- Lockdown questioners smeared by association (again) Archived Message
Posted by AlanG
on May 3, 2020, 6:48 pm
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-03/coronavirus-sceptics-continue-to-downplay-covid19/12201344?utm_source=abc_news&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_content=mail&utm_campaign=abc_news The following salient points and commentary on the above are courtesy of 'George Mc' on the apparently newly alt-Wrong off-Guardian: ' Coronavirus scepticism has cut across the political spectrum, and can be found among those of conservative and progressive political persuasions.' Nevertheless: 'University of Adelaide political expert Carol Johnson said while some left-wing civil libertarians opposed to the lockdowns had questioned the severity of the virus, the strongest opposition has come from the political right.' So it’s not really the Left who are “criminally” questioning the virus. (After all, these Left ones who are unpatriotically cynical are “libertarians”) It is essential that this virus critique be seen as a Right Wing reactionary trope. 'Professor Johnson said it was likely that many climate change deniers had now morphed into coronavirus deniers. “It is often related, in terms of those groups, to the anti-science argument, [and] there could be links to anti-vaxxers as well,” she said.' “Anti-science” you see? I have a feeling that the “flat earth” is going to come in. Ah yes, here it is: ' “It does seem to be the same kind of mindset that will deny vaccines work, that will embrace treatments that clearly don’t work for diseases and that will deny that the earth is round and that the moon landing happened,” Associate Professor Mackay said.' And then the passive voice: ' Despite the impact of the lockdowns, statistics have shown most Australians approve of the way Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the state premiers have handled the coronavirus pandemic. ' “Statistics have shown” (“Statistics” is like some kind of divine being allied, no doubt, to “Science”) Then we get more of the link with the “Far Right” and an emphasis on how this lockdown is NOT what the govt wanted (in this case the US govt.) This association of “the Left” with favouring the lockdown goes hand in hand with the association of “the Right” with “denial” of the virus. And I suppose the really depressing thing is that this article doesn’t really matter. I’m sure it was preceded, just as it will be followed, by a million more making the same noises. Repetition repetition repetition ….. ' |