Many people have probably heard about the Great Barrington Declaration, denouncing social distancing and calling for "herd immunity." It's popular with the White House, and it's the product of a Koch-linked think tank 1/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/health/coronavirus-great-barrington.html …
-
Show this thread
-
Replying to @paulkrugman
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration is more than that. It’s a strategy used by science deniers since at least HIV/AIDS denial started 30+ years ago, the propaganda technique known as magnified minority.https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/great-barrington-declaration/ …13 replies 131 retweets 292 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman
David Gorski, MD, PhD Retweeted John Cook
The idea is simple. Get some fringe scientists or experts to start a petition or sign a letter or “declaration” in order to give the appearance of legitimate scientific controversy and doubt about a scientific consensus.https://twitter.com/johnfocook/status/1314301046756384794 …
David Gorski, MD, PhD added,
0:24John Cook @johnfocookMagnified minority is a denial technique amplifying the contrarians' significance to convey the impression of expert disagreement. The Global Warming Petition Project uses this technique: it amounts to less than 1% of U.S. science graduates (full video at http://youtu.be/gecDy9wDuCs ) pic.twitter.com/e9jHZH4qmg5 replies 77 retweets 211 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman
Of course, the three scientists needing
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration are generally well regarded, but only one of them, Sunetra Gupta, is an infectious disease epidemiologist. The other two are a biostatistician and a doctor interested in health economics.4 replies 7 retweets 28 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman
Scientists
#BEHIND#GreatBarringtonDeclaration (damned predictive typing). Onward...1 reply 2 retweets 20 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman
All it takes is one fringe legitimate expert, though, often not even that. If the science deniers can’t find a legitimate expert, the usual fake think tank experts will do; e.g.,
@SWAtlasHoover.1 reply 12 retweets 38 likes -
Then, the vast majority of the signatories end up not being legitimate experts. Oh, many might have advanced degrees, but few will have relevant degrees and expertise.
1 reply 4 retweets 27 likes -
Basically,
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration is no different from the many statements/petitions produced by climate science deniers (who are the most prolific users of the propaganda technique of magnified minority). Creationists, HIV/AIDS deniers, and 9/11 Truthers have used it too.1 reply 10 retweets 41 likes -
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration is magnified minority backed by a right wing free market fundamentalist climate science denying think tank,@aier, nothing more. The three scientists behind it are either useful idiots or complicit in spreading disinformation, more likely the latter.3 replies 12 retweets 44 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman and
Unfortunately,
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration has been a smashing success as propaganda, amplified by@FoxNews and right wing media and given largely credulous coverage by the mainstream press as evidence of “scientists against lockdown” and a “huge” controversy that isn’t huge.2 replies 12 retweets 35 likes
Few have been the skeptical reports, at least compared to the right wing amplification and the more “balanced” (i.e., credulous) mainstream news reports. And now @SWAtlasHoover bright #GreatBarringtonDeclaration to @realDonaldTrump’s attention and it’s become de facto US policy.
-
-
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman and
Those behind
#GreatBarringtonDeclaration will be complicit with@realDonaldTrump and@SWAtlasHoover in causing through neglect tens of hundreds of thousands of additional#COVID19 deaths that might have been avoided.1 reply 5 retweets 24 likes -
Replying to @gorskon @paulkrugman and
David Gorski, MD, PhD Retweeted Kausik
Meanwhile, the scientists behind it deny responsibility and make excuses for not saying hot their “Focused Protection” will work because they are not experts in implementation.

https://twitter.com/kausikdatta22/status/1318525494170628096 …David Gorski, MD, PhD added,
Kausik @kausikdatta22Replying to @kausikdatta22 @apoorva_nyc and 6 others“Not an expert in implementation” is such a deeply & shamefully unethical, responsibility-shirking, cover-your-own-arse-while-pontificating-from-the-ivory-tower kinda stance from supposed “experts” in#publichealth who are promulgating policy that affects a large number of folks! https://twitter.com/apoorva_nyc/status/1318313117886054400 … pic.twitter.com/JBjM1AcTRD3 replies 10 retweets 27 likes - Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.