

Coworker is peeved about last year's 3% raise. Says that they don't care about how much compensation is covered by 401k matching automatic deposits or the ESOP program, that the salary is the only thing that matters. Verbatim: "I don't care about retirement, I want the money now." I asked what their comparison salary research was showing for a wage gap, they said they haven't looked into it.


Eeesh.

 Well I'm sure they'll have a comfortable retirement with that mindset...

All one week of it.     ;-)

CTEC_Stache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3374 on: January 12, 2022, 11:07:18 AM »
This may not be too big of an "overheard at work" but I have one from a few years ago.

I am a teacher in a state with a rather "safe" pension. As such myself and my colleagues have access to a 403(b), Roth 403(b), 457, and obviously both IRA options. It is pretty easy to retire at a normal age of 60 with minimal personal investment due to our pension.

A couple of years ago the topic of the lottery came up between a few co-workers. Someone asked, "How much would you have to win today to be able to retire." I was only 28 and I said something to the tune of $2 mil could provide a pretty comfortable life for another 60 years if I was careful.

Two others, both in their 50s, were blown away by my answer and said if they got $2 mil today they wouldn't be able to retire. I tried to explain to them just how much money a year you can get from $2 mil in perpetuity if you adhere to a conservative SWR. It was like talking to a brick wall.

$2 million would likely provide nearly their entire salary. If they couldn't afford to retire on that then how do the manage to live currently?

My thoughts exactly. Not sure they understand how any of this works haha.

And why should they? Really, when those people were getting hired, pensions were normal for a lot of Americans. Even now, with the market on a crazy tear for the past 12 years, only ~ 50% of Americans have ANYTHING invested in the stock market.

For my mom, single divorcee with three kids in the 1970's, she couldn't even get an account with the WATER company; she had to have her dad co-sign the account when my dad left!!!

We are WEIRD. I think we forget that sometimes. But most people don't think about the stock market as accessible, or trustworthy, or even something that middle class folks participate in...

Good point, I don't really consider myself very mustachian (I'm working on it). Regardless, it seems that I have a very unique mindset on investing, retirement, spending, and saving when compared to my co-workers and many of my friends and family.

Siebrie

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3375 on: January 14, 2022, 05:37:10 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.

JoePublic3.14

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3376 on: January 14, 2022, 06:39:43 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.

Meanwhile the president compiles a list of potential investors for their soon-to-be-started ponzi/mlm scheme.

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3377 on: January 14, 2022, 06:53:32 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.

WTF???

God, it is face-palmingly insane to me to hear about people who cannot manage to scrape together enough will-power to put an amount of money in a savings account, but can do this.

For some reason, it reminds me of a friend who is a teacher, and so bad with money that I have had to distance myself from her because her life stresses me out so much. She gets paid 9 months out of the year, but does not put aside the money every month to carry her through the three months of the summer. Instead, she lives off of credit cards all summer, going into debt, and then has to pay those cards off over the course of the next year, including the interest of course. But she never quite manages to pay the whole thing off, so she still has a balance when the next summer comes around… lather, rinse, repeat…

charis

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3378 on: January 14, 2022, 07:49:19 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.

WTF???

God, it is face-palmingly insane to me to hear about people who cannot manage to scrape together enough will-power to put an amount of money in a savings account, but can do this.

For some reason, it reminds me of a friend who is a teacher, and so bad with money that I have had to distance myself from her because her life stresses me out so much. She gets paid 9 months out of the year, but does not put aside the money every month to carry her through the three months of the summer. Instead, she lives off of credit cards all summer, going into debt, and then has to pay those cards off over the course of the next year, including the interest of course. But she never quite manages to pay the whole thing off, so she still has a balance when the next summer comes around… lather, rinse, repeat…

I have a friend who casually mentioned that she does this as a school staff member on a 10 month pay schedule. I was shocked! Her monthly pay only just covers spending during the school year. She tries to pay the monthly balance on time to avoid interest, but it creates a cycle of always being a month behind and never saving anything.

SailingOnASmallSailboat

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3379 on: January 14, 2022, 08:04:33 AM »
We had a teacher friend who did this out of college. Buy all the things during the school year, pay them off (mostly) with extra work during the summer. She bought a brand new car on graduation (when she had a job lined up for the fall). She could not understand at all why we kept our beater cars and the furniture we'd scooped up from the side of the road on move-out weekend and rarely ate out; she also could not understand at all how we could possibly afford to take 3 years off (with a completely paid off boat) to sail the Eastern Caribbean after only 3 years of working.

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3380 on: January 14, 2022, 08:32:52 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.

WTF???

God, it is face-palmingly insane to me to hear about people who cannot manage to scrape together enough will-power to put an amount of money in a savings account, but can do this.

