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Josh Mitteldorf's avatar

With admirable open-mindedness and courtesy, you give these authors the assumption of sincerity, the respect, and the reasoned response that they denied to you. Let's continue to take the high road, confident that the facts are on our side and that truth must always prevail in the long run.

At the same time, I can't help wishing for some James O'Keefe type to dig into these authors' backgrounds and show us that they are taking money from Pfizer or Project Mockingbird.

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Sam May's avatar

Great piece, Madhava! You covered a lot of territory and probed some edges. I very much appreciate you ended with a conversation with Charles Eisenstein who, when you/we are trying to land somewhere where we can stand upright and make some sense and find some human connection, reminded us how systems work. The three authors would be called useful idiots by some. Eisenstein calls attention to the fact that groups need opinion shapers - those who can filter and refine and stay in a lane of consensus. I would wager we all inhabit spaces like this, so it is really a matter of when and where can we/some of us be contrarian. Does the system protect free speech? Does the social coterie tolerate dissension? So we have here three victims of cults (as they see it) who are now liberated and knowing, but like a set of Russian dolls, are still held hostage. They can't see that they are still hostages.

Ultimately, whether they "see" or don't see is not a matter of education or credentials or "chops", it is maintaining a "safe space" worldview. You buried a lede... "Derek Beres is listed as an 'agenda contributor' to the World Economic Forum". Whoa! Say no more. He's bought, sold, and delivered.

I doubt my education level is greater than any of the three authors when it comes to science, medicine, statistics, etc. I don't have any "chops" beyond a good education and an inquiring mind and perhaps a disposition to analysis and criticism. For me the challenge is to override my tendency to criticism and remember to engage with compassion. Thanks for reminding me!!

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