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?

Maybe its because I'm left-wingish myself and was quite involved in the Remain movement, but all the conspiracy theory types (there aren't many luckily) I know tend to actually over-hype Covid. Apparently the Government etc are lying to us about death rates, Covid makes literally everyone ever (including children) Very Very Ill and nothing should ever open up or We Will All Die. They thought the government not closing down instantly back in March was an intentional plan to cull the elderly (because obviously the Tories want to kill their core voters ) and were all banging on about this at length under a ToryGenocide hashtag. Oh and some of them are into the Boris's Fake Baby thing. I think a combination of Corbynism & the Brexit Wars tipped certain people over the edge & its actually quite sad to see. For example I know a very intelligent academic couple who stockpiled EIGHTEEN MONTHS (their words) worth of food for No Deal Brexit, which has now been repurposed as their Devastating Second Wave stockpile. And then there are the old school hardleft conspiracy theories who will deny any genocide or human rights violation if the country involved isn't western....so the Uighurs are doing just fine & the pro-democracy protests in Belarus are run by the CIA blah de blah. Of course I know the right-wing libertarian ones exist, but they feel quite abstract to me because I don't know any in real life.

I honestly think it’s because everyone is fed up with covid restrictions but obviously don’t want to announce to the world “well I’ve decided I’ll do what I want because I’m a selfish twat and don’t care if I am contributing to the spread of a potentially life threatening infectious disease”. So instead they dress it up like “it’s all a big conspiracy and I’m so clever for seeing through it unlike all you sheep”. Then they can go about their lives as they please without openly outing themselves as being selfish and inconsiderate.

I don't know anyone who has bonkers, out-there views, really.

What kind of people do you know?

My dad is like this but he was a conspiracy nut before the pandemic. I don't tend to associate with conspiracy types and none of my friends seem to have fallen down the rabbit hole (admittedly, the majority of my friends hold left wing views and the majority of the conspiracy theories on covid seem to come from the right).

@Mittens030869 You're right. He does have some MH issues so it kind of doesn't surprise me that he's obsessed with something and focusing all of his energy on one thing. I just wish it was something different or more constructive. But I guess it makes him feel better and gives him a lift so that's something. Maybe he'll find something else soon...

Not rtft but all I can say is, be grateful you don’t live with anyone who has taken on these views, or have children with them. Then you really would have problems.

Do you ever think some of these ‘conspiracy theorists’ may have a point?
Anyone researched agenda 31 and 30? Real stuff going on and in force .
Not sure why anyone would believe the main stream media or government anymore?

@michaelschofield you mean the who vaccinations agenda or the agenda to end poverty? Or the sustainability agenda?

Are you sure you don't mean the agenda 21 from nearly 30 years ago?

@Ceilingfan

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!!!!

Wow. So glad your husband got through it. I wonder how many actually do get past it? Sadly I think I've definitely lost one friend permanently this week which is sad as we shared a lot and we live very close to each other so it's going to be awkward, she's really angry with me, and become really rude and hostile, she's got right in with the Britain first types and I was really shocked when I found out. Sadly I probably criticised the hem too much, not having realised quite how in with them she'd become since we'd not properly decent conversation since before lockdown. She is very bright and able to apply critical thinking but I feel she's fallen down a dark hole in lots of respects and this is more of a symptom of things that have turned to shit for her. I can feel I'm going to lose another one v soon, we're going to be at a social gathering later in the week so I'm feeling a bit trepidatious. I met another one this eve who has very strong views and I think we have reached a mutual respect and understanding, after I said I can't discuss it anymore, time will tell.

@Coriandersucks

Not rtft but all I can say is, be grateful you don’t live with anyone who has taken on these views, or have children with them. Then you really would have problems.

God yes I agree. I should be grateful for small mercies. Sadly I do have a family member who is already like it but one has recently started using the word sHeEple A LOT and talking about them needing to WAKE UP!!!! But fortunately we're not that close and v easy to avoid. It's sad.

