Not that I'm trying to take a side in either direction but you could just as easily say that the pandemic showcased the risks of an overempowered collective giv

Not that I'm trying to take a side in either direction but you could just as easily say that the pandemic showcased the risks of an overempowered collective given that millions of people were forced into lockdown for individuals they had no material or emotional ties to. I'd also argue that in a 100x-1000x scenario like you conclude with is a poor comparison to the pandemic response for covid because a lot of the debate throughout the pandemic was ultimately a byproduct of it not being that severe for the majority of people.