Perhaps it would have helped if he’d shared his own struggles with that tension at the time. Social-science research tells us that public-health messaging wins trust most effectively when it leads with empathy—when leaders show that they understand how people feel and what they want, rather than barraging them with rules and facts.

Translation: “OY VEY GOYIM FEE FEE MATER MORE THAN TRUTH”

Clearly Varma struggled in the way that many others did as he tried to navigate the crushing isolation of the pandemic. In preparation for the holidays, his family was faced with tough, familiar choices, which resulted in his being separated from his loved ones.

Translation: “He couldn’t fuck his family members, so he found random strangers.”

The end result may seem hypocritical, but it’s also relatable. (Well, maybe not entirely relatable, but in principle.)

Translation: “Okay, so maybe you can’t relate to raping children, but it’s good to talk about it!”

Even now, his description of that moment strikes a chord. “It wasn’t so much sex,” he told the woman who was trying to embarrass him. “It was just like, I need to get this energy out of me.” So did the rest of us.

Translation: “If we can make you feel ashamed about hating people for raping children, we can normalize and legalize it.”