As The U.S. Prepares For COVID-19 Disinformation Stokes Panic And Discord [Chinese Actors]

Forbes ^ | April 7, 2020 | Wayne Rash

[familyop]

The goal of this campaign was to downplay health risks across the American public, and to cast doubt on the critical warnings and directions given by the U.S. Government, state and local officials, public health agencies, and experts in the field.”...“This malicious content was seeded into public media in China, and within hours it was rapidly distributed by social media users who believed these narratives and then amplified them...Notably, many of those conspiracy sites are home-grown U.S. disinformation sites that were created for their creators’ own political agendas.

[noiseman]

”Prepares For COVID-19 Disinformation Stokes Panic And Discord [Chinese Actors], PA Engineer wrote:

The Chicoms are very good at this. They know the propaganda only works on the feeble, gullible, suggestive, weak and authoritarian. They have a long track record at this.“

We’ve got to learn that while our political enemies on the left are usually wrong about nearly everything, that doesn’t mean that we should automatically assume that therefore anything they believe should be dismissed out of hand, without any objective thought. That’s how they treat us, but we should be smarter than that.

I think that’s the mistake the flubros are making. Because the left believes (as do many others, though, including myself) that the coronavirus is a real danger, and because the left is trying to use the crisis to damage Trump, and because we rightly fear globalist agendas, the flubros make the leap to just assuming the coronavirus situation must be nothing more than a grand hoax. That’s a huge mistake.

When we act like that we just hand our political enemies a huge bat to beat us over the head with by framing us as backward, “anti-science” curmudgeons who don’t think deeply and who just react by spinning conspiracy theories. There ARE real globalist conspiracies occurring out there, but if we reflexively dismiss a true crisis like this one by just labeling it a globalist hoax, no one will take us seriously when we try to speak out about about the true conspiracies.

[PA Engineer]

I absolutely agree. Excellent analysis.

Singularity. I was texting back and forth with my daughter about this tonight (oil&gas engineer). She was profoundly disturbed by this very situation.

Honestly, I did not expect it here. Bad assumptions on my part.

This is a huge mistake on the part of liberty loving Americans to assume this crisis is a conspiratorial plot. They again remind me of history and the weakened state of the German conservatives in the Weimar Republic. They are going to hand the keys over to the left if they don't get off their butts and demand all emergency legislation has a timed kill switch.

[ifinnegan]

100 Million infected yet?

[lepton]

Just as overhype causes panic, so does blatantly wrong minimizing when the illusion is shattered. They played on both sides.

[bIlluminati]

“Hunter” Biden, $1.5 billion in Chinese money. The Clinton Crime Family, untold billions of Chinese money. I don’t think the Chinese are interested in helping liberty-loving Republicans. The flumao are active here and many other web sites, the Enemedia, and all over the world. Trouble is, it’s often hard to tell the difference between a Winnie shill and rugged freedom lovers. There are some obvious clues for those who follow posting history - I don’t.

[fr_freak]

Unlike the majority of you guys who are circle-jerking each other on this thread, I actually read the article. I’m going to encourage you to read it, but here’s a little spoiler: it doesn’t have a damn thing to say about the validity of current policy, nor the seriousness of the Wuhan Flu.

[familyop]

The reflections in their mirrors.

[Mavrick69]

You are untitled to your own truth, but as a matter of fact any senceable person judging this virus, just by the media’s reaction would have to be suspect.Also why is it mostly the Democrat states that have the most people infected.Im sad for my country and the at lost 30% of it’s citizens that have to live with the other 70% of damn fools that are worse than sheep.I live in the mountains of Western NC 30 miles northeast of Asheville,our population is 17000 we don’t have one case of this virus that’s been confermened,but you would think that people were dying In the streets by the reaction of the people that live here,I’m 53 and have never seen nothing like it.most all business are doctors offices are closed,and the few that are open you can’t go in the store they have there employees outside taking your order,This is a poor mostly conservative countie,that most people live paycheck to paycheck.I try to talk senceable about what’s going on but these people have bought in and nothing is going to change there mind.I can remember growning up here as a child the people were country tough we all free; Burley tobacco ,growed 90% of our food ,now you hardly ever see a garden,I just can’t figure out how anybody that has been paying attention to everything that has happened sence President Trump came down that esqulator can still not be sceptable to the real situation.now if I see with my own eyes what the media and establishment politicions are saleing I can change my mind .I pray for all of us as of now unfortunately we have give up all our freedoms for what.Ive got only a 10th grade education and I think God for it.I was on the street homeless my parents broke up and left me and my 4 sisters to fin for our selfs I learned real fast to servive and I can tell with out any dohght that provety will kill many million people especially the young and old.Ive lived it we Americans are being played,and it just shocks me how easy it’s been done if we last ten more years as a country I’ll be suprized ,we have very little freedoms left and nobody seems to care.its like everbody wants the boot of communism on there throat,well guess what when you can’t breath don’t tell me it’s a virus.Were going to lose this war that the leftist have declared against us .I say this because it looks like to me out President and a few others are the only ones fighting and ever one of our enimies that get took out 5 more take there place damn what a bunch of pussys my fellow countrymen have become..SAD..

