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I'm also going to be confused and anxious when you show up at my door.
This is not hard to understand.
And what were they supposed to do about it to prepare? Change careers on a dime (even though most spent years in university for this)? That's not realistic.
This is among the most unemphatic posts I've seen on HN. Absolutely mental.
> This is among the most unemphatic posts I've seen on HN.
I think we need to stop empathizing with people acting like victims in this situation. The danger and stakes far outweigh their personal emotions. People have a reponsibility to stand up and act.
Instead they sit and wait and hope that they'll still have a job tomorrow. And hating themselves for wanting that.
You will see this pattern these days - people insisting they are helpless, as if that's valid belief or behavior or communication. I don't know how it became normalized, but it's false, and it's highly irresponsible.
You need courage, planning, preparation, and leadership.
They do have plans. But those plans involve uncertainty. They are adapting their plans as new information comes out.
That is uncomfortable and unpleasant. But there was no perfect alternative that did away with the uncertainty.
I don't know that they do, and I see no indication that they do. Uncertainty and confusion are very different things. The article talks about confusion, not plans (thought I might have skimmed past that) and adjustments.
Experienced NIH personnel should know exactly what is possible, what possible counter-measures are, and have prepared and prepared others for them. They should be organized and prepared.
Where have you been seeing that? The media I've been reading for a year has been anticipating and discussing it. Plus, you've watched this guy and his movement for 8 years, and the GOP for many years before that. How could you not anticipate it? Remember Project 2025 - they wrote it out for you.
People have really put their heads in the sand.
Would this have led to a bunch of people being fired? I would guess yes. But preemptively going along with the diktat practically means that when some sort of continuity resumes, the general public will assume the problem is solved and forget about it, even if the new status quo is objectively worse. The general public has only limited cognitive capacity and one reason Trump has been such a successful politician is that he gives large numbers of people the simplicity and epistemic closure that they crave.
I think the US public discounted it. 10%? So you mean, 90% won't happen? And even in the 90% case what else unfolds...
One problem is 'media' is an incredibly large landscape. Who are you referring to?