# Hundreds of thousands of bikers converged at the massive Sturgis Rally, one of the biggest gatherings during the pandemic.



## Robert59 (Aug 19, 2020)

Hundreds of thousands of bikers converged in Sturgis, South Dakota, in the first week of August for a massive annual rally. It was one of the biggest public gatherings in the US since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Newly released phone location data shows where people traveled to attend the rally. The data shows people converging from much of the US — especially the Midwest and the South — including Texas, Georgia, and Arizona.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hundreds-thousands-bikers-converged-massive-154705381.html


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## Don M. (Aug 19, 2020)

It will be interesting to note the statistics for this virus, in coming weeks, in the states which had the greatest participation.   There may be some really good buys on high end Harleys, this Winter.


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## Kadee (Aug 19, 2020)

We watch american pickers TV show and I’ve heard them mention the huge gathering of motor bikes at the Sturgis rally.


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## StarSong (Aug 20, 2020)

Watched several YouTube videos that attendees and locals took.  Perhaps 1 in 200 attendees wore a mask - certainly no more than that.  The crowd was mostly over 60, 85% were overweight to obese, and social distancing didn't seem to be part of their agenda.    

The bikes were gorgeous, the crowd seemed to be having a great time, and it seemed to be a peaceful gathering.


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## Becky1951 (Aug 20, 2020)

*Coronavirus case at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally prompts warning from health department*
A person visited One-Eyed Jack's Saloon in Sturgis "while able to transmit the virus to others," officials said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1237322


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## Don M. (Aug 20, 2020)

It will probably be the end of August, or early September before there are any indicators of this rally contributing to climbing numbers of this virus, among those who participated.  However, if the results of other large gatherings hold true, there will likely be quite a few of these bikers who succumb to this virus.


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## StarSong (Aug 20, 2020)

Don M. said:


> It will probably be the end of August, or early September before there are any indicators of this rally contributing to climbing numbers of this virus, among those who participated.  However, if the results of other large gatherings hold true, there will likely be quite a few of these bikers who succumb to this virus.


Probably true.  This virus doesn't care how bad-ass you or your motorcycle is.  It's an equal opportunity exploiter.


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## Lakeland living (Aug 20, 2020)

The last month here, had to go into town for supplies, each time it was bumper to bumper people without cars. NO masks to be seen. 
 Was glad to get back up here.  This is crazy , now many are going back home to the cities. If crowded I don't go inside, making early trips
In the last 2 weeks new cases popping up. Let the bad asses have it, those helpless or innocents are those that will pay for it.


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## Linda (Aug 21, 2020)

I live stream watched a lot of the 10 day Sturgis motorcycle rally on YouTube.  I didn't see many masks.  I enjoyed it from a safe distance.  It'll be interesting to see what comes of it.


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## Sunny (Aug 21, 2020)

Linda said:


> I live stream watched a lot of the 10 day Sturgis motorcycle rally on YouTube.  I didn't see many masks.  I enjoyed it from a safe distance.  It'll be interesting to see what comes of it.



Interesting and predictable.


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## Keesha (Aug 21, 2020)

StarSong said:


> Probably true.  This virus doesn't care how bad-ass you or your motorcycle is.  It's an equal opportunity exploiter.


Haha. Perfectly stated. Love it


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## Becky1951 (Aug 21, 2020)

According to the news I've read this morning there's already people testing positive who attended this event.


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## asp3 (Aug 21, 2020)

Here are two articles, one saying 15 from MN and 7 from NE are linked to the motorcycle rally

https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...55cee8-e3f4-11ea-82d8-5e55d47e90ca_story.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-...onavirus-cases-to-sturgis-sd-motorcycle-rally


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## Butterfly (Aug 22, 2020)

Brother-in-law went every year until he died.  He'd come back and regale us with his stories of how wonderful it all was until we go sick and tired of hearing about it.  I'm not a big fan of motorcycles, so it got old pretty quickly.


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## StarSong (Aug 22, 2020)

asp3 said:


> Here are two articles, one saying 15 from MN and 7 from NE are linked to the motorcycle rally
> 
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...55cee8-e3f4-11ea-82d8-5e55d47e90ca_story.html
> 
> https://thehill.com/homenews/state-...onavirus-cases-to-sturgis-sd-motorcycle-rally


Utterly predictable.


