To feel intimidated by conspiracy theorists

[famousforwrongreason]

I have a lot of friends who seem to have moved into plandemic territory, masks are evil etc. Some people are who I'd least expect to have these beliefs, rational people.
They have linked covid to 5g and are now crusading for the save our children campaign saying anyone who doesn't join them is complicit in child abuse and people trafficking.
They literally say this.
this is not even one group of friends, but disparate unconnected from each other.
I feel like they're dropping like flies.
I have every reason to believe that these campaigns have right wing connections, many of them are using American spelling for things which are also being shared by qanon people and there is some crossover.
I am not keen on our government, not overly happy with masks but also not overly bothered, I'll do what I can to help get things back to normal, maybe I'm being naive there
I just want to rant really, I keep inadvertently insulting people when I bring it up irl and each time a new person tells me their thoughts on it all I just become more alarmed!
I would also do anything I can to protect children, I just feel that linking up with these militant groups is not the only way.

Plus the friends who are heavily involved seem to have become friends with some really heavy and sinister Tommy robinson types.
I feel worried about the mass hysteria, but also sad I'm losing friends and worried about where this will end.
Is anyone experiencing this?
Aibu to feel this is slightly sinister?

I rationalise it like this.

That the people trying to convince us that a novel virus pandemic (which history proves happens) is false and that it's a all a global conspiracy designed by governments worldwide to make money from a Bill Gates vaccine which actually makes us traceable. And so they've planted this 5G to make us ill to convince us it exists.

• thinks we are the ones with no critical thinking

I have a number of co-workers who believe Covid is a hoax. I currently have vulnerable family members who have Covid.

I try and ignore them, but it is stressful. I think their underlying motivation is fear. They are too anxious to handle the reality of a pandemic so they have to pretend to themselves it isn’t happening.

You need new mates👀 At least on SM. I don't tolerate stupid so I have very few friends on SM. I know many people, but it's only my closest who I friend online.

There was a blow out over some of these conspiracy morons getting sunflower lanyards so they don't have to wear masks. Because 5g... Fucking disgrace

I will add that my husband almost did too, for a good 3 months he turned into one of those people, it was constant, it got to the point it was going to end our marriage, thankfully, he researched and researched until he researched himself back to reality, and realised that everything he was reading was personal accounts, not he says he looked inside a crazy persons head, i know that sounds bad, but its true, the things he was coming out with were barmy, he knows some of its true, but, he's not gone down this covid is a government cover up rubbish thankfully!!!!

I only know a few people who are into these conspiracy theories, and they tend to fall into two groups. Group 1 - people with low levels of intelligence (sorry, I know that sounds harsh!) who seem unable to apply any common sense or critical reasoning, and who by believing this shit have found a way to feel superior to others. And group 2 - who I have a bit of sympathy for - people who have had life experiences that have ‘primed’ them to believe in this kind of thing. For example I have a friend who has suffered with epilepsy for decades and has really struggled to find a medication that works and doesn’t have severe side effects. This has primed her to be sceptical of medicine and doctors in general and so she moved towards the anti vaxx movement. From there she now seems to be gravitating towards the QAnon type theories.

And what can you do? As the quote goes “You Cannot Reason People Out of Something They Were Not Reasoned Into”

@Mittens030869

I don't have any friends who believe stuff like this, though I do see comments on social media about this. I just eye roll and ignore personally. I know it's rubbish after all; if Covid isn't real, what in that case have I been suffering long-term since very early on? Symptoms that just happen to match the symptoms of a virus that they claim is a hoax??

Lol. One of my friends has even claimed too have covid since the beginning. Still has it now but also denies its happening to anyone else. One of the chosen few to be tested in plandemic

I know one person like this. It's not difficult to laugh at him directly to his face.

I don't find stupid people intimidating to be honest.

He also believes Covid stands for 'case of vaccination induced disease'.

There is a good book about the Psychology of Conspiracy Theories on Amazon which explains why people believe in them and why some are more susceptible than others.

www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Conspiracy-Theories-Everything/dp/1138696102/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&s=books&keywords=the+psychology+of+conspiracy&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1599386587&sr=1-1

It’s alarming how quickly it has spread. I only see it on social media but there is plenty on the community group pages I’m on.

If you question it you’re a sheep. You get told to “research” but they will only accept their own sources which generally consist of YouTube videos.

I find it fascinating and pretty scary how people are willing to believe this stuff based on very little.

QAnon come from the US - an attempt to help get Trump re-elected by appealing to the crazies who love conspiracies

The claim he is the hero who is going to expose a massive conspiracy of billionaire leftwing paedophiles who have kidnapped millions of children and want to bring in Muslim Sharia rule for the USA & Europe
This is all tied in with 5G and Bill Gates chipping everyone under disguise of a COVID vaccine
(although there are not enough "leftwing billionaires" to fill a phone booth, let alone a conspiracy)

It appeals to those who believe in shape-shifting lizards, but want all their favourite conspiracies and fears tied neatly togetherin a Q-shaped package

I have experienced this in RL with one particular friend (or rather he use to be my friend as that is now temporarily/maybe permanently on hold) in fact, I even had a thread on here because it got totally out of hand and I needed advice. I did get very good advice. Still don't know why it happened although the conclusion based on his behaviour was MH related issues. It can get out of hand very quickly and is very worrying how easily it is for a person you know to transform into a person you barely even recognise.

