"Celebrities are not experts" American actors talk about "laboratory leak theory" has been refuted

China News Network, June 16, comprehensive US media reports, recently, the well-known American talk comedian Jon Stewart in a show, publicly expressed support for the "new crown virus laboratory leakage" theory. His actions drew criticism, with Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman saying that the actor's remarks were shocking, that "celebrities are not experts" and that the public should not take scientific views from celebrities.

Stewart reportedly made remarks on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." This "shocked" the audience, the report said.

Washington Post columnist Waldman was unhappy with this, writing an article titled "Jon Stewart's Rhetoric is a Reminder: Don't Rely on Celebrities for Covid-19 Theory."

Waldman writes: "Stewart was once a very important figure, in a place where politics and popular culture meet." "But he's retired, he only makes occasional appearances, and because he always prefers to bash Republicans, it's a bit shocking to see him talk about coronavirus lab leaks on the Stephen Cobber Evening Show."

Stewart hinted that "this [the Wuhan lab leak] is the only reasonable explanation for the source of the virus," which Waldman slammed.

"This provides an important lesson about celebrities: You shouldn't get your political views, or your scientific views, from them," Waldman notes in the article.

He further explained that he himself remained skeptical about the so-called "laboratory leak theory". This is only true for historical records and issues such as "What should be required by international virology laboratory safety standards?" "Issues such as are important, and as a political one, it's almost irrelevant.

Waldman said that while Stewart has the "right" to attend as many talk shows as possible and explains his personal theories about the coronavirus, "his attack on academia reminds us why expertise is so important." ”

He also points out in the article that the world is full of amateurs who think they have stumbled upon some information or logical connection that those who know more about the subject miss it.

For example, Waldman said that on the computers of those who had no formal physical training, there might be "a thousand unpublished manuscripts called "Einstein's Theory of Relativity Is Wrong."

He notes, "When a celebrity you admire agrees with you, (you) feel good; when the same person's values are different from yours, (you) feel bad... But they are not experts, and the reason we listen to experts is that they know more than we do. ”

In addition, Waldman also mentioned that former US President Trump once claimed in 2020 that "there is a lot of evidence" and "laboratory leaks" theory is "correct", and he quickly abandoned this statement. "But did that change anything? If we had conclusive evidence from the outset that the virus originated in the lab, would Trump's response to the outbreak and the resulting death toll become less catastrophic? (End)

Source: China News Network