Zeroism is an inability to conceive of public-health measures in cost-benefit terms. The pandemic becomes an enemy that must be destroyed at all costs, and any compromise could lead to death and is therefore unacceptable.
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Like denial, Zeroism refuses to grapple with trade-offs in practical terms, preferring instead to frame the question in pure moral terms. A classic example is the wave of media shaming of people who visited beaches last year, even though the risk of spread is tiny. These episodes allow people to redirect their anxiety into displays of personal virtue and contempt for those who flout newly established social norms.
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