Conspiracy theories and stigma have always been associated with infectious disease outbreaks. You only need to read histories of the many plagues and pandemics and diseases throughout history to know this. Anyone blaming disinformation on scientists for “losing the public’s trust” is intentionally or unintentionally, creating a decoy misdirection that gives cover to the real causes and deflects from real solutions. Are some scientists bad, untrustworthy, or inept? Of course some are. Did some prominent doctors and scientists botch their leadership in the pandemic? Yes, some trusted people really dropped the ball with dipshit decisions. But the people to blame are the people with money, platforms, and power spreading disinformation on purpose about things that aren’t real or aren’t true. They include scientists, but doctors and scientists pushing nonsense are more likely to be useful fools drinking their own elixirs, or mercenary types who’ve found a way to make money. And all these people are simply taking advantage of typical human cognitive biases and tendencies. They use established advertising and sales techniques. It’s not accidental, it’s deliberate.
chloe kaczenski humbert