this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
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Personally, I use it as another reason to never trust the prevailing narrative on social media just because it's popular. I also don't take moderators or moderation seriously because of how many of them use it as a tool to promote their own agendas.

Science should always be open to criticism. As soon as we start pushing the idea that science and scientists cannot and should not be questioned, it becomes exactly like religion.

Science is fallible. It always has been and always will be. Look at history and you will find no shortage of prevailing scientific narratives being proven wrong after time passes and people have more information. Also look at history and you never see the people pushing or believing false information apologize or take any accountability.

I'm ashamed to have fallen for the manipulative tactics from both mainstream media organizations and the useful idiots on social media. It really has opened my eyes to how inept and incompetent the average individual is, and it makes no sense to go along with the group simply because what they're doing is popular.

It's also disgusting how such a catastrophic event is now completely gone from the news cycle after information comes out that we were lied to. Before, the media couldn't resist on reporting any sliver of COVID misinformation and lies. Now that we have the truth, it's exceedingly difficult to find any outlets that discuss it.

"It's easier to fool a man than to convince him he'd been fooled." - Mark Twain

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[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 11 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Even IF that turns out to be the truth, that just means that the people yelling about China in 2020 happened to be right out of sheer coincidence, like a broken clock. They didn't come to that conclusion through science / critical thinking but xenophobia.

Science should always be open to criticism.

Science is not "moderators on social media".

[–] henchmannumber3@lemmy.world 42 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

You tout science, but you've cited an NPR interview where the conclusion you call "most likely" is described by issuing agencies as "low confidence." That doesn't make it seem "most likely" at all. What is most likely is that we don't have enough information to draw a definitive conclusion, so being judgemental about it might be hasty and hypocritical. The NPR interview also states that we don't know where the intelligence is coming from, so criticizing China for not being transparent but ignoring the secrecy of the intelligence agencies is a double standard.

The other source is a video from Ken LaCorte, who is a former Fox News executive who killed a legitimate Trump and Stormy Daniels story that turned out to be true, so his credibility is questionable on top of the fact he ran competing US political partisan websites and hired Macedonian teenagers to write the content to stir up contention.

You claim to never trust the media, but you're trusting a known manipulative media executive.

A better question is why the origin story matters so much to you. Does it change the need for masking or quarantines or vaccines in your opinion? If China came out and said it was a lab leak, how would it affect your life in a fundamental way?

People get banned on social media for legitimate and illegitimate reasons every day. This is a weird hill to die on.

[–] Deestan@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

In one corner, tens of thousands of experts whose job is to understand and protect.

In the other corner, a known media manipulating political figure.

People are calling bullshit. Naturally. Places with a shred of responsibility will of course remove harmful lies.

[–] highduc@lemmy.ml 14 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Is it the most likely scenario or just the latest wave of anti China propaganda?

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 10 points 13 hours ago

Both. It originated in a city with a lab doing gain-of-function research on coronaviruses. I’m not claiming that’s definitely where it came from - but it’s quite the coincidence, to say the least.

And there’s nothing wrong with anti-China propaganda as long as it’s aimed at the authoritarian government, not the people living under it. That regime deserves every bit of it.

“But what about the US this and the UK that?!” Yeah - they deserve it too.

[–] kayky@thelemmy.club -4 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

How do you explain China not cooperating with international investigators?

Why should we trust them if they weren't being transparent?

Why are you quick to trust and defend the nation that isn't cooperating or being transparent?

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 21 points 14 hours ago

China dont cooperate with anybody about anything.

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 12 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Is that actually happening though? Last I checked people were seemingly free to spread all kinds of Covid misinformation on social media.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 10 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Wasn't the wet market the most likely scenario

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

As a person who's completely uninformed on the aspects of the subject you are discussing, would you share some links to information that you think is credible so I may inform myself?