They all primarily focus on calling the officious “expert” bureaucrats *incompetent*. “Complacent”, “idiot”, etc. The tone is primarily one of contempt. “These people have proven terrible at their jobs in a crisis; let’s fire them and put someone competent in charge.”
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This is rhetorically effective — it goes on the offense, it makes the author look strong — but I think it’s a misplaced emphasis.
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Yes, the WHO, the CDC, the FDA, and the Trump administration have screwed up so badly that they should lose all credibility.
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But really the problem isn’t that there exist people who are bad at stemming a pandemic. Being an idiot, in itself, doesn’t have to harm anyone. What’s dangerous is idiots *in positions of authority.*
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If you don’t have good solutions to COVID19 that doesn’t make you a bad person. If you don’t have good solutions but you send men with guns after the people who do, *now* you have blood on your hands.
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We do not, in fact, have a shortage of competence, dedication, courage, or generosity. A lot of people have risen to the occasion spectacularly, and a lot more would do so if they had clearer guidance about how they can help.
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Striking the tone of “we just need to put competent people in charge instead of these morons” has several harmful effects.
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First, it’s alienating to anyone who is insecure about whether they’re doing enough to help. “Oh no, am *I* useless? Am I the bad guy in this story?” No. The only possible “bad guys” here are those in positions of authority who are preventing effective response.
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If you are an ordinary person who is staying home, taking care of your kids, or putting yourself on the line to do an essential job, you’re already a good guy. If you’re doing “a little” to help, your help matters.
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Replying to @s_r_constantin
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, thought I'm not sure if I should be flattered or worried about being cited along with Nassim Taleb and Curtis Yarvin. The people who are preventing help should be blamed, but the problem is deeper than that. It is cultural and institutional
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