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South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

koreaherald.com

101–110 of 118 posts

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#101

South Korean here and I just wanted to add some thoughts. The real reasoning for the ridiculous ban is because they've been shutting down the gyms whenever the numbers spike but can't anymore because the business owners are in a desperate state because of the prolonged shutdowns. So it's their way of saying please don't to the gyms while avoiding a total outlash from the gym owners. Obviously how well we're managing…

Out of 51.7 million people, SK has had about 2000 covid deaths. How could SK have been anywhere near "total medical system collapse"?!

You've probably heard of the parable of weeds growing on the lake. Every day it doubles, filling the lake in sixty days. When is the lake half full? At the fifty-ninth day.

SK is having >1k new patients per day now - an exponential growth means you're much closer to "total medical system collapse" than it seems.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#102
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In essence, closing the gyms is a straightforward action the government can take. The government is exercising their power, but the scope is limited. By allowing the gyms to remain open only if they implement a multitude of restrictions based on a tier system seems like the government is intervening with a greater scope. Closing the gym is simple, they have the authority to do that. Telling gyms they cannot run tread…

> Telling gyms they cannot run treadmills past 6 km/h and cannot play music faster than 120 bpm seems like a much bigger exercise of power than telling the gyms they can't be open. This is an interesting perspective and helps to explain a little more your original comment. It seems that your objection is not necessarily the government's authority being excessive but rather too micromanaging? This is a sentiment I thi…

I really appreciate the way you're looking at my post even though you do not share my views. Yes, I am somewhat worried about micromanaging in-and-of-itself, but my main concern is that the kinds of controls the government is imposing here don't seem to come from a legitimate basis, a law passed by representatives.

I don't think every single thing an executive does needs to be explicitly enumerated, but in this case forbidding songs above a certain BPM just seems excessive. I do not think public health and safety laws had such finely detailed actions in mind when they were passed decades ago. And as a measure to try and stop COVID, what they're prohibiting is very indirect and hard to effectively measure.

I don't think these restrictions are the kind of government oppression worthy of throwing tea into harbors for, but I do worry just how much we allow governments to control in a state of emergency. Especially stuff like this, which make you wonder "who gave you the right to ban this stuff in the first place?"

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#103

I'm glad we are finally at a point where that skepticism around strict covid policies, such as in this thread, can be expressed without being immediately attacked. Questioning anything 6 months ago would have gotten you shut down or banned, depending on the forum.

Come on. Every COVID-related thread throughout the last year here has been absolutely crawling with deniers, misinformation, conspiracy theories, rants about freedom, anti-vaxism, you name it--basically everything that you wrap up in that "skepticism" euphemism. I can tell you how trying to combat all this garbage has been: Both sides got the roller-coaster of up and down votes. It's just absurdly politically charged…

You are proving my point. You have no idea what my views are or what I'm skeptical about, if anything. You just emotionally oppose skepticism of any sort, rational or not.

Just because there are a bunch of unhinged people with crazy ideas doesn't mean all skepticism or discussion around an extremely complex topic is unwarranted or irrational.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#105
post #16

"Free Democracies" are passing the weirdest restrictions. It's mind boggling just how much power our governments are allowed to wield. I'm not even a libertarian and I think this is government overreach. So you're going to allow people to work out in gyms, but playing music that's too fast is somehow too dangerous to allow? Come on. If it was a real problem you'd just close the gyms again.

Let’s keep in mind how crazy the average citizen is. Half are even crazier

Only if crazy is normally-distributed.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely you are joking about the taped-off greeting cards?

I don't have a photo of my own experience, but here's a news article with one: https://www.cpr.org/2020/04/06/in-summit-county-essential-bu...

In Toronto, the Dollarama until just a few days ago, had many of their shelves blocked off.

You could get food, candy, pet supplies, batteries but you couldn't get books, toys, clothing, headphones...

I thought it was all pretty random and bizarre.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#108

Why gyms have music to begin with? 90% people using their headphones anyway! External music is super annoying if you try to listen to audiobook.

The article is oblivious of the context that this provision only applies to group exercises.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#109
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's not to understand? The numbers in Korea are low because everyone is willing to sacrifice their personal freedom and convenience for the common good. They vigilantly wear masks, socially distance, follow guidelines, and abstain from K-Pop dancing at gyms and running fast on the treadmill when their health departments ask that of them. Americans will happily let more people die if it means they get to go to the…

You don't think it has anything to do with the awful physical and mental health of Americans, as opposed to not following the rules? And mind you, I'm not in American but in another western nation where I've observed with my own eyes that people have followed all the stupid rules, regardless of enthusiasm, but they respected them, and the outcome has been just as disproportionately bad.

We have completely different observations.

I spent last December in London and saw scant respect for the rules during the second wave. A minority of people wore masks, and few of those wore them properly. I was invited to a few house parties and festive gatherings.

Then I spent January in Paris IIIe where mask compliance was much better, but the streets and supermarkets were heaving before the daily curfew. Squeezing down aisles to buy supplies for dinner. Friends publicly complied with the rules but had big house parties every weekend.

I departed in shock and with an understanding of the European case numbers. There was no discipline, everyone seemed too fed up and bored to care anymore. Abstract anonymous others be damned.

Returning to zeroth world east Asia was a relief. Everyone, and I mean 100% of everyone, wears masks properly.

That originally happened before any official requirement. People go out when there are zero cases, but when a community transmission case happens the streets go quiet for a while, cases disappear, then nearly normal life resumes.

While health might play a part, discipline, a sense of community respect, and a competent administration seem far more important.

Re: South Korea to ban music over 120bpm in gyms, in response to Covid spike

#110
post #9

"Free Democracies" are passing the weirdest restrictions. It's mind boggling just how much power our governments are allowed to wield. I'm not even a libertarian and I think this is government overreach. So you're going to allow people to work out in gyms, but playing music that's too fast is somehow too dangerous to allow? Come on. If it was a real problem you'd just close the gyms again.

A sizable portion of South Koreans still believe in fan death.

I had to look this up as I'd never heard of it before. I don't even know what this makes me more of- sad, or impressed they pulled this off.
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