Please reassure me-Uk column

[Whatsgoingon77]

Name changed for this, in case people think I’m nutty.
I ended up watching a few Uk column reports on YouTube after people had posted bits on YouTube, mainly just out of curiosity.
Has anyone seen this? Thoughts?
It’s made me totally anxious with what’s going on in the world, talks of military dining into the country and Ireland..why?
I already feel anxious about the strangeness in the world at the moment and really shouldn’t have watched it!
Are they all talking nonsense or is there something in it?

I didn’t just believe it but with the current situation I’m questioning a lot, it’s so hard to know what’s real and what’s not, does no one else seriously feel the same?

Don't feel bad for having a wobble. I'd definitely suggest having a break from Facebook though to ease your anxiety about the world, it seems to make everything 10x worse.

It is because of this odd time, has to be, unless I’m losing it. I’m seeing very well educated, balanced friends from school etc posting things that go against the current narrative and they really believe it all. As I say, smart people and I’m not stupid myself, possibly influenced a tad more than I should be at times.

I would also suggest that, if your anxiety level is high, you steer clear of most of the media. Just watch one news item a day, and that on mainstream media, not YouTube or Facebook or anywhere where any Tom Dick or Harry with an agenda can get a slot.

Actually, better to steer clear of the news altogether. Read some nice comforting books, and think about seeing your GP if your anxiety doesn't start to resolve.

I’m seeing very well educated, balanced friends from school etc posting things that go against the current narrative and they really believe it all. As I say, smart people and I’m not stupid myself, possibly influenced a tad more than I should be at times.

Seriously, watch the social dilemma.

...the irony of the trailer being on YouTube

Please don't get your news from social media. Go to reputable and properly regulated news sources such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, CNN or the major newspapers and their websites.
You might not like some titles like The Sun, for example, but you'll never find made up conspiracy nonsense in there.

A lot of people think intelligent people don't get taken in by conspiracy type reports and theories but that's not true. Its apparently more to do with a feeling of lacking control, which makes it understandable at the moment.

@slashlover good show! I got 7/8 too - I just assume most social media is trolls wall to wall (not on Mumsnet of course)

It is because of this odd time, has to be, unless I’m losing it. I’m seeing very well educated, balanced friends from school etc posting things that go against the current narrative and they really believe it all. As I say, smart people and I’m not stupid myself, possibly influenced a tad more than I should be at times.

Going against the current narrative is one thing and posting conspiracy theories is another.
Example: some people are posting questioning how effective facemasks are, quoting various scientific studies. This goes against the current narrative which is that we should wear facemasks to protect others from infection.
Some people are posting theories that governments are forcing us to wear facemasks to make us more submissive so that they can introduce more measures in the future which will rob us of more of our freedoms. That is a conspiracy theory.

Second example:
There are a lot of videos about and a lot of social media postings claiming that Bill Gates wants us all to have a vaccine so that he can microchip us or sterilize us. That is a conspiracy theory.
Some people are questioning whether a vaccine which has been created, tested and tried in under a year is safe long term and whether it is effective, considering vaccines normally take several years to come onto the market. This is "going against the current narrative".

You need to be able to distinguish between what is a conspiracy theory and made up nonsense and people questioning what is currently going on in a reasoned way.
If any of this is causing you great anxiety, which it sounds like it is, step away from youtube. Snooze people on social media for 30 days if they are posting things like this. Limit how many news sites you read and if you are reading them try only to look at a couple of mainstream, reliable sources.

@FeminismIsForALLWomen
There is obviously a feeling of a lack of control presently, but the things people are presenting as true are a hell of a lot scarier than the (hopefully) normal narrative of what’s actually happening.
They say bbc, Cnn are the news channels that have an agenda and force us not to question what’s really happening.
Am I a nut job, does no one else feel this at times?

Actually, right now, it's important to keep in touch of the news, or you won't know what guidelines and laws are in place (yeah, I know even Boris doesn't know them) but stick to one of the main news channels, and check your local council's website for any other restrictions in your area. Perhaps just check in to them once a week.

There was an OP on here a couple of weeks ago, who hadn't seen any news since this started, so she had no idea what was going on and what had changed. Instead of going to a news website, she posted asking people to tell her They could have told her any old shit, and she'd have been none the wiser.

In what way does the bbc "force" anyone to do anything? Can you question at least what they mean... what would it look like if this was actually the case?

@DaughterX By controlling the information we receive, I suppose? Controlling the narrative, so we don’t see any other side? We’re just absorbing everything we’re being told I guess and I’ve noticed people in the public eye questioning things too more recently. Oh I really don’t know 😩the world is messed up and the future is a scary thought for me for my daughter.

Even if you know what you look out for, it can be hard to spot the fake stat that seems to link things together.
I looked at a graph produced showing covid vs flu deaths. It seemed incredible. I had to look v hard at the (tiny) labelling of one axis that had deliberately been designed to mislead - one word literally made all the difference. And the cutoff dates of the data used.

