Why do people still try to say that they don’t believe Covid exists?

[Anon778833]

Does anyone know people still spouting this nonsense?

My neighbour believes it is an awful fuss about nothing. I note she had her vaccination when it was offered, although she “does not believe it to be necessary”.
She keeps sending me links to ridiculous conspiracy theories.
When I see her coming towards my house, I hide behind the shed now, if I’m in the garden.
Such a silly woman!

Interesting question. I have two on my feed . One used to think BJ was the bees knees when he was getting BREXIT done. Niw he us scum of the earth. Now spends time on SM wishing "good luck" to people having vaccine and on every death saying that the family need to know the truth. Lots of linking Chinese Lab to GSK etc etc and having vaccine will give you Aids etc. Tbf this person has always been anti vax so I suppose this is an extension of this.
The other one is equally bizarre saying COVID is flu rebranded and all part of Great Reset. Lots of talk of totalitarian. Again always been anti vaccine

Intellectually challenged. Looking at social media posts of the type that share.
People will little to think about.
Lacking thinking skills.

Some of the ridiculous rubbish they share could be taken apart by a child at school. I assume many of them missed science classes.

@SionnachGlic

I've never heard anyone say it but then again I don't know any conspiracy theorists, thankfully. I'm not sure how covid deniers (is that correct?) support their argument...is it all this 5G stuff...I should educate myself better so as I can understand...but when it sounds a bit crackers, I tend to switch off. But with all the deaths...who could think it is not real?

I had a similar perdon on FB feed.... educate yourself about 5G and the Great Reset, ....more and more are waking up and the rest who don't believe 5G is harmful and used to control are 'sheeple' ...

Very odd people.

Person !

The message they all appear to share is quite cut and paste

Eg

'Wake up and educate yourself'
'Sheeples '
'The Great Reset'
'Chem trails to spread chemicals so we don't question '
'DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH '

etc etc
It is almost as if they have join a cult

It is, of course, a load of nonsense but I can see why it's happened:

. Wanting to find some order in the chaos
. Gov/big tech attempts to quash misinformation (understandable why, it feeds the conspiracies though)
. Government have not helped with dodgy modelling, fear porn etc to ensure compliance- again, feeds a conspiracy.
. Ditto with mainstream media
. Its become very polarised and political, views becoming entrenched

So I'm not surprised to see it.

Absolutely @Anna12345678910,I don't know anyone personally but the same names appear on my local news website everytime there's an article about COVID spouting that shit ,you can't argue with stupid

I've seen a few people who are covid deniers. One was very frothy about lockdowns being a way to control us, fake death certificates, it not being that bad, dodgy vaccines etc etc until he had it over Christmas and was extremely poorly with jt.

I have one on our Facebook. Likes to argue with people wanting the vaccine, doesn't believe it exists, believes in Q Anon etc. His brother died of Covid some months back. He still bleats on about how we are all sheep and believe lied to. Some people will never change.

Because they're morons.

Yep. Even though they've had covid it's all apparently a big hoax.

@Anna12345678910

Intellectually challenged. Looking at social media posts of the type that share. People will little to think about. Lacking thinking skills.

Some of the ridiculous rubbish they share could be taken apart by a child at school. I assume many of them missed science classes.

One of the deniers that I know is a teacher! Quite worrying the stuff that they spout out. I've had to remove on sm as the conspiracy theories are getting out of control!

@ScrumptiousBears What does he think his brother died of?

@ILookAtTheFloor Spot on. Whenever the government tries to deliberately misinform the public, or they U-turn, they are handing ammunition to the conspiracists on a golden platter. I believe the virus exists (but only just); but I think that throwing our young people under the bus, along with some entire industries was the wrong thing to do; and anyone who tries to say this is considered a mass murderer, by Mumsnet who plays judge, jury and executioner.

Governments and the media have not learned the lesson of the boy who cried wolf. Tony Bliar screamed "there are weapons of mass destruction", to justify his own vanity project. This is just one reason why to many people, politicians are liars by default. The media is constantly telling us that disaster is just around around the corner. While (sadly) many people suck it up and believe every word the press tells us, some sceptics tend to take the opposite view: if it appears in print, especially if it's played up, it must be false. Therefore, there's just no credibility left for a real threat.

And, we sceptics have another reason: it feels (I hope wrongly) as if there's a movement to train the public not to question anything the government says. The government knew they couldn't enforce lockdown by force, so they're doing it by fear instead. Anyone who has questioned lockdown is immediately branded as a mass murderer: not by the government, but I'm certain they have tacitly encouraged the media to do this, so that the public does it. This in itself is extremely worrying, even without the virus. If the official propaganda becomes "lockdown has ALWAYS been used to control viruses": 1984-style thought modification is complete. I hope this does not happen, but to me, that is a much bigger danger than any virus. This is why some of us are all the more determined to hold on to our own views, because we think we might become brainwashed otherwise.

