So, I'm not going to tag all the folks I've had disagreements with for *months* now, since December, who didn't believe me that our bungled messaging on post-vaccine transmission was fueling vaccine hesitancy.
How many examples have we heard now? I hear this every single day. https://t.co/AmOgwNgx39
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To make it clear, the remedy isn't to give false or unsubstantiated hope, but to get out of the "we don't know" trap when we *do* have some sense of the direction, but need more clarity with data (which we can say), and also to emphasize the real upside!
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted joseph osmundson (all pronouns)
See what people accuse me of, when I make the most basic point? That I suggested that we "just lie to people", or "express certainty about something we don't know." Exactly the problem that I'm talking about.https://twitter.com/reluctantlyjoe/status/1359333090573881350 …
zeynep tufekci added,
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted joseph osmundson (all pronouns)
So worth dissecting. The fear is "people are gonna wanna.. go wild" if they hear the correct message that we do expect the vaccines to reduce transmission, but we're waiting for more data before relaxing the guidance. So we say "we don't know" when we do.https://twitter.com/reluctantlyjoe/status/1359340516689723394 …
zeynep tufekci added,
joseph osmundson (all pronouns) @reluctantlyjoeReplying to @MattNoahSmith @jbender22 @zeynepi'm great with HOPE! i love HOPE! and yet it's critically important that – while vaccines are scarce – we stay the course on NPIs, vaccinated or not. *that* messaging is actually hard. People are gonna wanna get the shot and go wild! And – for a million reasons – we can't do that11 replies 28 retweets 284 likesShow this thread -
This is a version of "if we tell people to mask up, they will stop distancing" which I heard from WHO and other experts early on why they didn't like masks. Sociologically it was the wrong guess and it was quickly debunked with data. People going "wild" fear has hampered so much.
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Replying to @zeynep
I would rather they speak to us and share information with us like we are grown-ass adults who can understand nuance and uncertainty. This constant drumbeat of “but you have to mask up and social distance forevvvvvveeeeerrrrrr more” is so depressing and demoralizing.
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Replying to @melanied333
I'm sorry. I am hoping we get better messaging/guidance soon.
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Replying to @zeynep
Everyone in my circle, all smart, conscientious, very caring about more vulnerable populations, have a viscerally negative reaction to this messaging. We feel like, how much further will you keep moving the goal posts? And why so negative all the time?
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I'm sorry, and I really hope the messaging starts emphasizing the very real upside, too.
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Replying to @zeynep
Many are doing a good job of focusing on hope, like
@ashishkjha and@Bob_Wachter etc. There are some, whom I will not name, who have been doom and gloom from day one and who seem to enjoy scaring the crap out of us. Tell us the truth, but remind us of the positives
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