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There’s no law that I’m aware of prohibiting April fool’s jokes. If you can stomach other people’s disapproval, you can fill your boots without fear of governme
by hyko 7y ago
There’s no law that I’m aware of prohibiting April fool’s jokes. If you can stomach other people’s disapproval, you can fill your boots without fear of government intervention.
Your willingness to support the lockdown is no doubt based on the evidence that expert scientists have presented to the government; that’s about as far from arbitrary decree as you can get.
Is it dangerous? Absolutely. The counterweight to the government seizing and consolidating their new powers and running amok with them is democracy. That’s what we’re doing here: remembering our right to free speech, and asserting it. It’s perfectly reasonable and compatible with democracy to recognise that some freedoms have been suspended for epidemiological reasons; you’d have to be a hopeless ideologue to want to assert the right to assemble right now.
- mcv 7y agoThe vital part here though is that it remains science-driven. Not all governments have a good record of following science, and the moment they stop, the justification for the harsh measures disappears. If you're going to overrule or disband the parliament of people's representatives for this, maybe it should be replaced by a parliament of scientists.
- jmiskovic 7y agoScience has completely different mindset and that wouldn't work well with governing job. Science is operating in almost anarchy to push boundaries and constantly revise previously accepted theories. Governing needs more cohesion and stronger guidance. Engineers, on the other hand...
- mcv 7y agoThe issue here is that we accept that these very intrusive measures are necessary because epidemiologists tell us that they are necessary. If politicians want to implement similarly intrusive measures that are not backed up by science, we won't accept them. So direct approval by scientists is vital for our acceptance of these measures.
- jmiskovic 7y agoI agree. In case of covid-19 the scientific consensus was quickly reached and clear enough for world to respond accordingly.