Secularism as a proxy for religion.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I, like others who pay attention, notice the religiously inclined have employed “scientism” as a sort of passive-aggressive term to show Liberals or Leftists are just as, if not more, dogmatically adherent to their ‘religion’ as any faithful person might be. This is actually a pretty interesting thought exercise, attaching a religious devotion to a non-religious philosophy, but I think there’s merit in this line of reasoning.

Until a few months ago I owned a home (three homes to be exact - the other two were reserved for a SIL <- RIP and a niece) in Salt Lake City, which is among the nation’s hottest markets. SLC is the central city along the Wasatch front, where the metropolitan statistical area lists the population at around 1.3 million or so. If you Google “best cities to live in the USA”, SLC is typically within the top 30 or 50 or so depending on the metrics. If it weren’t for the air quality, the homeless, and home scarcity I’m sure it’d be higher, but that’s not really the point.

The amenities of SLC and the surrounding are, both public and private, along with its fabled ‘outdoor recreation opportunities’ are reasons why SLC is a sought-after market. Here’s the thing that’s a little surprising to non-SLC residents, the population is fairly urbane and diverse; it’s a city that consistently punches above its weight for cultural experiences and or intellectual pursuits. The city has a symphony, ballet, half a dozen music venues, parks, a good if not great trail system, and excellent dining for what it is. As such SLC, and by extension the Wasatch front, as a high’ish ranked per-capita IQ (I forget the article I read on that claim, so don’t hold me to it too strictly). The U of U is respected, the school system consistently produces an educated class of worker bees, and the Wasatch front is quickly becoming a tech center and transportation hub with the Inland Port.

I could get into more stats or whatever, but the crux of the point I’m laboring to make is that SLC, like many urban cities in Red states, is a blue dot in a red sea, and boy do they know it, and they love to know it and crow about it. By any metric, I should’ve wanted to live the rest of my life in SLC. For much of the time we lived there, my wife and I felt that way. All of these benefits are enough to make anyone question whether they should ever leave. We loved SLC for what it offered, but something started to change around 2016 or 2017, if I had to put an approximate date on it.

When we moved to SLC, all of the qualities I described were there, and it was still, I don’t know if this is a compliment or not, but nice in a decent way. There was a culture of politeness that permeated every interaction, from grocer to gas station, and expressing a controversial opinion, in real life, especially without knowing your audience, wasn’t in the social fabric of the place. I lived all over the place while in the Army, and as far as ‘institutionalized narcissism’ goes, SLC was a nice reminder that decent places still existed unlike the hardened big cities that might come to mind.

Anyway, I began to notice a change in that culture around 2016 or 2017, as the area’s prominence grew, and a sort of more-enlightened-than-thou attitude started to move from online forums into the in real life fabric of local interactions. What was somewhat tempered by our city’s Utah roots and blue-collar-adjacent demographic mostly found on our west side, has given way to a highly educated, upper-middle-class’ish technocracy coupled with the timing of political polarization in our country. Much like on this forum, because I’m dedicated to radical centrism, my feelings of being a foreigner in my own city were exacerbated to a point where I became ever conscious of my philosophical status, on multiple fronts.

Being somewhat well-read, as much as my middling brain can read and retain knowledge (I’m saddened to say I’m on the lower end of people who can retain learning) in the intellectual interests of history, psychology, religion, totalitarian governments, ‘science’, and everything in between, I had to purposefully hold my tongue when neighbors on what’s supposed to be a kindly neighborhood social platform openly declared themselves to be a Communist or a democratic socialist or a Trumper. There isn’t that much difference between a Communist and a Nazi when they manufacture a disgusting excuse for putting a bullet in your head. I had to hold my tongue, lest we lose friendly neighborhood relations over political disagreements fomented by a small percentage of partisans, who often consisted of the people I described a moment ago.

So, to my point. The religious fervor of people on the Left have matched that of people on the Right, in my opinion. I had a buddy who, upon disagreeing with a colleague who openly expressed joy over a peacefully demonstrating, far-right group being violently attacked (his then ACLU-supported position was that, in America, even Nazis have the right to peacefully march), it resulted in HR being told that he was “promoting white supremacy in the office”. There was nothing he could do to convince them otherwise. He ended up moving to another company as a result. Extreme, activist politics have infiltrated offices, schools, and local politics. One isn’t allowed to offer a respectful, contrary opinion without incurring professional injury. This goes both ways, in case anyone is starting to feel butthurt right now.

