The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.16 Coronavirus EXPLOITATION & Panic Buying, Idris Elba, People Disregarding Warnings, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is Monday, March 16th, 2020. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. I, of course, am hoping you're having a fantastic day, though given the circumstances, I'll take you just not having a horrible day as a win. Now, before we get started, I do want to make a big announcement. If you do not follow me on social media

Starting point is 00:00:16 or we're not on texting terms right now, which, by the way, you can text me at 813-213-4423, you may not be aware, but last Friday, I advised my whole company to start working from home for at least the next two weeks. Now as far as what this changes for you, if you watch videos on the YouTube channel for Rogue Rocket or the social videos on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Starting point is 00:00:33 for Rogue Rocket, we are currently suspending all of that. Additionally, for the time being, we're going to have to suspend my podcast to conversation with. We don't want people flying in. We don't wanna just, yeah. But do not worry. On this channel, right, the Philip DeFranco Show, where you're coming every Monday,

Starting point is 00:00:46 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the videos will still keep coming. Actually, because we're pivoting a number of people back to the PDS, and I'm really the only one that can film on camera right now, we will definitely be bringing back the Friday Philip DeFranco Show at least, and there is the possibility of also weekend videos

Starting point is 00:01:00 on this channel. And also, a thing I wanna mention around this, there is no better time for me to promote this. One, if you are currently subscribed to this YouTube channel, I want you to check your little bell, make sure it's filled in, it has those two lines, it says all. If you don't have it set to all

Starting point is 00:01:12 and you have it only set to occasional, if you start missing some of those weekend videos or you know, just life happens, you happen to miss a few, you might stop just getting notifications in general. And or, more importantly too, if you are in the United States or Canada, please text me at 813-213-4423 It's the one place I know that a social media platform or an algorithm cannot suppress my connection to you I promise you I will not send you stupid stuff. I will let you know when the show is out

Starting point is 00:01:35 I'll also send things to the group but also to people individually I always try to carve out one-on-one time after the shows go up. Yeah, that's how we're starting today out That is the big announcement. That said, welcome to the Philip DeFranco Show. Buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today are stories and issues around panic buying and hoarding and price gouging.

Starting point is 00:01:54 So while that famous statement, that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, does not fully embrace this current situation, it still hits pretty heavy. And the reason I say that is as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in many places across the globe, so has public fear surrounding the virus. And this has resulted in alarming and exploitative behavior.

Starting point is 00:02:11 Regarding alarmists, we're seeing masses of people panic buying, right, purchasing unusually large amounts of supplies in anticipation or in the wake of some kind of disaster. And we're seeing images and footage of stores across social media reminiscent of Black Friday rampages, but with a more sinister feel here. Everyone witnessed to shelves completely cleared.

Starting point is 00:02:28 Crowds can be seen flooding aisles and checkout lines. We're also seeing reports of some of these panic buying sprees are resulting in violence. And worries about the well-being of store employees have surfaced as these situations escalate. And around this, I mean, we've even seen Britain's leading supermarkets issuing a statement pleading with customers to stop their panic buying.

Starting point is 00:02:43 Others have also expressed concerns about high need populations that can't access supplies that they usually need because of the shortages. And actually around that we've seen some supermarket chains saying that they have an hour specifically for older people. Their higher need, they can get some supplies, also try to do it before there's an even larger crowd, which of course you don't you don't want there to be a spread of the virus. Also to combat panic buying, many chain stores have started limiting the amount of certain items that a customer can purchase. And here's the thing, I don't want to completely villainize people that are panic buying.

Starting point is 00:03:09 It is damaging to others, it does need to be reined in, but I understand it. For many people, this probably feels like the only thing that they can control. This is probably the only way for them to manage and cope with their fears over this pandemic. And the issue with fear-based panic buying is that as you see it happening,

Starting point is 00:03:25 others who were not taking part all of a sudden jump in as well and you just see everyone spiraling, right? Once some do it, then others see it, they follow suit. Right, as a clinical psychologist, Steven Taylor told CNN, "'People being social creatures, "'we look to each other for cues

Starting point is 00:03:38 "'for what is safe and what is dangerous. "'And when you see someone in the store panic buying, "'that can cause a fear contagion effect.'" And I also think that we're in a time where people are looking to what others are doing right now more than ever because the messaging from the top has been conflicted. Messaging from people, like Donald Trump initially downplaying the virus, the spread,

