Taleb has gone full retard more than usual, having revealed himself to be little more than a hysterical SJW, as I said in 2019 when I called him out for being a SJW masquerading as a libertarian-conservative. Why else has Twitter not suspended Teleb’s account for egregious TOS violations by insulting people with whom he disagrees with, but conservatives such James Woods and others are suspended for the smallest of infractions, or for no reason at all. Obviously, the left looks after their own. Ultra-lefty Jack Dorsey knows Taleb is on his side and is useful for propaganda or recruitment purposes by nudging men who may otherwise be inched to libertarianism, neomasculinity, or conservatism to Taleb’s ‘masculine’ brand of liberalism, which stands in notable contrast to the archetypal effete brand of liberalism that dominates.
The Surgeon General should be sued. We will have plenty of time to bring these dangerous idiots to account. https://t.co/m8mfz45UCk
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) March 31, 2020
Or…I dunno…maybe a new general will be appointed when Trump leaves office, as that is how the process usually works. The general is not implying that masks do not work, but because of shortages, masks should be prioritized for individuals at highest risk and who need the masks, those being nurses, doctors, and caretakers.
850,000 now https://t.co/VmTepo4LGE
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) March 31, 2020
Taleb is continuing to spread virus hysteria. Just because something is growing exponentially does not mean it will stay that way. Despite exponential growth in Jan-Feb, the progression of new cases, for most countries, appears to be quadratic , linear, or flat. Exponential growth is a very crude, even possibly wrong, approximation for the actual prorogation of contagious diseases. There are only 40 million seasonal flu cases/year in the US, which is far fewer than predicated by conventional exponential growth models, even after accounting for flu vaccines.
In showing his liberalness and callousness again, here is Taleb attacking Boris Johnson and reveling in the sickness and death of those affected, including the death of Virginia pastor and blues musician Landon Spradlin, for the crime of possibly unknowingly infecting others or being dismissive of the disease. Apparently though, Taleb is only person in medical history to have extra-sensory-virus-perception (ESVP) and can know if he is infected with a virus without having to wait through incubation period, and is smart enough to know upon showing the slightest of symptoms exactly what virus he has, including even rare and new diseases than can be easily confused for much more common ones.
Statistically, you should see much more of this. The system imposes some #Skininthegame: those who inflict risks on others are subjected themselves to the same risks. As with Boris. Sad.https://t.co/Ni1P2di2XU via @nypost
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) April 8, 2020
In likening social justice to a religion, no one is holier or more pious than St. Taleb, who despite not being a Christian or even religious at all, is more saintly than every cardinal and priest and the Vatican combined and would never be dismissive of anything or anyone (except for , i suppose, economists, journalists, and everyone else he has ever berated on Twitter, which would be almost everyone who has ever had the misfortune of ever interacting with him).
And here is Taleb, like the liberal he is, repeating the left-wing talking point that the falling stock market will doom Trump’s reelection hopes:
Donaldo:
If you own the mahhket on the way up, you will also own it on the way down. https://t.co/FvQ3tb39a8— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) March 12, 2020
As usual, the left is wrong. The actual data shows otherwise: In early 2019, despite the S&P 500 falling 20% from its high in December 2018, Trump’s approval rating did not fall, holding steady at 41-42% according to 538. Right now, in spite of possible recession, unemployment anywhere from 10-25%, and the S&P 500 as much as 35% off its peak, Trump’ approval rating according to 538 is 44%, the highest since being inaugurated. Although not a huge bump, it obviously has not fallen either. So Taleb dead wrong.
If it sounds like I am being too hard on Taleb, it is because these shutdowns and quarantine are more superstition than science and a power-grab primarily by left-wing elites, but many conservatives are happy to go along with it too. One thing you will notice, overwhelmingly, it’s the wealthy and powerful who support these measures, while the middle class and small and medium-sized business owners bear the brunt of it, particularly men.
Even if the curve is flattened, at what cost to the economy and society, and for how long. What if after 2-3 months the number of daily cases falls 20-40% off the peak. Does this mean we continue until 90+% reduction, no mater how long that takes? Does this vindicate curve flattening, or would it have flattened on its own? If things get worse, does it prove that not enough was done? There is no way to know, as outcome can justify it post hoc. What if there is an uptick in cases after the shutdowns end? Does that mean the whole process is restarted? Curve flattening is more like tea leaf reading , or, at best, a mathematical abstraction based on hypotheticals, than a testable, practical science.
The financial elite such as Taleb are not going to be arrested for for violating social distancing, and if they are, have the top lawyers, and have access to people who can bring them whatever they want even if stores are closed. Covid-19 is serious and it’s too bad people have died, but millions of people die every year of other things such as cancer, the seasonal flu, or heart disease. Obviously, Covid-19 , unlike heart disease or cancer, is contagious and not a ‘lifestyle disease,’ [ although many of the people dying of Covid are either old, obese, smokers, or have other risks factor, so having them die now means less costs down the road in healthcare spending,] so psychologically, it could be scarier than the aforementioned conditions, but fear does not justify what’s going on now.