In March 2020, the UK scientific body advising the government came up with 25 ways to make the public treat others like biohazards. Among the tactics considered included:
-- Making people think they are at more risk than they actually were
1/5
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
-- Making people think they are at more risk than they actually were
1/5
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
-- "Emotional messaging"
-- Weaponized empathy ("Responsibility to others")
-- Confident assertions that NPIs will protect hospitals ("Positive messaging around actions")
-- Coercive legislation
-- Shaming ("social disapproval")
2/5
-- Weaponized empathy ("Responsibility to others")
-- Confident assertions that NPIs will protect hospitals ("Positive messaging around actions")
-- Coercive legislation
-- Shaming ("social disapproval")
2/5
Here's the matrix of "options" they considered.
3/5
3/5
They even briefly considered options for focused protection of vulnerable people. Here was their plan for that.
4/5
4/5
If scientists advising the UK government respected fellow citizens, they would have categorically ruled out options to mislead, coerce, & shame. They would have put more effort into options to protect vulnerable people. But they did not. Most US scientists were no better.
5/5
5/5
Correction: 14 options. I was looking at the title of the document which says 25 when writing the first tweet in this thread. Doesn't change anything substantive.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