Most people I know following this right-wing hoax are actually very much on the far-left.

Turning this on its head a bit, now that there is a lot more wfh in various jobs - does anyone UK based plan to apply for jobs advertised in US, Australia, etc? I suspect not - most professional jobs are place-based in some way, plus as already mentioned, time zones are important!

I know the situation is different for lower skilled office jobs but I don’t think the world will suddenly see hordes of UK professionals applying and being offered their equivalent role elsewhere. So why would the reverse happen with U.K. based roles going to people based thousands of miles away?

Sorry - wrong thread!

A lot of strange responses on here 🤔

My friend is a conspiracy theorist. He believes there is a New world order consisting of unelected millionaires taking over the world and all sorts of other stuff. He can get frustrated and rude when you won't engage. I generally avoid these subjects.

But, i was very worried to see that The World Economic Forum has launched The Big Reset. The plan is to reset society in every conceivable way. They are indeed unelected billionaires and this plan has been in the pipeline for quite some time. Prince Charles worryingly refers to the pandemic as a "Golden opportunity".

I can't help but be worried about this.

www.weforum.org/great-reset/

They’re not intimidating! I find them great fun as they are usually thick as two short planks and quite easy to upset with a rational, science based argument or two. I hate confrontation normally but for some reason that fear doesn’t apply to morons such as these and I enjoy a heated debate with them. Their ‘beliefs’ usually have no more grounding than a Facebook article they ‘liked’ but didn’t even bother to click on to read.

I have a close family member who believes what you have set out. They're retired so lots of time on their hands. Basically just clicking through Facebook and YouTube videos. Came to a head last week when it was all they went on about- 5g, vaccinations will kill my children, COVID is a hoax, new world order, trafficking and how trump is going to uncover all these high profiled paedos, BLM is wrong etc etc. I told them they can have those views but I don't want to hear them. I also expressed significant concern about their mental health and lack of purpose. This stuff is not having a positive impact on their lives. They say they've started to take some of it in board- not willing to consider a different view though (fine) but will look to having more meaning in their lives (volunteering).

I know several other people who have these views and without exception none of them have happy, fulfilled lives and all have some form of mental health difficulties or addictions. I really hope Trump is not re-elected in November as this person in particular will feel vindicated.

@kimlo

yes I'm experiencing it and yes it's sinister.

People I thought were perfectly normal suddenly using the phrase wake up people and sharing posts saying the pandemic is about sexual abuse.

I'm getting this too. There was a list on my feed yesterday of celebrities / royals who have allegedly been executed because of the so-called save the children campaign. It includes awful suggestions about the Obama family etc etc, and something hateful about young children and their blood. I don't like it, it makes me feel distinctly uncomfortable, and sometimes I get drawn in and don't know what to believe.

@MahMahMahMahCorona you don't know what to believe? So are you saying here, that you are actually seriously considering believing the shit about people drinking the blood of young children to keep them looking young? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Fuck my life!!!

[quote GinWithRosie]@MahMahMahMahCorona you don't know what to believe? So are you saying here, that you are actually seriously considering believing the shit about people drinking the blood of young children to keep them looking young? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Fuck my life!!! [/quote]
Not at all.

I'm saying that the fake news, mass hysteria and conspiracy theories rolled out alongside "news" makes it difficult to distinguish where the line is drawn between fact and fiction. I've stopped reading any news / social media links or click bait because of it.

I'm not that fucking stupid. I'm just making the point - as other PPs have - that it's a tricky rabbit hole to navigate, one which one can easily get lost in for too long.

Oh dear, don't know what to believe? Do you believe that Obama was born in Africa, that democrats are selling children in pizza restaurants or on a public furniture website? That there is a new world order coming? These are all part of the same conspiracy - and funnily enough Trump is going to save the day. That's why 'they' created the 'covid conspiracy' so that he wouldn't be re-elected. FFS these morons believe that Trump is signalling you them by wearing a certain colour tie!!

I have a family member who is so far down the rabbit hole it’s scary. Everything they post can be sprinkled with a tiny bit of logic and debunked. But “that’s what they want you to believe”. I can’t be bothered to show them actual facts etc, because you can’t argue with stupid. The best part they came out with was a lot of disgusting accusations about a top, well-loved a-list actor. When questioned about how this linked with COVID they had no answers just “because it’s the elite and the jesuits”. I had to unfollow them on Facebook for my own sanity. They will not talk about it to me because they know I won’t listen or will try to explain in the nicest possible way that what they are saying is batshit. But they didn’t know if my DH was susceptible or not so he got into a 4 hour debate last week 😂.

I do think that they are dangerous, as other people who have anxiety anyway, or even those who are just a bit dense, will believe what they say and stop wearing masks, stop getting vaccinations etc and will be putting themselves and others at risk. They also convinced one of my DC that masks will make them sick and hand sanitiser shouldn’t be used because it’s bad for them and coronavirus isn’t real, it took us a while to put that right again.

The thing that gets me is the calling other people “sheeple” and saying we are just blindly following what we’ve been told, when that is literally what they are doing. It’s like a cult and it’s spread so far and got so big because they can get validation from others with the same opinions on the Internet.

Oh and the family member told us they had been researching COVID for 25 years. A little heads up would have been nice 🧐

*to them