I think this article is a very good example of the sort of pseudo-compelling argument. It's like one step along the road between 4chan conspiracy to Tucker Carlson. It's lots of stuff that sound like reasonable arguments, but are actually not. It starts by couching itself in the actual concensus - other people concluding that's a possibility! - Yes, that's true, but what they're concluding as a possibility out of a cautious appraoch, you're pushing as actually being true. Then they start marking their own homework - we published our book and everyone reasonable and smart said it was great, and everyone who disagreed clearly didn't read it. Now we go to the greatest hits - the big bad mainstream media.
Now we start mis-representing our opponents. All we want is an open scientific debate! But it's too controversial! That might not at all be true, but we're going to say it anyway. It might be that the actual scientists decided that there weren't merits to your argument to justify inviting you to debate it, but who cares - let's just say they're afraid of controversy.
People are threatened by our work. We're not extremists! We're moderates! We're perfectly reasonable people who are just going to slip in this laundered conspiracy theory that Fauci funded the Wuhan lab. But don't worry, let me quote this anonymous scientist to back up every worst accusation you could make of scientists.
Everyone is covering this up because of vested interests you see! If you look up the author you'll see that he comes from this as a complete neutral outsider making cold-eyed judgements of the evidence. He's definitely not from the exact far right nutter idealogue ecosystem that you'd expect him to be from.
There's a nugget of truth in the article - the lab leak is possible as an explanation, and that China isn't to be trusted to investigate. There's nothing in this article that actually advances any evidence beyond that. The rest of it though is just the same thinly veiled conspiracy theories that have been going around since Trump going on about "The Chinese Virus".
Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds to someone who isn't partisan and doesn't watch mainstream media? Besides the blatant lies like saying Fauci didn't fund the wuhan lab you use political terms like labeling people right wingers because they don't agree with you. That's the same strategy as the mainstream media you are defending. Then you mock people for wanting an actual debate. You need to get out of your bubble. Stop mindlessly believing everything you see on CNN without question.
The guy writes an article accusing everyone who disagree with him of being corrupt and you take offence to me calling him right wing? Bizarre.
Here’s the problem- you accuse me of mindlessly believing CNN (no idea what that had to do with anything, both I and the author are British) but the truth is that I’m just applying the same level of scrutiny to the author as you would have me apply to CNN.
>> Imagine if the accidental launch of a nuclear missile had killed 21 million people. It’s hard to believe the world would shrug and say: let’s not bother finding out how it happened.
In other words, somebody did this and we have to find out who it was!
Now we start mis-representing our opponents. All we want is an open scientific debate! But it's too controversial! That might not at all be true, but we're going to say it anyway. It might be that the actual scientists decided that there weren't merits to your argument to justify inviting you to debate it, but who cares - let's just say they're afraid of controversy.
People are threatened by our work. We're not extremists! We're moderates! We're perfectly reasonable people who are just going to slip in this laundered conspiracy theory that Fauci funded the Wuhan lab. But don't worry, let me quote this anonymous scientist to back up every worst accusation you could make of scientists.
Everyone is covering this up because of vested interests you see! If you look up the author you'll see that he comes from this as a complete neutral outsider making cold-eyed judgements of the evidence. He's definitely not from the exact far right nutter idealogue ecosystem that you'd expect him to be from.
There's a nugget of truth in the article - the lab leak is possible as an explanation, and that China isn't to be trusted to investigate. There's nothing in this article that actually advances any evidence beyond that. The rest of it though is just the same thinly veiled conspiracy theories that have been going around since Trump going on about "The Chinese Virus".