A conundrum ?

[The emperor has no clothes]

Yesterday at work I make a trip to the Men's room for a pee break. I just get flowing and a dude comes in and starts hacking his lungs out.  My mind is racing trying to figure out what to do. With my old man bladder once I start peeing I can't stop till its emptied. I figure I will hold my breath. But, by the time I get done peeing and start washing my hands I'm about to burst my lungs. I let out a deep breath, finish washing, grab a paper towel, and I'm out of there. The whole time the guy is still hacking like he has lung cancer or something. I thought about chewing his ass out, but I just wanted to get out of there. Ever since it happened I've been trying to think what I could have done differently ? I haven't come up with anything.
  But now I can relate to women who can pinpoint the moment their child was conceived. 

[Serk]

Can I have your Interstate if you get taken out by the 'rona?

(I'm gonna feel like a total piece of crap if anything really DOES happen..... but.... can I have it? )

...be safe my Essential employee friend!

[Valkorado]

A heeber-jeeber experience for sure.  Since Serk has claims on the bike, I could sure use an Arizona "snowbird" home...

Hope he was coughing blanks.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Can I have your Interstate if you get taken out by the 'rona?

(I'm gonna feel like a total piece of crap if anything really DOES happen..... but.... can I have it? )

...be safe my Essential employee friend!

(I hereby bequeath my Interstate to Serk shall that douchebag end up doing me in)

A heeber-jeeber experience for sure.  Since Serk has claims on the bike, I could sure use an Arizona "snowbird" home...

Hope he was coughing blanks.

It would have to come with a wife. I'm not sure you want that deal. 

[Valkorado]

Can I have your Interstate if you get taken out by the 'rona?

(I'm gonna feel like a total piece of crap if anything really DOES happen..... but.... can I have it? )

...be safe my Essential employee friend!

(I hereby bequeath my Interstate to Serk shall that douchebag end up doing me in)

A heeber-jeeber experience for sure.  Since Serk has claims on the bike, I could sure use an Arizona "snowbird" home...

Hope he was coughing blanks.

It would have to come with a wife. I'm not sure you want that deal. 

Ooh no, I have my own problem!  (kidding, sorta) 

[Jess from VA]

The first thing that comes to mind, is to yell at him with all your power to cover his gaping pie hole while coughing his lungs out.  (since you're wearing the company shirt, maybe a add a sarcastic sir at the end)

Even if he told me he was dying of lung cancer, I wouldn't feel sorry considering the state of things (and it's not like he can have no clue).  He should not have even left home (or the car).  

I might have saved some to piss on his shoes, though I can no longer do that from 6 feet.  

It's too bad you guys don't have employee-only rest rooms.  I have not and will not be visiting any public convenience for the duration.  

Which reminds me of the Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff doing a standup routine (years ago) saying how America was wonderful with free speech and how we could even urinate on things to show our displeasure.  He said he had once urinated on the Kremlin wall.... only he couldn't zip his pants down while doing it.

[The emperor has no clothes]

The first thing that comes to mind, is to yell at him with all your power to cover his gaping pie hole while coughing his lungs out.  (since you're wearing the company shirt, maybe a add a sarcastic sir at the end)

Even if he told me he was dying of lung cancer, I wouldn't feel sorry considering the state of things (and it's not like he can have no clue).  He should not have even left home (or the car).  

I might have saved some to piss on his shoes, though I can no longer do that from 6 feet.  

It's too bad you guys don't have employee-only rest rooms.  I have not and will not be visiting any public convenience for the duration.  

Which reminds me of the Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff doing a standup routine (years ago) saying how America was wonderful with free speech and how we could even urinate on things to show our displeasure.  He said he had once urinated on the Kremlin wall.... only he couldn't zip his pants down while doing it.

To clarify a little bit. We do have an employee bathroom. But it is a single unit with a locking door. Someone was already in there, and at this point I was hopping from leg to leg trying not to pee my pants. When I returned back to work I was telling one of my guys about, and said from now on I think I'm going to just pee in the cooler floor drain. (Just kidding) 

[0leman]

To clarify a little bit. We do have an employee bathroom. But it is a single unit with a locking door. Someone was already in there, and at this point I was hopping from leg to leg trying not to pee my pants. When I returned back to work I was telling one of my guys about, and said from now on I think I'm going to just pee in the cooler floor drain. (Just kidding) 
[/quote]

Use the drain, then pore come cleaner, Clorox,  on the area and down it.   

