Highly Wealthy and Influential Individuals Predominantly Navigated COVID-19 Effectively
Let's Get Real About the Elites and COVID-19:
The COVID-19 pandemic was a perfect opportunity for so-called "elites" to show their worth and navigate the complexities of a global health crisis. But, as it turns out, they dropped the ball big-time.
Don't believe me? Just ask Tyler Cowen, one of the elites himself. In an article penned for The Free Press, Cowen, the Holbert L. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University, defends his intellectual peers, arguing that they did a decent job during the pandemic.
But the truth is that the so-called "elites" got almost everything wrong. And Cowen's article contradicts itself from the get-go.
At the outset, he claims that intellectual elitism is based in science, open-ended inquiry, and truth-seeking behavior. But in the following paragraphs, he defends the behavior of Dr. Anthony Fauci and other so-called "elites," who ignored the scientific process and common sense during the pandemic.
For example, when Fauci dismissed the lab leak as a conspiracy theory, there was no scientific basis for his claim. The "Proximal Origin" paper didn't rule out a lab leak, and Fauci refused to explain why he declined to discuss his role in getting the paper published or his connection to funding gain-of-function research.
And then there's Fauci's flip-flop on masks. In February 2020, he said masks were ineffective, but just six weeks later, he'd backtracked and said they were useful. There was no new science to justify the change, because there were no new studies conducted in that timeframe to inform his decision.
This pattern repeated itself for almost every significant COVID issue. The "elites" were wrong about the severity of the virus, the effectiveness of Lockdowns, and the benefits of the vaccine.
Of course, Cowen tries to list a few things the "elites" got right. He mentions that vaccination is effective, and long COVID is real. But these points don't hold up under scrutiny.
For one, the vaccine has waned in effectiveness in a matter of months. It doesn't stop infection or transmission, as the elites claimed. And let's not forget the vaccine passport system that led to job loss, discrimination, and forced mandates based on purposeful misrepresentations from the so-called "elites" they defend.
And while it's true that lockdowns briefly reduced personal mobility, they caused long-lasting harm by limiting business activity, increasing crime, and causing numerous mental health issues. To say that lockdowns mattered less than critics suggested is a willful disregard for the real consequences of this harmful policy.
Cowen's argument is simply wrong. The "elites" disgraced themselves during the pandemic, and it's time they acknowledged their mistakes instead of trying to rewrite history.
- The pandemic has sparked a revisionist discourse about the roles and competencies of the elites, particularly in dealing with complex situations such as global health crises.
- Factually speaking, the elites' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as exemplified by Tyler Cowen's defense, has been questionable at best, with numerous missteps and contradictions.
- Science, open-ended inquiry, and truth-seeking behavior are supposed to be the backbone of intellectual elitism, yet the pandemic response by elites, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, often deviated from these principles.
- Despair and frustration have arisen from the failures of the elites in handling the pandemic, as evidenced by the widespread criticism of their decisions and behaviors.
- In the realm of workplace-wellness, health-and-wellness, and fitness-and-exercise, the elites failed to provide accurate and consistent advice, causing confusion and harm to individuals and communities.
- Mental-health issues have skyrocketed during the pandemic, exacerbated by the elites' policies and ill-informed recommendations, underscoring the need for effective therapies-and-treatments to address the mental health crisis.
- The elites' role in politics, policy-and-legislation, and career-development has come under scrutiny, with many questioning their motives and ability to lead in times of crisis.
- General-news outlets, once perceived as reliable sources of information, have faced criticism for amplifying the elites' narratives, often without fact-checking or independent verification.
- The elites' dismissal of war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice issues during the pandemic has led to a lack of attention and resources for these critical areas, with potentially severe long-term consequences.
- Education-and-self-development and personal-growth have suffered due to the elites' mismanagement of the pandemic, particularly in regions with limited Medicare coverage and resources for skills-training and career advancement.
- Moving forward, it is crucial for the elites to acknowledge their mistakes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, learn from them, and work towards improving their leadership, policies, and communication in future crises.
