Are you still avoiding family due to Covid?

[Adventine]

I, for one, cannot wait to be implanted with microchips, transition into cybernetic body parts, and ascend to the next stage of human evolution.

[RetiredAt63]

I, for one, cannot wait to be implanted with microchips, transition into cybernetic body parts, and ascend to the next stage of human evolution.

As long as the cybernetic parts work better than the artificial knees and hips we currently get.   ;-)

[nereo]

That said, with the exception of my sister, none of them plan on getting the vaccine because some believe they don't  need it because of the aforementioned reasons, and others believe that they will be microchipped and given the mark of the beast from the Book of Revelations in the bible, and there really isn't much reasoning I can do with that. My favorite part is the family members ranting on social media about the vaccine containing a chip to track their every move, from a smart phone that they voluntarily carry, that literally tracks their every move. I just can't.

I feel your pain.  Some might think this Book of Revelations and microchip thing is a joke.  But there are true believers.  Unfortunately.

Science: microchips to ID dogs and cats are under the skin* and relatively large.  The needle for the vaccines is super thin and goes into muscle.  Is there any way you can point that out to them and be believed?  The two are not compatible.


*This works because the microchip is under the skin where the skin is super loose behind the neck (the scruff).  I can't think of any place to easily microchip a human if we wanted to, our skin is snug all over.  Implant in the abdominal cavity?  Then there would probably be adhesions, which are painful.

Actually, the "Microchip" (actually a passive RFID tag) that's implanted in dogs and cats are also used in a whole bunch of other organisms, including fish and (yes!) humans.  The first known person to have a 'microchip' was a self-implant by a scientist; it functioned just a security card would, opening doors and such.  Since then various, mostly RFID devices have been implanted into thousands of people with great success, most often in the hand (between the thumb and first finger), occasionally in the forearm.

A weakness is that the standard encapsulated RFID chips can only transmit a 16 digit number.  Other 'higher density" RFIDs can hold more, but we are still talking a few thousand bits, which isn't enough to transcribe this single post.  Useful for giving each implantee a unique identifier but useless for carrying actual data (that needs to be stored on a server somewhere).  Larger capacity (e.g. gigabites) implantable 'microchips' are, to the best of my knowledge, still theoretical. The big challenge is power; RFID chips are completely passive and need no battery.

[Linea_Norway]

There are already places that hand out a vaccin pass to people who are vaccinated and have proven antibodies to COVID-19. I hope that such a pass will give that vaccinated more access to things like crossing borders without a quaranteen period.

And as the virus will keep mutating and spreading, the anti-vaxers will be at high risk of getting sick. I expect to see big outbreaks in regions with anti-vaxers. While we others can hopefully live a bit more like normal, if life ever becomes as normal as before that is...

[RetiredAt63]

That said, with the exception of my sister, none of them plan on getting the vaccine because some believe they don't  need it because of the aforementioned reasons, and others believe that they will be microchipped and given the mark of the beast from the Book of Revelations in the bible, and there really isn't much reasoning I can do with that. My favorite part is the family members ranting on social media about the vaccine containing a chip to track their every move, from a smart phone that they voluntarily carry, that literally tracks their every move. I just can't.

I feel your pain.  Some might think this Book of Revelations and microchip thing is a joke.  But there are true believers.  Unfortunately.

Science: microchips to ID dogs and cats are under the skin* and relatively large.  The needle for the vaccines is super thin and goes into muscle.  Is there any way you can point that out to them and be believed?  The two are not compatible.


*This works because the microchip is under the skin where the skin is super loose behind the neck (the scruff).  I can't think of any place to easily microchip a human if we wanted to, our skin is snug all over.  Implant in the abdominal cavity?  Then there would probably be adhesions, which are painful.

Actually, the "Microchip" (actually a passive RFID tag) that's implanted in dogs and cats are also used in a whole bunch of other organisms, including fish and (yes!) humans.  The first known person to have a 'microchip' was a self-implant by a scientist; it functioned just a security card would, opening doors and such.  Since then various, mostly RFID devices have been implanted into thousands of people with great success, most often in the hand (between the thumb and first finger), occasionally in the forearm.