@tenlittlecygnets

I don't know anyone who has bonkers, out-there views, really.

What kind of people do you know?

Quirky ones

@Lifeisgenerallyfun

I think people have suddenly had everything they know thrown up in the air. Everything they thought was clear cut now no longer is so they latch onto things that look like they offer certainty (no matter how far fetched).

For so long now everything has tracked towards siloed black and white thinking. Now this is gone with rapid changes being the norm
To them it’s better to believe in something that has no ambiguity And doesn’t change.

Yeah I was talking about this earlier to someone and we were theorising that maybe these beliefs and campaigns are filling the gap that Christianity / Church going used to fill? 'We' need to believe in something, look up to something and those things that used to keep us in line have lost their grip on society so we're kind of stuck in a very uncertain place, as you said, it's all quite ambiguous and this can give people an anchor and a sense of purpose and something to help them believe they're making a difference

@SomewhereEast

Maybe its because I'm left-wingish myself and was quite involved in the Remain movement, but all the conspiracy theory types (there aren't many luckily) I know tend to actually over-hype Covid. Apparently the Government etc are lying to us about death rates, Covid makes literally everyone ever (including children) Very Very Ill and nothing should ever open up or We Will All Die. They thought the government not closing down instantly back in March was an intentional plan to cull the elderly (because obviously the Tories want to kill their core voters ) and were all banging on about this at length under a ToryGenocide hashtag. Oh and some of them are into the Boris's Fake Baby thing. I think a combination of Corbynism & the Brexit Wars tipped certain people over the edge & its actually quite sad to see. For example I know a very intelligent academic couple who stockpiled EIGHTEEN MONTHS (their words) worth of food for No Deal Brexit, which has now been repurposed as their Devastating Second Wave stockpile. And then there are the old school hardleft conspiracy theories who will deny any genocide or human rights violation if the country involved isn't western....so the Uighurs are doing just fine & the pro-democracy protests in Belarus are run by the CIA blah de blah. Of course I know the right-wing libertarian ones exist, but they feel quite abstract to me because I don't know any in real life.

For example I know a very intelligent academic couple who stockpiled EIGHTEEN MONTHS (their words) worth of food for No Deal Brexit, which has now been repurposed as their Devastating Second Wave stockpile.

Brilliant. God bless Britain

My friend is a conspiracy theorist and we’ve had many rows about vaccines, new world order etc. With covid there are very few answers so I think the conspiracies are her way of regaining some control of a life she feels is being run by the government. If I ever question her rationale I’m told to do my own research which appears to be the standard response from them. She’s fucking annoying as hell.

@Zippy1510

I honestly think it’s because everyone is fed up with covid restrictions but obviously don’t want to announce to the world “well I’ve decided I’ll do what I want because I’m a selfish twat and don’t care if I am contributing to the spread of a potentially life threatening infectious disease”. So instead they dress it up like “it’s all a big conspiracy and I’m so clever for seeing through it unlike all you sheep”. Then they can go about their lives as they please without openly outing themselves as being selfish and inconsiderate.

Wow. That's like an occams razor theory. So basic and blatant, & really fits the personality types of a lot of these people. I think you have probably hit on something here!

@famousforwrongreason my DDs father has gone like this and its really sad to see. I'm not letting him have any contact with her any more as he seems to be getting worse and worse - he wont let her wear a mask, confiscated her hand sanitiser, told her not to believe anything I say as its all a government plot and I've been taken in by it, that if she gets a covid test she will be kidnapped by pedophiles, that she must wear baggy clothes and scrape her hair back at all times because if she looks pretty she will be kidnapped by pedophiles and so on and so on. Hes posting online about Ellen eating babies and god sending him secret messages, and going to protests with all the Qanon facist lot.

Hes always been an idiot but a harmless one so this is awful to see and my DD is devastated

@tectonicplates

I've not met these people personally, but I know they exist and I certainly believe the OP because I keep seeing reports of protests, e.g. anti-lockdown protests, anti-mask protests etc. There were quite a number of them last weekend and I was shocked that the London one seemed to have thousands of attendees. I always thought these people were a fringe group and I was really shocked by the numbers of people involved. And the number of people who follow David Icke really astounds me. I mean there'll always be a few of them anywhere, but just the number of fans is bizarre.

