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Public trust is a precious currency that was spent far too blithely this summer by public officials who should have known better. https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1328148358582689792
Americans did trust the science in March, when they collectively agreed to short-term shutdowns to bend the curve. They then watched the goal line keep moving, and the casual dismissal of large gatherings by the same public officials who urged the shutdowns.
What public officials don't seem to realize is that the moment they dismissed large gatherings after endorsing shutdowns, they undermined their ability as experts in the eyes of a great many people.
Even if what they now recommend is true, it doesn't matter because they've already destroyed the one thing they needed to maintain in order to be effective: public trust.
It's the holiday season and people want to share a meal with their extended family. They've watched media and public health officials shrug at large gatherings while also telling us to cancel Thanksgiving. Mixed messaging is the best way to drop a nuke on potential compliance.
A post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 spike is likely. Maybe more than likely. Maybe it's inevitable. But it's extremely difficult to public policy a virus away, or change human nature. Public officials tried the first, but ignored their own rules, so the latter is now taking over.
The moment you excuse the rules for a group or ideology you favor, people will notice and ignore those rules. If you try to impose them for some after excusing them for others, people will not just ignore the rules, they will hold you in contempt for your hypocrisy.
There has been much bemoaning of the 'death' of expertise. I tend to agree with @davidharsanyi on this one. Expertise wasn't killed. It committed suicide: https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2020/11/30/the-suicide-of-expertise/
