BALLGAME

Thanks for playing.

Our polarized political culture has reflexively approached the pandemic as just another culture-war drama of this sort — demanding that we each prove our loyalty to our team and express exasperated outrage at the other. This has left us clinging to various strategies rooted in provisional hypotheses (about re-opening the economy, for instance, or enforcing lockdowns, or using hydroxychloroquine), insisting that evidence against our view does not exist, and unwilling to change our minds when new facts emerge.

Worse yet, the very communities of experts we rely on to assess provisional knowledge and provide us their best judgment have failed the test of professional restraint in key moments, giving in to political tribalism themselves. The latest example has involved the protests (and at times riots) that have broken out across the country after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. Their cause is just, and when they remain peaceful these protests are surely a force for good. But even acknowledging the evidence that outdoor transmission is uncommon with normal activities, there is simply no doubt that hundreds or thousands of people marching in close proximity and yelling increases the risk of spreading the virus. Yet after months of their supporting lockdowns, scolding those who violate social-distancing rules, and even demanding that some elections be postponed, we now find not only progressive political leaders but even public health experts downplaying the risks.

This politicized hypocrisy was especially evident in an open letter published by more than a thousand public-health academics and practitioners this week. As noted in an excellent piece by Conor Friedersdorf, the group simply asserted its willingness to put political considerations above professional obligations.

Tell you what.  If there's a resurgence of the Chinese Flu and people start dropping dead in the streets or something, the resurgence is ALL going to be on the "experts" and the (mostly Democratic) politicians who claimed to be listening to them.  If tens of thousands of people gathered together in one place is perfectly okay but 5 or 6 more Christians or Jews than we said was acceptable is a crime, then you have nothing left to say to me that I need to listen to.

About anything at all.

Regardless of how "journalists" spin it.

Lie to my face once, shame on you, lie to my face twice...

Something's going to kill you someday.  Deal with it.