"Exposure Scientist" Karen, Crusader Against Masks
Last month I did a post
about some guy trying to "debunk" masks by providing us with all the devastating scientific evidence that masks don’t
work. Turns out that, on careful examination, his scientific evidence was bunk. People like this try to "baffle 'em with bullshit," counting on most people not knowing how to read the studies they cite and/or being too lazy to do so.
A few days ago I saw a story about a study proving that masks are harmful. It was published in an outlet called Medical Hypotheses. That journal publishes ideas, not actual research, so their articles don't "prove" anything.
The author claimed to be affiliated with Stanford. Stanford has said he is not affiliated with them. You can draw your own conclusions regarding what that says about his credibility.
I looked at the abstract, which says there is no scientific evidence of masks’ effectiveness. That is straight-up wrong. Look here.
Readers, I don’t have the time
or energy for a deep dive into that article, especially when a statement in the abstract is wrong. I’m sure I’d get the same results as my previous deep dive.
Enter an "Exposure Scientist"
Yesterday there appeared a story about a Karen in Michigan who claims to be an “exposure scientist,” whatever that is. She is going around ranting at school board meetings, lobbying to governors and legislators, and filing affidavits saying masks don’t work. For example, she testified in a North Dakota legislative hearing, and her testimony was instrumental in passing a bill to ban mask mandates statewide.
One of her affidavits in Tennessee was withdrawn because of “inaccuracies.” She denies this because of course she does. But it's telling that the party who withdrew the affidavit, claiming inaccuracies, was the actual anti-mask group for which she had written it.
She claims to be an industrial hygienist by virtue of degrees in occupational health and safety, and membership in a professional group, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), that doesn’t require certification (she is not certified). The CEO of that association described her activism as "very dangerous."
Also she claims she is not just a run-of-the-mill industrial hygienist, but a "senior industrial hygienist." The managing director of AIHA said that is “not a real thing.”
Whatever the case on that front, she is definitely not a scientist. Scientists conduct and publish research. Google Scholar lists nobody by her name, and I can find no evidence that this woman has published anything except affidavits and rants.
She slings a lot of scientific studies. But like the debunker referenced earlier "many of those studies were either inconclusive or outdated or suggested the opposite" of what she was claiming.
Oh and she’s also a tinfoil-hat anti-vaxxer. I'm shocked. Shocked!
She calls the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines "bioweapons." She claims that they aren't really vaccines "by definition" (???) and she claims the vaccines change your DNA. This is impossible because of the way the vaccines work, something she clearly doesn't understand and hasn't bothered to investigate.
So this woman checks all the boxes for a disinformation troll. Like the mask debunker she bullshits about scientific studies, hoping nobody will take the time to check her claims. Like the guy in Medical Hypotheses she to puffs herself up with questionable titles and credentials.
Seriously, WTF is the deal with these people? Why don’t they just not wear masks themselves
and mind their own business? It's not like anybody gets thrown in jail for not wearing a mask when it's required. Why do they feel the need to press their crazy views on
the rest of us, endangering us and prolonging the pandemic in the process?
