Thread by @GidMK

I cannot believe the question was asked, and the response is even more absurd

No, the pandemic is not a "social construct" what utter garbage

Even the explanation of why the pandemic is "socially constructed" is total nonsense. That we may have had a different response without technology does not mean that what we are doing now is "constructed" in a philosophical sense

I mean, if the pandemic had happened 3 decades ago it's almost certain that the death toll would be FAR higher, so we might have actually had a MORE intensive regulatory response

For reference, a "social construct" is the shared perception of society as it pertains to a phenomenon. So while our pandemic *response* is to some extent socially constructed, it is simply inflammatory nonsense to suggest that *the pandemic* is a social construct

Ok, I should clarify that I'm genuinely shocked that the question was asked outside of a discussion between sociologists/philosophers about perceptions and views of the pandemic and how these diverge

https://twitter.com/GidMK/status/1440881169696841730?s=20