Comment by gwn7 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by gwn7 | Hacker News Reader

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I'm not pro nor anti vaccine; I don't really care personally and I really don't like to be involved with this kind of conversations anymore but I just want to leave a single question here I think that everyone should think about.

What's Yeadon's profit on all this? He's not alone either. There are a hell lot of people like Yeadon who are spreading "pseudoscience". And the majority of them are doing this at the cost of their professional cancellation. What are their income models? What are their incentives? Are they simply deluded, or "bad people"? Why are they doing this? Who are behind them (if anyone)? It's easy to alienate this kind of people by saying that they are just "fucking conspiracy theorists" and then forget about them, but the questions remain.

On the other side there are people like Bill Gates, Anthony Fauci, CEOs of the vaccine companies, MDs whose jobs depend on their compliance, and similar others who undoubtedly profit from promoting vaccines and government policies. This group's incentive mechanisms are clear.

What do you think are the incentives of the first group?

Please note that I'm not saying there aren't any at all. It's just that I'm not really sure about it so I'm just trying to start a conversation to get opinions from people smarter than me. I'm just a confused guy and not even trying to pick sides anymore.

I don't think you have to look too far from hacker news, to find people happy to comment on any subject they've got only tangential expertise in.

points to self

It's utterly lovely when people then agree with you, I must be important: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29330953 Here's me getting 54 upvotes for some random thought I had around candid street photos being related to the idea that photographs stealing part of your soul.

Back to your actual post though. I think you're conflating people "whose jobs depend on compliance" with "having a passing bit of expertise on the subject"

If you happen to run a multi-billion dollar company that produces vaccines, then I would assume you both have expertise in vaccines and are pro-their use. In the same way the CEO of Ford would be a good person to ask about making cars (and I'll admit is unlikely to tell you to walk).

I think Gates, Fauci and MDs are a little bit different from this group - as they're outsiders who have a remit and have decided vaccines deliver on it.

I also think you're being a little disengenuous - but in the spirit of your post, I will respond in a similar fashion. I'm not an expert in most things, but I accept the life I have and desire is based upon my putting my faith in others with expertise, and this is how we've built societies for the last few millenia. I trust Ford to sell me a machine that will not kill me as I move about at my required 70 mph, in the same way I trust Pfizer to put a jab in my arm that'll lessen the chance of a virus killing me.

Thank you for your comments. I'll be reflecting on them.

> I also think you're being a little disengenuous

Busted. Yes, I am actually. Honestly I'm doing that as I'm trying hard not to trigger people. (a lot of people here are easily triggered.) But it is just to get better quality responses and to avoid fanatical ones.

We're in an age where the quality of public discussion has decreased significantly. I'm afraid of getting responses that doesn't really contribute to the conversation if I disclose my side especially on topics like this. This is me being politically correct in the name of pragmatism at the cost of ingenuity.

We should certainly all be skeptical. Also, if they are all cooks (and some definitely are) is there a motive behind organizations attacking them?

If they really are cooks the motive behind attacking them is to get rid of cooks. If, however, they actually are speaking truth to power - and some of them have been doing so since the beginning of the pandemic - the motive is to cover up whatever corrupt practices the dissenters are laying bare.

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