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Back then anyone who suggested the lab leak theory was immediately labeled a conspiracy theorist by main stream media.

by nxm 2y ago

Johanx64 2y ago
[flagged]
- gejose 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - starspangled 2y ago
    Many.
steveBK123 2y ago
Yes and I’m saying that was bad.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
gigatree 2y ago
Hopefully this helps people realize how meaningless it is to be labeled a conspiracy theorist.
- PoignardAzur 2y ago
  I think the conspiracy theorist label is associated with common patterns (believing in a cover up in cases where there's no incentive / the cover up would be more expensive than the crime / the evidence would be impossible to cover up, etc) but in this case these patterns don't apply. The lab leak theory was extremely plausible even assuming no secret conspiracy at all. Lab leaks do happen, that lab did do gain of function research, the State did shut down investigations, etc.
  - gigatree 2y ago
    You might be surprised how many things labeled conspiracy theories have strong evidence, incentives, etc. but get scoffed at as kooky impossibilities nonetheless - like the lab leak theory.
    - gtgvdfc 2y ago
      Out how many conspiracy theories end up being right.
      - indoordin0saur 2y ago
        I think when it comes to conspiracy theories the two heuristics to use are: 1.) Do they have an incentive to conspire? 2.) Do they have the ability to conspire? Where both are true I think conspiracies exist every where, often to such an extent it just gets labelled as corruption rather than conspiracy.
DonHopkins 2y ago
[flagged]
- subsistence234 2y ago
  it's always easier to dismiss imaginary strawmen than real people.
- gtgvdfc 2y ago
  Who's "they"? You just grabbed a bunch of different arguments you disagree with and then bunched them all together with the lab leak. Btw, I wouldn't remind people of "horse dewormer" debacle I were you - you come off as anti-science.
philjohn 2y ago
Were they? Or were those who claimed it was the only possible answer, without the evidence to back that up?
- mrcsharp 2y ago
  That's not a good enough reason to censor.
  - AngryData 2y ago
    99% of the time there isn't a good reason to censor things, that doesn't stop it from happening constantly though. Especially in China where censorship of anything with bad publicity for the country or government or people is the default stance.
arp242 2y ago
The major reason for that is that many were doing this in language that was generally considered racist and/or mixed in some other weird stuff like how COVID lockdowns were like the Jewish persecution, rants about masking, or that type of stuff. I'm not saying everyone did that, but there was a huge overlap.
- lolinder 2y ago
  > there was a huge overlap. There was a huge overlap because within a month it became completely taboo for anyone who cared about not being seen as an alt-right activist to say anything about it. Even freaking Jon Stewart got caught in the instant-cancellation blast [0]. A major problem with our world today is that anything that the alt right supports instantly becomes taboo for the rest of us. People are more concerned with distancing themselves from the alt right than they are with finding and supporting the truth—and that goes for just about anything, not just COVID. [0] https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/jon-stewart-recalls-outrage-after-he-backed-covid-19-lab-leak-theory-f-k-you-im-done/ https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/jon-stewart-recalls-outrage-af...
- morepedantic 2y ago
  Have you considered the possibility that you infer racism more often than people imply it?

Back then anyone who suggested the lab leak theory was immediately labeled a conspiracy theorist by main stream media.

by nxm 2y ago

Back then anyone who suggested the lab leak theory was immediately labeled a conspiracy theorist by main stream media.

Johanx64 2y ago

[flagged]

gejose 2y ago
[flagged]
- starspangled 2y ago
  Many.

steveBK123 2y ago

Yes and I’m saying that was bad.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

gigatree 2y ago

Hopefully this helps people realize how meaningless it is to be labeled a conspiracy theorist.

PoignardAzur 2y ago
I think the conspiracy theorist label is associated with common patterns (believing in a cover up in cases where there's no incentive / the cover up would be more expensive than the crime / the evidence would be impossible to cover up, etc) but in this case these patterns don't apply. The lab leak theory was extremely plausible even assuming no secret conspiracy at all. Lab leaks do happen, that lab did do gain of function research, the State did shut down investigations, etc.
- gigatree 2y ago
  You might be surprised how many things labeled conspiracy theories have strong evidence, incentives, etc. but get scoffed at as kooky impossibilities nonetheless - like the lab leak theory.
  - gtgvdfc 2y ago
    Out how many conspiracy theories end up being right.
    - indoordin0saur 2y ago
      I think when it comes to conspiracy theories the two heuristics to use are: 1.) Do they have an incentive to conspire? 2.) Do they have the ability to conspire? Where both are true I think conspiracies exist every where, often to such an extent it just gets labelled as corruption rather than conspiracy.

DonHopkins 2y ago

[flagged]

subsistence234 2y ago
it's always easier to dismiss imaginary strawmen than real people.
gtgvdfc 2y ago
Who's "they"? You just grabbed a bunch of different arguments you disagree with and then bunched them all together with the lab leak. Btw, I wouldn't remind people of "horse dewormer" debacle I were you - you come off as anti-science.

philjohn 2y ago

Were they? Or were those who claimed it was the only possible answer, without the evidence to back that up?

mrcsharp 2y ago
That's not a good enough reason to censor.
- AngryData 2y ago
  99% of the time there isn't a good reason to censor things, that doesn't stop it from happening constantly though. Especially in China where censorship of anything with bad publicity for the country or government or people is the default stance.

arp242 2y ago

The major reason for that is that many were doing this in language that was generally considered racist and/or mixed in some other weird stuff like how COVID lockdowns were like the Jewish persecution, rants about masking, or that type of stuff. I'm not saying everyone did that, but there was a huge overlap.

lolinder 2y ago
> there was a huge overlap. There was a huge overlap because within a month it became completely taboo for anyone who cared about not being seen as an alt-right activist to say anything about it. Even freaking Jon Stewart got caught in the instant-cancellation blast [0]. A major problem with our world today is that anything that the alt right supports instantly becomes taboo for the rest of us. People are more concerned with distancing themselves from the alt right than they are with finding and supporting the truth—and that goes for just about anything, not just COVID. [0] https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/jon-stewart-recalls-outrage-after-he-backed-covid-19-lab-leak-theory-f-k-you-im-done/ https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/jon-stewart-recalls-outrage-af...
morepedantic 2y ago
Have you considered the possibility that you infer racism more often than people imply it?