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No. Like other good conspiracy theories, we already have more or less all the evidence we’re going to get. If that wasn’t enough to settle it there’s not going to be a smoking gun in 10 years.
This is conspiracy 101: partition everybody into free-thinkers and sheep. You, dear reader, must be intelligent and brave to have seen through the sidelining and even ridicule! Unfortunately, having critics does not actually mean that someone is right.
The difference between lab leak debates and the Challenger investigation comes from skin in the game. Remember that almost nobody arguing for or against lab leak had any expectation of consequences, moral or material. “I don’t want their blood on my hands” has different incentives than “I want to prove this asshole wrong.”
Tell him somebody ate a diseased bat in west China. Epicycles about Laos and pangolins and steel beams are beside the point; Fat Tony don’t care.
I didn’t bother to watch this either. I read Scott’s summary and the followup. Do that if it sounds like fun, because it’s not likely to change your mind.
But I’d still say it’s the opposite of a Gish gallop. Both sides went in with the expectation of throwing a bunch of shit at the wall. Good for them.
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