Whanganui letters: Avoiding social media, and more Covid-19 response discussion

Letter writer Paul Baber (stock photo, not Paul) knows all about the addictive nature of social media. Photo / 123rf

David Beck points out the addictive nature of social media (Whanganui Chronicle P10, February 15) along with the algorithms, furthering such addiction.

Credit to him for pruning out the more addictive and extreme apps supporting his self-acknowledged addiction, which he also acknowledged never left him feeling happy or satisfied.

I have no personal experience of social media, because I have never succumbed to any idea that it would be in my interests.

I regard it in a similar light to how I view any idea that I should indulge in the drug P.

In both instances, I feel I understand sufficiently about both, and their addictive qualities, never to go there.

To this day, I am happy with that choice, and my choice to engage in activities that I do find rewarding and meaningful, because to me, that is an issue of rationality.

PAUL BABER
Aramoho

Inflation and loose stones

While some hail the Covid response of our government, there is limited, if any, comment from them on the fiscal response and the skyrocketing local inflation resulting from it.

There is even less relating to the quality of that spending or whether the taxpayer ever will see any value (or accountability) from it.

Whether the recent "improvements" to Putiki Drive are a result of a distribution from a Covid fund or not, I would ask why the contractor appears (again) to have only done a partial job?

For example, they could get their sweeper back to deal with the millions of loose stones and ensure that the new seal can retain its integrity from the traffic on it.

Or is there an Omicron fund from which that (required) work will emerge??

RUSSELL BELL
Putiki

Cherry-picking a hammering

The article "Reputation as fair and decent takes a hammering" cherry-picks "overseas" journalists who are in fact Kiwi expats in Belgium, Australia and the UK. All appear to have a special grudge against the Government and MIQ.

In reality, everyone I know overseas is simply amazed at the results of the NZ Government defence against Covid. However, if one is limited to our local NZ media, they would think that we are doing a terrible job.

How many deaths would these spoiled "journalists" accept for a place in MIQ in the past year? Three thousand dead? Fourteen thousand? Those are the number of dead from Covid in similar-sized nations.

To put this into perspective, the UK has the number of Covid cases being registered every two hours that NZ has had since 2020 (letter sent on February 4). The UK would have had 678 deaths if it were the population of NZ and followed our public health procedures, not the 157,000 deaths they have today (when adjusting our 53 dead against the population of the UK - 12.8 times our total population). Indeed, NZ's actual reputation has been stunning.

BRIT BUNKLEY
Aramoho