[zeestephen]

Re: Flu Bro Bashing

I did not see one post on this thread that mentioned the new way of counting COVID-19 deaths.

According to Trump's data specialist, Dr. Birx, every person who tests positive for COVID-19 will be counted as a COVID-19 fatality if they die - regardless of any other diseases that might be present.

Do the Never-Bros want to count influenza fatalities this way, too?

If yes, that means we will have at least 250,000 flu deaths in an average year.

Do the Never-Bros want to shut down the entire country next October when flu season begins?

Why not? Are influenza fatalities less important than COVID-19 fatalities?

How many of those 250,000 poor souls can we save if every American practices stay-at-home for the six month influenza season?

[nathanbedford]

This malicious content was seeded into public media in China, and within hours it was rapidly distributed by social media users who believed these narratives and then amplified them.

Always follow the money.

The problem is not so much "malicious content" seeded by China, the real problem is the venality of American institutions led by our media. For example, the Chinese will not get far convincing our people that the coronavirus was implanted into China by American soldiers but they will get very far by funding American universities with their Confucius departments or by convincing American opinion makers like the National Basketball Association that the way to sell basketball shoes and gain viewing eyeballs for their games is to stay in China's good graces.

CNN and MSNBC are part of conglomerates with great interest in China. Certainly, many of their domestic advertisers have very large commercial interests in China. As much as these two cable stations are motivated by hate for Donald Trump, they are equally motivated by greed.

Our problem in the long run will not be coronavirus but a virus of venality in our midst which is determined to open the gates and invite the barbarians in.

Always follow the money.

[House Atreides]

“...the flubros make the leap to just assuming the coronavirus situation must be nothing more than a grand hoax...”
********************************************************
I am a rational person who some have tagged as a “flubro” apparently solely because I think people who decree COVID-19 to be equivalent to the Spanish Flu are wrong. The Spanish Flu killed between 1% and 3% of the world’s population — yep, 1-3% of the population not 1-3% of those infected. One percent of 7.8 billion is 78 million. We will NOT get close to that since 2020’s technology is not 1918’s technology.

Few FReepers have “made the leap” you ascribe to them in the words I extracted from your post.

[brookwood]

New York City - not the State of New York, just the City of New York - has about 57,000 deaths per year which is 158 per day.
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Health/New-York-City-Leading-Causes-of-Death/jb7j-dtam

Another rough estimate for number of deaths in NYC every year,
from Quora - 1 death every 9 minutes, 158 per day, 57,000 per year

https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-die-in-New-York-every-day

Covid19-attributed deaths in NYC -
3-28 222
3-29 104
3-30 136
3-31 182
4-1 278
4-2 188
4-3 305
4-4 387
4-5 218
4-6 266
4-7 806
So let’s say there are 158 deaths per day from all causes, but ALL of them are falsely attributed to Covid19. That would mean that everyone in NYC is positive for Covid19, 10 million people. So first, forget about social distancing, everyone already has it. Now let see if you clever readers can answer the next question - why did 806 people die in NYC yesterday when the normal death rate is 158? In order to blame all these deaths on Covid19, the NYC officials have to come up with another 648 dead people. So either they are just using fake death certificates with made up names on them - or possibly, when someone dies, they put the body in an ambulance and take it in the front door of the hospital again, so that the death is counted multiple times. Doctors are like that, sneaky government bureaucrats working with George Soros to take way your freedom. But there is no Covid19 crisis, right guys?

