The Moral Bias of Covid Narrative

I am presenting an idea in an upcoming book that I call moral bias. Moral bias is when a moral ideal seems to obvious, so worthwhile, so necessary, that all objectivity is lost. The path to success is so obvious and necessary that any sense goes right out the window. The damage done on the pursuit of this moral ideal is ignored. Competing theories are laughed at. Nothing can change a person from their course. The book will be The Moral Bias of Objectivism: How Moral Ideals Cloud Objectivity. But this blog post is about how moral bias applied to Covid narrative.

The Traits of Moral Bias Applied to Covid Narrative

Moral bias follows a very predictable pattern. I have identified certain key traits about it. Here is how Covid narrative aligned with those traits.

Shame or fear initiates the system

Oh, yes. Covid narrative was definitely launched based on fear: in this case, fear you might die from a virus. It was also heavily driven by shame. In this case, shame that you might be the person to kill an elderly person with your carelessness.

The path to success is predefined

Yes, definitely. We were definitely going to beat this virus through intense behavioral control. Nothing except social distancing, mask wearing, and vaccines were considered “smart.” Anyone not on this path was considered recalcitrant and dangerous.

Feedback cannot update the system

Oh, yes. In fact, feedback never was in the system. We were told of this threat, based on news stories. No one actually saw anyone be harmed by covid before the first lockdowns in America started. Tom Hanks tested positive for covid and the country went nuts. Years into the mess, we were still warned and warned about the threat we faced. Almost as if none of what we were doing was working.

Propaganda upholds the system

You know, I didn’t originally have this trait marked for moral bias but I added it, based on covid narrative. Propaganda is when something is shoved in front of your face, constantly, to make you think a certain thing. This was done, intensely. Charts, news articles, and test results kept us alert to the problem of Covid. No one’s actual experience was driving it.

Conclusions are drawn based on a poor understanding of the topic

Oh, and how. Germ theory versus terrain theory has been contested since the discovery of germs. But it was nothing but germ theory, germ theory, germ theory. We never considered the positive benefits of sunlight, fresh air, herbs, healthy eating, neti pots, or good old fashioned chicken soup (stuff terrain theory would uphold). It was a “war” on this virus or bust. To say this isn’t quality science is putting it mildly.

One thinks they can control what they can’t

Oh, yes. Our hubris, in which we think we can directly control nature to our liking, was in full force.

Benefits are overblown

Benefits were being overblown constantly. If you just wear a face masks for 8 weeks, this will all go away. Promises like this were being made over and over.

People are rushed into a decision

Predators rely on “now, now, now” solutions to sell their false ideals and products, to get you signed up. We were told we only needed “two weeks to flatten the curve.” This was not to stop the virus itself but to allow hospitals time to prepare. Two years later, measures were still in place.

Failure is your fault

Yes, you death breathing monster. The fact that we haven’t licked this yet is because x% of the population chose not to get vaccinated.

Damage is ignored

Suicide was up, domestic violence up, small business closed. Totally ignored. To say humans can be despicable is a giant understatement.

Fake heroes are born

Oh, yes. All you had to do was announce you got your jab, and you were met with thunderous applause. People who I knew were domestic abusers got adoring adulation. I wanted to vomit.

The authentically talented are discarded

Many good people lost their business or even lives in this. This is great for the powerful–a formidable intellectual class is a tyrant’s worst enemy.

There is a bottomless pit in demands for resources

Oh, yes. Government grabbed all sorts of money for this. We were asked to hang on and do more. An entire world focused on this one problem just wasn’t enough.

Tight regulations are deployed

Software companies started offering services to track people. Government nearly came door to door to talk to people about vaccines. People were arrested for singing in public. You all see that this was madness now, right?

They can’t see their own behavior

People literally called for the death of the vaccinated. Few called such hate out. No, these people cannot see themselves.

It creates other systems of moral bias (more war)

Yes, other people, in response to the draconian government, decided that x hero is our guy and x principles will get us out of this mess. Typically, people thought Trump or someone would be our man. Some other “war” is started to stop this original war.

The more it fails, the stronger it gets

The effect of moral bias is that it makes the actual problem worse. With no regard for mental health or actual physical health, more and more people get sick. Then we see yet more hospitalizations, etc. People see the problem REALLY DOES exist now. And so all the measures are further justified.

Simple solutions would have worked

I’m pretty sure some simple hand washing would have sufficed.

Some people cash in on it

Oh–and how. I think the people selling the tests probably did best.

People rip each other to shreds

That this happened should be obvious. Me, personally, I was glad to have my boundaries so easily set. You won’t come to my house if I won’t wear a mask? Good. Now I know that you are actually not a candidate to be a good friend of mine.

The book again will the The Moral Bias of Objectivism: How Moral Ideals Cloud Objectivity. Sure, I pick on Objectivism, but I am sure you can see how many other systems are driven by moral bias: a faulty ideal with a path to achieve success that will never actually achieve success.