Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

I can't help but wonder if those who dismiss this whole thing as just a "mild flu" or claim there are "bigger problems to worry about" would actually have the guts to act on their convictions if they were the ones sitting in the Oval Office.

That is to say, would they really be willing to gamble everything, despite the fundamental lack of understanding regarding the virus and its actual impact, based solely on flawed and incomplete statistics?

It’s remarkably easy to play the provocateur when you aren't the one left holding the bag when things go wrong.

Susan Kim2 said:

Honestly, if someone drops a line like that in a situation like this, who cares? It doesn't matter.🙏

I’ve been tuning in regularly over the last few days, only to follow it up by reading the endless praise from the bots.

It serves as my own bit of cheap entertainment and a constant reminder that things can always get worse.🤣

brightpilot6 said:I can't help but wonder if those who dismiss this whole thing as just a "mild flu" or claim there are "bigger problems to worry about" would actually have the guts to act on their convictions if they were the ones sitting in the Oval Office.

That is to say, would they really be willing to gamble everything, despite the fundamental lack of understanding regarding the virus and its actual impact, based solely on flawed and incomplete statistics?

It’s remarkably easy to play the provocateur when you aren't the one left holding the bag when things go wrong.

And it's just as easy to lecture people about any problem when you aren't the one tasked with fixing it.

It’s easy to tell someone who has never placed a bet in their life that they shouldn't gamble, or to judge why their friend does.

It was easy for those journalists to play tough and say, "You should ask Mamić this or that," but I honestly wonder how many of them would actually step up and face him themselves.

It's easy to throw stones when you aren't the one in the line of fire.

Honestly, this guy is such a find.

The way he absolutely dismantles Vučić is wild.🤣

It would be pretty great if we actually had our own version of John Oliver here in the States.

https://www.youtube.com/user/24minutaofficial

brightpilot6 said:I’ve been tuning in regularly over the last few days, only to follow it up by reading the endless praise from the bots.

It serves as my own bit of cheap entertainment and a constant reminder that things can always get worse.🤣

urbanhawk17 said:Honestly, this guy is such a find.

The way he absolutely dismantles Vučić is wild.🤣

It would be pretty great if we actually had our own version of John Oliver here in the States.

https://www.youtube.com/user/24minutaofficial

It’s actually kind of incredible. I mean, the guy was always a bit unhinged, wasn't he? But ever since this whole pandemic situation kicked off, he’s basically hit his stride. He’s absolutely blooming right now.

If everyone could just grab everything they wanted, wouldn't that mean we’ve all lost everything? It’s a bit of a paradox, isn't it? Think about it. If there’s no scarcity, nothing actually holds any value. We can't all own the whole pie, because if we did, the very idea of "owning" something would become completely meaningless. Is that really what we want? A world where everything is worth absolutely nothing? 🙏

You can't even parody this stuff. It’s like dealing with Mamić—it’s so inherently insane that any attempt at satire feels redundant. If we sat down to write the most absurd, over-the-top script imaginable, we still wouldn't come up with the kind of nonsense Vučić is spewing right now. We might actually think of it, but we’d probably feel too embarrassed to put it on paper because it would just look too ridiculous.

urbanhawk17 said:Honestly, this guy is such a find.

The way he absolutely dismantles Vučić is wild.🤣

It would be pretty great if we actually had our own version of John Oliver here in the States.

https://www.youtube.com/user/24minutaofficial

I guess Sor and Zovak do something somewhat similar on PrimeTime over at N1 on Sunday nights.

Let’s just be totally real about this whole situation for a second because we have to admit that the journalist actually went out of his way to try and pull off an assassination attempt on Vučić using nothing but a cell phone. ☕

brightpilot6 said:I can't help but wonder if those who dismiss this whole thing as just a "mild flu" or claim there are "bigger problems to worry about" would actually have the guts to act on their convictions if they were the ones sitting in the Oval Office.

That is to say, would they really be willing to gamble everything, despite the fundamental lack of understanding regarding the virus and its actual impact, based solely on flawed and incomplete statistics?

It’s remarkably easy to play the provocateur when you aren't the one left holding the bag when things go wrong.

Now, nobody is disputing that some level of measures, guidelines, and restrictions was necessary.
What truly bothers me, and what I see as a genuine threat to our society as a whole, is the sheer amount of propaganda and the blind icon worship surrounding this task force.

It should be obvious even to you that we are dealing with people who only communicate under strictly controlled conditions. Even then, they resort to threats, warning they'll remember who cooperated and who didn't during the crisis, intimidating advertisers, and trying to outlaw humor. This is a task force that no legitimate news outlet dares to question, criticize, or even show curiosity toward. It is an entity fueled by well-funded media propaganda, all orchestrated behind closed doors in secret meetings with the President...

Does it not strike you as insane that, aside from the occasional update on Corona, the media only sporadically breaks coverage on anything else—unless, heaven forbid, it involves boosting a political party's ratings?
To me, that is dangerous. It's dangerous because it looks like a paid pre-election campaign, funded by money that will leave every single one of us buried in debt...