The bbc didn't control what you watched on YouTube, did they? They offer one service. Most people supplement it by reading elsewhere. I certainly do.
Obviously you should be aware of how news is sensationalised and simplified.
To say this means no-one can read further is bizarre.

There is obviously a feeling of a lack of control presently, but the things people are presenting as true are a hell of a lot scarier than the (hopefully) normal narrative of what’s actually happening.

Yes, but believing it's all part of a mass conspiracy is actually comforting to people, as scary as the theories are.

They say bbc, Cnn are the news channels that have an agenda and force us not to question what’s really happening.

I'm sure they do but, again, just because they're saying it doesn't make it true. You need to look for facts that's are backed up by evidence rather than opinions.

Am I a nut job, does no one else feel this at times?

You're not a nut job, you just have anxiety and have seen too much conspiracy bullshit. Don't be too hard on yourself

Example: some people are posting questioning how effective facemasks are, quoting various scientific studies. This goes against the current narrative which is that we should wear facemasks to protect others from infection.

I would also say that if someone quotes a doctor or a specialist then please google of them. Most of the doctors quoted have been widely debunked by the scientific community.

For example, the professor quoted on a UK Colum page is Didier Raoult. His wiki shows that he was previously banned from posting in a medical journal and had to resign from a few boards. His hydroxychloroquine work has been found to not be scientifically robust.

I would also say that if someone quotes a doctor or a specialist then please google of them. Most of the doctors quoted have been widely debunked by the scientific community.

YES! And check stats too, if the research they came from is peer reviewed or debunked Too many people form their opinions based on stats which have been misused or misrepresented, it's dangerous.

but the things people are presenting as true are a hell of a lot scarier than the (hopefully) normal narrative of what’s actually happening.

Reality is scary enough. We've got a lunatic running the USA, a buffoon running the UK, a pandemic that is not going anywhere and even if/when we get a vaccine billions of people won't have access to it, the climate is on the brink of disaster, all the uncertainty Brexit will bring and economies worldwide in tatters. If you want to fret and worry you really don't need to look to idiots on YouTube to feed your anxiety.

I don’t believe you’re losing it OP. It’s understandable why you feel the way you do given the amount of information being thrown out there. Perhaps trust your inner logic and good sense and if anything looks too strange to be true, that’s probably because it is! Take a few days away from the news and focus on yourself and your family and make them the centre of everything. Hopefully that will help give you fresh perspective.

This is an interesting post in that recently I've heard several family members say recently that we can't trust the BBC. Now it's coming up here by the OP (amongst other sources not to trust).

The first time I heard it, it was my 22 yr old DN who said he read this on FB and it was because they hid the Jimmy Saville story. I told him never to get his news from FB. Read across several media for a balanced view. Then I heard it again from another friend and wondered what was going on?

My 'consipiracy theory' is that DC is posting these stories on FB so we just all roll over and accept it when the gov't revokes the BBC licence.

Hoping that we all forget that Murdoch has been campaigning against the BBC for years, that Johnson used the townshouse of Andrew Griffith, the CFO for Sky, after winning the leadership bid, as well as appointing him the chief business adviser to Number 10.

Not to mention that DC has been against the BBC for years. When he ran the New Frontiers Foundation he advocated this:

Tories should fire “missile after missile”, since they “could only prosper in the long term by undermining the BBC’s reputation for impartiality, as was happening with CBS in America” – and as president Trump has sought to do with CNN and his constant cries of “fake news”

Think about all of that when deciding who to trust and who not to trust. If we turn away from trusted news sources (media companies bound by law to report facts) then we become so much more malleable. So what's in it for them? UK Column get money. DC and the current gov't get power with fewer avenues of accountability.

This is all so worrying.

A good for footage is to ask 'How do I know this is what/ where/ when it says it is?' If there is nothing in the footage verifying any of these details, it could be anything, eg that someone has just labelled film of the a French army on manoeuvre 5 years ago and said 'Military exercises in Northumberland last week!!' Knowing that a lot of people won't know the difference between army equipment/uniform and just read the captions

I'm guessing you live on your own with your daughter? For her sake stop wasting hours going down rabbit holes on You Tube written by idiots. You're starting to sound very paranoid and distressed.

Get back in touch with reality by going outside, talking to family or friends not the friends that keep sending you links to UK Column or speaking to a doctor about your anxiety.

I have reservations about threads like these because usually it quickly transpires the Op has an agenda. However, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here that you're just having a slightly mad moment..

@SmileyClare

An agenda of what?? 🤷🏻‍♀️

No I live with my other half and toddler and don’t watch hours and hours of anything, as I don’t have the time!
I just feel really uneasy about all sorts of things since this pandemic and worry about the future and my girls future. I really try not to, but I do..perhaps I am paranoid or mentally ill, I hope not but I can’t help feeling anxious about things and feeling like nothing’s the same as it was before March, it’s upsetting

@lemonsandlimes123 teaching children critical thinking may well prevent them from being taken in by conspiracy theories and misinformation as adults.

Your post is completely lacking in understanding and empathy. Dismissing people as being incapable of thinking is not productive or true.