I happened to think of a great example of their hatred of any form of free thought or questioning of "the experts," which wouldn't have worked into this piece anyhow, but which is worth mentioning.
Netflix has a documentary series called Ancient Apocalypse featuring a man named Graham Hancock [who incidentally, has been a guest on Joe Rogan.] The man's basic premise is that there were pre-Ice Age civilizations before the ones we know more about. He primarily goes around examining things he purports to be enormous piles of rock from 15-20k years ago. It is somewhat interesting though at the same time his whole premise is just that humans were organized enough to stack rocks into pyramids, but this at what is supposed to be a time before humans lived in large groups.
However, because this challenges "experts," on a topic, any topic, there was a whole string of articles about how dangerous this is and how Netflix was irresponsible for running the show. Say he is a crank, and is completely wrong: this is about the most anodyne incorrect view it is possible to hold. But, despite how many things "very serious people" all believed that has been proven wrong, they want to argue that it creates real world harm if the public learns about a countervailing viewpoint on any scientific matter. It is nothing but sheer authority-worship. Bear in mind, these people suddenly changed their view on what a concept as central to humanity as "gender" is in the last 20 years and then demanded you immediately comply.
Another insightful discussion--thanks! I wrote "The Gaslighting Government" a while back (also included in my QUESTIONING THE COVID COMPANY LINE: CRITICAL THINKING IN HYSTERICAL TIMES). I don't know the play Gaslight, but the film is excellent: https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-gaslighting-government/
The NPCs who believe whatever their experts tell them don't think AT ALL that the experts have been proved wrong at every turn on Covid. They, for example, believe that the vaccines are why we no longer have the "overflowing" hospitals and deaths. They think masks work and that is settled science. Heck, they still aren't even sure if the virus could have perhaps been a lab leak. As an example: a week ago I had dinner with a group of people. Among those was a fellow I have met a few times. He was without his wife. I asked him where his wife was and he told me she is home with Covid and he is "staying far away from her." He then went on to say he couldn't understand why she got Covid because she had three vaccinations. I was taken aback but I didn't let on, but rather nonchalantly said: "Well, you know the vaccines don't prevent infection." His response: "Oh, you're one of those." (Obviously, a reference to anti-vaxxer.) Mind you, this is a highly educated man who was a founder of a very successful business (you would likely recognize the name of the business.) Yes, this may be an outlier but how is this possible that he didn't know in June of 2023 that the vaccine is not protective against the disease? Bottom line: a large portion of the country see nothing the experts got wrong.
Indeed. I started saying early in this that the covid lunatics are "immune to data"
It is impossible to convince them of anything. There is a Burke quote from "Letter to a Member of the National Assembly" that I use all the time, and must use again here:
"In the unavoidable uncertainty as to the effect, which attends on every measure of human prudence, nothing seems a surer antidote to the poison of fraud than its detection. It is true, the fraud may be swallowed after this discovery, and perhaps even swallowed the more greedily for being a detected fraud. Men sometimes make a point of honor not to be disabused; and they had rather fall into an hundred errors than confess one. But, after all, when neither our principles nor our dispositions, nor, perhaps, our talents, enable us to encounter delusion with delusion, we must use our best reason to those that ought to be reasonable creatures, and to take our chance for the event. We cannot act on these anomalies in the minds of men. I do not conceive that the persons who have contrived these things can be made much the better or the worse for anything which can be said to them. They are reason-proof. Here and there, some men, who were at first carried away by wild, good intentions, may be led, when their first fervors are abated, to join in a sober survey of the schemes into which they had been deluded. To those only (and I am sorry to say they are not likely to make a large description) we apply with any hope."
I happened to think of a great example of their hatred of any form of free thought or questioning of "the experts," which wouldn't have worked into this piece anyhow, but which is worth mentioning.
Netflix has a documentary series called Ancient Apocalypse featuring a man named Graham Hancock [who incidentally, has been a guest on Joe Rogan.] The man's basic premise is that there were pre-Ice Age civilizations before the ones we know more about. He primarily goes around examining things he purports to be enormous piles of rock from 15-20k years ago. It is somewhat interesting though at the same time his whole premise is just that humans were organized enough to stack rocks into pyramids, but this at what is supposed to be a time before humans lived in large groups.
However, because this challenges "experts," on a topic, any topic, there was a whole string of articles about how dangerous this is and how Netflix was irresponsible for running the show. Say he is a crank, and is completely wrong: this is about the most anodyne incorrect view it is possible to hold. But, despite how many things "very serious people" all believed that has been proven wrong, they want to argue that it creates real world harm if the public learns about a countervailing viewpoint on any scientific matter. It is nothing but sheer authority-worship. Bear in mind, these people suddenly changed their view on what a concept as central to humanity as "gender" is in the last 20 years and then demanded you immediately comply.
Another insightful discussion--thanks! I wrote "The Gaslighting Government" a while back (also included in my QUESTIONING THE COVID COMPANY LINE: CRITICAL THINKING IN HYSTERICAL TIMES). I don't know the play Gaslight, but the film is excellent: https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-gaslighting-government/
Maybe I'm wrong and it was only a film? That is one thing I didnt bother to verify.
Looking forward to your book I am planning on getting a copy to review it :)
Many films begin as short stories or novels or plays before being scripted, I'll see what I can find...
based on a play called Angel Street according to wikipedia. I suppose I will edit this to say film for clarity.
In any case, you need to watch Gaslight! A true classic.
I do love old movies, and it sounds noir-y from the description
The NPCs who believe whatever their experts tell them don't think AT ALL that the experts have been proved wrong at every turn on Covid. They, for example, believe that the vaccines are why we no longer have the "overflowing" hospitals and deaths. They think masks work and that is settled science. Heck, they still aren't even sure if the virus could have perhaps been a lab leak. As an example: a week ago I had dinner with a group of people. Among those was a fellow I have met a few times. He was without his wife. I asked him where his wife was and he told me she is home with Covid and he is "staying far away from her." He then went on to say he couldn't understand why she got Covid because she had three vaccinations. I was taken aback but I didn't let on, but rather nonchalantly said: "Well, you know the vaccines don't prevent infection." His response: "Oh, you're one of those." (Obviously, a reference to anti-vaxxer.) Mind you, this is a highly educated man who was a founder of a very successful business (you would likely recognize the name of the business.) Yes, this may be an outlier but how is this possible that he didn't know in June of 2023 that the vaccine is not protective against the disease? Bottom line: a large portion of the country see nothing the experts got wrong.
Indeed. I started saying early in this that the covid lunatics are "immune to data"
It is impossible to convince them of anything. There is a Burke quote from "Letter to a Member of the National Assembly" that I use all the time, and must use again here:
"In the unavoidable uncertainty as to the effect, which attends on every measure of human prudence, nothing seems a surer antidote to the poison of fraud than its detection. It is true, the fraud may be swallowed after this discovery, and perhaps even swallowed the more greedily for being a detected fraud. Men sometimes make a point of honor not to be disabused; and they had rather fall into an hundred errors than confess one. But, after all, when neither our principles nor our dispositions, nor, perhaps, our talents, enable us to encounter delusion with delusion, we must use our best reason to those that ought to be reasonable creatures, and to take our chance for the event. We cannot act on these anomalies in the minds of men. I do not conceive that the persons who have contrived these things can be made much the better or the worse for anything which can be said to them. They are reason-proof. Here and there, some men, who were at first carried away by wild, good intentions, may be led, when their first fervors are abated, to join in a sober survey of the schemes into which they had been deluded. To those only (and I am sorry to say they are not likely to make a large description) we apply with any hope."