THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF
So said FDR in his inaugural; address after he defeated Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election.
New Zealanders should learn from that. The dire warnings about Omicron are creating in some fear verging on panic and that’s simply not justified. I’m prompted to write this post after hearing a mother scold her young (pre-teen) daughter in town today admonishing her with words to the effect for her to keep her mask on least she catch the virus and die. Totally unnecessary hyperbole.
Simple fact … if you’re fully vaccinated and in good health and you are unfortunate to catch Omicron then chances are you will experience something in the continuum of a mild to a mid-range flu. Its only the elderly and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer who are more likely to require hospitalisation should they be stricken with the virus. For that cohort they need to exercise a degree of caution and avoid situations which might place them at additional risk.
But, for the vast majority of New Zealanders, Omicron should be treated with respect but not at the expense of developing a siege mentality in ordering ones life because that’s counter-productive and comes with an attendant potential mental health downside.
Omicron is here for the next little while but for most Kiwis it does not need and should not be allowed to rule their lives.
adolffinkensen
Gravedodger
Nick K
pdm1946
Psycho Milt
The Veteran
Tom Hunter
No Minister 
Chuckle. Too late my love, too late. Our country is now held hostage by Wayne Mapp thinking, that the only escape is via death or the terrible ordeal of recognising that one is trapped in a death from which the only escape is the commands of PTPB.
Tom Hunter
January 25, 2022 at 12:29 am
Very sensible, Vet, should have been the approach right from the start. The Government has behaved like the mother you observed. Yet it sat on its hands over ICUs etc and then watched while doctors and nurses who couldn’t get their immigration sorted gave up and went home. For example! A National/ACT coalition will have a busy time after the election.
Cassandra
January 25, 2022 at 6:59 am
“A National/ACT coalition will have a busy time after the election.”
If they win the election it will only be because they reduce their own arrogance and actually commit to do what the conservative voters want done.
The new National candidate for Eastland (or their staff ) would not even deign to answer the simple single question of how she would have voted if given the recent conscience vote on abortion law relaxations.
Result: protest votes to another party, and to another (likely less cunning ) candidate;
Yes, I believe the swing vote is in the “centre Right” (whatever that is ), whose decision is on which is the lesser of several distasteful options.
Also; Yes, I agree that a less fearful government response to Cvirus would have been reasonable. However, a background question is : why are the governments here and worldwide so fearful ? Also why do they no longer trust their populations to make wise decisions themselves ? Has it got to the stage where people say ” I cannot trust any government who refuse to trust me” ?
Walnutter
January 25, 2022 at 8:07 am
“Yes, I believe the swing vote is in the “centre Right” (whatever that is ),”
Trouble is there is no centre right or right party capable of winning the election.
Greens=Crazy left
Labour=hard left
National=Left
ACT=Centre left.
As for National changing or winding back any of the Labour crazy stuff-no chance. They’ll only try to do it “better”. They always do. They are as much use as “tits on a bull’.
Old curmudgeon
January 25, 2022 at 9:14 am
OC, I think you are correct but ACT (notably a liberal party) is the only credible option of at least attempting a right-ish move given the chance.
National under it’s current schoolmaster is no more than Labour-lite.
Tinman
January 25, 2022 at 9:52 am
Errrrrrrr …. there is no ‘Eastland’ electorate and conscience votes are just that.
The Veteran
January 25, 2022 at 12:12 pm
Walnut: which electorate?
Cassandra
January 25, 2022 at 2:02 pm
Eastland is local slang for “East Coast and Gisborne” electorate area…..just to be different from the Christchurch east coast area, I’m guessing.
Yes, Vet, the conscience vote is just that; and a truthful answer would give an indication of the motivations of the candidate. The lack of any answer is taken as a contempt of a potential voter’s decision pathway.
I was talking of the “centre Right” as a voter group preference; not as a current party option, as Old C well notes.
Walnutter
January 26, 2022 at 9:26 pm
I have generally supported the governments response to Covid until now. They should have stuck with the plan of only going red if the hospitals got overloaded. The risk is that we have very low numbers forever. Much better to let omicron move through the community and open the borders to the vaxxed and tested.
Ian
January 25, 2022 at 10:16 am
My wife just told me one story about an unvaccinated friend of hers, Jane. It seems Jane’s neighbour has told everyone in the street of Jane’s unclean status and shrieks across the fence if she sees visitors coming to Jane’s house to “put your mask on”.
Thus has this government and its media wing reduced the population to such a class of low-status.
Tom Hunter
January 25, 2022 at 10:46 am
I am surprised at the number of people who have told me they are un-vaxed.
Surprised mainly because I have never asked.
MT_Tinman
January 25, 2022 at 11:09 am
Bit like Vegans
The only vaccine status that concerns me is those of my immediate family.
alloytoo
January 25, 2022 at 2:20 pm
As an unvaxed I think it is important to let people know upfront. That way they make an informed decision, rather than finding out afterwards and being upset.
It also allows me to see if they’re someone worth talking to…
Paranormal
January 25, 2022 at 3:14 pm
@Paranormal
Fair enough.
I suppose I should thank you for getting rid of the nutters
Alloytoo
January 25, 2022 at 6:48 pm
There is always someone like this! Egads!
Lucia Maria
January 25, 2022 at 1:40 pm
She’s part of the dumbarse rump which votes Labour.
adolffinkensen
January 25, 2022 at 2:18 pm
Well the National Party of New Zealand has the MP “Chris “GET BOOSTED” Bishop” ithin its caucus whose previous Twitter handle was “Chris “GET VACCINATED” Bishop which just makes me laugh
But it also shows Karenism isn’t just the preserve of the Lamentable Labour Party but seems well embedded within the National Party too
Andrei
January 25, 2022 at 3:10 pm
I recall an online exchange I had a few weeks ago (before microsoft decided to disable MSN comments on covid related items.)
I was trying to explain that the covid risk profile was age related and that the risk/benefit analysis for vaccinating a healthy child vs an adult differed.
One person’s response was that we had to vaccinate everyone because covid was infecting whole families and killing everyone off.
The fear porn is squeezing out what little rational\logical thought these people ever had.
alloytoo
January 25, 2022 at 2:27 pm
It’s a shame your leader, and PM in waiting, doesn’t observe the same common sense. He’s in the media criticising the booster rollout timeframes, saying we need to get into the schools now blah blah blah. To be fair, “my” leader is no different.
I’m at the end of my tether with the stupidity of it all.
Where is the politician with a spine backing Steve Oliver and arguing his case? Isn’t that what “our” representatives are paid to do?
One thing this Covid absurdity has clearly shown is our politicians have been found severely wanting. And that includes ex politicians with their claims that “all the scientific evidence” supports the insafe, ineffective and experimental vaccine.
The only politician who took a stance, and did her job, was Harete Hipango. And she got reprimanded. She should have been promoted.
Nick K
January 25, 2022 at 2:39 pm
What is it with these scum politicians wanting to jab our kids.
Tinman opined earlier that ACT is an option. What a joke.
Seymour is as big a joke as the woke wanker currently “leading” National.
We are truly doomed. I fear for our kids.
Old curmudgeon
January 25, 2022 at 3:13 pm