The problem is that the “critical of the covid response” intellectual space has been occupied by absolute nut jobs. People will boo and give you a thumbs down halfway thru your first sentence because they’re so sick of the bullshit that is statistically likely to follow. Same with the 2020 election, as another example. A critical position on how that election was carried out correlates tightly with some of the most asinine, grotesque, and cynical opinions.

You don’t need “courage” you need to get really creative to express your ideas in a way that doesn’t instantly trigger people’s PTSD due to how these other people have shat in that pond.