Call me a fantasist, tell me I have a lively imagination if you will - it's water off a duck's back. If the virus is real, these other threats are very real.

[quote wanderings]@ILookAtTheFloor Spot on. Whenever the government tries to deliberately misinform the public, or they U-turn, they are handing ammunition to the conspiracists on a golden platter. I believe the virus exists (but only just); but I think that throwing our young people under the bus, along with some entire industries was the wrong thing to do; and anyone who tries to say this is considered a mass murderer, by Mumsnet who plays judge, jury and executioner.

Governments and the media have not learned the lesson of the boy who cried wolf. Tony Bliar screamed "there are weapons of mass destruction", to justify his own vanity project. This is just one reason why to many people, politicians are liars by default. The media is constantly telling us that disaster is just around around the corner. While (sadly) many people suck it up and believe every word the press tells us, some sceptics tend to take the opposite view: if it appears in print, especially if it's played up, it must be false. Therefore, there's just no credibility left for a real threat.

And, we sceptics have another reason: it feels (I hope wrongly) as if there's a movement to train the public not to question anything the government says. The government knew they couldn't enforce lockdown by force, so they're doing it by fear instead. Anyone who has questioned lockdown is immediately branded as a mass murderer: not by the government, but I'm certain they have tacitly encouraged the media to do this, so that the public does it. This in itself is extremely worrying, even without the virus. If the official propaganda becomes "lockdown has ALWAYS been used to control viruses": 1984-style thought modification is complete. I hope this does not happen, but to me, that is a much bigger danger than any virus. This is why some of us are all the more determined to hold on to our own views, because we think we might become brainwashed otherwise.

Call me a fantasist, tell me I have a lively imagination if you will - it's water off a duck's back. If the virus is real, these other threats are very real.[/quote]
I read this kind of stuff, and imagine a satirist somewhere trying out new material on an unsuspecting audience.

@NewLevelsOfTiredness

I also think there's a certain level of selfish individual who thinks in these kind of patterns:

• This is massively inconveniencing my life.
• I need to believe the inconvenience is unjust and unfair.
• I will look for articles and posts that justify my need to prove it unfair.

These are often the same people who ONLY read the stuff that pulls them down the rabbit hole and then flail out at others for 'not doing their own research.'

Yes. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with this.

I think some of this stuff is more than just reactive: it's actively fun for the person doing it.

There was an excellent piece by a games designer about QAnon, and how it exploits people's desire to play games and solve puzzles (instead of just boringly telling them the answer).

This is why the "Do Your Own Research" part is so important: the interactive element of the game is a hook.

A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon
medium.com/curiouserinstitute/a-game-designers-analysis-of-qanon-580972548be5

I think those who think the government's reaction over the last year (closing schools, crippling businesses, arresting people for walking on the beach, making it ILLEGAL to visit your family, creating a campaign of fear, dishonesty) are 'lacking in thinking skills', 'are stupid', 'are nuts', 'are genuinely of low intelligence', 'are unable to understand the most basic science'

From that article:

Telling people how and what they should think is the path of most resistance. Ideas that challenge us can do just the opposite of convincing us or enlightening us, but further engrain our old ideas. Even when presented with factual evidence.

“It is well known that people often resist changing their beliefs when directly challenged, especially when these beliefs are central to their identity1,2,3,4,5,6. In some cases, exposure to counterevidence may even increase a person’s confidence that his or her cherished beliefs are true7,8.”
www.nature.com/articles/srep39589

Strongly held beliefs are literally a part of us. As such, attacks on core beliefs are treated very much as attacks on us, even as strongly as a physical attack.
[...]
If the ideas are generated by us, however, then these are the ideas we defend. If we “create” the ideas in our own minds, they become fused much more intently into our personality. They’re OURS. There is no friction. Guiding people to arrive at YOUR conclusions is a perfect way to get people to accept a new and conflicting ideology.

*has been rational and proportional

I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's real but I know a fair few people who think the figures have been hyped and that it's been a massive over reaction because the death rates per 100,000 are not that high a percentage and they feel the whole country is now on its arse unnecessarily. I don't share those views btw

I've got one. Sadly we've now had a fall out over it, doubt we will sort things out now.

Denies covid exists simply because he hasn't caught it doesn't know anyone who died personally. When I pointed out that I do know people he just carried on ranting total nonsense.

I basically told him I wouldn't be in touch anymore and he said that he doesn't care what's been said, only hopes that I'm "covid free and stay safe" wtf?

"I think those who think the government's reaction over the last year (closing schools, crippling businesses, arresting people for walking on the beach, making it ILLEGAL to visit your family, creating a campaign of fear, dishonesty) are 'lacking in thinking skills', 'are stupid', 'are nuts', 'are genuinely of low intelligence', 'are unable to understand the most basic science'"

Eh?

I have a sneaking suspicion that the intersection of the set of people who say "Covid doesn't exist", and the set of people who shriek loudly that it's so unfair other people got the vaccine before them, is non-zero...