ICYMI - The ‘Noble Lie’ is Still a Lie

An article I posted on Medium a while back on the whole “Mask-Hysteria”

Imagine discovering someone was lying to you for “your own good.” What if this “untruth” was for the benefit of others? How about if it were for the “good of mankind?” Some people would be unperturbed as long as the lie did no real harm. Others see the lie as a lie. The latter group comprises many who have a radical distrust of any proclamation or recommendation made by elected officials or their apparatchiks. Can you blame them? Most of what has been peddled to the public turns out to be false when it comes to foreign and domestic policy. And when these falsehoods cost countless lives, or rampant poverty, the critical thinker becomes distrustful of any “report” or “study.”

The alleged “Noble Lie” in this case is the one perpetrated by the official US Surgeon General Twitter account on February 29 of this year, 2020. The screen shot posted here will provide the information for the forthcoming commentary.

This Tweet starts out like a post from an annoyed “friend.” The fact that the Surgeon General of the USA would begin with “Seriously people,” much the same way a fraternity brother may post a sign over the toilet chastising his brethren for not lifting the seat before using it, is odd to put it mildly. Attaching the all-caps, STOP BUYING MASKS, can easily make one forget the sophomoric opening. A real message is being delivered here and it is urgent. But why the desperation?

The opening to the next sentence appears as antiquated as “flat-earth” teachings to the man or woman walking in public currently with any variety of veils to signal fear, obedience or an inclination to avoid the wrath of those who have taken at face value the State “High Priest’s” proclamations that masks will save you from this certain death. Many have embraced the signal that “they’re wearing it for you and not for themselves.” Either way, a sentence informing them that masks will not prevent the spread of infection is now read as a doctor prescribing bloodletting for headaches.

But how was it received then? It was taken at face value. Masks in March and April were nowhere near as prevalent as they are now. Sure, there were people wearing them, but the percentages were low compared to eight months on from the time of the Tweet.

The second part of sentence number two points to the reason for them not wanting people to hoard masks but also creates questions for those who possess the reading comprehension of a second-grader. Medical professionals need these masks because they will be in direct contact with people who are infected, and presumably, symptomatic. This is logical and impossible to argue against. It’s common sense.

The problem presents itself with the phrase, “it puts them and our communities at risk.” Some may perceive this as a contradiction but when you consider who the Tweet is sent from it is clear that “our communities” is the various medical communities around the country. So, those who see this as a conflict claiming it is saying the public is at risk should read it in the context of who wrote it.

It must be noted that the link provided by the Surgeon General’s account in the Tweet has been updated to say that the public should be “masking up” but that was to be expected.

There are only two ways that this Tweet can be taken. The first is that it was a Noble Lie — one that was defended by some in the so-called “liberty community” — to get the public to not buy up all of the masks because they believed medical professionals would need them. The problem with this is that if they knew that masks could stop the spread, then they were aware that their actions would cause the virus to escalate. This has not been addressed or discussed as far as this author is aware. If this assessment is accurate, the Surgeon General is responsible for an undetermined amount of deaths. Here you can read the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci and determine for yourself.

The second way this Tweet can be taken is that they didn’t believe masks would help prevent the spread of the virus. That we still have no concrete proof of this is remarkable considering masks have, in this author’s opinion, graduated from being about safety to become articles of clothing. It appears to have become as important as any piece of cloth that would cover your “unmentionables.” And in a time when the “experts” are claiming that cases are rising, the proliferation of mask wearers is greater than it has ever been.

SARS-CoV-2, and the panic surrounding it, has progressed (regressed?) to religious fervor. At this point the mask can be likened to an ancient talisman meant to ward off evil spirits. The main difference is that our ancestors actually believed said talisman would protect them while the average mask wearer is just guessing. If you believe they help, by all means wear one. If you believe that someone else not wearing one while you are, puts you in danger, a suggestion would be to wear two. Whatever you decide to do, never forget who initiated the confusion, and perpetuates it to this day.