“But Kennedy’s attack is heavier and more treacherous, and should be repelled more forcefully than merely with a warlike response to Kennedy.”
Oh yeah? Do Corona deniers, Querdenker, and anti-vaxxers change their minds because of this? Do the words of a Trump health minister turn educated people into anti-vaxxers? Or why?
Kennedy has also claimed that Wi‑Fi causes cancer, fluoride in toothpaste changes IQ, and Covid was developed by the Chinese to alter the DNA of White and Black people. Should one also ‘repel’ that forcefully?
The problem isn’t Kennedy or any other crackpot minister. The problem is that we give so much attention to every bit of nonsense that comes from such mouths.
To strengthen public trust, one could also agree to a comprehensive evaluation of the handling of the epidemic. But that’s something people would rather not do, because the findings in individual points could also vindicate critics. It’s easier to rail against the blather of a notorious conspiracy theorist.