[Willow]

A lot of people have coughs.

Nationwide one person in 2,000 has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  In Mohave county the odds are 1 in 29,600.

Those are small odds.  We jokes about meathead possibly dying from the exposure to the coughing but in Arizona the odds of that are about 1 in 303,000.

We do need to protect ourselves and be careful.  We don't need to piss on folks for coughing.  We don't need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us with impending death.  The media has incited a large portion of the U.S. population with disproportionate panic.  We do need to be careful.  We need to do that every flu season.  But we don't need panic at the level it's happening.

[MarkT]

Speaking of pissing for dissing,  reminds me of this great shot...

[Serk]

I heard the governor is gonna give everyone a Harley, just to make sure we CAN'T go anywhere...

[Farside]

I heard the governor is gonna give everyone a Harley, just to make sure we CAN'T go anywhere...

     That is funny!  I like that, 

[The emperor has no clothes]

A lot of people have coughs.

Nationwide one person in 2,000 has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  In Mohave county the odds are 1 in 29,600.

Those are small odds.  We jokes about meathead possibly dying from the exposure to the coughing but in Arizona the odds of that are about 1 in 303,000.

We do need to protect ourselves and be careful.  We don't need to piss on folks for coughing.  We don't need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us with impending death.  The media has incited a large portion of the U.S. population with disproportionate panic.  We do need to be careful.  We need to do that every flu season.  But we don't need panic at the level it's happening.

I took nobody's response as panic. Just a little dark humor. I certainly meant no panic in the post. Were I panicked, I'd just retire a little early. Sometimes humor around a stressful situation is therapeutic.

[Serk]

[Willow]

If one is able to comprehend one will see that jokes and humor are a muffled way of making statements, not always but usually.  If one is not stricken with fear at someone else's cough the OP joke is not humorous.  If one is informed and smart enough to understand it makes little sense for someone to be afraid of the 1 in 30,000 chance of catching a disease because it carries a 1 in 10,000 chance of being fatal it's not so funny either.

When I was younger people used to make jokes about "colored" people.  Folks laughed because they thought they were funny even though ridiculous but they did promote, reinforce, an idea of inferiority.  Humor often, if not usually, communicates purpose.  

Laugh at what you choose.  Honestly, I'm often accused of not laughing often enough.  It's because I can easily see through the screen.  I'm happy with what I am.  It has not always been so.  

It would not occur to me to be daily concerned with whether I am the one in 300,000 to be selected and then tell folks, "I'm not panicked."    

[The emperor has no clothes]

If one is able to comprehend one will see that jokes and humor are a muffled way of making statements, not always but usually.  If one is not stricken with fear at someone else's cough the OP joke is not humorous.  If one is informed and smart enough to understand it makes little sense for someone to be afraid of the 1 in 30,000 chance of catching a disease because it carries a 1 in 10,000 chance of being fatal it's not so funny either.

When I was younger people used to make jokes about "colored" people.  Folks laughed because they thought they were funny even though ridiculous but they did promote, reinforce, an idea of inferiority.  Humor often, if not usually, communicates purpose.  

Laugh at what you choose.  Honestly, I'm often accused of not laughing often enough.  It's because I can easily see through the screen.  I'm happy with what I am.  It has not always been so.  

It would not occur to me to be daily concerned with whether I am the one in 300,000 to be selected and then tell folks, "I'm not panicked."    

I'm glad you are happy with yourself. I'm also happy with myself. Your idea of "panicked" and mine are obviously far apart. You might lighten up a bit and realize some are just relieving some tension thru the use of humor. (I sure would hate to be as humorless as some appear to be)

[Gryphon Rider]

You:  Please, sir, go home and stay home.  On the store's web site you'll find we have a delivery service.

Him:  I'm suffering from XYZ, not Coronavirus.

You:  All the more reason to stay home, because in your condition if you happen to catch COVID-19 from someone else, It could very well kill you.  The sign on the front door said, 'If you have one or more of the following symptoms, including a cough, please do not come in!'  Please leave the store immediately.

Him:  Screw you, I don't have COVID.

