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Original poster

Conspiracy rantings from friends?

137 replies

julieca · 01/12/2021 07:01

I am not interested in hearing conspiracy views around coronavirus on this thread.
Does anyone else have friends who believe in some of the conspiracy theories around coronavirus? I have one friend who is lovely, and this has taken me by total surprise. She is generally liberal, a bit left-wing and as a brown woman a bit suspicious of government. But I have never heard any conspiracy theory stuff from her before.
Now she rants on social media about vaccines and what they might be injecting us with, the nefarious reasons they are trying to make us have a vaccine, and how it is all about controlling us to introduce a fascist state.
I just find it really difficult. I suspect she is very anxious and this is a way to deal with it. But any gentle enquiries about her mental health just lead into a rant about how I am living in fear and she is shocked that I would fall for this hysteria and submit to authority.
Is anyone else dealing with this? How do you respond or deal with it? I feel in a way like I have lost a friend. Its such a weird situation I would never have predicted could happen.

OP posts:
DayKay · 01/12/2021 17:38

@Battenburg77

I had a friend who believed that European countries would eventually force vaccination on all citizens under threat of huge fines that could easily amount to financial ruin.

Nutcase.

My friend believed that children were going to be forced to take the vaccine. I still hope she’s a nutcase.

Tbh I love her as a friend but her views almost drove a wedge between us. She’d talk about covid being made up, this was all a big plan planned since 1970 something, lockdowns are to clear areas to install 5g as safely as possible.
I’d roll my eyes at most of her stuff. If I agreed with anything she said like pharmaceutical industry have a lot of lobbying power and influence, she’d take that as an open door to start pushing more nonsensical stuff like the vaccines were going to kill everyone.
Then I’d ask her what would be the point of governments having control of people if they were dead?
Some stuff she said has actually come true which is really worrying but other things are a bit nonsensical.

boobot1 · 01/12/2021 17:42

I've said it before, its the governments fault. They are so illogical with what they say and do. They don't follow their own rules and many of the rules make no sense. People are trying to make sense of it all, for some it leads to impossible conspiracy theories.

SonnetForSpring · 01/12/2021 19:29

It's very sad. I know quite a few. It does seem stem from trying to take back control over the situation.

50ShadesOfCatholic · 01/12/2021 19:57

@boobot1

I've said it before, its the governments fault. They are so illogical with what they say and do. They don't follow their own rules and many of the rules make no sense. People are trying to make sense of it all, for some it leads to impossible conspiracy theories.
Well no because if that was the case then everyone would be a conspiracy theorist.

Blame and shame is pointless. Look to understand.

Hodl · 01/12/2021 20:12

Some of what 'conspiracy theorists' predicted has come true though... Vaccine passports, mandatory vaccinations, etc.

Mantlemoose · 01/12/2021 20:23

@Hodl

Some of what 'conspiracy theorists' predicted has come true though... Vaccine passports, mandatory vaccinations, etc.
You're not allowed to have this opinion on this thread you know...............
underneaththeash · 01/12/2021 20:30

I just kept telling my friend that she was sending this to the wrong person and I wasn't interested. She did stop.

@Battenburg77 there is only so much capacity in hospitals and if it's taken up with unvaccinated older people there is less treatment for everyone else. You ask, you ask again and if they're still too stupid, you demand.

Warhertisuff · 01/12/2021 20:37

@Rade

I was wondering is this a new phenomenon where huge numbers of people get sucked into fake beliefs? I can't think of a similar example on such a huge scale.

Countless people have been sucked into all sorts of religious beliefs that are similarly irrational since the dawn of humanity!

fortheloveofhuns · 01/12/2021 20:50

Yes. I have a lovely friend who is intelligent, witty, able to think critically and very left leaning. She has turned very anti vax. I would normally give her pretty short shrift, but she is vulnerable at the moment. I can see why she has got sucked into a load of bullshit ideas - her life looks completely and utterly chaotic, she's isolated with a fucking useless DP, and she needs to have control of something.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 01/12/2021 20:53

My oldest and best friend stopped talking to me earlier in the year because of it. She was my bridesmaid and refused to be involved until the last minute. It was really upsetting and even now she talks to me more about this than anything else. She almost didn't come to my hen do. It was very stressful for a while and now I'm scared to admit I might have the booster as I was unsure over it and she told me not to.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 01/12/2021 20:55

@AliceA2021

My neighbour often imparts his wisdom about those 'who have woken up' versus people like me who are vaccinated and doing as told. My daughter in law's mother and family are also anti vax and spread various comments about 'people dying' of the vaccination rather than covid. DIL has now had her first vaccination, made up her own mind.

I have unfriended FB people who spread rubbish and stupid pictures of sheep in masks etc. They come over as stupid and ill informed.

Fortunately, the vast majority of people I associate with are rational and don't listen/buy in/spread the rubbish.