[moovova]

"Seeing the behavior here on FR, it appears to have been a very successful military campaign."

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Really. You'd think there were Freepers that were physically restrained, had a number tattooed on their arm...and immediately marched to the cattle cars.

Next stop "The Ovens"!

[Black Agnes]

It’s the result of crying wolf too many times. People automatically that’s what happened this time.

So many bad actors, so little time.

[familyop]

"Do the Never-Bros want to count influenza fatalities this way, too?

If yes, that means we will have at least 250,000 flu deaths in an average year."

That's incorrect. Go to the CDC site, look at the real numbers (not the numbers from the posteriors of the flubronies), and look for the word, "associated." Most of the flu deaths are estimated from conditions other than flu infections.

It's irrelevant anyway. COVID-19 is far worse than the flu for most of the infected. There's no reason for anyone to panic. It's not too hard for most people to simply avoid catching it. It's more complicated and risky for people like store employees, who have been ridiculed and insulted by some of the flubronies.

[familyop]

"Re: Flu Bro Bashing"

And that's a projection. We're not hysterical. They are. We're not tossing vulgar insults at others. They are. Nasty bunch.

[familyop]

The following information is not hysteria or panic. It’s a link with some quotations. Anyone who reacts with hysteria to such information has the option of getting over it. No one should be screaming like a feminist for censorship against such information. Anyone who didn’t save enough money to get through a disaster should do so before the next one. Anyone who has a business that won’t run during an epidemic has the option of getting into a more useful business that will.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic#Epidemiology

United States

Cases 434,114

Deaths 14,762

Recovered 23,774

[zeestephen]

Thanks for your comments.

Also, thanks for sending me the first two links you clicked on in Google.

The first link is a NYC data set from 2007-2014. The second link is to some kind of chat room called “Quora.”

Neither of those links appear to have any relevance to the numbers you posted.

57,000 deaths per year in NYC? 158 per day?

No - too low.

NYC population - 8.4 million

Average USA death rate - 0.9%

8.4 million X 0.9% = 75,600 = 207 per day

Please remember, the deaths per day is not a constant number.

In the winter time, deaths go much higher, especially when flu season peaks.

The average number of COVID-19 deaths for the eleven days you posted was 281.

And, who knows where that 806 number came from? Maybe that happened after they revised all the cardiac, cancer, and stroke deaths?

Anyway, until you find out the number of the non-COVID deaths for those eleven days, every conclusion you have reached is pure speculation.

Finally, the Positive Test Rate for COVID-19 in New York City is almost 40%.

That's what I said - 40%!

I think it is safe to assume that at least 40% of the people who die each day in NYC from a non-COVID illness are being classified as a COVID-19 fatality.

[zeestephen]

Thanks for your comments.

Also, thanks for sending me the first two links you clicked on in Google.

The first link is a NYC data set from 2007-2014. The second link is to some kind of chat room called “Quora.”

Neither of those links appear to have any relevance to the numbers you posted.

57,000 deaths per year in NYC? 158 per day?

No - too low.

NYC population - 8.4 million

Average USA death rate - 0.9%

8.4 million X 0.9% = 75,600 = 207 per day

Please remember, the deaths per day is not a constant number.

In the winter time, deaths go much higher, especially when flu season peaks.

The average number of COVID-19 deaths for the eleven days you posted was 281.

And, who knows where that 806 number came from? Maybe that happened after they revised all the cardiac, cancer, and stroke deaths?

Anyway, until you find out the number of the non-COVID deaths for those eleven days, every conclusion you have reached is pure speculation.

Finally, the Positive Test Rate for COVID-19 in New York City is almost 40%.

That's what I said - 40%!

I think it is safe to assume that at least 40% of the people who die each day in NYC from a non-COVID illness are being classified as a COVID-19 fatality.

[zeestephen]

Re: “Most of the flu deaths are estimated from conditions other than flu infections.”

I completely agree.

Just like COVID-19.

At least 80% of COVID-19 fatalities have a co-morbidity like pneumonia, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, dementia, or COPD.

Re: “COVID-19 is far worse than the flu for most of the infected.”

I strongly disagree.

One third of the people who test positive for COVID-19 do not have any symptoms.

I do agree that COVID-19 is very dangerous for the elderly and the infirm - but, so are most strains of influenza, and many strains of the common cold.