Thread by @boriquagato

it would seem that we are now moving from the "denial" to the "anger" stage of the grieving process.

pretty much no one is celebrating this dylan, especially the many of us who were being relentlessly attacked, vilified, and censored for trying to warn you.

this is a tragedy.

now, as then, we're trying to help.

this bell cannot be un-rung, but we can at least secure the clapper and prevent it from doing more harm, identify/address the real causes of current problems, and perhaps most importantly:

take the steps to be sure this does not happen again

most of "the experts" turned out to be a nasty combination of inexpert and untrustworthy.

those that spoke didn't know and those that knew often said the opposite for fear of reprisal or to gain status/power.

because that's what technocrats do.

dissent and debate was silenced.

those who trusted "experts" and were fooled deserve and have my sympathy

it was a confusing and frightening time

but let's not forget just how savage a lot of hectoring was

it is perhaps understandable that its targets are raw/angry over what was said about and done to them

i think it pays for both sides to keep their eyes on what is important here and just where their anger should be focused:

those who were tricked should not be fighting with those who tried to reveal the trick

both should be seeking to hold to account those who did the tricking

i have no quarrel with anyone who was fooled into self-harm. i'm on your side. always was.

but those who lied, cheated, cut corners, and pushed bad product and practice then tried to hide it?

this is on you

holding you to full account is one of the great issues of our time

and those who fawningly carried water for these malefactors to force the lies upon the rest of us?

you share culpability.

you turned on your fellows perhaps from fear, perhaps from desire to weild the whip hand as ersatz hall monitor, but neither absolves blame.

anger here is justified.

desire and demand for deep systemic change here is justified.

such change is vital to the restoration of civilization and the the flourishing of free people.

because they WILL try this again.

the next batch of cookies are already in oven.

so let's keep our eyes on the prize, yes?

this has been a calamity. we cannot change that now.

but we can determine that those who did this are unworthy of our trust, our respect, or our allegiance

and we can hold them to account and dismantle the systems they used to do this

they want us to fight ourselves and forget about them.

that is their bet, their plan.

they wager they can induce us to war upon one another and thereby divert us from ending their rule.

let's make sure they lose.