But I think it was COVID that really blew off the lid in my community and related institutions in general. I discovered that I was surrounded by extremely intelligent people who lacked practical wisdom. They were experts at ingesting current orthodoxy as the “correct answer”, like students preparing for an exam, but they were completely inept at using varying data to form their own heterodox opinions. They used faith in their ‘religion of secularism’, and boy do they not like it when you don’t toe the line.

My wife and I spent much of the last two years reading and talking about the science of the pandemic, trying to stay up to date on emerging information, carefully attempting to build a daily routine that balanced the ever-updating information with consideration for our neighbors, while not compromising our values. But I think a lot of the people who consider themselves to be atheistic/agnostic elevated science and politics to religious status. You couldn’t go for a drive in any neighborhood in SLC without seeing many “In This House We Believe… Science is Real” or “Hate Has No Home Here” yard signs or some variation of a LGTBQ+ flag (sometimes overly degenerate ones). While I agree with the self-evident essence of these statements, I’ve flown a Pride Flag myself for a few days in June (and when did Pride Day go to Pride Week to Pride Month, wtf?) for the people who take the time to purchase these public demonstrations of devotion, “science” is what the doctor on TV says and “hate” is any differing political opinion. To believers of this secular religion, dissent from the dogma equals “to the right of me”, and “to the right of me” equals evil.

SLC had come to embody the worst type of “White Liberal city” where two Mayors in a row wouldn’t hire a man for their staff unless he was requisitely Gay or a minority, or in the aftermath of the George Floyd’s rioters had the tacit blessing of the city’s intelligentsia because “the movement was more important than the property damage”. Hell, our city allowed one of its own buildings to be covered in murals of criminals killed by the police, where candlelight vigils would be held, and people would literally pray in front of them as if they had been canonized by some sort of socialist Vatican.

Back to the COVID issue, when my wife (who faithfully wore either surgical mask or N mask) shared an academic study demonstrating the utter ineffectiveness of cloth masks, something that even CNN now finally admits, she was told by a friend, “You’re not a scientist. You need to trust the experts.” Never mind who was well-read on the matter using legitimate sources for information; the paper she shared was written by scientists, members of the supposedly infallible, priestly class. “You need to trust the experts,” was coded language for, “you need to conform to the entities I have surrendered my critical reasoning to or you will be excised from my tribe.” The herd mentality by the Left, equals, if not surpasses in some cases, of the Right.

In December, after making our way back to SLC we went to a restaurant. It was in one of the trendier parts of the city. The place was packed despite ominous warnings of Omicron looming. As we sat at our table, my wife informed me that she was having a moment of anxiety, as was I, because of how near all of the tables were to each other. COVID fatigue had clearly set in, not just with us, but with all the ‘smart people’ in SLC. What happened to “I trust the science?” And now Omicron is wreaking havoc across the nation, but it seems science has taken a back seat to entrees. I’d posit that for people who claim to believe in the science, just as it is with people who claim to love Jesus, it’s more often about groupthink and social compliance than it is about the message and living by it. It’s a religion to be used as a cudgel and for redemption. It’s also to be ignored when it’s inconvenient.

- Doc

[Binger]

I see tribes. I see confirmation bias, again.

Nice post. don't agree with it all, and that, believe it or not, makes it a nice post.

[K Graham]

Back to the COVID issue, when my wife (who faithfully wore either surgical mask or N mask) shared an academic study demonstrating the utter ineffectiveness of cloth masks, something that even CNN now finally admits, she was told by a friend, “You’re not a scientist. You need to trust the experts.” Never mind who was well-read on the matter using legitimate sources for information; the paper she shared was written by scientists, members of the supposedly infallible, priestly class. “You need to trust the experts,” was coded language for, “you need to conform to the entities I have surrendered my critical reasoning to or you will be excised from my tribe.” The herd mentality by the Left, equals, if not surpasses in some cases, of the Right.

Wait wut>?