Starting point is 00:03:54 the actual concern for the United States, and then all of a sudden, once again, just a few days after essentially tweeting again, it's just the flu, bro, declaring a national emergency in the United States, completely changing his tone, and all the while essentially trying to gaslight people like he's been on top of this issue from the beginning,

Starting point is 00:04:08 even though it's shown that we wasted the time advantage we had. But I'm gonna put a pin on that point for now. We're gonna come back to it at a different time. Because while people are panic buying, I wanna talk about the people trying to exploit this situation. Some people have tried to make a profit

Starting point is 00:04:21 off the panic buying craze, buying and then reselling highly desired items at a spiked price. One case in particular here really stood out, and that was two Tennessee brothers who reportedly stockpiled over 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. This is Matt Colvin, and he makes his living

Starting point is 00:04:35 as a seller on Amazon. And he managed to sell several hundred bottles of hand sanitizer at a marked up price before the company removed his post and warned him that he could face consequences for price gouging. And in addition to that, the Tennessee Attorney General's office

Starting point is 00:04:47 opened an investigation into the legality of his selling after Governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency on March 12th. Now the New York Times published an article about Colvin's latest endeavors. And while as of right now we don't know the number of actual page views this got, according to some insiders,

Starting point is 00:05:00 this may be one of the most viewed articles in New York Times history. And I think in large part it's because for a lot of people it is rage inducing. Reportedly he has received an influx of hate and even some threats. Holven saying that he and his brother Noah were unaware of the extent of the shortages.

Starting point is 00:05:13 Saying, I've been buying and selling things for 10 years now. There's been hot product after hot product. The thing is, there's always another one on the shelf. When we did this trip, I had no idea that these stores wouldn't be able to get replenished. It was never my intention to keep necessary medical supplies out of the hands of people who needed them. This with the Times reporting that he said this while crying. That's not who I am as a person." Now I personally do not

Starting point is 00:05:32 believe Colvin. Reportedly he cleared out multiple stores in multiple states. It seems like willful ignorance in the pursuit of profit to me. And then I see this moment which was circulating online a day before the Times published the report of his tearful apology. Would you say you're sorry? Sorry for purchasing if sorry for buying all this No, I don't think that I would I see that see that, I'm like, oh, this fucking guy. I understand the rage, I will never co-sign or say that it's okay to threaten someone. But I will say, my favorite reaction,

Starting point is 00:06:10 it seems like it was probably rage turned into something creative, was a video from the channel Good Cop Rad Cop that made a song about this. Took my brother on a shopping spree. Bought all the disinfectant in Tennessee. I got a whole chem lab in my pickup truck Five ounce bottle, that's 38 bucks

Starting point is 00:06:28 Penny up, douchebags, nothing's free Give me all your money, but don't touch me I'm an asshole, I'm a really big asshole I don't care about no one, no one but me It's just a work of art. Now the good thing is it appears that public pressure has worked. And on Sunday, the Colvin brothers ended up donating

Starting point is 00:06:50 the remainder of their supplies to be distributed among those who need them in Tennessee and Kentucky. So better late than never, I suppose. And with this first part of the story, of course I'd love to know your thoughts on the Colvins in general. But also I'm even more interested in what have your experiences been thus far?

Starting point is 00:07:03 Over the weekend, I did some light shopping. I was personally not witness to insanity. But also, I don't personally shop at like the big, big stores like the Costco's of the world. So, you know, your experience might be different than mine. And then, let's talk about something that you've at least seen a glimpse of or heard a little bit of and that is flattening the curve, what that means and why it's important. Right, because everyone, including people who are not in the vulnerable groups regarding the coronavirus need to do everything we can to stop the spread

Starting point is 00:07:27 of the coronavirus. And that starts with social distancing. Who knew that 34 years of being an anxious introvert would give me an advantage at one point? Right, and so this means not going to public places unless you have to, especially not going to crowded spots like bars, clubs, restaurants, and in general, if you are in a space with other people,

Starting point is 00:07:42 staying at least six feet away from them. Now you or someone you know might go, well hey, I'm young, I'm healthy, I'm not showing any symptoms, I'm fine. Do I really need to do this too? Yes, and this is something that we've talked about from the beginning. The reason the coronavirus is such a big risk

Starting point is 00:07:55 is that a number of people may have the virus and have no symptoms and have no idea that they're spreading it. Unlike some of the scarier things that we've seen in the past, when you could only give it to someone when you were showing symptoms, this is a different beast, right? It's called asymptomatic transmission.

