Thank you Caroline! Appreciate it. There's some great stuff here, especially Toby Green's book with Thomas Fazi. You've read *far* more of the books than I have, my reading focussed primarily on papers.
I wanted to post you some of reading list in return, but then I looked at my archive and this isn't even remotely plausible, but I can at least briefly discuss my methods.
I collated seventy reference documents on various themes like 'R0 research', 'Africa and Global' and 'Fomites', some with one or two papers in them, some with dozens. On just face masks, I have seven themed reference documents (e.g. Face masks: children, Face masks: mandates etc.), the longest of which runs in at 4,200 words of references, selected extracts, and my commentary
Inside each are stubs like this one:
---
Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling
Lessler J, Grabowski MK, Grantz KH, et al. Science 2021.
The actual paper, though, does not argue expressly for masks - it takes a more general view hinging upon 'seven or more mitigation measures' removing the connection between transmission and schools. Logically, should we not be working out which of those mitigation measures is doing the work before arguing for masks, when the harms of mask usage in schools are now well documented...?)
---
This was a huge part of my life, and I achieved almost nothing from this extended literature review, and certainly published nothing at the end of it all.
Was this in any way sensible? I really don't know what to think. At the time, it felt like the only way to stay sane was to apply myself to the literature critically, because for a long time there was no impression that there were others like us out there and I could at least apply some intellectual standards to the crap being trotted out for my own peace of mind.
All in all, I can only conclude that I drove myself insane with this stuff... but then, one way or another, didn't we all!
Research is never a waste in my view. The events are not over yet, and we may well find ourselves convincingly informed - for the sake of others - for doing this work - at some point. It strengthens us even as it depresses us. I too developed a raging hatred of the surgical splashguard fetish, the need to appear virtuous, the visible moniker of compliance was stunningly bad. I got thrown out of a dentist's surgery for requesting to see his face. A man who was about to treat me wouldn't show his face. It was because I challenged the reality of the wretched thing's lack of efficacy. It felt bad at the time, but I'm glad I refused to play along with lies. I'm with another surgery now, so it's their loss. Who wants to be treated by someone who defies the truth of biological reality? Not me! (Dentists seemed to be especially prone to this particular stupidity I have learned).
I appreciate the optimistic take here, truly. And as for dentists... don't get me started. 🙄
My only loss of emotional control during the height of the nonsense was when I found myself shouting Kantian philosophy at the headmistress of my kids school: "In both the law and the moral law, ought implies can!". I'm not proud of this moment... but I can at least now laugh at it.
Thank you Caroline! Appreciate it. There's some great stuff here, especially Toby Green's book with Thomas Fazi. You've read *far* more of the books than I have, my reading focussed primarily on papers.
I wanted to post you some of reading list in return, but then I looked at my archive and this isn't even remotely plausible, but I can at least briefly discuss my methods.
I collated seventy reference documents on various themes like 'R0 research', 'Africa and Global' and 'Fomites', some with one or two papers in them, some with dozens. On just face masks, I have seven themed reference documents (e.g. Face masks: children, Face masks: mandates etc.), the longest of which runs in at 4,200 words of references, selected extracts, and my commentary
Inside each are stubs like this one:
---
Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling
Lessler J, Grabowski MK, Grantz KH, et al. Science 2021.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2021/04/28/science.abh2939
(This seems to be what the pro-masker camp is now reduced to citing as evidence, namely a Facebook survey on symptoms - Trisha Greenhalgh argues using THIS as her SOLE evidence for masks after one year of her 'precautionary measure' in the BMJ cf. https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/05/14/is-the-government-following-the-data-on-face-coverings-in-schools/
The actual paper, though, does not argue expressly for masks - it takes a more general view hinging upon 'seven or more mitigation measures' removing the connection between transmission and schools. Logically, should we not be working out which of those mitigation measures is doing the work before arguing for masks, when the harms of mask usage in schools are now well documented...?)
---
This was a huge part of my life, and I achieved almost nothing from this extended literature review, and certainly published nothing at the end of it all.
Was this in any way sensible? I really don't know what to think. At the time, it felt like the only way to stay sane was to apply myself to the literature critically, because for a long time there was no impression that there were others like us out there and I could at least apply some intellectual standards to the crap being trotted out for my own peace of mind.
All in all, I can only conclude that I drove myself insane with this stuff... but then, one way or another, didn't we all!
With unlimited love,
Chris.
Research is never a waste in my view. The events are not over yet, and we may well find ourselves convincingly informed - for the sake of others - for doing this work - at some point. It strengthens us even as it depresses us. I too developed a raging hatred of the surgical splashguard fetish, the need to appear virtuous, the visible moniker of compliance was stunningly bad. I got thrown out of a dentist's surgery for requesting to see his face. A man who was about to treat me wouldn't show his face. It was because I challenged the reality of the wretched thing's lack of efficacy. It felt bad at the time, but I'm glad I refused to play along with lies. I'm with another surgery now, so it's their loss. Who wants to be treated by someone who defies the truth of biological reality? Not me! (Dentists seemed to be especially prone to this particular stupidity I have learned).
I appreciate the optimistic take here, truly. And as for dentists... don't get me started. 🙄
My only loss of emotional control during the height of the nonsense was when I found myself shouting Kantian philosophy at the headmistress of my kids school: "In both the law and the moral law, ought implies can!". I'm not proud of this moment... but I can at least now laugh at it.
Stay wonderful!
Chris.