Thread by @JoshWalkos

Mega 🧵

Trusting “the experts” is the intellectual version of Stockholm syndrome.

They lied. They failed. They censored. They gaslit. And still, millions defend them like hostages too afraid to look at the door.

This thread is for the escapees.

Iraq War & Weapons of Mass Destruction (2003)

Claim: Saddam Hussein had WMDs and was a threat to global security.

Reality: No WMDs were found. The intel was cooked. Millions died based on a lie.

Senate Intelligence Report, 2004
intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/…

Financial Crisis of 2008

Claim: The economy was stable. Subprime was “contained.”

Reality: Entire system nearly collapsed. Economists, Federal Reserve officials, and ratings agencies missed or downplayed the looming disaster.

archive.is/DVAFy

COVID-19 Origins

Claim: It came from a wet market; lab leak was a “conspiracy theory.”
Reality: Emails and documents show early acknowledgment of lab leak plausibility, which was suppressed to protect institutions and funding.

oversight.house.gov/release/wenstr…

COVID-19 Vaccine “Safe and Effective” Narrative

Claim: mRNA vaccines prevent transmission and are nearly risk-free.

Reality: Immunity wanes, transmission continues, and adverse event data (e.g., myocarditis, menstrual irregularities, neurological events) was initially hidden or downplayed.

bmj.com/content/375/bm…

Lockdowns & School Closures

Claim: Lockdowns and school closures were necessary and backed by science.

Reality: Devastating impacts on mental health, education, small business, and no long-term benefit in controlling spread.

unicef.org/press-releases…

Mask Mandates

Claim: Cloth and surgical masks stop virus transmission in the general population.

Reality: Real-world studies and RCTs showed minimal to no efficacy.
cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.10…

Russiagate / “Trump-Russia Collusion” (2016–2019)

Claim: Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election.

Reality: The Mueller investigation found no such criminal conspiracy. The Steele dossier was largely fabricated.
justice.gov/archives/media…

Gardasil HPV Vaccine Safety

Claim: Gardasil is safe and prevents cancer.

Reality: Thousands of adverse events and lawsuits. Long-term cancer prevention claim unproven due to insufficient data length.

bmj.com/content/362/bm…

Climate Change Predictions

Claim: We have “10 years left” to stop climate catastrophe — said every decade.

Reality: Doomsday timelines have repeatedly failed. Sea level rise and extreme weather predictions often exaggerated.

epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/…

Food Pyramid / Dietary Guidelines

Claim: High-carb, low-fat diets are healthy.

Reality: U.S. dietary policy led to an explosion in obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

thelancet.com/journals/lance…

SSRIs and the “Chemical Imbalance” Myth

Claim: Depression is caused by a serotonin imbalance; SSRIs correct it.

Reality: No solid evidence for serotonin deficiency theory. SSRIs no more effective than placebo for many.
psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insigh…

Antidepressant Use in Children

Claim: Safe and effective for youth.

Reality: Black-box warnings for increased risk of suicide.

fda.gov/drugs/postmark…

Big Tech Censorship of “Misinformation”

Claim: Tech companies were protecting users from falsehoods.

Reality: They were coordinating with government officials to silence dissenting (often correct) views.

judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subs…

HIV/AIDS Drug Trials in Africa & Foster Kids (1990s–2000s)

Claim: Conducted under ethical standards.

Reality: Poor, black foster children and Africans were used in highly controversial drug trials without informed consent.

nbcnews.com/health/health-…

statnews.com/2024/09/18/len…

Epstein “Suicide”

Claim: Epstein killed himself in a high-security jail.

Reality: Cameras failed, guards were asleep, autopsy inconsistent.
npr.org/2019/10/30/774…

Gain-of-Function Research Denials

Claim: NIH did not fund gain-of-function work in Wuhan.

Reality: NIH later admitted it funded EcoHealth Alliance, which did conduct gain-of-function work.

nationalreview.com/news/fauci-kne…

Statins for Everyone

Claim: Statins are universally safe and should be prescribed preventively.

Reality: Benefits for people without heart disease are dubious; side effects like muscle pain, cognitive decline, and diabetes risk often downplayed.

telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/0…

Vioxx (Merck) Scandal

Claim: Safe painkiller.

