Was it ignorance or intent?

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…and then there was the luminary that wanted to investigate the efficacy of shoving a UV light up your kazoo, while mainlining Clorox.

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This hasn’t been a US-only phenom. The UK has had more than its share of nitwits who’ve amassed quite a following with their “contrarian” points of view.

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Who was wrong is up for political and financial debate. Follow the money.

The Captain

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And none of it is up to medical debate? Scientific debate? Are you really this cynical Captain?

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Well, scientific debate requires a minimal level of specific knowledge and understanding along with scientific thinking (something that’s apparently lacking in the vast number of folk referred to in the OP). Pretending to cynicism is a useful smokescreen to hide the fact you’re a bit lacking in that area.

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Unfortunately, yes. America has been captured by the elites and technocrats, by the government bureaucracy, by corporate lobby, by TBTF banks, by the revolving doors, by the Patriot Act.

Science has been captured by grants.

Liberty has be derailed by Civil Rights gone wrong which I predicted while I was in Silicon Valley from 1985 to 90 by the implementation of quota systems. Meritocracy was thrown out.

In the corporate microcosm, how much power do you have over the companies where you are a shareholder? Many, like Google, have two classes of shares, one group with ten votes per share for the insiders.

Power corrupts.

But I see a glimmer of hope as some people are fighting back.

The Captain

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Interesting, but not surprising, analysis in the review of Dr. Howard’s new book We Want Them Infected: https://www.amazon.com/Want-Them-Infected-anti-vaccine-Americans/dp/1959346032

The idea of herd immunity became very popular throughout 2020, pushed as it was by “medical authorities” who actually had an agenda (don’t we all, I suppose?). Only this agenda resulted in possibly hundreds of thousands of deaths that were unnecessary. The scary part is how enshrined now that a lot of this thinking has become. The last paragraph of the article sums it up:

Howard’s book is a warning. We may be on the verge of a public health disaster, because the promoters of a failed theory that COVID could be fought through “natural immunity” without vaccines have been able to wrap themselves in the mantle of truth-tellers. But they’re not.

Pete

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The agenda is winning support (financial, or votes, or something else) by telling people what they want to hear. Just like the scam “weight loss” pills that have been pushed for decades “no lifestyle changes needed, no exercise, no diet, just take our pill”

Just like in the case of the pricing of huge SUVs, most people are too thick, or biased, to realize they are being rogered.

Steve

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Fighting true injustice is good, as long as it’s well-intentioned and informed.

But… but… fighting back against vaccines being the best way to handle contagious infections? You need to choose rational fights.

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Traditional vaccines do handle contagious infections but the Covid vaccines were released in a hurry without proper safety testing based on "the world is going to end if you don’t get vaccinated ASAP.

Simply, the covid vaccines were not proper science at all but one more case of capture by interested parties both in government and in industry.

The Captain

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It is interesting who always has merit.

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I’ve been in tech long enough, way long enough, to know the idea this industry was a meritocracy was always a lie.

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It is more obvious in Shanghai for the American public when the city spends $16 billion on AI in one year alone but there are only 1000 known very expert people in AI in the entire country.

We do similar things to give people jobs. Fighting over who gets the jobs prejudice always ensues.

Meritocracy has been extinct in most business settings for decades (if not much longer). The main exception is sports. In business, it’s never about what you know, it’s about who you know.

–Peter

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You kidding. I beg for a rookie Red Sox baseball team. The guys who are energetic and young…who are never paid properly v the guys who are slow, old and just sign baseballs and jerseys. The latter are well overpaid. It kills the entire sport.

They even had to add a time clock so old guys who add endless voodoo ritualism could not stop an entire game.

I have noticed something. The sports reporter on the local “news” cheered the time rules, as the Tigers’ first game finished in something like 2 1/4 hours. But what happens when the game is televised? Even with the new rules, the games still generally take over 3 hours, just like before the time rules.

My theory: TPTB have determined that people will sit in front of their TV for a bit over three hours. Historically NFL games take a bit over three hours to play out a 60 minute game clock…and of that 60 minutes on the clock, the ball is only in motion for about 8 minutes. The rest of the time, viewers are watching players mill aimlessly around the field, and advertising.

My suspicion is the new MLB time rules are only intended to speed the game, so there is room for more advertising in the three-plus hour span that people are willing to sit in front of their TV.

Steve

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yep, remember Amazon’s one click? Just one click and no hassles, you own it.

Now every company is trying to slow you down. The longer you interact with them the more the company can sell you.

While the baseball sped up more people can watch it because it does not run as late and so more of people’s time is taken.

Then there are the ads as you are saying. The ads are the company.