Alternative viewpoints of covid were more nuanced. They accounted for individual experiences, preferences, and situations. They called for tailored risk assessments and countermeasures, and following evidence over ideology, just as any responsible practitioner should. They never made the unhealthy presumption of omnipresent sickness, nor perpetual helplessness. They simply stuck to the time-tested, ethical premise that every one of us should be empowered to make our own free and informed decisions.