Even then, when you have people believing in half-truths, unconfirmed rumors and innuendos from the mainstream scientific community being forcibly or strenuously pushed on most people, because while they usually be right most times, their not being accurate or honest or totally truthful, and the people we label *fringe, racist-paranoia, conspiracy theorists" are pushing ideas and suggestions that everyone denounces at first, but later on, we discover 1-2 years later, some of their ideas, arguments or suspicions were right or may have some merit, but because MSM media labeled them the "wrong people", our collective egos won't let or permit us to admit we may have been mistaken or incorrect, and we'll continue to fight them because we realize the stakes in what might happen if some in the mainstream give THEM any credence, who knows what else most Americans or Europeans might start questioning other previously-unquestioned notions or societal taboos.
Even if those times where being on the same page is more important than the right one still means your argument is more flawed and (even wrong) and forcing a type of socio-political conformity where one goes up against or combats leads to being ostracized, demonized, and unnecessarily discredited publicly and professionally.
That doesn't sound like too much of a free, open society, IMHO. But then again, worldwide pandemics or severe, critical existential health emergencies can make even the most free, tolerant, democratic societies almost semi-authoritatian overnight.
I can see why The Last of Us video game/TV series adaptation is such a very apt, modern parable about just how fragile, and brittle the veneer of societal pressures and breakdown can occur when a fungal-parisitic based viral pandemic 100x worse and apocalyptic then Covid comes along and within maybe a few months, modern world crumbles and gets set back maybe several hundred years or so.