> The change felt quite sudden

They've always been here but vocal and unashamed airing of those views is what rapidly changed across culture (not limited to HN) as a whole. Ignorance and conspiracy is now a badge of honor.

If they are at all representative of the party itself, their views were also different in the past. The views of an average republican from 2006, on many, many subjects don't look much like those of an average republican from 2020.

It's the consequence of a big tentpole party embracing it's loony fringe. Many party members will change their views to whatever the party tells them, even if it tells them that black is white and down is up.

The message is - don't look up

Right, I mean who do Republicans think they are asking questions? You cannot question science ever because science has never ever been wrong. I mean the simple act of asking questions itself is of course, anti-science. At least they put that one jerk, Galileo, under house arrest for questioning science.

Galileo was jailed for questioning religious dogma and propagating science.

This is exactly the kind of absurdist comedy that didn't exist on HN 3 years ago, equating the scientist Galileo with vaccine denialists.

Yes, you are right! You, just like the Catholic Church of 1610, are intolerant of those with differing opinions or for those that question authority. Absolutely amazing how the mere act of you scoffing at my Galileo reference actually proves my point.

At this point it looks like anything and everything proves your point.

Being scientific like Galileo makes me the Catholic church, and being anti-science like the Church makes you Galileo. Why stop at Galileo, you are also Newton and Einstein too as you keep on opposing more and more science. Donald Trump is the greatest scientist that ever lived, if only dogmatic doctors had just injected bleach and destroyed covid19.

Do you not know the story of Galileo? He claimed the earth revolved around the sun. The mainstream narrative (Catholic Church) said the opposite. Galileo contradicted the mainstream narrative (again, the church) and was put under house arrest.

You want people that ask questions about the vaccine to shut up and take the shot (that is the mainstream narrative in this example).

How again are you not the church?

You said YOU were being "scientific"...I would love to hear that explanation. I kind of also want to hear where anything I've said so far is "opposing science" as you claim.

I mean I have already conceded that you are Galileo, einstein and newton rolled in to one. Just like Galileo and flat earthers you are going against the "current dogma" . I have already acknowledged the superiority of your views. What more do you want?

>What more do you want?

My bad, I made the assumption that you could actually back up your statements. I will take this as your way of saying, "Uncle."

You don’t have to be a republican (as if that’s a slur?) to disagree with the “science” of masking considering government officials said not to use masks, then to use masks, then we were all going to die if we didn’t wear masks, now no one is wearing masks… What is and is not “settled science” is up to extreme interpretation

Not only that. But broadening the scope just a bit. These polypropylene masks might have a marginal benefit (the famous Guardian yt video shows its a small one) for small virus sized particles of breath. Yet are a big issue for plastics in our food supply and over all trash in the oceans. Marginal affect for thousands of years of microplastics.

Can someone be concerned about the actual pollution (benzene, pthalates, and heavy metals) While also realizing that we share an atomosphere with China and India. (Game theory abounds)

CO2 bad... buy electric car good- Is all people seem to want to think.

Nuclear is a clear option for limiting CO2, but that's unspeakable. Now climate activists are on the same side as big oil. Neither of you want us to look at modern nuclear technology.

What about: first we knew nothing about the virus and didn't have vaccines, then they arrived, then the virus mutated, then we discovered that multiple shots helped to mitigate the effects, etc? Science is not perfection, but it aims at it without vested interests, without hiding failures, actually using them to gather a better knowledge of the problem. When science fails, you can bet all your horses that it will try again with some added experience.