Post

@joho.bsky.social has been on this for years. @malar0ne.bsky.social too. Many others saw through it or dug into the AIER and Atlas work, or noted that Murdoch’s Fox, or Reason, or Bari Weiss kept airing COVID deniers.

Am I upset that we didn’t do a good job pushing back then, and now the same COVID minimizes are destroying US science and public health? I am upset about it. Let’s learn that lesson.

This is the reason for the Rand Paul hearing as well. The far-right elite and Trumpist electeds work hand in hand with the media and the rightwing think tanks. It’s why their efforts are so effective.

It’s a huge part of why he was able to come back. It doesn’t get the discussion in political spaces because too many notionally left leaning people got snowed by bullshit, too.

As with all good political comms-slash-propaganda, there are real, deep, sentiments being exploited — people’s lives were changed and they were angry and looking for explanations. But we let them, mostly unchallenged, shift blame, to the great detriment of public health

The term "covid contrarian" was too broadly applied by some. For example, Monica Gandhi - in my view, a voice that was generally excellent during the pandemic, who like many, including Fauci, did not get everything right - was labelled a "covid contrarian" by some.

Which did you like better? Her telling people not to fear covid right before vaccines came out? Or her saying the pandemic was over right after they came out? 1,000 more examples available.