I seem recall that cloth masks were said to be the least effective, but still better than nothing. It isn't true that they're utterly ineffective in all situations. If an infected person sneezes without a mask he or she could infect people from 20 ft away. If wearing a mask, even one made of cloth, that limits the range of the spread. I don't know of anyone who said cloth masks stop the spread entirely. If he is just passing by, then the threat is over and the mask served its purpose. Of course if he's sitting in a closed room with a bunch of people like on an airplane, then yes, it doesn't matter what he's wearing, as everyone on that plane will be infected. Hell, even the KN95 masks are only said to be 95% effective.

Here are a few examples of what the Priests of "Scientism" were saying early in the pandemic:

July 8, 2020: CNN

Cloth masks are better than nothing at protecting wearers and the people around them from disease, but they are not equivalent to medical-grade masks and shouldn’t be recommended for health care workers, researchers said Wednesday.
The researchers, from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said their results showed cloth versions don’t work as well.

May 7, 2020

Which mask offers the best protection from COVID-19, a surgical mask or cloth mask? The answer: an N95 mask.
Well, that wasn’t fair. An N95 mask, which filters 95 percent of particles, is not recommended for public use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because these masks are critical supplies for the nation’s healthcare workers. An N95 is the best protection against COVID-19.

But both the CDC and World Health Organization recommend people wear a cloth mask in public when social distancing, defined as at least 6 feet from other people, is not possible. A mask is not a substitute for social distancing, but it protects nearby people from possible infection if you sneeze and expel droplets of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

July 1, 2020

N95 respirators are designed to create a tight seal around the nose and mouth. When worn correctly, they can block at least 95% of small airborne particles. These respirators are great at protecting both the wearer and the people around the wearer. One reason they're so effective: N95s are made out of many layers of fine polypropylene fibers, which, as we've discussed, use the power of static electricity to trap incoming and outgoing particles and droplets. But experts say N95s remain in short supply and should still be reserved for health care workers and first responders.

July 16, 2020

There is limited, indirect, experimental evidence that certain types of cloth mask can reduce transmission of respiratory droplets, but they are significantly less efficient than surgical masks.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Here you go:

https://Twitter.com/DrLeanaWen/status/1 ... useless%2F

Eta: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/don-t ... ar-AAS1JJK

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/24/health/c ... index.html

- Doc

[Res Ipsa]

Doc. I think that's one of the most thoughtful comments on the term "scientism" that I've seen. I've seen it used far too often as an excuse by theists to shut down folks presenting a secular, science based argument. Science is a process, not a prophet or an oracle. Scientific papers are not scripture. A scientific consensus on an issue is not dogma. There should be term for treating science as if it were a religion, and scientism is a darn good term for that.

Follow the science is a good idea if you want to increase your odds of being right about how the universe works. But follow the science should never be analogous to follow the prophet. Especially when scientists are engaged in trying to figure new things out in a fast changing environment, like an ongoing, uncontrolled pandemic, following the science requires effort and being willing to changer ones mind as more information is available. It is absolutely not, just like you said, citing one and only one science sounding guy that you heard on cable news. It is also absolutely not claiming some issue is "decided" based on some article someone pulled off a preprint server. Or out of a predatory, pay to publish, journal.

All scientific conclusions come with an asterisk. *Based on the best evidence we have to date. They are all tentative to some degree. And the newer a conclusion or discovery is, the more tentative we should treat it. With something like the pandemic, when I need to make some kind of decision that may affect health risks for me and my family or affect the availability of health care, I take some time to get caught up and think: this is the best information I've got right now. My best bet is to base my decisions on that, keeping in mind that there are a dozen different considerations I have to balance.

Anyway, thanks for sharing our story. I can't help but be disappointed to see the way science is being screwed up by the polarization in our society. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Anyway, thanks for sharing our story. I can't help but be disappointed to see the way science is being screwed up by the polarization in our society. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Thanks, and yes, there seems to be something more to this commitment to scientific orthopraxy and then some sort of sin, judgement, and atonement cycle coming from the Left. I just read this article, in fact, that kind of illustrates the point:

https://abc7.com/gavin-newsom-eric-garc ... /11525649/

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are facing criticism after being spotted at the Rams game without their face masks on.

