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> Whether the theory "is" racist or not is the wrong question. The right question is whether discussion of it helps to normalize racist positions. This is incr
by silicon2401 5y ago
> Whether the theory "is" racist or not is the wrong question. The right question is whether discussion of it helps to normalize racist positions.
This is incredibly problematic and anti-scientific sentiment. Science is about expanding knowledge. Whether covid came from China or Spain or Madagascar doesn't matter; we should determine where it came from and then see where that takes us. Racism and racist uses of fact and fiction are a separate, societal issue; tackle that separately.
- chowells 5y agoI can't agree that it's unscientific at all. There's a huge difference between doing science and constantly pushing public discussion of your unsupported hypothesis. Should there be people tracking the origin of the disease, how it got into the general population, and how to reduce similar incidents in the future? Yes, absolutely. That's doing science. But what, exactly, is scientific about spreading your hypothesis across popular media for public discussion when the entirety of your evidence is "there's no concrete evidence to the contrary"? This isn't how science is done. It's how propaganda is done. I am disturbed by the number of people here who fall for such propaganda so easily. Being a testable hypothesis does not make something intrinsically science. Actually doing science does. And science is not done by media talking heads selling you fear in order to increase their advertising income.
- silicon2401 5y agoThere are many things in science that didn't have concrete evidence to the contrary before they were researched; where do you think concrete evidence comes from if not starting to research? It's ironic that you criticize propaganda on one hand while suggesting that we just believe whatever we're told is true without question on the other hand. What is that if not propaganda?