Starting point is 00:08:07 So while you may get coronavirus, show no symptoms, right? It doesn't kill you. It doesn't even hurt you. You may still accidentally give it to your parents, your grandparents, your friend who then transmits it to their parents or their grandparents. Or regardless of age, accidentally give it to someone who is immunocompromised. Someone who might have a pre-existing condition that weakens their immune system, that impacts their lungs, beyond.

Starting point is 00:08:27 Maybe, I mean, for example, my father. My father had a kidney transplant. He is on immunosuppressants. He is part of a high-risk group. So really, not going into public spaces, being near a ton of other people, it's the best way to make sure you are not spreading it and that you don't get it as well.

Starting point is 00:08:38 But still, despite the heavy online urging from others to stay in, we're still seeing sizable crowds at bars, clubs, and restaurants. Right, and part of the way that others are trying to emphasize that this is a thing that we need to be concerned about is not only pointing out what could happen, but what is happening elsewhere. With many noting what is happening and what has happened in Italy. Noting that the United States could be on the same track. Though I do want to point out here, Italy has over 24,000 cases,

Starting point is 00:09:01 over 1,800 deaths. The whole country is in a state of lockdown. And right now it's hard to accurately describe how many cases we have in the United States because yes, we have a number. But as I knew before and experienced on a personal level Friday, just people aren't being tested enough here. I do expand on that personal note before just diving further into the news.

Starting point is 00:09:17 I ended up having to take my wife to an urgent care because very suddenly she was just hit with something. She had a fever, she had overwhelming body aches, she had a hard time breathing, saying that it was like she was walking at 10,000 feet. They were able to tell her it is not the flu and if they had the test, they would check to see if it was COVID-19.

Starting point is 00:09:32 But they didn't because they couldn't, they didn't have any tests. And this very frustrated doctor said, some ERs, they do have the test, but I would also highly recommend you don't because you're 30, otherwise relatively healthy. It creates a situation where you might give it to someone or if you don't have it, you might get it there.

Starting point is 00:09:48 So know that even though we are seeing the number of cases increase, what the real number is, we really don't know. Now I do wanna note after a really rough 36 hours, my wife, Lindsay, is doing much, much better. But the main thing I'm trying to get across there is because of the situation we have here, we don't know how widespread it actually is yet.

Starting point is 00:10:05 Now in my opinion, a good thing that we've been seeing, we've seen a number of celebrities speaking out, urging others to stay home. You have people like actor Kumail Nanjiani who shared videos of tourists still being out and about in Italy not long ago. Adding, these tweets are from Italy two weeks ago. 10 days later, the entire country was in lockdown.

Starting point is 00:10:20 We are on the exact same path. We can learn from Italy's mistake. Especially on the note of a 10 day difference. There's a YouTube channel called A Thing By, and they released a video yesterday called Quarantined Italians Record Messages to Themselves from 10 Days Ago During Coronavirus Pandemic. And the general gist of those messages is,

Starting point is 00:10:34 hey, you need to take this serious because it's more than what you expect right now. But that said, back to Camille, if you don't know, this is something very important to him personally. Camille's wife, Emily, is immunocompromised because of a rare illness that she has, which you may be aware of if you've seen his movie, The Big Sick.

Starting point is 00:10:49 And since the idea of social distancing and flattening the curve is so close to him, he continued to tweet, "'People get upset and annoyed at me "'when I tweet about the coronavirus, "'when I urge people to stay in and avoid crowds. "'My favorite person in the world is immunocompromised. "'Go ahead and unfollow me.

Starting point is 00:11:01 "'I'll be tweeting about this "'until I'm down to zero followers.'" And it also made me happy that stars like Ariana Grande were sharing similar messages, saying, "'I keep hearing from a surprising amount of people statements like, this isn't a big deal, we'll be fine. We still have to go about our lives and it's really blowing my mind.

