What Thoughts on Covid are Being Self-Censored?
At every stage, from the initial lockdowns and masks to school closures and vaccines, the strict censorship of facts and ideas that diminish support for the mandates of governments and the World Health Organization—regardless of their cost and efficacy—has been central to the response to Covid-19, especially on social media and within professional organizations. On numerous occasions, the federal government has specifically encouraged big tech companies to ramp up this policy, and the recent flurry of bans of anti-lockdown activists for sharing perfectly innocuous information proves that this censorship shows no sign of slowing down, even as we enter lockdown season 2022. This has some commentators discussing the understudied role of self-censorship in the response to Covid.
Indeed, the arbitrary and unpredictable banning of citizens for sharing innocuous Covid facts that the government disfavors has effectively turned sites like Twitter into a digital Pyongyang, with most large users terrified to venture anywhere near the subject.
Fortunately, here on Substack, we don’t have that problem. So let’s hear from you: Are there thoughts that you’ve been afraid to post on big social media sites throughout the response to Covid? Please share them below.
Michael P Senger is an attorney and author of Snake Oil: How Xi Jinping Shut Down the World. Want to support my work? Get the book. Already got the book? Leave a quick review.
Hi there - I'm a geriatrician specialist and I work for a very prominent large public agency running a long term care facility. I have self-censored for the last 2+ years my growing horror as to what we've done to the lives of my residents in the name of COVID avoidance. They live far more meaningless, depressing, and what I suspect - shorter and more debilitated lives because of it. If you want to hear me talk about it I'm at https://gerodoc.substack.com/
This has been a huge struggle for me. I finally got a studio at a local art center, then COVID hit. Teachers were required to be vaxxed, vax was necessary to participate in Winter Market etc. Ironically, the place had just won an award for inclusivity! Early on I expressed my doubts (trepidation!) about the untested mRNA and DNA technologies and told a few fellow artists that I would steer clear. Months later, well into the vax campaign, someone spread rumors that I wasn't vaxxed (never told anyone). Artists steered VERY clear of me. A fellow double-jabbed artist told me she would "hug me but I wasn't vaxxed". Another told me recently that I should not be going into the studio and that the unvaxxed "spread germs". I'm not sure if I can stay - I am the only one now required to wear a mask (I don't). At least I stopped the "I am vaccinated" button campaign...
It is sometimes exceedingly painful. The price can be high, (two family members lost jobs), but I am mostly open. How else will we get over this? My brother died from Cipro poisoning and FDA silence. I have to speak out!
That said, folks like you are fantastic! Thank you Michael for your great missives - and to fellow commenters! There is hope - I just met a neighbor who said she is unvaxxed. Phew!!!