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The mask thing was a Noble Lie to prevent PPE shortages: https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/yes-experts-will-lie-to-you-sometimes https://noahpinion.substack.co

The mask thing was a Noble Lie to prevent PPE shortages: https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/yes-experts-will-lie-to-you-sometimes https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/yes-experts-will-lie-to-yo... I agree that that erodes trust, but it was for "a reason".

dqpb 6y ago
I’ve found it very hard to find the original news sources saying not to wear masks, despite remembering how prevalent that messaging was.
- acdha 6y ago
  Here’s reasonably old document repeating the N95 & exposure concerns. It definitely happened but I think there’s some selective memory feeding a lot of the criticism. https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/dont-panic-the-comprehensive-ars-technica-guide-to-the-coronavirus/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/dont-panic-the-compr...
- HonestOp001 6y ago
  Then look at astral codex for the matter, he called it out as a noble lie and had the documentation. The larger issue is how the “science” changed on the whim of the politically expedience of it all. Look at hydroflouriquine, the drug is perfectly safe, a politico said it was good and wham, just like that opposing political parties say that the doctors cannot use it. The trained medical professionals whose judgment in time of crises are now told by politicians at state levels to not prescribe something. We have lost our minds and the singularity cannot come fast enough.
deleted 6y ago
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alea_iacta_est 6y ago
> Noble Lie The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
sleepysysadmin 6y ago
Lying is lying. Instead of lying they could have simply said, "Here's how to turn a tshirt into a mask. If anyone can mass produce masks, start now!" No lie needed. In fact the lying made things worse. Saying masks arent needed means people didnt work to produce masks early on.
rkeene2 6y ago
At the time, it was pretty clear to me from the guidance given that: 1. The efficacy of masks for protecting against SARS-CoV-2 was unknown; 2. People in high risk professions will need to wear them as a precaution even if they might not be as effective as we would like, so the advise to the public was to not buy them for this reason
eplanit 6y ago
Same as the "now you should wear 2 masks" bullshit, right? Tell them to wear 2 because that means they'll at least wear 1, right? These "white lies" are why I'm done with it.
bad_username 6y ago
An intentionally false statement from an authority on a current event of extreme importance, no matter how noble, is extremely counterproductive, even if we leave aside moral aspects. Indeed, it will cause further statements from the authority be perceived by the public as another potential lie. Since this seems very obvious to me, I can not believe it was a "white lie".

dqpb 6y ago

I’ve found it very hard to find the original news sources saying not to wear masks, despite remembering how prevalent that messaging was.

acdha 6y ago
Here’s reasonably old document repeating the N95 & exposure concerns. It definitely happened but I think there’s some selective memory feeding a lot of the criticism. https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/dont-panic-the-comprehensive-ars-technica-guide-to-the-coronavirus/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/dont-panic-the-compr...
HonestOp001 6y ago
Then look at astral codex for the matter, he called it out as a noble lie and had the documentation. The larger issue is how the “science” changed on the whim of the politically expedience of it all. Look at hydroflouriquine, the drug is perfectly safe, a politico said it was good and wham, just like that opposing political parties say that the doctors cannot use it. The trained medical professionals whose judgment in time of crises are now told by politicians at state levels to not prescribe something. We have lost our minds and the singularity cannot come fast enough.

deleted 6y ago

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alea_iacta_est 6y ago

> Noble Lie The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

sleepysysadmin 6y ago

Lying is lying. Instead of lying they could have simply said, "Here's how to turn a tshirt into a mask. If anyone can mass produce masks, start now!" No lie needed. In fact the lying made things worse. Saying masks arent needed means people didnt work to produce masks early on.

rkeene2 6y ago

At the time, it was pretty clear to me from the guidance given that: 1. The efficacy of masks for protecting against SARS-CoV-2 was unknown; 2. People in high risk professions will need to wear them as a precaution even if they might not be as effective as we would like, so the advise to the public was to not buy them for this reason

eplanit 6y ago

Same as the "now you should wear 2 masks" bullshit, right? Tell them to wear 2 because that means they'll at least wear 1, right? These "white lies" are why I'm done with it.

bad_username 6y ago

An intentionally false statement from an authority on a current event of extreme importance, no matter how noble, is extremely counterproductive, even if we leave aside moral aspects. Indeed, it will cause further statements from the authority be perceived by the public as another potential lie. Since this seems very obvious to me, I can not believe it was a "white lie".