Starting point is 00:11:16 I understand if that's how you felt weeks ago, but please read about what's going on. Please don't turn a blind eye. It's incredibly dangerous and selfish to take the situation that lightly." And tweeting, like your hip-hop yoga class can fucking wait I promise also joining the fray of celebrities speaking out you at Idris Elba though Unfortunately, it's because he released a video today saying that he tested positive for the corona virus We're using the opportunity to tell people to stay home be pragmatic informing them but saying no panic also regarding the situation

Starting point is 00:11:41 We had Thomas Quayle an author designer, put together a piece on Medium further elaborating the benefits of social distancing, and in one graph there, using theoretical data to show how social distancing will lead to fewer cases. And here, you can see the difference between the red and the green line, that even just delaying social distancing by one day, that could result in a 40% increase in cases.

Starting point is 00:11:58 And then you see that black line, that's no social distancing at all, the case is just skyrocketing. Another graph shows the 1918 flu pandemic and how Philadelphia and St. Louis responded. Noting that Philadelphia, which is a way higher peak, allowed public gatherings, while St. Louis, which trails much lower on that dotted line,

Starting point is 00:12:11 encouraged social distancing. Right, and you have health officials explaining that the best practice to slow this spread is social distancing, but that quote, "'Without any measures to slow it down, "'COVID-19 will continue to spread exponentially for months.'" And understand, with everything that we're talking about, everything we're sharing,

Starting point is 00:12:26 the cause here is to not spread fear or panic, but rather to inform, hoping that we have a more informed public that know the potential consequences if nothing is done, and maybe we can get the spread of information that is beneficial. If there's anything that needs to be spread like wildfire right now, it is that.

Starting point is 00:12:42 Now that said, in the United States, we're seeing a number of places take matters into their own hands, right? Public schools in New York City and Los Angeles,. Now that said, in the United States, we're seeing a number of places take matters into their own hands, right? Public schools in New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest school districts in the country, are closing and so are many others now. Also, bars and restaurants have been ordered to close

Starting point is 00:12:53 in several states, including California, Ohio, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and many more. Though, some states made exception for takeaway orders, with Mike DeWine, the governor of Ohio, saying in a statement, "'What we can't have is people congregating and seated. "'Every day we delay, more people will die. "'If we do not act and get some distance between people,

Starting point is 00:13:10 "'our healthcare system in Ohio will not hold up. "'The loss won't only be those impacted by COVID-19, "'but the danger is also to everyone else "'who needs hospital care for other issues.'" And really, as the day goes on, we're likely to see more cities, more states, mandate these kinds of closures. Ultimately, where I wanna end this part of the story

Starting point is 00:13:26 is kind of on a mantra that we've talked about for over a decade. Don't be stupid, stupid. I expect the worst of garbage outliers like the waste of space box rocks that is Dr. Phil girl licking a toilet seat for some sort of notoriety. You do something disgusting and idiotic for attention,

Starting point is 00:13:42 you call it the coronavirus challenge. The only coronavirus challenge that's happening is the fact that the rest of us have to be on the same fucking planet as you. But the don't be stupid, stupid goes out to people that are still going out to these large gatherings. What's worse is you have people like Katie Williams, who in response to AOC saying,

Starting point is 00:13:57 "'Please stop crowding bars, restaurants, "'and public spaces right now,' seemingly bragged, "'I just went to a crowded Red Robin and I'm 30. "'It was delicious and I took my sweet time eating my meal "'because this is America and I'll do what I want.'" Be smarter, be better. Hell, even the president of the United States, who greatly minimized this situation and has now,

Starting point is 00:14:16 thankfully, I'm so glad for it, largely changed his tune, released new guidelines today as we were filming this show. At a press conference, he said that Americans should avoid gatherings of no more than 10 people for at least the next 15 days. Also warning people not to go to bars and restaurants and for states with community spread to shut them down if they have not already.

Starting point is 00:14:31 Though I will say it appears right now that this is advice, not a mandate. Also telling Americans to avoid unnecessary travel, shopping, or social visits. Also Trump saying that he's not currently thinking about implementing a nationwide curfew. However, he did say that his administration might consider locking down certain areas,

Starting point is 00:14:46 right, certain hotspots. But on that note of lockdown, six counties in Northern California have actually just been ordered to shelter in place for three weeks. So big news there. Also, while we were talking about this, we should also talk about the numbers locally

Starting point is 00:14:56 as far as the United States and internationally. As of recording this video, in the United States, there have been over 3,800 confirmed infections, 69 dead. Once again, those are the numbers with not enough testing now. Internationally, we're seeing the number of deaths and the number of reported cases outside of China now greater than those in mainland China.

