To think my mum has fallen down a conspiracy rabbit hole and I can't get her out

[Coffeesoon]

My mum has just sent me a video of Ant Middleton explaining how in 2027 the migrants / boat people who are seeking asylum and have already been made legal, will kick off and attack us all.
He says there will be a civil war, he knows because of army contacts and that we need to prepare.
What am I suppose to say to that?
She fully believes that an army is being formed and is constantly telling me or sending me videos about it.
I love my mum but since covid, which she thought wasn't real, she has been thinking the government is out to get us. We live in an area of increased immigrants and she absolutely hates them.
I've tried to talk to her but shes adamant and its really getting me down.

@Dollymylove I agree that the current system isnt working, but I dont think they are being put here to create an army and take over.

She's scared, things have changed and she's frightened. Be kind and talk her round, discuss friends - lovely friends- then drop in that they are muslim or whatever. Challenge her but don't scold her, it has the opposite effect.

These are not 'alternative views'. It is dangerous, toxic and totally and utterly ridiculous. This is the problem, people that fall for conspiracy theories see it as an 'alternative view' instead of the vile, mental health impacting, money grabbing bilge that it is.

Ooh, we've another one, right here.

Does she know he served time for beating up a female cop? What a patriot.

My mums the same but the other way, massive lefty, convinced the trump shooting was fake, everyone is thick and racist now, constantly getting into pointless arguments with racists on Facebook. You have my sympathy.

I think it's difficult because the world is a strange place and strange things can indeed happen. I feel like she would settle down if she would just start looking at more neutral content. You could redirect the conversation when it comes up with phrases such as "well the world is a n uncertain place" and then bring up other topics of conversation. You will need to gage whether she needs mental health support.

Yeah I bet thats what Rhiannon Whytes family are saying

Am sure the family are delighted that her death is being weaponised by the right. What a lovely memory for them.

I love a conspiracy theory and wonder how these people function in the world, but then very occasionally I do think but what if some of them might be right? I don’t think reptilian people exist not that kind of theory!

If I wasn’t an only child we could be siblings OP. My mum is well and truly down the rabbit hole and there isn’t any coming back from it for her unfortunately. She watches YouTube / conspiracy vids on FB almost constantly, has become an advocate for the views preached from twats sat on a sofas recording themselves harping on about covid, chemtrails, vaccines, civil unrest, the uprising, the migrants, WEF, WHO, Bill Gates, digital slavery…the list goes on. Apparently the covid jab contains nano chips which are now controlling our minds and smoking tobacco actually protects from covid - even though she doesn’t think it’s real in the first place.
The irony is she hates the state because all it does is erode free will, but quite happily takes the money given to her by the state so she can live. You just can’t make this shit up.

My advice; low contact and stick to pleasantries only - I can’t even talk about the weather anymore because ‘They’ control the sun’s rays, seed the clouds etc etc. It’s exhausting.

No, I believe the recommendation is OP threatens to cut her mum out of her life for spewing ignorant, baseless, racist shite.

I assume you are perfectly comfortable keeping the company of racists.

You could remove her WiFi or change her you tube settings.

Yes!! Exactly the same, chemtrails, vaccines.
It's really difficult isn't it. I just have very basic conversations, small talk about nothing really. It's really quite sad isn't it.

Tell her to cancel her Daily Telegraph subscription. DM is like this and I popped round and spent five minutes reading her paper online. Fuck me I've never been so depressed.

I got her to access Press Reader Which is free through the local library and has access to all the newspapers along with literally every magazine. Is that an option? The idea was to broaden her reading material. She got it then said preferred the 'view' on the DT subscription so wouldn't be cancelling, dammit, but said she can now read other papers so was pleases about that.

I do agree its the algorithm, DF has stopped watching and reading news as much and is much happier.

I'm quite firm with DM to stop filling my head with it too. I have a job in a compassionate industry so I just want to think nice things outside work. I change the subject, say I'm tired, say we're not talking about politics today.

I have a colleague at work who is of Lebanese descent who is always saying that eventually the UK will become predominantly a Muslim country and that all women will be subject to Sharia law... She's a bit obsessed with it. She always pointing out that all the immigrants are mainly Muslim males, including the Somalians... (I think she thinks they are less obvious than the Syrians & Afghanis).

I’m afraid I don’t know who Ant Middleton is, but I imagine she’ll buy a bit of extra food and loo roll, then forget about it. I’d honestly just let it pass.

I have free access to the Telegraph and have never seen anything about this. It has some great women’s rights authors like Suzanne Moore, who used to write for The Guardian.

My DH is the same! I don’t recognise the person he’s become.

it’s distressing.

I don't know if this is the case for your mum, but a lot of people lost their minds kind of, in covid. I can remember a sensation of surreality sweeping over me at times. I think that messed with people's reality gage

@Coffeesoon yup, very sad. I get such anxiety if we do go somewhere together because there’s no filter, she’ll spout whatever’s in her head at that given moment and it can be racist / batshit stuff and I just don’t want to be associated with it. The irony is I had all my childhood vaccines etc was told not to smoke because of cancer.
But now the Earth is flat and David Attenborough is a lizard (no exaggeration). Posts on average 12 times a day telling us we’re all brainwashed sheep etc. I wish I was joking.
I’m here in solidarity 😅

I think it's just the front pages and especially recently when there's been so much furore about the boats. I tend to read long form articles in the Economist so it just hit me.

”Alternative views” are one thing. These are views which are demonstrably false and unsolicited.

I couldn’t cope with this. Her “views” are her views but she needs to learn that if you force other people to listen to stream of consciousness nonsense there are consequences.

Sadly mine is the same, though not mentioned an army being formed, @Coffeesoon and it is so tiring. I dread having conversations with her as it will always turn into something to do with immigration. Last year we tried to talk to her about the various things she was saying, but we were just wasting our breath, and I just got upset.
It got to the point I wasn't going to visit anymore, or very often, which is hard as I love seeing my dad and he doesn't share her views.
A few months ago she started again and I was very firm telling her we were not going to talk about this subject and just looked at her, and she backed down. Since then we don't talk about politics and it's just a superficial relationship discussing the garden or other things like that.

👏👏👏

That doesn’t mean cutting someone out of your life is necessary. You can just stick to ordinary everyday conversations. I don’t have the first clue what the political opinions of must of my friends are.