Thread by @RadioFreeTom

A couple of comments on this. Yeah, I don’t like it when expert groups don’t talk to each other. Right now this is a competition between “cautious“ and “super cautious“ and some professional associations like the APA look at a very narrow mandate. /1

https://twitter.com/RobGeorge/status/1417229383690072071

One of the dilemmas facing professionals is that anything less than “super cautious” creates recriminations from the public if something goes wrong later - Even if it’s something different than the original issue. /2

I also worry about professional associations responding to what they think will placate their public constituency, in this case, jumpy parents. In that case they think: “what could it hurt to do more than necessary?“ /3

As usual, I am going to blame the public for demanding a zero defect environment with a complete lack of tolerance for nuance. “Everyone get vaccinated“ isn’t working, so we’re going back to “let’s argue about masks“ /4

With all that said, it would be nice to see the APA and CDC at least try to explain the difference in their recommendations. My non-expert take after reading the story is that the APA is covering its bases here. /5

My guess as well, and it is just a guess, is that with cases rising among the unvaccinated, the APA did not want to be in a position of saying “but going without a mask in school is OK“. I think this will backfire, personally. /6

Fauci and others are using language like, “if they feel that way, it’s the reasonable thing to do”. To me, that sounds like: “I know why they feel they have to say this even if that’s not where the science is.” /7

It is not politically possible to say “your children are not at serious risk even if unvaxed, and you aren’t either if you’re vaccinated“ because we are now frozen in a cold war of the vaccinated versus unvaccinated. So the experts are shrugging: “sure, masks.“ /8

I wish the expert community would just agree to say: “the science says X” and let people deal with the reality. But we are not a nation of adults, and professional associations just don’t do that, and that hurts their credibility, IMO. /9

But I understand why they do it. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do, but I get it. /10x