Thank you. I'm really really not making it up. The numbers are quite alarming. I'm honestly at the point where I hope the subject doesn't come up because I have no idea which of my friends is going to go off on one next.

[quote ShinyGreenElephant]@famousforwrongreason my DDs father has gone like this and its really sad to see. I'm not letting him have any contact with her any more as he seems to be getting worse and worse - he wont let her wear a mask, confiscated her hand sanitiser, told her not to believe anything I say as its all a government plot and I've been taken in by it, that if she gets a covid test she will be kidnapped by pedophiles, that she must wear baggy clothes and scrape her hair back at all times because if she looks pretty she will be kidnapped by pedophiles and so on and so on. Hes posting online about Ellen eating babies and god sending him secret messages, and going to protests with all the Qanon facist lot.

Hes always been an idiot but a harmless one so this is awful to see and my DD is devastated[/quote]
Fucking hell. I'm so sorry for you and your daughter. How absolutely distressing and disturbing.
This is the stuff I'm talking about.
I've worked with mentally ill people for years and I've heard everything but the shit that's coming out of my friends' mouths, who I trusted and care for, sounds like psychosis. Actual psychosis. And these are parents, people who work etc.

@MikeFromSpaced

My friend is a conspiracy theorist and we’ve had many rows about vaccines, new world order etc. With covid there are very few answers so I think the conspiracies are her way of regaining some control of a life she feels is being run by the government. If I ever question her rationale I’m told to do my own research which appears to be the standard response from them. She’s fucking annoying as hell.

Hahaha do your own research. They all have the same stock phrases. Just the same as they did when voting leave. But this time it seems to be people of all political leanings and those who have generally had no political interest at all.

I know no one who believes the things in your OP unless they are keeping it VERY quiet.

Yep famousforwrongreason she voted leave!

@FunnysInLaJardin

OP, I am certainly seeing this, and from the most 'normal' of people.

Turns out my neighbours on one side are raging conspiracy theorists and believe David Icke, on the other are anti vaxxers and a bloke up the road is a covid denier.

I live rurally and have few neighbours and so to discover how wide spread this is is really very alarming.

I find it depressing tbh and it really affects my mental health if I let it

Yeah same here, small town, its almost as though I'm in a conspiracy myself and don't know who to trust! I'm also trying to protect my mental health so I'm going to be doing some gradual pulling back from some and immediate retreat from others, happy alone with my kids. Thank fuck my colleagues are 'normal'

It seems like psychosis to me, he was a very heavy weed smoker when he was younger, was the main reason we split up, and I assume he still does it as it seems like the kind of severe paranoia / psychosis caused by far too much weed, and given shape by all the conspiracy bollocks people are spreading

@LadyLairdArgyll

Frankly, I think the problem is that a lot of people who think these things did not have a great education, so are easily taken in

a bit harsh

Well, whether it’s harsh or not, it’s also the science.

Those who don’t believe in conspiracy theories have more education ( bigthink.com/bps-research-digest/bps-why-more-highly-educated-people-are-less-into-conspiracy-theories ) and higher levels of analytic thinking ( www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010027714001632 ).

What might be important is WHY people with lower levels of education are more susceptible to conspiracy theories. The first article talks about two studies that were delving into this and found those who are more highly educated feel more power over their own lives, so are less likely to believe some shadowy organization is “in control” of it all.

For example, someone upthread shared a conspiracy theory they believe about “The Great Reset” as if it’s fact. Well... the facts are that “The Great Reset” is just the theme of a World Economics Forum conference, this conference happens yearly and has had different themes, it refers to the need to address inequality around the world (according to their own website), and has nothing to do with “destroying” any societies. You know who else is attending besides billionaires? A shit ton of economists. Imagine that.