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## Sunny (Aug 22, 2020)

And yet, they keep denying reality. Like a flock of lemmings.


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## chic (Aug 22, 2020)

Robert59 said:


> Hundreds of thousands of bikers converged in Sturgis, South Dakota, in the first week of August for a massive annual rally. It was one of the biggest public gatherings in the US since the COVID-19 outbreak.
> Newly released phone location data shows where people traveled to attend the rally. The data shows people converging from much of the US — especially the Midwest and the South — including Texas, Georgia, and Arizona.
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/hundreds-thousands-bikers-converged-massive-154705381.html



My friend is playing music there. Awful when you have to choose between your health and making a living but he has to.


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## Gaer (Aug 22, 2020)

I sure hope they will all be safe!


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## Sunny (Aug 22, 2020)

Chic, they will probably be fine. My son is a drummer with a band, and they've had a few gigs lately, all outdoors, and it seemed to work out fine.
Indoors would be another story.


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## Pepper (Aug 22, 2020)

Sunny said:


> And yet, they keep denying reality. Like a *flock of lemmings.*


A flock?  Surely that can't be right.


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## jerry old (Aug 22, 2020)

Bring back the plague to their home states:  half-wits-no, quarter-wit
-no: worser,  much worser.


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## Becky1951 (Aug 22, 2020)

jerry old said:


> Bring back the plague to their home states:  half-wits-no, quarter-wit
> -no: worser,  much worser.



Nit-Wits.


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## chic (Aug 22, 2020)

Sunny said:


> Chic, they will probably be fine. My son is a drummer with a band, and they've had a few gigs lately, all outdoors, and it seemed to work out fine.
> Indoors would be another story.



I think you're right. He's not a kid, he's a man in his sixties capable of making intelligent decisions. And it is safer outdoors. Besides, he likes bikers. Go figure, but he does. He says they appreciate music more.


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## Sunny (Aug 22, 2020)

Pepper said:


> A flock?  Surely that can't be right.



Yeah, you're probably right, Pepper. I wondered about the word "flock" when I wrote it. But what would be right?  Group? Bunch? Herd? Colony? Litter? Pod? Troop? Pack? Embarrassment? (That last one is for pandas.)


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## StarSong (Aug 23, 2020)

A DuckDuckGo search yielded two frequent sets of results.  The first is that a group of lemmings is called a slice.  The second is that there is no specific term for a group of lemmings. 

I rather like that description, a slice of lemmings.


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## jerry old (Aug 23, 2020)

Do you take a slice of  lemming with your tea?


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## Nathan (Aug 23, 2020)

If an individual wants to put their self at risk- I got no problem with that, and could care less if that individual ends up paying the price for their folly.

Sad part of the _denial mentality_ and refusal to wear a mask is that innocent people will become infected and die


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## pip48 (Aug 23, 2020)

Lakeland living said:


> The last month here, had to go into town for supplies, each time it was bumper to bumper people without cars. NO masks to be seen.
> Was glad to get back up here.  This is crazy , now many are going back home to the cities. If crowded I don't go inside, making early trips
> In the last 2 weeks new cases popping up. Let the bad asses have it, those helpless or innocents are those that will pay for it.


I feel so angry that these people will not listen to the health professionals, but they are being lead in that direction by the head of the country, so what do we expect. I feel that I am home bound because, I can't trust that people will wear masks or social distance. I ventured out and had ask a woman in line to please back up to the six foot marker on the floor behind me.  I feel like I have to be on the defensive all the time, if I do go out.  When you know that these people are behaving this way, they are higher risk people for having the virus.  I could go out more and live a little freer if these ignorant people didn't behave this way. I have been pretty much alone and at home for almost 6 months now. There should be laws to prevent this element of the population from holding the rest of us hostage.


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## pip48 (Aug 23, 2020)

Nathan said:


> If an individual wants to put their self at risk- I got no problem with that, and could care less if that individual ends up paying the price for their folly.
> 
> Sad part of the _denial mentality_ and refusal to wear a mask is that innocent people will become infected and die


It makes them higher risks for the virus, which makes them more risky to be around. So when I have to go out they put me at a higher risk.


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## pip48 (Aug 23, 2020)

Gaer said:


> I sure hope they will all be safe!


