Re: messaging. This is kind of the core issue. The messaging was bad. But the bad messaging came from politicians. That doesn't impinge on whether the vaccine was in fact safe or was in fact effective. I agree that the messaging was bad. I don't agree that the vaccine didn't work. It does work - it does reduce infections, it does reduce symptomatic disease, it does reduce severe disease, it does reduce deaths. All to increasing degrees, and none perfect. But look… we're hundreds of words into a discussion that has been a little technical at times, and you still are leaning toward a binary works / doesn't work set that is just an inadequate way to look at it. It's kind of an impossible task.
Again, where did I say that about ignorance? I looked, I don't think I did. I mean I might have, but I don't think I did.
The political establishment never had credibility with me. I think that's the strange part. And honestly the medical establishment only has passing credibility. The FDA kind of sucks, they're way too conservative. We have a replication crisis in science in general. There's a lot of junk research out there. You shouldn't just trust anyone, ever, especially not simply because of their position. But you can read data, and do the work to come to some conclusions with varying degrees of confidence. I haven't made an appeal to medical authority once, I don't think.
The problem is some of these simply aren't facts. There were literally thousands and thousands of studies done testing treatments and prophylactics.
The FDA did not try to prevent the release of data for 75 years: a shotgun FOIA request for any and all data was submitted. The FDA said we only have x resources to do the redaction, and the lawyer said at that rate it will take 75 years.
The medical definition for vaccine working is a fact, and it is in the clinical trials, and it did not change. There are lots of ways to see if something "works".
At this point you seem to be more interested in justifying your a priori opinion than discussion. You haven't engaged meaningfully with any of the info I've presented, just continued to reject or dismiss them, or give reasons why you believe what you do. And you keep bringing up things we agree on as if it pertains (like that the mandates were bad or that public messaging was bad). So - thanks for the reasonable discussion, but I don't think it's beneficial to continue further. Cheers.
Again, where did I say that about ignorance? I looked, I don't think I did. I mean I might have, but I don't think I did.
The political establishment never had credibility with me. I think that's the strange part. And honestly the medical establishment only has passing credibility. The FDA kind of sucks, they're way too conservative. We have a replication crisis in science in general. There's a lot of junk research out there. You shouldn't just trust anyone, ever, especially not simply because of their position. But you can read data, and do the work to come to some conclusions with varying degrees of confidence. I haven't made an appeal to medical authority once, I don't think.
Quote:
Ignoring, or actively preventing any studies of prophylactic treatments other than a vaccine.
Trying to prevent the release of data for 75 years
Constant moving of the goalposts regarding what it means for the vaccine to "work"
The problem is some of these simply aren't facts. There were literally thousands and thousands of studies done testing treatments and prophylactics.
The FDA did not try to prevent the release of data for 75 years: a shotgun FOIA request for any and all data was submitted. The FDA said we only have x resources to do the redaction, and the lawyer said at that rate it will take 75 years.
The medical definition for vaccine working is a fact, and it is in the clinical trials, and it did not change. There are lots of ways to see if something "works".
At this point you seem to be more interested in justifying your a priori opinion than discussion. You haven't engaged meaningfully with any of the info I've presented, just continued to reject or dismiss them, or give reasons why you believe what you do. And you keep bringing up things we agree on as if it pertains (like that the mandates were bad or that public messaging was bad). So - thanks for the reasonable discussion, but I don't think it's beneficial to continue further. Cheers.