Magic Johnson posted pictures on Twitter with the governor and mayor, as well as San Francisco Mayor London Breed, at SoFi Stadium during Sunday's NFC title game between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

https://Twitter.com/senatormelendez/sta ... 1525649%2F

Senator Melissa Melendez

@senatormelendez

Toddlers are being forced to wear masks all day long in school. Maybe one day they’ll be governor or the mayor of LA and they won’t have the follow the rules they impose on others.

The Governor then had to go on camera and explain himself - see the embedded link for his atonement. I don’t recall seeing many people at the packed Los Angeles stadium stadium wearing masks, either. Granted the Governor is a policymaker, but the fact he’s in a packed stadium sucking down virus-air along with Magic Johnson ought to reveal what everything really thinks about the pandemic, no?

It’s a weird sort of game where faith in the science is extolled as a virtue, but conveniently ignored, as my wife and I did at that restaurant and then later on our xmas trip. Sure we paid the price, but we’re hypocrites nonetheless. It’s hard to be perfect when perfection is the standard, and the price to be paid from opportunists is a social death of sorts. Perhaps there’s a better way we all could employ when imploring faith on both sides.

- Doc

[Res Ipsa]

Anyway, thanks for sharing our story. I can't help but be disappointed to see the way science is being screwed up by the polarization in our society. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Thanks, and yes, there seems to be something more to this commitment to scientific orthopraxy and then some sort of sin, judgement, and atonement cycle coming from the Left. I just read this article, in fact, that kind of illustrates the point:

https://abc7.com/gavin-newsom-eric-garc ... /11525649/

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are facing criticism after being spotted at the Rams game without their face masks on.

Magic Johnson posted pictures on Twitter with the governor and mayor, as well as San Francisco Mayor London Breed, at SoFi Stadium during Sunday's NFC title game between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

https://Twitter.com/senatormelendez/sta ... 1525649%2F

Senator Melissa Melendez

@senatormelendez

Toddlers are being forced to wear masks all day long in school. Maybe one day they’ll be governor or the mayor of LA and they won’t have the follow the rules they impose on others.

The Governor then had to go on camera and explain himself - see the embedded link for his atonement. I don’t recall seeing many people at the packed Los Angeles stadium stadium wearing masks, either. Granted the Governor is a policymaker, but the fact he’s in a packed stadium sucking down virus-air along with Magic Johnson ought to reveal what everything really thinks about the pandemic, no?

It’s a weird sort of game where faith in the science is extolled as a virtue, but conveniently ignored, as my wife and I did at that restaurant and then later on our xmas trip. Sure we paid the price, but we’re hypocrites nonetheless. It’s hard to be perfect when perfection is the standard, and the price to be paid from opportunists is a social death of sorts. Perhaps there’s a better way we all could employ when imploring faith on both sides.

- Doc

I dunno. I don't think I can draw any conclusions from the fact that the parties removed their masks to take a couple photos in a stadium, other than it was bad optics and people have a very low tolerance for perceived hypocrisy. In my opinion, everyone's rhetoric is overheated about everything these days.

I do like your point about perfection being the standard. That's true about everything these days. As long as it's perfection for everybody else but me. Maybe could also accept that part of the human condition is that our reach always exceeds our grasp. You know, cut each other just a smidge more slack. Or maybe two smidges.

[ajax18]

The CDC is the priesthood and Anthony Fauci is the high priest.

[Binger]

The CDC is the priesthood and Anthony Fauci is the high priest.

Presiding Bishop.

[K Graham]

Here you go:

https://Twitter.com/DrLeanaWen/status/1 ... useless%2F

Eta: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/don-t ... ar-AAS1JJK

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/24/health/c ... index.html

- Doc

Yeah, well, that's talking specifically about Omicron, which only went viral in the States about a month ago. As RI said, science is about knowledge changing as new information comes to light, so in that sense there really is not much of a comparison to the theists who think God's word is immutable. Omicron changed things in terms of our understanding of COVID transmissibility. As far as your wife's experience goes, all I can say is that maybe that person wasn't keeping up to date on the latest science. Or many she just misunderstood her as being anti-mask all together? That's exact what I'd think if someone were to start talking about how masks don't work. Or did she specify that N95 masks do work, and this person was being aggressive anyway? In any event, I can't relate as I'm living in Right Wing hell. What you describe in SLC seems like someplace I wouldn't mind moving to. If only my wife didn't mind the cold weather and dry air. The only family she has lives in Utah.