Reality: Caused up to 60,000 deaths. Merck hid data, FDA looked the other way.

nytimes.com/2007/11/09/bus…

“Transitory” Inflation (2021)

Claim: Biden admin, Fed, and media economists assured inflation was “temporary.”

Reality: Wrong. They missed the scope and duration entirely.
mises.org/mises-wire/no-…

Afghanistan Withdrawal & “No Chance of Taliban Takeover”

Claim: U.S. withdrawal would be orderly; Afghan forces could hold.

Reality: Taliban took Kabul in days. Americans stranded.
bbc.com/news/world-582…

Antibacterial Soaps and Hand Sanitizers

Claim: Safer and more effective than regular soap.

Reality: Triclosan and similar chemicals led to endocrine disruption and antibiotic resistance. FDA banned them.

fda.gov/news-events/pr…

Opioid Crisis & Purdue Pharma

Claim: OxyContin was “non-addictive” when taken as prescribed.

Reality: Manufactured epidemic. FDA approved label; Purdue execs never jailed.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

“No Evidence of Election Interference” (2020–2022)

Claim: Government and Big Tech denied any wrongdoing or censorship.

Reality: Internal files show DHS, FBI colluded with platforms to suppress info, often political.

racket.news/p/capsule-summ…

9/11 Commission Whitewash

Claim: Bin Laden-directed attack with no inside help.

Reality: Saudi links buried, NORAD contradictions, WTC 7 ignored. Commission chairs admitted they were “set up to fail.”

pbs.org/newshour/show/…

“Experts Agree: Red Meat is Dangerous”

Claim: Red meat causes cancer and heart disease.

Reality: Recent large-scale reviews say the evidence is weak and inconsistent.

acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M1…

Fluoride in Drinking Water

Claim: Safe and effective for all.

Reality: Accumulating evidence of neurotoxicity in children and thyroid disruption.

apnews.com/article/fluori…

Swine Flu (H1N1) Vaccine Rollout (2009)

Claim: Mass vaccination necessary.

Reality: Caused Guillain-Barré Syndrome in hundreds; hysteria overhyped.

. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC96…

“Safe and Smart” 5G Rollout

Claim: No health concerns from 5G radiation.

Reality: Safety testing minimal; long-term health effects unknown.

saferemr.com/2018/07/icnirp…

Transgender Hormone Treatments for Youth

Claim: Puberty blockers are “completely reversible.”

Reality: Emerging data shows permanent effects on bone density, fertility, and neurological development. European countries now scaling back drastically.

webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20250310…

“Expert” Recession Denials (2022)

Claim: Biden administration changed the definition of a recession mid-cycle.

Reality: Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth is recession by historical standard.

theweek.com/feature/opinio…

TARP & Too Big to Fail (2008)

Claim: Emergency bailouts were necessary to save the economy.

Reality: Banks were rescued, not homeowners. Executives paid bonuses with bailout cash.

archive.is/9An07

Agent Orange Denials by the Pentagon (Post-Vietnam)

Claim: Exposure had no long-term effects.

Reality: Decades of suffering, birth defects, and finally limited compensation — after relentless activism.

propublica.org/article/agent-…

“Assisted Suicide Will Only Be for the Terminally Ill”

Claim: Legalization would be tightly controlled.

Reality: In Canada, MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) now offered for depression, poverty, and even minors.

jacobin.com/2024/05/canada…

NSA Spying Denials (Pre-Snowden)

Claim: The NSA doesn’t collect Americans’ data.

Reality: Snowden leaks exposed mass surveillance and perjury by officials like James Clapper.

fas.org/publication/cl…

Tech Addiction Was “Overblown”

Claim: Screen time wasn’t harmful, according to experts in the 2010s.

Reality: Admitted addiction design features; mental health crisis in teens exploded.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap…

COVID Hospitalization and Death Counts

Claim: All COVID-positive deaths were COVID deaths.

Reality: Hospitals received incentives for COVID diagnoses; “with” vs “from” COVID distinction suppressed.

cms.gov/files/document…

“Hunter Biden Laptop is Russian Disinfo”

Claim: 50+ intel officials signed a letter claiming the laptop was fake.

Reality: The laptop was real. The letter was politically coordinated.
nypost.com/2020/10/14/ema…

“Gender is a Spectrum” – Medical Consensus Enforcement

Claim: Biology is irrelevant to sex.

