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Has anyone lost a friend to conspiracy theories?

214 replies

MerryPerry88 · 17/05/2023 19:49

....and what was the outcome? The covid pandemic really did a number on a close friend of mine....and anxiety fulled paranoia has meant that they have gone down a rabbit warren of conspiracy theories. It started off with the Great Reset stuff, but now has gone full blown into Chem trails, Flat Earth, Royal Family are lizards...you name it. They have pushed everyone away with how aggressively they air their views, and cannot be reasoned with at all. They are still holding down a responsible job, but colleagues have been making comments, as they air their views forcibly at work. My partner does not want to see this friend anymore, as their views have also gone into right wing US republican territory. I'm also good friends with this friends partner, and our children are all friends. It's such a sad situation as our friendship has gone down the pan. I'm still meeting up with friends partner and the kids, but it feels awkward. The partner to some extent is pandering to a lot of these views. I don't know how to put it nicely but they are a bit of a push over and have put up with a lot in the past from this friend. Sorry there's probably a lot of background stuff I've missed out....I guess I'm interested to hear from people that have experienced the same, and whether friendships have ever recovered. I'm struggling to see how we can repair things unless they have a massive reality check, but I'm not sure how that is going to come about so feeling a bit hopeless.

OP posts:
Itsanotherhreatday · 17/05/2023 19:51

Same. 30 year friendship - she refused to speak to me when the kids were vaccinated. All chipped now and all that!

I’m not going to force someone to be friends.

Do what’s best for you.

PamelaPamela · 17/05/2023 20:12

I lost a couple of them. Not close friends but they bought into the whole vaccines being a mark of the beast thing. All three of us are Christians but I'm not that sort of Christian if you know what I mean!

AMuser · 17/05/2023 20:13

Just a marriage 🤷🏻‍♀️

OnMyWayToSenility · 17/05/2023 20:23

Yes! Had one of these turn during covid.. absolutely lost it and I could not do right for wrong.

I cut her off as I was getting nothing out of the friendship apart from scathing judgement.

Best thing I did, don't miss it and feel lighter for unloading

Spottycarousel · 17/05/2023 20:36

Yes sadly...a really good friend would have nothing to do with me as I decided to get the covid jab
She was - and as far as I know still is- convinced the vaccines contain tracking devices. She also thinks covid is a hoax.

user12345678912334 · 17/05/2023 20:39

Yes. During Covid. I was nursing my dying mum and a lot of what she said was very upsetting and inappropriate. I'm not sure if she's still spouting nonsense.

GeorgeSpeaks · 17/05/2023 20:41

Yes :(
She's about to lose her job for airing her views in public. She's happy to go because she thinks we're all delusional 🙄
She is also a single parent to two kids and I really wonder how she's going to manage.

PamelaPamela · 17/05/2023 20:53

I also have a friend who I am close to and we thankfully still are friend but she went down a QAnon rabbit hole in 2020. To keep our friendship we just don't talk about this stuff anymore . She was sceptical of Covid, believes it was almost certainly created in a lab to set up some kind of NWO. It surprised me because she is very intelligent and well read. I didn't expect it of her.

underneaththeash · 17/05/2023 21:03

one of my friends did (again during COVID), I tried to reply logically to every single thing she sent me, but she wasn't listening at all. Eventually, I just said that I wasn't interesting in anything she sent me and every time I saw her just steered the conversation around to something else.

She's actually fine now, I think she was having some kind of breakdown, fuelled by dodge google algorithms which only give you more conspiracy theories if you've previously looked for one.

MerryPerry88 · 17/05/2023 21:03

@PamelaPamela we did try to have that agreement, but my friend can't help pushing their views...they genuinely believe they need to try and 'save us' I think. They get very worked up when we don't engage and try to divert conversation.

@AMuser I am so sorry....bad enough losing a close friend can't imagine losing a partner to this.

OP posts:
MerryPerry88 · 17/05/2023 21:06

underneaththeash · 17/05/2023 21:03

one of my friends did (again during COVID), I tried to reply logically to every single thing she sent me, but she wasn't listening at all. Eventually, I just said that I wasn't interesting in anything she sent me and every time I saw her just steered the conversation around to something else.

She's actually fine now, I think she was having some kind of breakdown, fuelled by dodge google algorithms which only give you more conspiracy theories if you've previously looked for one.

@underneaththeash do you know how she came back to reality?...I want to say 'recovered' but not sure if that's right.

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GabrielleLegs · 17/05/2023 21:13

Yes, my brother. He is vociferous on all the conspiracies mentioned here. We still converse but I have to repeatedly tell him I don't agree and that we have very different views. When I've tried to put my point I'm told that I 'don't see the truth' and should 'do more research' and 'not believe msm'.

We talk about day to day stuff and trivia, no more than that.

