A federal judge yesterday ordered the Biden administration to halt a wide range of communications with social media companies, siding with Missouri and Louisiana in a lawsuit that alleges Biden and his administration violated the First Amendment by colluding with social networks “to suppress disfavored speakers, viewpoints, and content.”
Saying those things before having any data to back them up was indeed anti-science.
You couldn’t know they didn’t have data if they didn’t have the ability to present it. Once censored, it’s impossible to tell what media is, that’s the point of censorship.
You can’t know if what was censored was false information, if you don’t have the data on what was said.
Questioning is the heart and soul of science. Doubting included.
To censor doubt is a demand for agreement, and an intimidation of dissent.
There was a time I would believe you whole heartedly.
I despise book bans.
I see people try to censor other people’s very existence.
I hate China’s authoritarian laws.
I wish to strive to allow as much free speech and liberty reasonably possible.
Then COVID happened. Misinformation, narrative pushing, and just plain lying. My grandma died from the virus in a hospital not consistently wearing masks or even checking for it in the first place. A hospital wear fox news plays abound and nurses proudly talk about their “knowing” of what actually is happening.
I have to ask myself, is this worth it?
I don’t think so. A line must be drawn somewhere.
People posting pro horse-medicine posts on social media aren’t ever going to be doing anything close to “science”.
And this romantic concept of “questioning is the heart and soul of science” is just a banal platitude. Rigorous testing and record keeping is the heart and soul of science. Latching on to conspiracy theories is not even tangentially related to science.
People making claims that “injecting bleach will cure COVID,” “COVID is a hoax,” or “the vaccine contains nanobots to control us!” aren’t questioning anything. They’re making claims that are false and dangerous, leading to needless deaths. Quit trying to act like the COVID conspiracy theorists were simply asking questions in good faith rather that intentionally spreading disinformation in order to politicize a virus.
That was the data we had at the time, yes. New data can mean new stances, and that’s okay. But notice the order of operations there; new data, then new stance. Not the other way around.
Almost all those things haven’t been proven true or accepted by most experts. Stop lying.
Asking questions is fine to inform yourself. Asking questions to purposely push a narrative isn’t
To say, as in to state as fact, yes.
To question, no.
There’s a wide gap between “covid originated in a lab” and “covid could have originated in a lab”.
Yet the then director of the CDC was forcibly sidelined simply for asking that they investigate. Interesting take.
Nobody is “begrudgingly” accepting scientific results. But you want to tell that story, right? You’re looking for an “us vs. them” situation, but that’s not how science works.
Also, I think some of your facts are not actually facts.
Finally, a question itself is not “anti-science”. How could it be? However, if you’re using a question as a smokescreen to confuse readers or viewers to push your selfish political agenda, that would be shady politics, and it would have nothing to do with science at all.
There were many scientists that were saying we should investigate the lab origin. They were all silenced, including the CDC director at the time.
Was it antiscience to say covid originated in a lab in China?
ok, sure.
Was it antiscience to say 2 weeks to flatten the curve was BS?
That was contingent on half the population not making it their identity to spread disease.
Was it antiscience to say cloth masks were ineffective?
Yes, it’s been proven time and time again that cloth masks reduce transmission and severity.
Was it antiscience to question the long term efficacy of a drug that was not studied for the long term?
Yes, it is antiscience for laymen to question things they don’t understand at all.
Was it antiscience to question the long term side effects of a drug that was not studied for the long term?
Same.
Started out pretty good though!
Was it antiscience to say covid originated in a lab in China?
YES, there was little evidence AND there still isn’t conclusive evidence that it was. They just used it as a reason to be racist toward Asian (and it did provably increase hate crime toward Asian people).
Was it antiscience to say 2 weeks to flatten the curve was BS?
YES, if people would have actually isolated, we would have had far fewer cases shortly after.
Was it antiscience to say cloth masks were ineffective?
YES, they are still effective and far better than not wearing a mask at all.
Was it antiscience to question the long term efficacy/long term side effects (I’m combining 2 questions here) of a drug that was not studied for the long term?
YES, the vaccine was not given to people widespread until after thorough testing. It’s fact that almost any vaccine side effect will occur within the first few weeks of it being administered. There was also information and testing about the efficacy before it was widely distributed.
People questioning this stuff were given the answers by scientists, specialists, people with knowledge, and they outright denied the truth of the data. It’s one thing to question, it’s another thing to yell questions into the void and pretend you don’t hear the answers.
Exactly! We’re just asking questions! Like how many shots does it take to induce fetal-alcohol syndrom? Because your mom DEFINITELY knows the answer. And when will these WOKE folks (hehe, rhyme time) stop being so persistant with their knowledge and science and let us just say the stupid shit we think of on the spot? Also, why are you allowed to speak if there is a god? The world may never know, but penis. (( | )) B:::::::::D—~~~ (GET IT? BUTT PENIS!) i’M jUsT aSkInG QuEsTiOnS!
Who gives a shit, frankly. The first amendment is the first amendment, science or anti-science or anything in between. Whether or not I agree with anything in your comment.
Do you understand why you can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowded theater? Do you think that’s a violation of your first amendment rights?
No, actually, I don’t. Because you can. That’s not even the actual quote.
Do you extend the same to lies or threats? If I claimed your computer is full of CP would you still support me?
I personally think this is a brain-dead approach akin to the many “zero tolerance” laws that only exist to remove thought from the equation. “Yes Billy, you may not have actually thrown any punches but we’re suspending you from school for getting beat up by that bully because you were a participant in the fight.”
It’s brain dead to respect the law? Are you drawing a line between what I said and some idea of unlimited free speech? If so, that’s not my stance.
Edit: also half the things you said would be illegal, so no I wouldn’t support you
Was it antiscience to say covid originated in a lab in China?
Yes. It would be accurate to say that it is possible that the Covid originated in a lab in China, but the evidence is mixed and it is certainly not provided.
Was it antiscience to say 2 weeks to flatten the curve was BS?
No idea, because I don’t know who you claimed to say it, when they said it or in which county
Was it antiscience to say cloth masks were ineffective?
Yes - because it’s much too simplistic. Depending on the design of the mask, the material and how it was warn cloth masks certainly had an effect on reducing infection - in particular infected mask wearers are less likely to infect others
Was it antiscience to question the long term efficacy of a drug that was not studied for the long term?
No - and questions about long-term efficacy were front and centre of studies into how long (for example) vaccines shots lasted. The point was that even short - term efficacy was pretty useful.
Was it antiscience to question the long term side effects of a drug that was not studied for the long term?
No. It’s absolutely scientific to ask questions about it. It is is anti-science tio make stuff up about probable long-term effects when the mechanism of the drug are pretty well understood.
At one point or another every one of those questions was considered antiscience and is now begrudgingly accepted by the experts.
Some of them are “anti-science”, some aren’t. I’m not quite sure what point you are trying to make, other than “Experts bad”
I just want to point out that your very first question is irrelevant to the rest. Whereever it originated, we needed to stop the spread but propagandists got hold of people through paranoia and pushed them to behave in ways that INCREASED the spread, and it started with stuff like the first question.