A weakness is that the standard encapsulated RFID chips can only transmit a 16 digit number.  Other 'higher density" RFIDs can hold more, but we are still talking a few thousand bits, which isn't enough to transcribe this single post.  Useful for giving each implantee a unique identifier but useless for carrying actual data (that needs to be stored on a server somewhere).  Larger capacity (e.g. gigabites) implantable 'microchips' are, to the best of my knowledge, still theoretical. The big challenge is power; RFID chips are completely passive and need no battery.

I knew about fish, the chips can be used to count how many fish are using a fish ladder to bypass a dam.  I didn't know they had been implanted in humans.  And I read too much fiction, I think of that RFID chip giving access to top security places and then my mind goes to anesthesia and chip extraction so someone else can gain access and I might as well start plotting a Tom Clancy novel.    ;-) 

However, the point was that it is kind of obvious if you have had a chip inserted.  It can't be done through a very narrow needle into a big muscle.  I am not sure telling @goldensam's relatives about RFID chips in the hand would allay their fears about a chip in the vaccine though.   ;-)

[Just Joe]

The relative prob can invent a fictional chip to worry about that can't be seen, felt, or otherwise detected. Remember the mark of the beast part. Magical thinking.

[RetiredAt63]

The relative prob can invent a fictional chip to worry about that can't be seen, felt, or otherwise detected. Remember the mark of the beast part. Magical thinking.

Magical thinking indeed.

This pandemic is going to fuel a lot of research into how people "think" because there sure has been a lot of weird "thinking" surfacing.

[Just Joe]

Yes, its been an eye opening experience watching and listening to people during COVID.

[ixtap]

Yes, its been an eye opening experience watching and listening to people during COVID.

I will send you to spend a week with my brother and my father in law. They have been spewing collecting this stuff for decades!

[Rhinodad]

Got my second dose of the vaccine on Sunday. Felt like I got hit by a truck yesterday afternoon. Getting on a plane the first week of March to go and see my daughter in Florida. My wife gets her second dose in 10 days, while my Mom gets her second dose in 3 more weeks. We will then start seeing family indoors once again.

[Sandi_k]

Got my second dose of the vaccine on Sunday. Felt like I got hit by a truck yesterday afternoon. Getting on a plane the first week of March to go and see my daughter in Florida. My wife gets her second dose in 10 days, while my Mom gets her second dose in 3 more weeks. We will then start seeing family indoors once again.

It takes 2 weeks for the second vaccination to provide peak immunity. Don't go hanging indoors with folks right away...

[goldensam]

That said, with the exception of my sister, none of them plan on getting the vaccine because some believe they don't  need it because of the aforementioned reasons, and others believe that they will be microchipped and given the mark of the beast from the Book of Revelations in the bible, and there really isn't much reasoning I can do with that. My favorite part is the family members ranting on social media about the vaccine containing a chip to track their every move, from a smart phone that they voluntarily carry, that literally tracks their every move. I just can't.

I feel your pain.  Some might think this Book of Revelations and microchip thing is a joke.  But there are true believers.  Unfortunately.

Science: microchips to ID dogs and cats are under the skin* and relatively large.  The needle for the vaccines is super thin and goes into muscle.  Is there any way you can point that out to them and be believed?  The two are not compatible.


*This works because the microchip is under the skin where the skin is super loose behind the neck (the scruff).  I can't think of any place to easily microchip a human if we wanted to, our skin is snug all over.  Implant in the abdominal cavity?  Then there would probably be adhesions, which are painful.

Unfortunately, the only "news source" my grandparents trust at this point is YouTube. I wish I was joking. Most of the family is down that same rabbit hole.

[Arbitrage]

Going to be interesting (in a bad way) over the next few weeks.  My grandmother just passed away - at least partially due to COVID - and family is ready to hold a few gatherings.  I plan to pay my respects as much as possible, but will not gather indoors with a sizeable group of unmasked family members, some of whom are from out of state (or even country, depending on who shows up), which is what I anticipate happening. 

[Imma]

Going to be interesting (in a bad way) over the next few weeks.  My grandmother just passed away - at least partially due to COVID - and family is ready to hold a few gatherings.  I plan to pay my respects as much as possible, but will not gather indoors with a sizeable group of unmasked family members, some of whom are from out of state (or even country, depending on who shows up), which is what I anticipate happening.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I went through the same in the early days of the pandemic. We decided to have a funeral service in her church, but with only a handful of people (10) in a massive building. We didn't invite anyone elderly and relatives with Covid watched online. It was extremely sad and weird to just go home after we buried her, but I'm glad we were able to prevent further spread of Covid in my family. They were infected before we even knew Covid had entered our country so at that point everyone was still extremely scared of being infected with it. Masks were not a thing yet.

