Bonum Certa Men Certa

Just Because We Dislike and Distrust Many Who Profit From COVID-19 Doesn't Mean It's a 'Hoax' (Opportunism Does Not Imply a Crisis Being Faked or Manufactured)

These numbers aren't 'fake'; a lot of people get infected, with a high proportion of them dying (and we have no known cure/immunisation for this, unlike influenza)

COVID-19 stats



Summary: The "dude with a webcam and a YouTube channel" crowd is really not helping the public understanding of -- and response to -- a dangerous virus that spreads very easily; and to make matters worse it serves to distract from legitimate criticisms of powerful people and generally rogue institutions

THE (il)logical fallacy that behind every gainer there's a motivation that implies intent to harm has led to a great deal of misinformation. At the start of the year some people came to our IRC channels, somehow suggesting if not directly insinuating that Bill Gates was behind the pandemic (only epidemic at the time). We ignored them back then and we still dismiss them as lacking compelling evidence. Some are visibly offended and irritated by this rejection, but that's alright; maintaining high standards is paramount. A bunch of patents pertaining to coronavirus (not this variant/mutation labeled "COVID-19") isn't evidence. In fact, coronavirus isn't a new thing. These endemic issues have long impacted humankind, as did other standards/types of germs and viruses. The epidemiology experts (not 'armchair generals' with a YouTube channel) have long warned about this, foretelling the spread of something like Ebola. We already know the difference between well-contained viruses and those that spread rapidly through airports, aided by globalism and materialism.



"A lot of people who start with arguments of substance end up being misled by the cranks, which then breeds a message with signal and noise combined (also unhelpful)."Just like the whole "5G causes coronavirus" crowd, this one seems to contribute to dismissal of Gates critics as irrational cranks, as anti-vaxxers, or anti-abortion religious nuts. We've rejected this narrative all along, yet some people carry on and on. That's not at all helping; it's actually helping Gates because he later goes on national Chinese TV, collectively referring to claims about him as assertions that it's him who started the whole thing (as if he controls Wuhan).

When we receive input (some as mail or social control media; sometimes even random IRC ramblings) we nowadays need to classify it, as some of it is pure noise and some of it very substantial. A lot of people who start with arguments of substance end up being misled by the cranks, which then breeds a message with signal and noise combined (also unhelpful). We're not sure how to best deal with this situation and how to handle these people, who are typically well-meaning but misguided (or misled). We suppose one can hope that over time it will become more apparent what's factual and what's obviously false. The confusion or conflation serves nobody but those looking to make 'caricatures' of their critics.

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