A few thoughts on this sad development

20 academics criticizing an paper is fine; good science, really

10000+ hate mail for studying schools in Sweden is insane

Anonymous docs/ prof (hiding in faceless accts) on twitter smearing researchers is insane
[thread] https://twitter.com/ottersenolep/status/1362429364823023623

In April 2020, @jflier and I saw this coming

We saw increasingly heated and personal attacks against scientists merely for having a range of views on COVID19 (PS there is no playbook/ right ans)

Tying science to naked politics was also bad idea, we felt https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/27/hear-scientists-different-views-covid-19-dont-attack-them/

Yet, repeatedly that is what happened. Twitter 'experts' displayed an absolute intolerance to other views

Folks who disagreed weren't just wrong, they were malicious actors spreading "disinformation"

Really? Someone worked for 25 years as faculty to suddenly spread lies?

Disinformation has been so misused that it has lost meaning.

I recently saw an ID doc & lab researcher in the UK be accused of spreading "disinformation"

hahah, get outta here, you are trying to say "i disagree" but your keyboard is broken

Personal attacks have become so bad that I have seen a lab researcher accuse a doctor of wanting to engage in inappropriate relationships with patients due to diverging views on vaccine messaging

Seriously? It was a low point even for twitter

I got my share of personal attacks for my view that after vaccination you can relax restrictions, which by the way, becomes more mainstream each week!

Here is my story https://twitter.com/VPrasadMDMPH/status/1354894169899057152?s=20

I have had actually professors engage a troll-account, run by an east coast academic physician, that took my photo and mocks me

But the strangest part is that they simultaneously claim that online harassment is a problem; go figure

I have witnessed academics so angry that they insult me for even talking to John Ioannidis, one of the worlds most cited researchers

They criticize my interview AND refuse to listen to it

haha, that's the spirit!

If you don't listen, it must be bad https://twitter.com/VPrasadMDMPH/status/1358483942148435968?s=20

The Swedish NEJM study was good; very good

And has helped change bad ideas about risk

The author deserves praise; It is a matter of fact, descriptive study, nothing more

Don't get me started on Great Barrington Declaration

The absolute low point in name-calling was the treatment of the authors

Ok, i get it, you disagree. Me too

But if you think the authors or signatories are pro-death, then you are out of line https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/89177

PS John Snow memo has the exact same limitations

GBD - how will you shield the vulnerable from virus?
JSM - what's your plan to shield the vulnerable from the harms of restrictions?

Both were lacking, and yet one side was brutalized

COVID19 has revealed that the academy failed to provide a place for discourse about trade-offs

I wrote about it here: https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90574

I discussed with issue with many people on my pod. One discussion worth your time was Jacob Russell https://soundcloud.com/plenarysession/ep337

This was a total disaster

I don't have the same take as Carl. My interpretation of Danish mask is in my column: https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/89778

But letting FB employees decide Carl H, Oxford Prof's view is false is insane
https://twitter.com/carlheneghan/status/1329861848573861888?s=20