NYT Columnist David Leonhardt Should Wear A Mask If He's Gonna Talk Out His Ass

[Nevilledog]

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New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt brings us some important thoughts on science and risk and stuff today, in a column arguing that "follow the science" is a good slogan only if you're talking about vaccinations — it's "unambiguous" that COVID is "more deadly for the unvaccinated than almost any virus in decades, and the vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing serious illness." Good for him!

But in the attempt to suggest that "the science" isn't always quite so certain, so we need to temper expert advice with an assessment of practical realities, Leonhardt too often seems to suggest there's a basic equivalence between advocates of just ignoring the science and getting everything back to "normal," and folks who say that would be a really bad idea if we're to actually brig the pandemic under control.

(If you don't subscribe to the Times — good for you, subscribe to us instead if you can — Leonhardt reprints his major points in this Twitter thread.)

For starters, look at his lede, in which he notes that the CDC

describes medium-rare hamburgers as “undercooked” and dangerous. The agency also directs Americans to avoid raw cookie dough and not to eat more than a teaspoon or so of salt every day. And the C.D.C. tells sexually active women of childbearing age not to drink alcohol unless they are on birth control.

Well gosh, if you engage in any of these risky behaviors, he says, then you aren't following the science, which suggests that the science is pretty wild and out there.

Leonhardt's point here is that we can't go through life and avoid all risks, so it makes sense to balance expert advice with realism, and just be sensible, finding a happy medium between extreme risk-taking and living locked in a bunker:

If you want to minimize your risk of getting sick from food, you probably need to eat less tasty food than you now do. If you want to minimize your chance of dying today, you should not get inside a vehicle. If you want to minimize your children’s chance of going to an emergency room, don’t allow them to ride a bike or play sports.

Unfortunately, none of these statements provide answers about what to do. People have to weigh the risks and benefits. They let their kids play sports, but maybe not violent ones. They don’t drive in a snowstorm. They ignore the C.D.C.’s advice about medium-rare burgers and heed its warnings about medium-rare chicken.

*snip*

[maxrandb]

1. Yes, by all means, open the public swimming pool that's had an outbreak of polio

FREE-DUMB!!!

Hey, if my kid has polio, or has been exposed to it, there's no need to stop him form shitting in the public pool.

Is that the logic we're being fed by this reporter?

I mean hey, not everyone that swims there is going to die. Some may just lose a limb, or two.

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. Wouldn't that be called

a diaper?

[Midnight Writer]

3. The difference is about how your actions impact other people and the population as a whole.

Eating undercooked meat or raw cookie dough is not something likely to have a widespread negative health impact on the population as a whole.

Our health care facilities are not being overwhelmed by people eating medium rare hamburgers. You do not infect others with food poisoning by breathing near them. You do not infect a roomful of people by eating too much salt.

Not being vaccinated and not wearing masks hurts other people, perhaps critically. It is your responsibility as a citizen, as a friend, as a family member, as a co-worker, as a neighbor, to do what it takes to protect others, especially when it is as simple as getting a shot.