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While going full "vaccines are bad and unecessary" is stupid the pro establishment fanatical close minded position is also stupid and there are valid issues animating RFK and others.
Most of twitter reactions you quote is in fact about the covid vaccine which isn't the same as vaccine in general.
It really seems that you haven't learned any of the lessons of covid, opioid crisis and Sacklers malfeasance. Or even the lesson of the eternal Marcuse's "we enlightened elites against stupid masses". The masses can be stupid, but the problem is that self proclaimed enlightened elites can be even stupider, or just have a tunnel vision that is animated precisely by this idea of them possessing all wisdom and others just wholly irrational idiots. Another complication is this resentment and hatred leads these self proclaimed enlightened elites to support harming the "stupid" under pretext of safety, and we saw with the reaction to the unvaccinated.
Pretending that this faction are the smart enlightened ones and others are idiots is Hanania tier propaganda talking point repeated ad nauseum. I find it interesting how a rationalist esqe associated space have this bad behavior as a common norm. A lot of shared people from both spaces and Tabarok retweets approvingly Hanania promoting a Thiel guy as the preferred option over RFK. Unfortunately it is propaganda here because the pro big pharma establishment faction is close minded and has huge tunnel vision.
Consider Covid's origins, which is actually a pretty big deal that it is plausibly developed for gain of function research (or perhaps that is the pretext for bioweapon research). That would be an example of a genuine overreach of the industry.
As would the overpromotion of opioids and the Sackler's malfeasance that lead to appreciably different outcomes in life expectancy between USA and other developed countries.
There is also an issue of whether foods in the USA are under-regulated since they do seem to have different and more risky substances than foods produced by at times the same companies for other parts of the developed world. Although overegulation can be a problem.
There is also the possibility that report from the national toxicology program that high fluoride water might be linked to lower IQ scores. Complaints about fluoridation has been another issue dismissed who pattern matched it as kooky, and low status.
Or whether these vaccines which are based on new technology actually are genuinely safe.
If we are going to have an authoritarian pro science regime, it should shut down wannabe "I am the science" types pro establishment types who are fanatical and close minded in a heartbeat and allow informed debate and not put in the pedestal those who don't have a willingness to oppose what ought to be oppose.
What we don't need is the dominance of those who are in practice pro corruption if it is entrenched elites doing it and servile to them and demonize those raising a fuss. Or have build up an understanding based of symbols of prejudged kooky issues not to be touched and side automatically with the way things are going. The "don't question XYZ sacred cow, you morons!" are a net negative that not only shouldn't be authoritarians but should experience themselves exclusion from running institutions and media, moderating social media and forums on the basis of their inadequacy for what their role ought to be.
Scientists, Big Pharma, politicians are all accountable for fuck ups and can only work well if they are willing to listen to reasonable criticisms and in fact, even among people whose agenda can include both some unreasonable stuff and some genuine opposition to corruption and plausible problems, there is a duty for those who pretend to be the smart people to be the types who can separate the baby with the bathwater. Those who want to be close minded and not accept valid problems, and promote this stupid "we the enlightened versus idiots" should make way for actual genuine enlightened elites instead of self proclaimed ones full of hubris.
Indeed, someone who claims to be a scientist might in fact be mistaken about their own essence, if they abandoned their role to be a scientist, and came to believe that "I am the science" and became a believer in unshakeable orthodoxy. Much of this problem can also relate to symbols like the fluoride one that had the symbol to their mind of ridiculousness even though it is a legitimate issue to consider and determine.
Of course, since I say you shouldn't throw the baby with the bathwater, we do need pharmaceutical companies developing cure. It is good when they get things right to be rewarded. But corruption and failure needs to be examined, opposed, and stopped. And it is in fact valid to consider the issue of whether expediency let standards to drop in vaccine development. Whether it is sufficiently safe and so on.
In climate change, and in other issues, the close minded fanaticism of pro establishment types is dangerous. Although the issue when it involves certain people involved with lobbies and networks, might include corruption and willingness to back down entrenched elites for their own benefit of being rewarded from it. Which can include funding, it can also include getting a more positive response from the media.
The reality is that the gains of function research that probably lead to covid might not have happened if the right people were in charge, and we had more people willing to question and oppose corrupt and immoral activities by powerful groups whether these is scientists or are pentagon if it was actually weapons research masquerading as research on diseases. It is dangerous to have people promote close midned, pro establishment gullibility and painting it as the epitome of enlightened intelligence thinking and demonizing opponents of it, by overly focusing on weakmen. While we can oppose both approaches of throwing away the baby with the bathwater, the entrenched elites are actually the bigger problem.
RFK who has wrote a book attacking Anthony Fauci therefore does not represent only a possible overeaction to elements of big pharma, and pharmaceutical research, but also part of a legitimate reaction. There can be both elements in people like him.
After covid, I see the climate change frontier as the one that raises the issue of overreaction of the "we are the science" types both in terms of reduction of freedoms, overreaction against opponents of their agenda who are going to be branded as enemies of science and in terms of a destructive net zero agenda.
Thank you for pointing out the major issues and reasons why RFK got put in this position.
This is the biggest issue for me. Science(TM) has become a religion, and many rationalish types still follow that religion even when it's obviously promoting false beliefs.
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