I do think mental health issues/too much pot etc make people very paranoid and likely to believe things easily rather than data/facts/science.

My friend says she is believing the science Confused
ItsSnowJokes · 01/12/2021 20:55

I have and would again cut off friends and family members for spouting this conspiracy nonsense. I don't have the time or inclination to listen to the bullshit and sound bites that they all spout. They all seem to be a certain type of person, but I won't derail the thread with my views on that.

Riverlee · 01/12/2021 21:04

I have two.

One is more of a a ‘not yet’ type of anti-Vaxer, ie, she’ll wait until she’s fully sure but doesn’t object to others having it. She’s more concerned about its safety aspects and possible side effects.

The other one has fully fallen down the trap. Her Facebook posts used to be quite entertaining. Not just covid. She talks about the Common law, etc

ivykaty44 · 01/12/2021 21:08

I often wonder how they got all the scientists on board with these conspiracies? every gp, consultant and not just in one country but several

Smokeyfish · 01/12/2021 21:38

@julieca

I am not interested in hearing conspiracy views around coronavirus on this thread. Does anyone else have friends who believe in some of the conspiracy theories around coronavirus? I have one friend who is lovely, and this has taken me by total surprise. She is generally liberal, a bit left-wing and as a brown woman a bit suspicious of government. But I have never heard any conspiracy theory stuff from her before. Now she rants on social media about vaccines and what they might be injecting us with, the nefarious reasons they are trying to make us have a vaccine, and how it is all about controlling us to introduce a fascist state. I just find it really difficult. I suspect she is very anxious and this is a way to deal with it. But any gentle enquiries about her mental health just lead into a rant about how I am living in fear and she is shocked that I would fall for this hysteria and submit to authority. Is anyone else dealing with this? How do you respond or deal with it? I feel in a way like I have lost a friend. Its such a weird situation I would never have predicted could happen.
Bit patronising OP.

Can’t believe you refer to your friend
as a ‘brown woman’?

MadameMonk · 01/12/2021 21:39

Check out the interesting articles regarding the psychology behind falling for a conspiracy cult on the Psychology Today website. It was enlightening.

Also, there’s a very supportive subreddit for family & friends of people who have given themselves over to all the Qanon-originated nonsense.

OP, I’m kinda envious it’s only a friend that you’re dealing with.
My marriage has ended due to this stuff. Co-parenting is a daily nightmare. Only solace I have at the moment is that due to being a rabid anti-vaxxer, ex-husband is banned entry to most of our family Christmas stuff and school stuff. He ruins every social event and interaction. We are being slowly ostracised as people see the extent of his cray cray.

I’m now convinced (after 2-3 long years) that there’s no help that can be given these people. Any time you discuss it, it just gives the whole thing oxygen and fans the flames. Not even losing everything in life (job, family, friends, hobbies) will convince them to look at it differently.

Smokeyfish · 01/12/2021 21:40

And no other poster has picked up on it … says a lot for this thread and Mumsnet in general.

userperuser · 01/12/2021 21:42

@Smokeyfish

And no other poster has picked up on it … says a lot for this thread and Mumsnet in general.
I was wondering why nobody had mentioned that.
Original poster
julieca · 01/12/2021 21:45

@Smokeyfish you are not up with the latest terminology. BME has been ditched as has Asian and it is black or brown. She says she is brown. She also writes books and lectures about diversity.

OP posts:
Smokeyfish · 01/12/2021 21:47

The thread sounds like a group of Amanda’s from Motherland. Awful.

Have they not read the opening post properly, or does ‘brown woman’ who is understandably suspicious of the government!!!!sit well with them all?

Where have these people been wheeled in from?

Original poster
julieca · 01/12/2021 21:50

Laughing at the idea that brown women is racist. It is the latest terminology used in anti-racism materials and training. Give it another year or two and you will all be using it.

OP posts:
Flaxmeadow · 01/12/2021 21:54

A lot of this conspiracy theory nutjobbery is coming from the USA and it's nothing new. I remember very similar arguments decades ago on the old Yahoo forums. Anyone remember those? Large zoom type rooms full of gun toting "they want to make us slaves" ..."Resist the commies in Europe"..."Jews/Commies are taking over"..."resist"..."freedom"..."measles vaccines are a Govt plot" and all that type of thing

WhatMattersMost · 01/12/2021 21:58

[[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/07/coronavirus-black-brown-people-britain-ethnic-minorities "After coronavirus, black and brown people must be at the heart of Britain's story", by
Afua Hirsch]]

hopeishere · 01/12/2021 21:59

I have one who I've muted on Facebook. The really baffling but is she is Uber religious and so cites the bible ad part of her argument against it all.

Like can you show me one peer reviewed article that proves god exists... but that's what she cites all the time.

I follow another one on Insta but she's just a narcissist and a "do your own research" merchant.

Original poster
julieca · 01/12/2021 21:59

@WhatMattersMost thanks for proving it is the latest terminology.

OP posts: