Shocking article

The journalist later makes the point that although he shouldn’t have used the word ‘cull’ ( which of course he shouldn’t!!) but that he was writing an economic piece so stands by his viewpoint.
Thinking about this, looked at dispassionately, what he wrote is probably true but makes glum reading for the elderly!☹️

Time to get rid of the non productive food eaters?

Makes logical sense. Lacks humanity though. I wonder how old the writer is?

I daren’t read it, but my first thought is that the country would grind to a halt without the army of volunteers, the granny childcare, the “silver pound”, and the people who just improve our lives by being friendly and, well, nice!
That journalists needs to wash not only their hands but their mouth out with (carbolic!) soap and water!

I think he's right,saves the government pensions and NHS care for the elderly..whats not to like.Johnston's statement aout people losing family before their time yesterday said it all ...I was amused my something else that was said ,not sure which "expert" it was.Apparently if you have symptoms you should use a seperate bathroom from all the other members of the household. Most houses in this area are local authority so ONE bathroom per house ,seems that "experts" have no idea how the common folk live.No surprise there !

Of course it would help the economy to pay out fewer pensions etc and reduce the strain on the Nhs but that doesn't mean it's to be recommended.

Maybe a cull of all those on benefits, the disabled, homeless etc would also be of benefit to the economy but is he suggesting that?

Grim reading for those of us caring for partners with multiple health issues. It's not as if we're too dense to have worked it out for ourselves. We just don't want to see it proclaimed by some journalist with no heart.

Oh I do hope we can expect a thank you at least for all the childminding we took on which helped the economy?

At a time when those of us at risk are trying to stay upbeat whilst dealing with various illnesses comes along a journalist discussing the benefits of culling our generation. His parents/grandparents must be so proud of this heartless individual.

Then he said: ‘Not to put too fine a point on it, from an entirely disinterested economic perspective, the COVID-19 might even prove mildly beneficial in the long term by disproportionately culling elderly dependents

There are always dangers in reading things out of context but that is like saying “AIDS proved mildly beneficial by disproportionately culling gays and drug users”

Way to go Telegraph!

Someone needs sacking.

Who is this person? I might go and cull some of his family members.

Although he made it clear this was a piece about economics and not the sum of human misery it was still a bad thing to say. It will encourage young people to take a heartless attitude.

I was interested to read that the Spanish Flu of 1918 killed mostly young people. That is curious because you would think older people would be less likely to survive 'flu.

Logically it makes sense tho.

I'm glad/ grateful ( for myself ), but by no means smug, when I say that if the NHS had relied on me for admissions, there wouldn't be any hospitals so the moral is that not ALL us elderly people are reliant on the services that we seem to be cursed for.

It's not us who are draining the system !! and I do take Umbridge at such articles.

This virus aims at 50 year old " healthy "men in Australia !? 40/50 and 60 is the general consensus. It's not an age -related disease.

A disgusting article/attitude and that seems to be rife amongst some people. I hate this business of bringing into it economics - I worked from being 15 years as did my other half (he devoted his life to the NHS when he qualified), we paid our taxes etc and are still doing. We are entitled to our pensions and the meagre benefits (if any) we receive from the system.
What a digraceful attitude. I cannot express how it makes me feel.

^ Apparently if you have symptoms you should use a seperate bathroom from all the other members of the household. Most houses in this area are local authority so ONE bathroom per house ,seems that "experts" have no idea how the common folk live.^
Perhaps we’re meant to pop next door!! ?

Well then the logic would follow to get rid of the disabled, the severely mentally ill and the chronically sick as well. All non productive and all using up vital resources. Why don’t we just euthanise everyone at 85 or younger? Stupid article.

Lara

Could you put a link to the article in it's ' ENTIREITY ' for posters to read / see for themselves ' THE CONTEXT ' behind the Jeremy Warner article :-

'Does the Fed know something the rest of us do not with its panicked interest rate cut?'
---
I am sure you will agree ' the context' could be viewed differently by posters and context is ways important to make an ' informed' comment.

For Gransnet to ask for ' thoughts' over the article if only one or two paragraphs from the article are produced from another newspaper for debate/discussion and that paper is referring to a specific word ' cull ' it is intentionally concentrating on the use of the word without contextualising the reason for it's use in the article. The journalist himself in ' your' link to the Metro said:-

' Responding to criticism in the article’s comments section, Warner said ‘on reflection’, he should not have used the word ‘cull’. But he said he is ‘unrepentant about the economic point I was trying to make’. He wrote: ‘Any thinning out of those of prime working age is a much bigger supply shock than the same thing among elderly retirees. ‘Obviously, for those affected it is a human tragedy whatever the age, but this is a piece about economics, not the sum of human misery.’

There may be posters who are adamantly opposed to his article and will find it crass but I have just read it and it did make me think he could have made his point more delicately but I am not particularly a delicate flower so I found no real problem with his article, others will view the article differently.

I admit to being a tad hypocritical as I was so annoyed by those who would repeatedly used the ' death ' of UK pensioners as a good thing if there was another EU Referendum as they could no longer vote. Some posters appeared to relish the thought of pensioners dying. That was more personal and ' shocking ' than an article discussing the financial impact of the Coronavirus.

PS
I do not subscribe to the Telegraph and the article is behind a pay wall but I have found if you keep at it you can eventually read the article in it's entirety , if you don't loose the will.

" thinning out" Disgusting.

I'd appreciate a link to the actual column that is referred to if anyone has it. I have tried to find it but can't. Until then I suspect the usual has happened: a quote has been given out of context where context might make a difference.

I notice a few people have commented on the logicality of the quoted sentence. I'd add to that that a thing can be logically true, or true in theory, without whoever says it wanting it to happen.

Found it and, yup, suspicions confirmed. GN is definitely getting like the dafter side of Twatter Twitter.

Go to the SOURCE before you start getting outraged!

The journalist was making a comparison between the economic effects of the Spanish flu at the end of WW1 and those of Covid19. And disinterested means impartial/not influenced by private feelings, not uninterested.

"However, there are some key differences, not least the fact that the Spanish flu disproportionately affected those of prime work age, whereas the coronavirus primarily kills the elderly. In the First World War outbreak there was thus a lasting impact on supply, with many families suffering the loss of the primary bread-winner.

This is quite unlikely to occur this time around. Not to put too fine a point on it, from an entirely disinterested economic perspective, the COVID-19 might even prove mildly beneficial in the long term by disproportionately culling elderly dependents."

If you read the entire article you might just get the idea he's talking about global economics, not wishing death on old people.

message Juliet27 Fri 13-Mar-20 11:34:55
???
Same here for us!
#poorergran
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