This is by far the most damning thing in Fauci’s diaries, or what I’ve read of them. People sometimes get stuck on whether Fauci was right or wrong about where the virus came from, how it spread, etc. But much of that was contested at the time and some of it continues to be. It would have been perfectly within the realm of decency for Fauci to have professional opinions about those matters which turned out to be wrong. I don’t even much mind him getting all bamboozled and doe-eyed about meeting celebrities, though it’s pretty hilarious and does speak to his character a bit.
But no, what’s inexcusable, what ruined lives and deformed entire childhoods, was the imperious dishonesty with which he shamed anyone who questioned him, the moral arrogance with which he feigned certainty on hugely contested questions and then did everything in his considerable power to tank the careers of people who dissented—people with credentials just as good as his, who were a damn sight more honest about how sure they could be and a damn sight more humble about how entitled they were to make life-changing decisions for the voiceless masses.
It’s one thing to have a wrong opinion—or a right opinion, for that matter—about a developing situation based on partial evidence. It’s another thing to know you’re unsure and still talk and act like you’ve descended from the chilly heights of the empyrean to issue cold commands. The man is one of the most odious characters in our public life, and emblematic of an attitude that needs naming and shaming, unpleasant as it is for us all to look back on that wretched time.
@CentroLeaks "The idea is for the generation to be 'the most personable' yet. 'Remember all new Pokémon, to know them, to feel closer to them'."
So more shallow Nintendogs-esque mechanics and minigames that won't respect my time and bore me to death? I sure hope not...
“RCP8.5 was once plausible and we successfully averted it through the energy transition” narrative is perhaps the biggest, most consequential, and most actively perpetuated lie in climate science and policy communication today.