The mask mandate crowd follows the same patterns as the Trump Derangement cult and the cruise missile liberal jingoists. There's a lot of overlap. They all organize and discipline each other through moral panic campaigns. Ambitious types, like Tufekci, try to get out in front of the moral panic and direct it. It's a smart career move for people whose aptitude for perception management exceeds any real qualifications.
I used to work in "medical education" which was sometimes legit but often just marketing in disguise.
Cynicism and contempt for your audience are both great helpers in the process. Especially the idea that data and information are yours to twist as you please.
This whole mask episode reminds me of nothing so much as that. (Cochrane was a Bible to us as a legit source)
Since the health policy gurus in the US had taken away the reliable Covid treatments, ivermectin and chloroquine, they offered Covid sick patients nothing. By switching to masking, social distancing, and shutdowns they finally gave the public something. None of it worked, but that was irrelevant for our inept health leaders.
The mask mandate crowd follows the same patterns as the Trump Derangement cult and the cruise missile liberal jingoists. There's a lot of overlap. They all organize and discipline each other through moral panic campaigns. Ambitious types, like Tufekci, try to get out in front of the moral panic and direct it. It's a smart career move for people whose aptitude for perception management exceeds any real qualifications.
I used to work in "medical education" which was sometimes legit but often just marketing in disguise.
Cynicism and contempt for your audience are both great helpers in the process. Especially the idea that data and information are yours to twist as you please.
This whole mask episode reminds me of nothing so much as that. (Cochrane was a Bible to us as a legit source)
This made me laugh:
"a knack for cultivating editors looking for social media influencers to market clickbait essays to the Ted Talk and NPR tote bag crowd."
Since the health policy gurus in the US had taken away the reliable Covid treatments, ivermectin and chloroquine, they offered Covid sick patients nothing. By switching to masking, social distancing, and shutdowns they finally gave the public something. None of it worked, but that was irrelevant for our inept health leaders.