Now that it’s become abundantly clear that there was something to the complaints and warnings from critics of harsh lockdowns and school closures and forbidden hospital visits, maybe it’s time for us to do a little soul-searching and see if we can find it in our hearts to let bygones be bygones:
My latest in @TheAtlantic https://t.co/w6GIOEMhZv
— Emily Oster (@ProfEmilyOster) October 31, 2022
Emily Oster’s piece concludes:
The standard saying is that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. But dwelling on the mistakes of history can lead to a repetitive doom loop as well. Let’s acknowledge that we made complicated choices in the face of deep uncertainty, and then try to work together to build back and move forward.
Pandemic amnesty. Well, that certainly is an idea.
https://t.co/iCijPmqbrB pic.twitter.com/S2AGiCJ73W
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) October 31, 2022
Or (and we’re just thinking out loud here):
how about let's not. pic.twitter.com/KN7nogKY5s
— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) October 31, 2022
https://twitter.com/FearTheFloof/status/1587077392727580672
Not just no, but:
Yeah, sorry, but that’s pretty much where we’re at as well.
This is where you go when you realize you have no defense left. pic.twitter.com/o6b4yaaNGw
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) October 31, 2022
If those who took every opportunity to employ the most authoritarian & oppressive measures are willing to have a real conversation about accountability—how we got to that point & how we can ensure it never happens again—then perhaps we can talk about amnesty for some. Not before.
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) October 31, 2022
Back when the pandemic started, nobody, not even the scientists, knew exactly what we were dealing with. It made sense to be extremely cautious. But as time went on and it became apparent that, often enough, the solutions to the problem were causing more damage than the problem itself, the “experts” should have re-evaluated where we were at. They didn’t. Despite all of the warnings, despite all of the warnings that came to fruition, they refused to admit that they’d been wrong. They refused to see what was right in front of them. And, in almost every case, they refused to apologize. That’s maybe the most egregious offense of them all.
And that’s why we can’t just wipe the slate clean and pretend none of this ever happened.
Hey—sorry you lost your job b/c of the vax that doesn’t work and your grandmother died alone and you couldn’t have a funeral and your brother’s business was needlessly destroyed and your kids have weird heart problems—but let’s just admit we were all wrong and call a truce, eh?
— Matthew J. Peterson (@docMJP) October 31, 2022
It’s too bad we shut the entire economy down & took on tyrannical powers that have never been used before in this country—looking back, you should have been able to go to church and use public parks while we let people riot in the streets—but it was a confusing time for everyone.
— Matthew J. Peterson (@docMJP) October 31, 2022
Hey I'm sorry we scared the hell out of you & lied for years & persecuted & censored anyone who disagreed but there was an election going on & we really wanted to beat Donald Trump so it was important to radically politicize the science even if it destroyed your children's lives.
— Matthew J. Peterson (@docMJP) October 31, 2022
OK, yes we said unvaccinated people should die & not get healthcare while never questioning Big Pharma once but we are compassionate people which is why even though we shut down the entire economy we also bankrupted the nation & caused inflation. You're welcome! Let's be friends.
— Matthew J. Peterson (@docMJP) October 31, 2022
We don’t want to be friends. That ship has sailed.
Counterpoint: we could hold people accountable and make sure bs like this doesn’t happen again.
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) October 31, 2022
If the Randi Weingartens and the Anthony Faucis of the world would prostrate themselves before us and admit that they’d been wrong about a lot of things — or, in some cases, all of the things — we could maybe start to think about forgiveness. But as long as they choose to lie and gaslight, we’re not willing to forgive. And we’ll never forget.
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