For some reason, it reminds me of a friend who is a teacher, and so bad with money that I have had to distance myself from her because her life stresses me out so much. She gets paid 9 months out of the year, but does not put aside the money every month to carry her through the three months of the summer. Instead, she lives off of credit cards all summer, going into debt, and then has to pay those cards off over the course of the next year, including the interest of course. But she never quite manages to pay the whole thing off, so she still has a balance when the next summer comes around… lather, rinse, repeat…

I knew this guy at a restaurant job in college. He worked more hours than me, as he wasn't a student, but he borrowed $20 from me a few days before payday, almost every time. As a grad student, I had two friends with the same problem. Always ran out of money just before their student loan checks came. One had worked in their career for nearly a decade before coming to grad school vs the one year I worked between degrees.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3381 on: January 14, 2022, 09:57:30 AM »
Not my work, and about 25 years ago....:

my very unmustachian friend lives and works in the UK, and she told me she had joined a 'Christmas Club'. I asked her what she meant, thinking it was similar to a Secret Santa, but it turned out to be an annual savings programme, where people would pay GBP10 a month to the 'President' of the Club, and then receive GBP110 in December, right on time for their Christmas shopping. The 'President' would keep GBP10 as a fee. My friend thought this was an excellent opportunity, because otherwise she wouldn't save at all.
WOW!
I don't have a thing for Christmas, but suddenly I want to be the president of the biggest Christmas club there is!
Money lenders, banksters and Christmas club presidents. What a group!

talltexan

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3382 on: January 14, 2022, 11:24:32 AM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3383 on: January 14, 2022, 11:31:26 AM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3384 on: January 14, 2022, 03:12:11 PM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

Yeah, I remember going to the bank with my grandma in the 80s and seeing the signs for Christmas Club accounts. In retrospect, it seems like it was a cross between a savings account and a short-term CD: you put money in weekly or monthly, and it accrued interest, but you couldn't withdraw it without penalty until a set date.

PMG

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3385 on: January 14, 2022, 03:37:20 PM »
It’s very different but makes me think of “layaway” programs.  Do stores still do those? I heard some story at work recently about a local philanthropist paying off a lot of layaway accounts at Christmas time.

Rural

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3386 on: January 14, 2022, 05:40:47 PM »
Our bank still has a Christmas club, but then it's small, local, and pretty old school.

hernandz

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3387 on: January 15, 2022, 12:35:15 PM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

In a number of cultures it is common to use a form of peer-to-peer lending/savings.  I am used to the word "tanda" in the hispanic world, but "su-su" is used in other parts of the Caribbean. One organizes a group. Each puts in a set amount monthly.  Each month, a different member of the group is given the collected pot. It is common to use the money for a side hustle, but also for social obligations. It generally doesn't pay interest, but it generally considered easier than saving on your own, especially for the unbanked. Social pressure of disappointing a group of people you know are counting on you generally keeps people depositing month after month. In some instances, a member of the group may take a fee for the bookkeeping.

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3388 on: January 15, 2022, 02:32:26 PM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

In a number of cultures it is common to use a form of peer-to-peer lending/savings.  I am used to the word "tanda" in the hispanic world, but "su-su" is used in other parts of the Caribbean. One organizes a group. Each puts in a set amount monthly.  Each month, a different member of the group is given the collected pot. It is common to use the money for a side hustle, but also for social obligations. It generally doesn't pay interest, but it generally considered easier than saving on your own, especially for the unbanked. Social pressure of disappointing a group of people you know are counting on you generally keeps people depositing month after month. In some instances, a member of the group may take a fee for the bookkeeping.

Where I live (the NL) carnival is celebrated and it's a massive event with days of drinking. Many bars offer regulars the option of putting away a little bit of money every week so they have a lot of beer money on carnival Friday. Often in the form of an old fashioned wooden box with many little slots in them, every regular gets their own slot. People throw in money every week until carnival (or sometimes the local fair or end of year). It's actually an important part of the cultural heritage of working class people, factory and farm workers and the like. They did not have access to bank accounts like we do.

stylesjl

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3389 on: January 16, 2022, 01:40:27 AM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

In a number of cultures it is common to use a form of peer-to-peer lending/savings.  I am used to the word "tanda" in the hispanic world, but "su-su" is used in other parts of the Caribbean. One organizes a group. Each puts in a set amount monthly.  Each month, a different member of the group is given the collected pot. It is common to use the money for a side hustle, but also for social obligations. It generally doesn't pay interest, but it generally considered easier than saving on your own, especially for the unbanked. Social pressure of disappointing a group of people you know are counting on you generally keeps people depositing month after month. In some instances, a member of the group may take a fee for the bookkeeping.
There is another big reason these kinds of savings systems are used as well.

