Hmm... let's pick one of these guys at random. Okay, Malone. Let's pull up his file (from WP):
Starting in mid-2021, Malone received criticism for propagating COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories, including making "dangerous" and misleading claims about the toxicity of spike proteins generated by some COVID-19 vaccines; using interviews on mass media to popularize medication with ivermectin; and tweeting a study by others questioning vaccine safety that was later retracted. ... In November 2021, Malone shared a deceptive video on Twitter that falsely linked athlete deaths to COVID-19 vaccines. In particular, the video suggested that Jake West, a 17-year-old Indiana high school football player who succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest, had actually died from COVID-19 vaccination. However, West had died years earlier, in 2013, due to an undiagnosed heart condition. ... On December 29, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended Malone from its platform, citing "repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy", after he shared on that platform a video about supposed harmful effects of the Pfizer vaccine. In an April 1, 2022 interview, Malone made the unfounded claim that COVID-19 vaccines are "damaging T cell responses" and "causing a form of AIDS". Malone claimed that he had "lots of scientific data" to back up his claim, but did not cite evidence.
Bhattacharya and Atlas went on to promote the antivax Great Barrington Declaration, sponsored by a liberatarian think tank known until that point mostly for rabid climate change denialism.
Point being: it's a huge stretch to say these guys were "proved right". And quite alarmist to assert that de-platforming them "proved deadly".
Remember "concentration camps for the unvaccinated?"
There's still people out there convinced that their knit face masks would save the world from Sin if only everyone else would wear them too.
Has a mania for orthodoxy ever served a society positive results? Why do we keep buying these fads? Why do we hate those who urge caution while they're running?
I think this, like many cases, was a perfect storm of lack of information, good intentions and individual profit mongering. Medical masks have proven overwhelmingly effective in stopping the spread of airborne diseases like COVID.
Knit/cloth masks however barely did a thing. We were in a situation where we heard wearing masks was beneficial, and often times required in certain areas, but no restrictions around the _type_ of mask worn. In fact with the supply chain issues that were being faced the majority were unable to acquire N95/KN95 masks during critical periods.
Regardless I’m not going to ever look down upon people who did what they thought best in trying to stop a pandemic.
