5 ms·

I'm a little confused about exactly what is being claimed here - how do we know that Vinay is the one who made this "demand"? All the article says about this i

by jMyles 1y ago

I'm a little confused about exactly what is being claimed here - how do we know that Vinay is the one who made this "demand"? All the article says about this is: > When YouTube notified Howard of the demand request, it included an email address for Prasad, which is identical to the email address that is linked to Prasad’s now inactive podcast, called Plenary Session. What does "included an email address" mean exactly? The reason I ask is that, if he did actually issue such a demand, this strikes me as wildly out of character for him. I don't know Vinay super duper well, but I've been on several multi-hour calls with him, and I have always found him to be a very thoughtful and high-integrity scientist. It never occurred to me that he might have the hallmarks of a political operative, and certainly not a right-wing one. And he had thoughts about the nature of knowledge and the future of the internet that are consistent with what most of us here on HN observe. Moreover, the content that was removed in this case was not anything that he'd be ashamed of; it was all fairly reasonable observations, mostly about the collateral effects of lockdown policies and the lack of a scientific framework for measuring their impact. All of his more 'firebrand' content - especially his (IMO, warranted) criticism of Scott Gottleib and the underhanded influence of Pfizer at FDA, remain on the internet (much on his channels where, presumably if he was bothered by it, he'd remove himself). I'd really like to know for sure that he himself issued this demand. That will be a really disappointing thing to learn. Obviously whether it was him or just someone who put his email address on a takedown form, it's wrong for YouTube to capitulate to such a ridiculous demand.

ceejayoz 1y ago
> What does "included an email address" mean exactly? They tell you how to contact the reporter when you get a copyright strike. They encourage you to do it via a logged-in YouTube account; if you don't, there's a confirm your email step. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622 https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622 > It never occurred to me that he might have the hallmarks of a political operative… It's a political appointment.
- timr 1y ago
  > It's a political appointment. Could you try to be like, even 10% less knee-jerk partisan? It's an appointment in the FDA (which requires actual technical knowledge) and Prasad is a well-documented member of the political left, to the point where he was recently chased out of the FDA for being on the left.
  - ceejayoz 1y ago
    > It's an appointment in the FDA… That does not make it non-political. The FDA has both political appointees and civil service roles, just like other government agencies. https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-appointees-and-career-civil-service-positions-faq/ https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app... > Prasad is a well-documented member of the political left lmao Being on Loomer's shitlist is not "documentation".
    - timr 1y ago
      > That does not make it non-political. The FDA has both political appointees and civil service roles, just like other government agencies. https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app... OK, so which one is this position? Do you actually know? (Google tells me that the position of CBER director is officially non-political, though since Peter Marks was forced to resign, it's now "more political than before".) > lmao Yeah, you're not being partisan at all. I tell you that Prasad is a liberal (an extremely well-documented fact), and your response is..."lmao".
      - ceejayoz 1y ago
        > OK, so which one is this position? Do you actually know? Yes, we do. His role is not a civil service one. > I tell you that Prasad is a liberal (an extremely well-documented fact), and your response is..."lmao". Go on, document it.
        timr 1y ago
        > Yes, we do. His role is not a civil service one. Incorrect. I just looked it up. It's a civil service appointment. > Go on, document it. He's said many, many times on his podcast(s), twitter and elsewhere that he's on the left, and that he voted for Sanders. So sure, I could dig each one of those up for you, or you could actually believe it when people on the right attack him for being a "lefist". Like this, for example: "Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag" https://www.wsj.com/opinion/vinay-prasad-is-a-bernie-sanders-acolyte-in-maha-drag-healthcare-bfc3be57 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/vinay-prasad-is-a-bernie-sanders...

by jMyles 1y ago

ceejayoz 1y ago

> What does "included an email address" mean exactly? They tell you how to contact the reporter when you get a copyright strike. They encourage you to do it via a logged-in YouTube account; if you don't, there's a confirm your email step. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622 https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622 > It never occurred to me that he might have the hallmarks of a political operative… It's a political appointment.

timr 1y ago
> It's a political appointment. Could you try to be like, even 10% less knee-jerk partisan? It's an appointment in the FDA (which requires actual technical knowledge) and Prasad is a well-documented member of the political left, to the point where he was recently chased out of the FDA for being on the left.
- ceejayoz 1y ago
  > It's an appointment in the FDA… That does not make it non-political. The FDA has both political appointees and civil service roles, just like other government agencies. https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-appointees-and-career-civil-service-positions-faq/ https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app... > Prasad is a well-documented member of the political left lmao Being on Loomer's shitlist is not "documentation".
  - timr 1y ago
    > That does not make it non-political. The FDA has both political appointees and civil service roles, just like other government agencies. https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/political-app... OK, so which one is this position? Do you actually know? (Google tells me that the position of CBER director is officially non-political, though since Peter Marks was forced to resign, it's now "more political than before".) > lmao Yeah, you're not being partisan at all. I tell you that Prasad is a liberal (an extremely well-documented fact), and your response is..."lmao".
    - ceejayoz 1y ago
      > OK, so which one is this position? Do you actually know? Yes, we do. His role is not a civil service one. > I tell you that Prasad is a liberal (an extremely well-documented fact), and your response is..."lmao". Go on, document it.
      - timr 1y ago
        > Yes, we do. His role is not a civil service one. Incorrect. I just looked it up. It's a civil service appointment. > Go on, document it. He's said many, many times on his podcast(s), twitter and elsewhere that he's on the left, and that he voted for Sanders. So sure, I could dig each one of those up for you, or you could actually believe it when people on the right attack him for being a "lefist". Like this, for example: "Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag" https://www.wsj.com/opinion/vinay-prasad-is-a-bernie-sanders-acolyte-in-maha-drag-healthcare-bfc3be57 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/vinay-prasad-is-a-bernie-sanders...