Mastodawn

KittyKittyWeaselFish Jul 9, 2023

T. Ryan Gregory

So, I really like the atmosphere here so far, and the folks running zeroes.ca have been great, and 5000 characters is sa-weet. But I need to be clear that I am not, and have never been, a hardcore zero COVID person. I wish we had stamped it out in 2021, but we didn't, and we won't now. I have described myself as a Less-COVID-than-this zealot. At this stage, my focus is on balancing evidence (such as we still get) and risk vs. being able to keep being cautious as the rest of the world has moved on. That means extending grace to people who are doing their best and making decisions based on their own circumstances, even if they're doing less than what the strictest measures would entail. I need to be clear about that after what happened on Twitter.

That's all to say that if zeroes.ca is or turns into a hardcore zero COVID zone I am not likely to fit in. I do have an account again on mstdn.science, but haven't switched over.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

Is wanting an effective, neutralising vaccine too much to ask for?

How do the immuno-compromised, the elderly, the disable fit in?

T. Ryan Gregory Jul 9, 2023

@JaneDoeTheFirst Yeah, so here we go. I've been through all of this on Twitter already and what my goal is in terms of keeping as many people as possible doing the best they can for as long as possible.

But for the record, I very much want that kind of vaccine (though most people probably won't take it at this point), and I also want clean indoor air to make spaces more inclusive. What isn't going to happen is 100% of people masking 100% of the time in perpetuity.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

I have no doubt your mission is noble. I don't follow Twitter. Is this not a fair question?

Editing this in response to your edit. Fair enough. When hospitals won't allow you to wear N95s, what do you do to keep safe?

T. Ryan Gregory Jul 9, 2023

@JaneDoeTheFirst I will try to copy over some recent threads about all of this. Short answer: I care deeply about protecting the most vulnerable, and in fact my family has dealt with that for most of the past year, but I also understand that people need to be able to recharge and reconnect in order to keep being cautious as much as they can.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

I appreciate the labour! I have no doubt you care deeply. I don't think anyone is fixated on zero #Covid as much as wanting a vaccine and decent protection for the time being. This, while the world has moved on. Honestly, I don't think anyone can answer that because again, the world has moved on.

T. Ryan Gregory Jul 9, 2023

@JaneDoeTheFirst Oooooohhhh there's people fixated on zero COVID.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

And there are people who are not. It takes all kinds, doesn't it....

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory @JaneDoeTheFirst I’m agnostic on Zero COVID? I do think the time to talk about whether Zero COVID is possible (or desirable, or necessary, whatever) is after the point where we get to “less COVID than this”. Not right now. 🤷‍♀️

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory @JaneDoeTheFirst (for the record, though, that’s not why I’m not on the zeroes server, which I’m glad exists—I wanted a non-topic-specific server because I was afraid of putting across the message that I’d primarily be talking about one topic in the Fediverse. An academic-related server wouldn’t have worked for me either, for the same reason.)

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

I like 'zeroes' because I can access 'local' for #covid and still have the entire Fediverse to explore. I post way more on other topics.

Idealistic Pragmatist

@JaneDoeTheFirst I’m glad! I was afraid for myself that any topic-specific server would lead me and others to make assumptions about what I’d post, so I avoided it.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

I don't think people even look at the instance identifier or know what it means. I also chose it because it's Canadian. I do understand your hesitancy though. So far, it's been first rate. Agreed, the 5000 limit is much appreciated. It allows informative posters like @TRyanGregory to spell things out for us.

Idealistic Pragmatist

@JaneDoeTheFirst for the record: some people do look at which server different people chose? (I know this because I do!)

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Jul 9, 2023

That is true. The nice thing is we always have a choice. Can't please everyone anyway, amongst the Fediverse millions. 😎

Omega_Scribet (has moved)Jul 9, 2023

@IPEdmonton @TRyanGregory @JaneDoeTheFirst I never heard of it when I signed up. I'm glad it is there, but when deciding to follow someone, I don't look at the server they're on but at their profile and posts in the past.

Of course, I follow the hashtag #LongCovid but I never pay any attention to the server soneone is using.

I wanted a non-topic-specific server as well, one that has many accounts I already followed on Twitter.

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory I know it’s hard not to assume people are going to react like they did on Twitter, but I honestly don’t see that in this thread? I see some people disagreeing, and others asking questions. Nobody’s going below the belt or trolling (so far?). I don’t see anything that merited a “Yeah, so here we go” reaction.

T. Ryan Gregory Jul 9, 2023

@IPEdmonton And here we continue. Sigh. Not a moments fucking peace anywhere.

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory my point was this: I honestly think that if you step back and see what people are actually saying rather than reacting based on the abuse you took on Twitter, you’ll see that there’s no lack of peace in this thread!

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory if you put your stances out on social media, some people will express support, and some people will ask questions, and some people will push back. I mostly see people doing the latter gently here (including in this discussion). If you don’t want people to push back at all, though…I guess you probably have to request that explicitly.

Idealistic Pragmatist

@TRyanGregory (or wait to talk about a thing until you’re emotionally ready to potentially engage with people who might have different stances.)

Geoff Boyd Jul 9, 2023

@TRyanGregory “That's all to say that if zeroes.ca is or turns into a hardcore zero COVID zone I am not likely to fit in.” It’s not the instance of Mastodon that you’re on, it’s the accounts that you follow regardless of where they are.

Omega_Scribet (has moved)Jul 9, 2023

@TRyanGregory I am no part of zeroes.ca, and I think that anybody willing to take some precautions is more than what we in the Netherlands usually get. So:🙏👍
Because I had #LongCovid, and still have some neuropathy in my legs thanks to my #Covid19 infection, I still protect myself and avoid social meetings, for I don't want to be infected ever again. Mind you, practically nobody, not even doctors, uses a mask in this country where FFP2/3 were uncommon right from the start.