You:  I am asking you to leave, now.  Store management and security will back me up.  I am sorry, that's just the way it is until this crisis has passed.

Then leave him and inform security.

A lot of people have coughs.

Nationwide one person in 2,000 has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  In Mohave county the odds are 1 in 29,600.

Those are small odds.  We jokes about meathead possibly dying from the exposure to the coughing but in Arizona the odds of that are about 1 in 303,000.

We do need to protect ourselves and be careful.  We don't need to piss on folks for coughing.  We don't need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us with impending death.  The media has incited a large portion of the U.S. population with disproportionate panic.  We do need to be careful.  We need to do that every flu season.  But we don't need panic at the level it's happening.

When you change the statement to one in XXXX people who have coughs have COVID-19, then you are dealing with the real odds that meathead faced in that men's room.  The question of risk is not simply the odds of me getting COVID-19 from a random encounter.  Include the fact that in some cases, some seemingly otherwise healthy people who get it end up in serious condition, unlike a with common flu.  Add to that the fact that those over 60 are more susceptible to life-threatening symptoms.  Also, experts are saying there is a very real possibility an asymptomatic person can pass it on to others, more so than a typical flu, and healthy carriers will take it home to their family, which often includes more vulnerable people.  Another risk to factor in is if this person happens to have COVID-19, then they store will need to shut down and be decontaminated, putting meathead out of work for a few days, and possibly requiring tens of thousands of dollars of food to be thrown out.  Coughing man may have a pre-existing condition, but the fact that he is coughing makes it much more likely he will pass on COVID-19 if he should happen to be a carrier.  If his cough is caused by something else that happens to be contagious, say, whooping cough, anyone who catches that from him, and happens to contract COVID-19 elsewhere as well, that person will be in dire straights.

This epidemic should not cause panic in rational people, but should inspire them to take the experts' advice very seriously, and should do what they can to influence others to do so as well.  If every person who hears/sees someone cough tells them to go home, that sustained pressure will eventually get him to comply.

We do need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us or our loved ones with impending death, just as we do with impaired people who get behind the wheel.

Regarding dark humour, between friends who know it's a joke, or who wouldn't be at risk if the thing you are joking about were real is fine.  At a VRCC rally I might make a bad joke about my motorcycle jacket being tight because of the C4 in my vest, but I sure wouldn't make that joke at an airport or outside a mosque.

[Willow]

When you change the statement to one in XXXX people who have coughs have COVID-19, then you are dealing with the real odds that meathead faced in that men's room.  The question of risk is not simply the odds of me getting COVID-19 from a random encounter.  Include the fact that in some cases, some seemingly otherwise healthy people who get it end up in serious condition, unlike a with common flu.  Add to that the fact that those over 60 are more susceptible to life-threatening symptoms.  Also, experts are saying there is a very real possibility an asymptomatic person can pass it on to others, more so than a typical flu, and healthy carriers will take it home to their family, which often includes more vulnerable people.  Another risk to factor in is if this person happens to have COVID-19, then they store will need to shut down and be decontaminated, putting meathead out of work for a few days, and possibly requiring tens of thousands of dollars of food to be thrown out.  Coughing man may have a pre-existing condition, but the fact that he is coughing makes it much more likely he will pass on COVID-19 if he should happen to be a carrier.  If his cough is caused by something else that happens to be contagious, say, whooping cough, anyone who catches that from him, and happens to contract COVID-19 elsewhere as well, that person will be in dire straights.

This epidemic should not cause panic in rational people, but should inspire them to take the experts' advice very seriously, and should do what they can to influence others to do so as well.  If every person who hears/sees someone cough tells them to go home, that sustained pressure will eventually get him to comply.

We do need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us or our loved ones with impending death, just as we do with impaired people who get behind the wheel.

Regarding dark humour, between friends who know it's a joke, or who wouldn't be at risk if the thing you are joking about were real is fine.  At a VRCC rally I might make a bad joke about my motorcycle jacket being tight because of the C4 in my vest, but I sure wouldn't make that joke at an airport or outside a mosque.

We'll need to agree to disagree on most of your rationalization.

We do need to assume everyone who is sick is threatening us or our loved ones with impending death, just as we do with impaired people who get behind the wheel.