I wish I could be a generous as you are.  These people that will not listen and deliberately put us all at risk, should experience the down side for themselves and their friends and family.  I have no safe wishes for them.  I do wish safety to those who have to be around them.  I had a woman tell me that she believes that "THEY", are inflating the death toll.  I ask her if she realized how many people would have to be involved in a conspiracy like that?  She said, " on not that many".  I said have you ever tried to get 4 different people together to go to dinner?  These elaborate conspiracy theories would take hundreds of people to pull it off.


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## Nathan (Aug 23, 2020)

pip48 said:


> I had a woman tell me that she believes that "THEY", are inflating the death toll. I ask her if she realized how many people would have to be involved in a conspiracy like that? She said, " on not that many". I said have you ever tried to get 4 different people together to go to dinner? These elaborate conspiracy theories would take hundreds of people to pull it off.



Yes, people don't think about how difficult it is to actually pull off a conspiracy _successfully_.  I always recall the allegation that the LAPD conspired to frame OJ Simpson...yea right!  I worked for law enforcement agencies, and know that the over riding priority with the employess therein is to protect *their jobs*, and keep from getting fired. A high profile case like OJ's would NOT be the best occasion to join in a conspiracy.
Social media of course is a ripe breeding ground for conspiracy ideas to spread...like a _social disease_.


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## Gaer (Aug 23, 2020)

Perhaps it's true,I am guileless, but I still hope and pray for their safety; that they will all be well.
it's not my place to judge their actions.


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## Sunny (Aug 23, 2020)

I agree, Pip and Nathan. All the dummies who have been sold on this "conspiracy" theory just mindlessly echo what they are being led to believe. Imagine all the countries in the world agreeing to shut themselves down, keep people isolated and quarantined, print lots of fake news stories and pictures of mass graves, bring their schools and businesses to a screeching halt....  all in order to ruin our economy.

This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic. Let them get out there and strut around without their masks, to show how macho they are.  There will be a lot fewer of them.


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## Gaer (Aug 23, 2020)

I don't understand people with no empathy or compassion.
I don't understand people who WISH bad things to happen to others and LAUGH if or when bad things DO happen.
I don't understand applauding because others agree with their hatred,
I don't understand cruelty.


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## StarSong (Aug 23, 2020)

I wish people no harm.  However, I do condemn heartless arrogance and willful disregard for the safety of others. 

I once heard a minister rather loftily preaching on loving thy neighbor. He said that no matter how angry he got, he never hoped anyone would go to hell. Then he paused and said, "Well, not for more than about 15 minutes anyway." 

While I don't wish this illness on anyone, neither it wouldn't break my heart if some of the worst offenders suffered a day or two of abject fear that they either caught this virus or passed it to a loved one. 

Their 15 minutes in hell, if you would.


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## CarolfromTX (Aug 23, 2020)

Personally, I love collective nouns. Apparently, there isn't one for lemmings. One wonders why not, as they are often referred to as a large group, and a large group plunging off a cliff, no less. A hurtle of lemmings? A plunge of lemmings? A stupidity of lemmings?


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## Sunny (Aug 23, 2020)

A dive of lemmings?  

For those who like this sort of thing, check out this list of all the different animal groups.  And you are right, Carol, they don't have lemmings on the list. I wonder why?

They also don't have cattle on the list. And wouldn't buffalo be a herd, instead of a gang or obstinacy?

https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-names-for-groups-of-animals.html


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## Gaer (Aug 24, 2020)

Now you call them lemmings? How witty you are!  Your cleverly shrouded jabs of hate are noted.
Oh, Shall we all look up funny names in the dictionary to call them?   "macho, all strutting around"?  "dummies"?

These are real people, who have done nothing to hurt you.  Bikers are some of the nicest and kindest people on the planet.
Instead of calling them names and hoping for their deaths, so you can laugh and say "I told you so!" why don't you pray they will all be safe?
Why don't you try to have kind thoughts?  You don't need to be cruel.

Why is it, I'm picturing another life, where a bunch of fat, old blisters are cackling in the front row of a beheading, yelling "guillotine!"?


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## rgp (Aug 24, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Now you call them lemmings? How witty you are!  Your cleverly shrouded jabs of hate are noted.
> Oh, Shall we all look up funny names in the dictionary to call them?   "macho, all strutting around"?  "dummies"?
> 
> These are real people, who have done nothing to hurt you.  Bikers are some of the nicest and kindest people on the planet.
> ...