Extraordinary circumstances naturally demand some level of nuance. People tend to want to believe that their leadership is fully capable during a crisis, which usually triggers a psychological shift that works in the government's favor, garnering them more public support.

In this situation, as in almost everything else, one has to find a sense of balance; swinging toward any extreme is rarely helpful. From what I can see, we aren't even implementing extreme measures when compared to other similar countries.

To be clear, I am not talking about making reasoned critiques of specific policies; rather, I am referring to the uncritical dismissal of actual dangers—ignoring the consensus of the 99.9% of experts in those fields—or suggesting alternative measures that are simply impossible to implement due to personnel, material, or logistical constraints.

Every day, the world learns more about this phenomenon, and nothing can stay hidden forever, whether it be someone's experience, their successes, or their failures. That global awareness will always serve as a corrective to the policies we have in place, so I don't share the fear that we are needlessly sliding into a dictatorship.

It’s been quite a while since we got an update on how things are shaping up over in Sweden!

So, what's actually got you all worked up about Sweden?

Nothing
He's on my parlay, so I figured I'd ask.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Twelve months plus is just the standard timeframe needed to develop a vaccine—not sure what else you want me to say, unless you think we can skip quarantine entirely before then?

I don't think the government is going to wait for a vaccine to end lockdowns. Even the Chinese didn't wait for one. The goal is just to get the spread under control, and that will happen eventually.

That’s just a straight shot from level one to level two for you

Paul Sanders5 said:That’s just a straight shot from level one to level two for you

An away goal, you say?
The Swedes are definitely feeling the pressure now!

Michelle Palmer6 said:An away goal, you say?
The Swedes are definitely feeling the pressure now!

🤣🤣🤣

brightpilot6 said:Extraordinary circumstances naturally demand some level of nuance. People tend to want to believe that their leadership is fully capable during a crisis, which usually triggers a psychological shift that works in the government's favor, garnering them more public support.

In this situation, as in almost everything else, one has to find a sense of balance; swinging toward any extreme is rarely helpful. From what I can see, we aren't even implementing extreme measures when compared to other similar countries.

To be clear, I am not talking about making reasoned critiques of specific policies; rather, I am referring to the uncritical dismissal of actual dangers—ignoring the consensus of the 99.9% of experts in those fields—or suggesting alternative measures that are simply impossible to implement due to personnel, material, or logistical constraints.

Every day, the world learns more about this phenomenon, and nothing can stay hidden forever, whether it be someone's experience, their successes, or their failures. That global awareness will always serve as a corrective to the policies we have in place, so I don't share the fear that we are needlessly sliding into a dictatorship.

The issue here is the total suppression of debate; one isn't even permitted to consider the economic fallout, let alone dare to question what this will do to the summer tourism season...
even someone like Dragan Primorac can't provide a straight answer as to whether people are dying from Corona itself, or from pre-existing conditions that the virus merely pushed over the edge.
And now Dybala has tested positive again—how is that even possible after two weeks?
Yet we are expected to place blind faith in those who seem to lie incessantly just to secure their next election cycle...😵

Michelle Palmer6 said:An away goal, you say?
The Swedes are definitely feeling the pressure now!

Expect some red cards in the second half.

Laura Chavez93 said:The issue here is the total suppression of debate; one isn't even permitted to consider the economic fallout, let alone dare to question what this will do to the summer tourism season...
even someone like Dragan Primorac can't provide a straight answer as to whether people are dying from Corona itself, or from pre-existing conditions that the virus merely pushed over the edge.
And now Dybala has tested positive again—how is that even possible after two weeks?
Yet we are expected to place blind faith in those who seem to lie incessantly just to secure their next election cycle...😵

Who exactly is standing up for you? And more importantly, have you even considered what this is going to do to the summer tourist season?
The tourism season is looking like a total wash. It’s just not going to happen.

If 99% of those who passed away over the last few weeks could be back with us today, wouldn't they tell you that the only reason they’re gone is because they didn't take this virus seriously enough? It’s simple, really. They failed to protect themselves. A little bit of common sense would have gone a long way.

Matthew Young35 said:Who exactly is standing up for you? And more importantly, have you even considered what this is going to do to the summer tourist season?
The tourism season is looking like a total wash. It’s just not going to happen.

If 99% of those who passed away over the last few weeks could be back with us today, wouldn't they tell you that the only reason they’re gone is because they didn't take this virus seriously enough? It’s simple, really. They failed to protect themselves. A little bit of common sense would have gone a long way.

But honestly, there is absolutely nothing else being discussed—it’s just a non-stop loop of infection numbers, death tolls in France, and whatever Madonna thinks about the whole situation... it's been like this for the last month straight. It really makes you wonder about the future of tourism—which, let's face it, is basically the lifeblood of half the country... ☕