Remember when #science actually meant science? I do.
It’s a shallow talking point now, used to smear political opponents. It means absolutely nothing anymore. It’s been hijacked by 1 side of the aisle to virtue signal to people who think they’re intelligent. “Uh I believe in #science unlike those superstitious and uneducated hillbillies”.
So insightful, Joe.
We’re supposed to believe that this guy believes in #science?
Sounds like a guy with a great understanding of #science. He doesn’t even understand how prescriptions work.
This has reached a fevered pitch lately in the age of the China flu. It had been gathering steam for a number of years among the climate crazies, who insisted that climate science and prediction models were gospel and that the #science was completely settled. “We believe in #science so now we have to destroy the economy or the world will burn” or something like that.
Now the same weaponized term is being used to keep people from leaving their houses and opening their struggling businesses back up. “Dr. Fauci said grandma will die so lock yourself inside and #stayhome, you greedy bastard!”
Government officials across the country have been giving frequent press conferences, and you’d be hard pressed to find a blue-state governor who doesn’t use some version of “we’re following the #science”.
This begs a few questions: which science? Is there any actual scientific consensus? Is science the only factor that should be used to make the decision?
Good luck getting a straight answer to any of these questions.
#Science is being used by these politicians to inoculate themselves from push-back. The sheep that follow them will be satisfied because #science and #peopleoverprofits and stuff. Anyone who dares to push back is immediately labeled anti-science and a menace to society.
It’s the same left-wing tactic as calling someone a racist for questioning the narrative on crime or police brutality. Once that label is attached, it’s hard to shake. Politicians like Donald Trump have shown that the best way to combat these sticky, dishonest labels is to simply not give a shit and fire back instead of try to convince people who aren’t acting in good faith.
We also have to remember that left doesn’t have a monopoly on #science. I hate the “both sides” bullshit, but each side is happy to use #science as an argument when it fits their narrative. The left is happy to ignore, or even try to rewrite #science when it comes to gender and the beginning of human life.
Healthy skepticism is always good. Science and data, when actually used and applied correctly (not just used as a talking point) is useful to solve a lot of problems. When we finally defeat this virus, science will be the reason.
When politicians and pundits use #science in their arguments, it’s usually about the “approved science”. By that, I mean the #science they agree with. The stuff they don’t agree with is a conspiracy theory. Hence, YouTube and other tech companies removing information that goes against the prevailing establishment-approved #science.
If you were going to do this the right way, you weigh one side against the other. Maybe both sides got some things right and some things wrong.
By the time this is all over, and every state is opened back up, we will all be able to see the results, once and for all. So far, those evil anti-science Republican governors in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and other red states have been mass murdering their citizens. Oh wait…they haven’t.
Time will tell. We don’t know exactly what will happen from this point on. We as a society need to follow science and data, but do it the right way. Science isn’t political.