Reality: Biology is the basis for sexual dimorphism. The dogma stifled legitimate academic and medical discourse.

aeon.co/essays/the-ide…

“Sudden Adult Death Syndrome” is Normal

Claim: Young people suddenly dying from heart issues is nothing new.

Reality: Rates exploded post-mRNA rollout. Correlation aggressively denied.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

Tamiflu “Pandemic Prevention” Fraud

Claim: Stockpiled globally as an essential antiviral, based on glowing trial data.

Reality: Roche withheld negative data; efficacy overstated, side effects underplayed.

cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.10…

Anthrax Vaccine Coverup (Military, 1990s–2000s)

Claim: Safe, effective, and mandatory for U.S. troops.

Reality: Caused Gulf War Syndrome-like symptoms; multiple lawsuits forced disclosures.

journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/inform…

Debunking the “Science is Self-Correcting” Myth

Claim: Bad science is eventually weeded out.

Reality: Retractions are rare; fraud persists due to peer-review gatekeeping and institutional loyalty.
journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/a…

“Asbestos is Not a Risk at Ground Zero”

Claim: EPA head Christine Todd Whitman said air was safe post-9/11.

Reality: Thousands developed respiratory illness, cancers, and more.

ucs.org/resources/atta…

The Obesity Epidemic and Sugar Lobby Cover-Up

Claim: Fat is the enemy; sugar is harmless.

Reality: Sugar industry paid Harvard scientists to shift blame away from sugar in the 1960s — and the lie persisted for decades.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamai…

“Safe” GMOs and Roundup

Claim: Glyphosate is non-toxic at current exposure levels.

Reality: Court rulings show it causes cancer; internal Monsanto emails revealed ghostwriting and manipulation of studies.

wisnerbaum.com/toxic-tort-law…

mRNA Platform “Couldn’t Alter DNA”

Claim: It stays localized and degrades quickly.

Reality: Studies now show reverse transcription potential and spike protein circulation far longer than claimed.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35723296/

The “Safe Skies” TSA Regime

Claim: TSA’s screening made air travel safer.

Reality: Billions spent with little effectiveness; red team tests showed 95% failure to catch weapons.

abcnews.go.com/amp/US/tsa-fai…

WHO’s COVID Death Projections (2020)

Claim: 3.4% case fatality rate, tens of millions would die without lockdowns.

Reality: Infection fatality rate closer to 0.2–0.3% overall; predictions based on flawed models like Ferguson’s.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC96…

Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)

Claim: Vaccine injuries are vanishingly rare, and victims are fairly compensated.

Reality: Over $4.9 billion paid out; cases sealed, gagged, or denied without transparency.

hrsa.gov/sites/default/…

“The Border is Secure” (U.S.)

Claim: Biden officials and DHS repeatedly stated the southern border is under control.

Reality: Record migrant crossings, human trafficking, and fentanyl smuggling surged.

budget.house.gov/imo/media/doc/…

Ukraine Biolab Denial

Claim: U.S. has no biological labs in Ukraine.

Reality: Pentagon documents show DTRA-funded labs and sensitive pathogen research contracts.

c-span.org/clip/senate-co…

PFOA / Teflon Poisoning Cover-Up

Claim: Teflon and its chemicals (like PFOA) are safe.

Reality: DuPont knew for decades they were poisoning communities. Liver damage, birth defects, and cancers ensued.

ewg.org/news-insights/…

“There’s No Pedophile Elite”

Claim: Claims of elite sex abuse networks are baseless conspiracy theories.

Reality: Epstein, Savile, the Franklin Scandal, Dutroux — all buried, minimized, or sanitized by media and intelligence services.

the-independent.com/news/media/tv-…

“Obamacare Lowered Healthcare Costs”

Claim: The Affordable Care Act made healthcare cheaper.

Reality: Premiums and deductibles soared. Access didn’t equal affordability.

forbes.com/sites/nextaven…

“VAERS Is Unreliable, Ignore It”

Claim: The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is flawed and overreports.

Reality: It’s a passive system that underreports by up to 99%, per HHS.

digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/…

“Science is Objective and Apolitical”

Claim: Science is a neutral tool for discovery.

Reality: It has been corporatized, politicized, and weaponized to enforce ideology, protect funding, and silence dissent.

nybooks.com/articles/2009/…

I could go on and on but you get the idea. Just remember when someone says that we should trust the experts, ask them why would you ever do that in light of their track record?

Follow me @JoshWalkos