A small touch that I really appreciated at that point was that the funeral home employees wore disposable latex gloves, but they were matte and black so they really didn't look out of place. Instead of giving us a handshake to offer their condolences, they folded their hands in front of their chest in a praying gesture and made a small bow. I'm sure by now they all have very professional looking masks. I really appreciated that they took their own and our health seriously, but didn't treat my relative's body as if it was toxic waste or something. They had really thought about how they could still be as respectful as possible. I hope your family will find a way to honour your grandmother without putting anyone in danger. I'm sure the last thing your grandmother would have wanted was more of her loved ones getting seriously ill or dying.

[mtnrider]

The relative prob can invent a fictional chip to worry about that can't be seen, felt, or otherwise detected. Remember the mark of the beast part. Magical thinking.

Magical thinking indeed.

This pandemic is going to fuel a lot of research into how people "think" because there sure has been a lot of weird "thinking" surfacing.

Magical thinking it is.  These same relatives are often talking about "the flowering of the fig tree" and the "mark of the beast".  Logic or critical thinking need not apply.  One can try to provide an example, and to set boundaries, but also to love them as they are.

[LongtimeLurker]

Not to pile on, but you wonder how many times they can see that they are wrong and yet continue down the same road. I have relatives who traded in all their money for coins in 1999, filled their basement up with ground wheat, and were preparing for the end of the world.

Now, 20 years later they are doing much of the same stuff previously said in this thread(its just a cold, no mask, etc...).

[Just Joe]

Yes, its been an eye opening experience watching and listening to people during COVID.

I will send you to spend a week with my brother and my father in law. They have been spewing collecting this stuff for decades!

Uh, no thanks... ;)

[Just Joe]

Whew! I wish someone could reach people like this and make them see reason. Help them make safe, efficient long term choices and then stay the course. Unfortunately there are other people who know exactly how to take advantage of these impressionable people and sustain their magical thinking (religion, politics, coins, etc).   

COVID, recent politics and people like this has helped put history in perspective for DW and I. It is easy to see how everything can go off the rails in short order and take a long time to recover.

[The Guru]

isn't it amazing how some can scoff at the danger of COVID (or climate change, or...fill in the blank...) despite the crushing weight of evidence...

...but believe "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!!" because the one man who has the most to gain by people believing it says so?

[GuitarStv]

isn't it amazing how some can scoff at the danger of COVID (or climate change, or...fill in the blank...) despite the crushing weight of evidence...

...but believe "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!!" because the one man who has the most to gain by people believing it says so?

Believing the election was stolen is convenient if you don't want the other side to have won.  Believing all the evidence that COVID is serious means that you have to do inconvenient things like wear a mask and stop partying for a while.

This isn't surprising at all.  It's the result of the weakness of a group of people who value personal convenience above all else.

[jehovasfitness23]

isn't it amazing how some can scoff at the danger of COVID (or climate change, or...fill in the blank...) despite the crushing weight of evidence...

...but believe "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!!" because the one man who has the most to gain by people believing it says so?

it's almost like there are a bunch of gullible people out there that will believe anything from conmen.
Almost like a religion, a cult.

[Just Joe]

What sets off internal warning bells for some people, seems to make other people think the confidence man really likes and respects them.

[Metalcat]

isn't it amazing how some can scoff at the danger of COVID (or climate change, or...fill in the blank...) despite the crushing weight of evidence...

...but believe "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!!" because the one man who has the most to gain by people believing it says so?

Believing the election was stolen is convenient if you don't want the other side to have won.  Believing all the evidence that COVID is serious means that you have to do inconvenient things like wear a mask and stop partying for a while.

This isn't surprising at all.  It's the result of the weakness of a group of people who value personal convenience above all else.

Not only that. Partisanship is a huge part of people's personal identity in a lot of countries.

If a conspiracy comes from "their side", then it's evidence. If it comes from the other side, it's a conspiracy.

If I'm a right ring Trump supporter, doubting the message that masks are unnecessary or that the election was stolen, doesn't just mean utilizing my common sense and critical thinking, it means challenging myself on my own identity of who I am. Which is a far more powerful force than common sense.