Topic: Case Definition

Crowe compares the current global shutdown to a historical South African tribe that killed its own cattle on a leader's orders, leading to famine. He criticizes the press for asking "softball questions" and failing to investigate false positive rates. He explains how expanding testing to asymptomatic family members creates a "self-generated epidemic" through broad case definitions.

Crowe notes that in mid-February 2020, China changed its definition of a "confirmed case" to require symptoms and contact, which caused reported numbers to drop. He suggests that the Chinese government uses dry bureaucratic logic to "fix" epidemics by changing the rules of the book. He contrasts this with Western leaders who use emotional rhetoric about "beating" the virus.