10-15-2020, 08:17 AM
This interests me. I didn't say Fauci lied. Fauci said Fauci lied. He didn't say he prevaricated, or didn't tell the whole truth. I see a lot of people trying to explain this away. Fauci clearly doesn't believe he himself met the required standard of truthfulness. He said he lied to prevent the public from getting all the available face masks. At that point in history, doctors were not (yet) wearing N95 masks bought at Home Depot, so IMHO it is a bit of a stretch, but in this case I will take Fauci at his word.
What I believe is true, and this is opinion, is that our society, and particularly our media, has made Jack Nicholson correct. "They" believe "we" (the public) can't handle the truth, and the media for sure won't cover "the truth" if it is complex, somewhat ambiguous and considered "boring details". So, in our society, it is better to lie and make an absolute statement than to tell a nuanced truth.
It is also better to say you lied than to admit you changed your mind in response to new data. If you do the latter, CNN will provide four talking heads on every possible side of the issue, three of whom know absolutely nothing about the issue. In short, lying is more OK than changing your mind. Fauci did say that new data did change the situation and his opinion, but he did not use that as an exculpatory fact. I think he simply said "masks won't be useful" because explaining his actual thinking wasn't a sound bite and wouldn't be heard. That was, and is, both a moral "evil" and ultimately counterproductive, because at least some members of the public will remember what you said previously. No danger the media will though. Nobody in the MSM has highlighted this issue that I am aware of.
What I believe is true, and this is opinion, is that our society, and particularly our media, has made Jack Nicholson correct. "They" believe "we" (the public) can't handle the truth, and the media for sure won't cover "the truth" if it is complex, somewhat ambiguous and considered "boring details". So, in our society, it is better to lie and make an absolute statement than to tell a nuanced truth.
It is also better to say you lied than to admit you changed your mind in response to new data. If you do the latter, CNN will provide four talking heads on every possible side of the issue, three of whom know absolutely nothing about the issue. In short, lying is more OK than changing your mind. Fauci did say that new data did change the situation and his opinion, but he did not use that as an exculpatory fact. I think he simply said "masks won't be useful" because explaining his actual thinking wasn't a sound bite and wouldn't be heard. That was, and is, both a moral "evil" and ultimately counterproductive, because at least some members of the public will remember what you said previously. No danger the media will though. Nobody in the MSM has highlighted this issue that I am aware of.