Starting point is 00:15:13 The total number of cases as of recording, 174,280. The number of deaths, 6,705. And that jumped in numbers due to a surge in deaths in Italy, Iran, Spain, and France. We're also seeing the news today that America's neighbor to the north is shutting their borders. This reportedly to all foreign nationals with exemptions for Canadian residents,

Starting point is 00:15:32 US citizens, diplomats, and some other groups. As far as why the ban does not apply to Americans, Trudeau, who his wife actually tested positive for the coronavirus last Thursday said, "'The level of integration of our two economies "'puts the US in a separate category "'from the rest of the world.'" But also saying he's not ruling out closing the border to the United States in the future

Starting point is 00:15:48 And then actually where I want to end today's show is talking about some of the good news that we're seeing You know on a previous show we talked about the suspension of the NBA season for instance, right? That's something that's affecting more than players who are making millions of dollars Fans it's having a huge impact on thousands of employees and basketball arenas across the nation And so we're seeing things like last week, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love committed to giving $100,000 through his nonprofit to help support the Cavaliers arena and staff.

Starting point is 00:16:11 And soon after we started seeing a number of other players follow his lead. We also had Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who brought up pay issues right as the season was suspended, saying that the Mavericks would pay event staff during this hiatus. The Golden State Warriors taking it even a step further with franchise owners, players, and coaches promising

Starting point is 00:16:25 to contribute $1 million for Chase Center employees. And as you love to see, this became a trend with more teams making more announcements to help arena staff, including the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Lakers, and Clippers. Also, Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert, you remember him. He has also promised assistance of his own

Starting point is 00:16:43 after apologizing for not taking the virus seriously. He reportedly tested positive for the virus after jokingly touching microphones at a press conference, reportedly acting careless around other players. It's an effort to make things right. He encouraged people to use his story as a lesson, also donating $200,000 to the employee relief fund at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Starting point is 00:16:58 This on top of giving families affected by pandemic in Utah, Oklahoma City, and his home country, France, another 100,000 each. We both started seeing a similar situation with Major League Baseball, also a few National Hockey League teams. And these donations have eased the worry for some employees, allowing them to find comfort in knowing that they will still have income during a stressful time. But it's also not just employees impacted by closures who are seeing support. You have others focusing on medical necessities, like Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma. Ma is reportedly donating 500,000 coronavirus testing kits

Starting point is 00:17:25 and one million protective face masks to the United States. Saying that from his own country's experience, speedy and accurate testing and adequate personal protective equipment for medical professionals are most effective in preventing the spread of the virus. Ma has also offered similar supplies for areas like Japan, Korea, Italy, Iran, and Spain, as well as some others.

Starting point is 00:17:41 According to tweets from the Jack Ma Foundation, the first US shipment is already on its way. And in an effort to remind people that this outbreak can and will pass, many have been celebrating the progress being made in Wuhan, China, where the virus first broke out. In a video that's now gone viral, medical workers in Wuhan took their face masks off

Starting point is 00:17:55 to reveal smiles as they celebrated the closing of the last temporary hospital, which, if you don't remember, last month, China quickly built more than a dozen temporary medical facilities, this including two in Wuhan that provided more than 2,000 more beds to accommodate the overflow of patients in the city.

Starting point is 00:18:07 And as of Monday, China has reported nearly 81,000 cases, with more than 67,000 patients who have recovered and about 3,000 who have died. But notably, it appears because the country's quarantine measures, the number of daily cases has reduced drastically. And in fact, we're seeing reports that China has now begun easing local travel restrictions

Starting point is 00:18:22 in an effort to get thousands of people back to work. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. And remember, if you like this video, hit that like button. If you're new here, you want more of these dives into the news every single day, just hit that subscribe button, ring that bell to turn on notifications. Also, if you're looking for more to watch right now,

Starting point is 00:18:36 you got a little more time to spare, I think we all do right now. You can click or tap right there to watch more. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces, we are in this together, and I will see you tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:18:49 I hope you like this video. Subscribe if you like it.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.16 Coronavirus EXPLOITATION & Panic Buying, Idris Elba, People Disregarding Warnings, & More

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