Waning Trust in the WHO and CCP

The virus scare of 2020 and 2021 has likely marked the end of the progressive era. It's therefore probable that the institutions most involved in the scare will be among the first to collapse as we move into a new era. Seen in that light, it's interesting to note that the WHO and the CCP are squabbling over the current COVID outbreak in China.

The whole thing is reminiscent of the arguments that were made at the start of the original outbreak in 2020:

China sends out two conflicting messages. On the one hand, they make it clear that the virus is very dangerous, with all sorts of "leaked" videos showing people dropping dead and chaos in hospitals. On the other hand, the CCP argues that everything is under control. They underpin this with numbers that are so precise that they must be fabrications.

The WHO plays the role of the sensible police man. They question CCPs numbers. They use the "leaked" videos as evidence to suggest that the virus is much worse than the CCP claims. To top it off, the WHO expresses concerns about a possible new variant that might require drastic actions.

In short, the WHO and the CCP are at it again. But people's reaction to the spectacle is different. Comment sections on articles like this one used to be full of calls for strict measures to contain the virus. Commenters nowadays are calling the bluff. The virus of 2020 was a dud. Why should some variant of it be any worse? The normal evolution of viruses is that they become less deadly over time, not more.

This is fully in accordance to Ludwig von Mises' thesis from a hundred years ago:

A social experiment cannot be run twice with the same results because people learn and adapt. The first run will yield different results from subsequent runs.

The first run of the virus scare yielded some very promising results for the totalitarians. People like Mike Ryan must have been amazed and delighted to see that even his wildest suggestions were taken seriously. When he suggested that the unvaccinated should be separated from their children, people cheered him on.

But Ryan's power to influence is no longer there. Only 4% of the population have taken the booster, so we know for a fact that most people have turned sceptical. A call for draconian measures will not generate the same enthusiasm as it did back in 2021.

When asked whether to trust the WHO or the CCP, westerners used to answer the WHO. Today, that answer is neither. The WHO and the CCP are false alternatives. Trust in these institutions are waning. In fact, trust in all institutions that have come about during the progressive era are waning, and the new era that we're currently entering will be marked by the gradual dismantling of them all.

Liberty