Not arguing against the substance of the article, but I can’t help but wonder if this is the best way to address this issue. Measles was eradicated from the US but is now back and has claimed lives purely due to vaccine skepticism. I just worry that yet another article criticizing the FDA for pushing drugs that aren’t safe/effective will do more harm than good at this point. Idk, I just sincerely question if now is the time to give americans more reasons not to trust medical professionals. (Again, not arguing with the substance of the article—very disappointing and disturbing that FDA is doing this—but just concerned about the time, manner, and place of this criticism.)

Both can be true.

It can be true that the FDA was corrupted/broken to some extent and needs more ‘skeptial’ and less-industry-friendly leadership, while at the same time, skepticism in science is not the answer.

This is my dillema with MAGA. Many of the issues they tackle are spot on, even if people don’t like to hear that. They’re often right, even if the proposed solutions are problematic or even damaging.

This is such an important thing to note. The MAGA set aren’t completely oblivious. It’s the same issue with how they don’t trust “mainstream media,” the problem doesn’t lie in accepting that media must be viewed with skepticism and critical thinking, the problem lies with the critical thinking ending at “I can’t trust the mainstream media.”

What the MAGAs are actually practicing is cynicism not skepticism. They have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Because they have realized some sources aren’t always entirely trustworthy, they stop trusting them entirely and instead listen to random jackholes on the internet. It’s actually an abdication of critical thinking. Just flat out rejection instead of reading with a critical eye and skeptical mind.