No idea where it all came from, it seems to make him so fearful and miserable. I can't imagine what would ever make him change.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 17/05/2023 21:22

Friend keeps ranting about 'the elite wants to do x to us' and 'the NWO wants to do y to us' and referring to the vaccine as 'juice.' We are due to meet up soon and I'm going to cut it short if she starts because I can only button my lip up to a point.

Coffeeandcake12 · 17/05/2023 21:58

Since covid as well ,my mum thinks it was all a set up, we will all die if we took the vaccine or get diseases. Its really hard, she thinks it's the government trying to control everyone. I just try and avoid talking about anything like that.

PamelaPamela · 17/05/2023 22:04

MerryPerry88 · 17/05/2023 21:03

@PamelaPamela we did try to have that agreement, but my friend can't help pushing their views...they genuinely believe they need to try and 'save us' I think. They get very worked up when we don't engage and try to divert conversation.

@AMuser I am so sorry....bad enough losing a close friend can't imagine losing a partner to this.

The two friends that believed about the jab being the mark of the beast and part of NOW dumped me anyway. Disfellowshipping, as it's known in Christian circles. They didn't want to be around a Hellbound sinner like me.

PamelaPamela · 17/05/2023 22:06

AMuser · 17/05/2023 20:13

Just a marriage 🤷🏻‍♀️

Wow. Sounds unbelievably tough. 💐

MrsDrDear · 17/05/2023 22:12

Family member went down the rabbit hole during COVID.
We started with heated discussions, now I just change the subject every time.
Its a shame as they are lovely. But every conversation leads to something being a conspiracy theory.
"Do your own research"
"When you wake up"
😤

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 17/05/2023 22:14

I got blocked and a nasty Tik Tok made about me by my best friend of 21yrs for not believing in gender ideology if that counts?

808Kate1 · 17/05/2023 22:17

@MrsDanversGlidesAgain It's such hard work to be around them and keep biting your tongue though isn't it? DH has a friend he's known since they were kids that is obsessed with the WEF and basically devotes his life to jumping down all kinds of tin foiled rabbit holes. Three or four years ago he would have laughed at the shite he's coming out with now.

@AMuser Sorry, that sounds really tough.

Kerfuffler · 17/05/2023 22:18

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 17/05/2023 22:14

I got blocked and a nasty Tik Tok made about me by my best friend of 21yrs for not believing in gender ideology if that counts?

I got loudly denounced and told I was "killing the trans community" for wanting single sex rape crisis services to at least be available.

Abhannmor · 17/05/2023 22:19

My friend had Covid pre- vaccine. Very ill for a month or so and still not 100% after 3 years. He was very scathing about people who said ' it's just like flu ' - as you can imagine.

Problem is during lockdown he started following podcasts by eg Joe Rogan and John Campbell. Now it's all WEF , Bill Gates and chemtrails. Revised his own medical history so to speak. Complete 180 on the vaccine.

Politically definitely moved to the right. But he dodges this by denying there is a Left /Right. Depressing but there's nothing to be done. Just leave them to it. Like any cult they won't listen to a friend or relative anyway.

underneaththeash · 17/05/2023 22:20

@MerryPerry88 i always kept in touch and met sporadically, texts became more normal and she stopped talking to herself!

Starcircle · 17/05/2023 22:21

Yes a number of friends/family fell down the rabbit hole during covid although if you’d asked me pre-covid who I thought those people might be I’d probably have picked them out.

I find the psychology of people who believe conspiracy theories very interesting - they seem to love the superiority of it/having special knowledge that they can see but none of us poor sheep can. Impossible to reason with over the implausibility of their claims. A lot of “follow the money” insistence whilst conveniently ignoring the fact that online conspiracy theorists are also making vast sums of money.

Despite finding it fascinating I also find it extremely draining to actually be around & have yet to see any of them move on from it in any meaningful way. We disagree on such a fundamental level that I can’t be close with them anymore.

tiggergoesbounce · 17/05/2023 22:24

I lost a friend during covid as they just wanted to pretend covid wasnt happening and i wanted to be sensible. Im sure she thought she had lost me to some master plan, but that wasnt the case 🤣🤣.

Your friend does sound like they have been taken down the rabbit hole, if you cant agree to put your "beliefs" to one side, just distance yourself for a bit

808Kate1 · 17/05/2023 22:27

I find the psychology of people who believe conspiracy theories very interesting - they seem to love the superiority of it/having special knowledge that they can see but none of us poor sheep can.

Yes - that thing they do, when they tap their nose as if to say they have special insider info! Because we haven't woken up yet...

Impossible to reason with over the implausibility of their claims. A lot of “follow the money” insistence whilst conveniently ignoring the fact that online conspiracy theorists are also making vast sums of money.

So many of the 'follow the money' lot are just mad grifters, preying on the gullible