In many cultures certain members of the household might have a near unfettered social right to take the money in the family and spend it on whatever. For example the husband often has the authority to take the money of his wife and children to spend it on whatever he wants. And so if the money is at home or in a bank he can easily take it, but if it is kept with other members the community for safekeeping then it becomes a lot harder to demand access to the money without good reason.

On top of that of course the other big reason to use these savings groups other than the lack of access to banks is that often banks are not trusted due to corruption or an inability of many to understand what good a bank will do for them (especially if there are cultural/language barriers).

Siebrie

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3390 on: January 17, 2022, 03:23:39 AM »
My sister-in-law is African, living in The Netherlands, and has joined a group of women with a similar background to meet once a month and pay into a savings pot, which is called a 'tontine' (that's a French word :)). Originally, it was meant to send one of their group to Macca every year, but currently it's used for urgent needs, strictly on a rota.

AMandM

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3391 on: January 17, 2022, 05:39:47 PM »
My grandmother, Chinese but educated in France, also used the word 'tontine' to refer to a similar savings rota she belonged to in a North American Chinatown.

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3392 on: January 17, 2022, 05:46:43 PM »
I wonder how they came to use that word. My understanding of it has always been a last to die trust kind of set up. Perhaps that interpretation is specific to English Common Law, rather than the French original.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3393 on: January 17, 2022, 07:37:30 PM »
I wonder how they came to use that word. My understanding of it has always been a last to die trust kind of set up. Perhaps that interpretation is specific to English Common Law, rather than the French original.

That's certainly the popular understanding of the word, but I don't think that it is historically accurate.

pasadenafr

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3394 on: January 17, 2022, 08:11:58 PM »
I wonder how they came to use that word. My understanding of it has always been a last to die trust kind of set up. Perhaps that interpretation is specific to English Common Law, rather than the French original.

I think a tontine is generally speaking a pot of money that several people contribute to, to the benefit of one of them. The "last to die" set up is basically a version of that - you can still do that in France (either the last to die (often for real estate), or the survivors after X years (insurance / savings kind of thing)).

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3395 on: January 18, 2022, 06:16:54 AM »
Isn't this just a Sous-sous or RASCA by another name?

I suppose the difficult thing is that everyone's need for funds lines up...someone could start a RASCA where Orthodox and Western Christians pool their funds for christmas gifts at different times.

OK, I came up with a ballet jump and Spanish for scratch. What the heck are sous sous and RASCA?

My Mom always used the Christmas Club at the bank, but that was the 70s and 80s and they paid the same interest as regular savings accounts.

Yeah, I remember going to the bank with my grandma in the 80s and seeing the signs for Christmas Club accounts. In retrospect, it seems like it was a cross between a savings account and a short-term CD: you put money in weekly or monthly, and it accrued interest, but you couldn't withdraw it without penalty until a set date.

My parents have done this for years.  That's a good description for it.  It earns the exact same interest as a savings account, but can't be accessed until around Thanksgiving.  It's a decent enough program for people who don't have the discipline to do it themselves.

In extreme cases (like the time that dad accidentally transferred the mortgage payment to the xmas club account instead of making that month's payment) it can be accessed early.  But it's difficult to do.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2022, 06:40:27 AM by Sugaree »

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3396 on: January 19, 2022, 03:16:39 PM »
We set up a Christmas club account about 20 years ago. B/c we've never changed banks, it still functions the same. We don't really need it now but we just let it run its course. I think it's max amount is $350 or so.

AMandM

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3397 on: January 19, 2022, 04:00:01 PM »
We set up a Christmas club account about 20 years ago. B/c we've never changed banks, it still functions the same. We don't really need it now but we just let it run its course. I think it's max amount is $350 or so.

Nowadays that $350 seems like a pretty frugal Christmas budget by most people's standards!

Nickyd£g

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3398 on: January 20, 2022, 09:29:20 AM »
It’s very different but makes me think of “layaway” programs.  Do stores still do those? I heard some story at work recently about a local philanthropist paying off a lot of layaway accounts at Christmas time.

My local butcher does a Christmas layaway account, people pay in £5 a month and then get £60 of meat at Christmas. He doesn't charge them anything to do it.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3399 on: January 20, 2022, 09:35:07 AM »
It’s very different but makes me think of “layaway” programs.  Do stores still do those? I heard some story at work recently about a local philanthropist paying off a lot of layaway accounts at Christmas time.

There might be a few, likely independent, stores.  I think Walmart axed their layaway program in 2021 in favor of Affirm (a buy now pay later third-party company). 

I once worked at a store once that sold a niche holiday product.  We did layaway.  About half the time it was because people wanted to come in and buy while the the selection was good, but didn't want to have to store it at their house for a couple of months.