Really?  Every person who is sick?  Two quick points.  One is that in Mohave county there are 7 diagnosed cases.  Seven.  The other is that not everyone who coughs is sick.  People cough from allergies.  I cough often because my brain doesn't always close the valve at the back of my throat when I have liquid in my mouth.  Everyone who is sick?  Impending death?  I disagree and I do call that panic.

... but should inspire them to take the experts' advice very seriously, and should do what they can to influence others to do so as well. 

The experts' advice?  Are these the experts who are continually correcting their projections and even their recommendations?  When they change doesn't it mean they were wrong?  If they were wrong then how comfortable do you feel that they are right now?

We'll know in a few months how correct they have been.  I choose to listen to what they have to say (some of what they say contradicts what some other experts say) and apply my own reason.  I suspect when the dust settles we will see that COVID-19 is similar to the annual flu epidemic but a little more due to there being no vaccine yet and significantly more contagious.  I suspect it will be less that some of the "experts" are projecting.  Will it be because we took the extreme measures they advised?  If so how much?  We will likely never know.

[The emperor has no clothes]

You:  Please, sir, go home and stay home.  On the store's web site you'll find we have a delivery service.

Him:  I'm suffering from XYZ, not Coronavirus.

You:  All the more reason to stay home, because in your condition if you happen to catch COVID-19 from someone else, It could very well kill you.  The sign on the front door said, 'If you have one or more of the following symptoms, including a cough, please do not come in!'  Please leave the store immediately.

Him:  Screw you, I don't have COVID.

You:  I am asking you to leave, now.  Store management and security will back me up.  I am sorry, that's just the way it is until this crisis has passed.

Then leave him and inform security.

A well thought out and rational response. Thanks  probably won't need it in the future though, the drain is looking more appealing. (Just humor Willow)

[MarkT]

I choose to use discretion and stay away from others where possible.  Especially groups of people who are also at the store not because they want to be there but mostly because their supplies are low or out.  I need to go nowhere for the most part because I work at home and we have 3 pantries and 3 freezers.  All I need is dairy from the store and I don't really NEED that - I want it.  I also have all the security I need and want. - no need to buy ammo.  I might like to go out to the range but I don't NEED to do that, it's just entertainment.  And practice.  And at the outdoor range, don't have to get close to others.  I'm at the point, I MIGHT wear the following to go to the store.  Just to make a point.  As I can fairly easily stay at least 6 ft away from others and easily keep hands sterilized and not touch my face.




I'm gonna hafta disagree with Carl's comments.  People ARE getting deathly sick and dying and there is a shortage of equipment and no cure yet for this pandemic.  I tend to catch every sickness that surfaces especially bronchial issues and I'm at risk with several chronic conditions thanks to Agent Orange - not to mention being old.  Not panicky.  Cautious.

[Jess from VA]

Not true.... if we elect Bernie, everyone will get dark humor.  It's part of his platform.  


On topic, regardless of my (small) chances of catching the kungflu in a men's room with some guy hacking his lungs out, I reserve the right to not be happy about it at this time.  

And I think any guy working full-time exposed to the public to keep us all well fed (unlike most of us), has a right to be even more unhappy about it than me.

Pissing on someone's shoes was dark humor.  

And I cannot possibly pee with someone watching anyway  (which is just regular humor).

[Serk]

Not true.... if we elect Bernie, everyone will get dark humor.  It's part of his platform.  

[Valkorado]

I MIGHT wear the following to go to the store.  Just to make a point.  As I can fairly easily stay at least 6 ft away from others and easily keep hands sterilized and not touch my face.

Mark if that's the only one you've got, I'd say wear it.  Not sure about the filtration specs on that contraption, but it sure looks impressive.  If it doesn't "get" the virus it might just scare it away!  I'm avoiding stores as much as possible, starting to acquire a taste  for powdered milk and have plenty!  If I do have to make a run soon I'll probably use one of the n95s I've had for years and maybe even nitrile gloves.  Course it's pretty bad here...

[Valkorado]

I thought this article would "fit" well here, so here it is.  Maybe Meathead wasn't being overly paranoid, after all!

A Detroit Bus Driver Died Of The Coronavirus After Complaining Of A Coughing Passenger In A Viral Video

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/detroit-bus-driver-dead-coronavirus-viral-video