RICHARD FERNANDEZ: An Epidemic of Mandatory. “The epidemic of ‘mandatory’ suggests that rather than becoming more flexible and adaptive before an endemic disease, the experts are hanging on to the mantle of certitude. Slate sadly concludes: ‘Noble lies are a trap. We cannot predict the public’s behavior, and loss of trust is devastating. The general population is far too skeptical to blindly follow the advice of experts, and far too intelligent to be easily duped.’ True. And that loss of trust is how we arrived at mandatory.”

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