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Comment by incrudible | Hacker News Reader

We did not have new data on masks when the messaging on masks changed. The science said masks do not protect you and that is why experts initially said so. Then, they figured that this is not what people wanted to hear. People wanted to be told what to do to be safe and would not take “we do not know” as an answer. Politicians latched on this, the media latched on to this, and somehow it became a partisan issue. The path of least resistance was to just shut up, wear a mask and wait for the hysteria to subside.

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Yes, good points. Politicians and the public and all of us can have trouble when it's a rush situation with deadly consequences and the experts make their best prognosis based on previous times in some part - then they revise best practices as they gain knowledge.

This happens all the time but it's not usually so visibly combined with conspiracy theories about controlling people and all that kind of crazy stuff. America is so influenced by foolish postings on social media and popular, but not fact-based TV networks.

There was the realization that covid spread in a different way than the flu and the discovery of things spreading through the air was a bit surprising and unexpected, compare with traditional flu issues.

> and somehow it became a partisan issue.

this wasn't a partisan issue in the beginning. it only became a partisan issue when 50% of the population started getting the "scientific information about efficacy of wearing masks" via Mary from Pennsylvania on "X"

same with the vaccines. the loudest pro-vaccine politicians (e.g. DeSantis) after seeing posts on "X" from our PA/MT/MO experts decided it would be super beneficial to their political career to make that a partisan issue as well :)

>it only became a partisan issue when 50% of the population started getting the "scientific information about efficacy of wearing masks" via Mary from Pennsylvania on "X"

Really? Only then? No partisan aspect to official narratives about masks and virus origin being practically imposed upon the public via all narrative-sympathetic media and social media channels?

No partisan aspect to the blatant hypocrisy of BLM protests being no problem in terms of mass gatherings, while any other type of mass grouping was considered wrong, and something only done by ignorant covid-deniers?

Not to even mention the whole "don't use masks you selfish pig, no wait! use masks, yes, use them you ignorant bumpkin!" debacle...

I guess none of these wonderfully varied and acrobatic narratives in the least bit created good reason to make large numbers of people start mistrusting the hell out of a whole range of politicians and media personalities.

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