Some people love being control freaks, they just can't help themselves. _They_ have all the answers for _everyone_. _They_ live their lives in a _perfect _manner, and are astonished that the rest of us _do not_ follow their lead.


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## StarSong (Aug 24, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Now you call them lemmings? How witty you are!  Your cleverly shrouded jabs of hate are noted.
> Oh, Shall we all look up funny names in the dictionary to call them?   "macho, all strutting around"?  "dummies"?
> 
> These are real people, who have done nothing to hurt you.  Bikers are some of the nicest and kindest people on the planet.
> ...


Whoa! Nobody is suggesting anything hateful about bikers in general or even in particular. We are saying that the BEHAVIOR of many in Sturgis was irresponsible and dangerous to themselves and others they'll come in contact with post-Sturgis.    

(Please note your own insulting stereotype regarding the overweight and the elderly.)


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## Sunny (Aug 24, 2020)

Gaer said:


> I don't understand people with no empathy or compassion.
> I don't understand people who WISH bad things to happen to others and LAUGH if or when bad things DO happen.
> I don't understand applauding because others agree with their hatred,
> I don't understand cruelty.



Couldn't have said it better myself, Gaer!

I don't understand people with no empathy or compassion for those they have casually infected with a devastating, possibly fatal, illness, strutting around at mass crowd scenes in spite of the certain knowledge that they are helping to spread a disease.

I don't understand people who laugh at others for wearing the masks that overwhelmingly protect other people from the disease they may be carrying, sometimes without having any symptoms. And describe those who are sensibly mainly staying at home as "cowering in fear."

I don't understand blindly following leadership that encourages them to insult and dismiss our top scientific researchers and physicians, suggest all sorts of wacko remedies (and worse than wacko), and support every crackpot charleton that comes along, as long as they push the right political buttons.

Yes, there is a lot that I don't understand in this.  Mainly, I don't understand that those who claim to love our country are so eager to throw it down into the pit of so much suffering created by stubborn ignorance.


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## Gaer (Aug 24, 2020)

Sunny, Please don't twist my words or correlate them with YOUR opinions.  You and I will always be of two different opinions.  It is YOU that resorts to the name calling.  Remember, you called me an arrogant white racist when I was writing of men keeping their individuality, in "The Measure of a Man".
and RGP?  Thank you.


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## Sunny (Aug 24, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Sunny, Please don't twist my words or correlate them with YOUR opinions.  You and I will always be of two different opinions.  It is YOU that resorts to the name calling.  Remember, you called me an arrogant white racist when I was writing of men keeping their individuality, in "The Measure of a Man".
> and RGP?  Thank you.



Gaer, I don't need (or wish) to twist your words. You do a good enough job of doing that all by yourself, and have left many of us on this forum scratching our heads in bewilderment as to what you are, in fact, trying to say.  

Thanks for reminding me of that thread where you wrote a Kiplingesque poem, essay, whatever it was, which if it didn't exactly contain his words, the style of writing was so close that it easily could pass for the real thing.  And then telling us that you never read anything by him.  As someone pointed out, you must have been subliminally reached somehow.

And then you put in that bit about spitting on the flag, and then denied that you ever said it?

As someone else pointed out, every "morally superior" point you made could just as easily apply to the BLM crowd.  They are also "standing up like a man" (although many of them are women) for what they believe. And have collectively been more grievously wounded than any other group.  You lost a job due to affirmative action?  Isn't it time to get over it already?

Somewhere in that thread, you said you found it "funny" that you had been called (or compared with) a white supremacist.  And here you are, trying to revive that old argument. So once again, you are contradicting your own words. Things that are funny don't usually find their way into discussions months later.

As far as accusing me of name-calling, ever hear of the duck test?  "If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." That's not name-calling, it's stating what you sound like to me.

Let's put that Rudyard Kipling business to rest, once and for all. I'm sure everyone is sick of it. This thread is supposed to be about mass rallies in defiance of COVID-19, not about Black Lives Matter. And if it really is your considered opinion that "the measure of a man" is shown by how arrogantly he defies health restrictions, putting everyone else at risk, well, that says a lot.


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