To bring context, I believe the one big one that is always referenced is that: At the start we were expressly instructed that we should not wear masks. Now, th

To bring context, I believe the one big one that is always referenced is that: At the start we were expressly instructed that we should not wear masks. Now, the messaging around it I don't have the time to find but the goal of the message was to conserve PPE for hospitals and care takers. They did not say that. Instead, the belief goes, the original explanation instead replied on evidence that "masks were ineffective, therefore you shouldn't go buy them". Then later reversing that idea to saying, "now that they're all gone, you need to have one to go outside". So the goal was to prevent a run on high quality PPE, but ended up being an extremely potent political point against using masks. I think as long as masks help, people should use them. I think if we know masks help, we should not lie to people and say they are not (even when there are other sources of this information that the public could've used to double check). It comes down to a certain group of people feeling like they are being babied, like the government doesn't think they're capable of handling a difficult situation if they have accurate. People hate the idea of the "nanny state" here and a single lie from the government is used as intense fodder for years and years (except when it's anything about Snowden, or the CIA, or the Military, etc. ) It's true, the CDC lied. They shouldn't have. But by freaking out and refusing the obvious safety measure when it turns out our personal priorities are different from the current governments, are we not proving them right? We should deal with the lie and the people that made it, but instead it's been used to feed and construct vast conspiracy narratives, which I guess should've been included in the calculation, and probably will be from now on. To a certain portion of America, the greatest point against government was made, and many have converted their soul purpose to destroying it (whether directly or through elected officials' wills) To a different portion of America, the government made a decision knowing the truth would absolutely decimate the healthcare infrastructure and cause massive damage. That their decision was imperfect, but based on Americans selfish nature and that nobody would do what they asked if they said the truth. After which the people began flailing their arms, refusing any and all further evidence or advice because, "you lied". Im not trying to attack anyone. This is just what it looks like to me in lower middle America. I see a bunch of both types of people and ive talked to many. America has a general distrust of governments, period. Fostering that distrust is probably not the wisest decision, especially when that trust has been systematically eroding for decades at this point. Things are reaching a critical point. Sometimes I wonder if we even want it to keep working.