DP and conspiracy theories

[Sarrah1]

Had a huge fallout with DP yesterday and now I am at a loss where to go from there..

A bit of background, my DP is lovely but he bought into Covid conspiracy theories. The pandemic put massive pressure on our relationship because he was convinced that Covid is not real and made up to push people to get a harmful vaccine, with the media being the main instrument of the conspirators because they are being paid to push the fear. We had countless arguments (because I think that's absolutely batshit, I had my vaccines, and while I respect personal choice when it comes to vaccines and don't mind others not having them, I can't respect pushing a narrative around vaccines being made to intentionally harm people).

We broke up in 2020 because of this, before getting back together (just missed each other too much and didn't want to allow politics and different views to end what we have) and agreed to not talk about this topic again. We had a rough time throughout 2021, but we both made an effort and with Covid being not as big a topic in the media and public life anymore, things went back to normal in early 2022 and we have a lovely relationship since then. He also stopped talking about conspiracy theories, and part of me was hoping that he realised himself now that his Covid theories were wrong, and we are leaving conspiracy theories behind us for good.

The past ten months were bliss, no arguments, no conspiracy theories, everything was just perfect.

Up until yesterday, when we started talking about the cost of living crisis. He thinks that prices are intentionally high - agreed on between governments and private corporates. He doesn't think that there is a need for anything to be more expensive than it was in 2019, e.g. that supermarkets could sell their items to the same prices if they wanted to/the governments would let them.

Now my question...is this a new conspiracy theory I haven't heard of yet? Is he going down another rabbit hole here with an orchestrated cost of living crises by governments and those in powerful positions? Or am I overreacting (oversensitive towards this topic) and this isn't entirely batshit (again)? I cried myself to sleep yesterday, I don't think I can go through another conspiracy theory episode, but also things were just so perfect with him during the past few months when there were no conspiracy theories interfering with our relationship 😢

Oh yes, that! "Do your research/educate yourself" often accompanied by being called a sheep 🐏 or dimwit.

The mindset of a conspiracy theorist goes beyond the conspiracies and affects their everyday life and subsequently the lives of those around them. If you can't reason with someone over conspiracies, you can't reason with them over anything and it's exhausting.

When I was in a relationship with one I initially didn't take his conspiracy theories seriously. I thought he was into them to be a bit anti establishment but didn't really believe it all. But it turned out he did. It became clear he had no respect for other people's opinions, and therefore no respect for other people. He made people uncomfortable talking shit about it all and they started to keep their distance.

It isn't something you can just ignore and put up with because it escalates.

You did the right thing separating after the COVID conspiracy

Having him back was clearly madness

He's batshit and you sound totally grounded

Don't let this idiot bring you down - get rid

Brexit, the new added cost to Imports, covid disrupting supply chains, Ukraine war affecting gas supply and the pound falling more and more … tell your husband these are not conspiracy theories, shit is real.

The thing that I can't take about conspiracy theorists, is the arrogance, that they think they know better than actual scientists or vast majority of experts in the field. Their 'research' is about as far removed from actual research you can get and usually just means watching hours of YouTube.

I watch a documentary about flat earthers a while ago, in their favour, they did do actual experiments to try to prove the earth is flat. All their experiments proved the earth is round and with the exact degree of curvature we are told. They just ignored the results! Didn't make a single bit of difference to their flat earth nutterism.

Water boils at 100C at 1 atmosphere air pressure.

Water boils at low temperatures at top of Everest for instance because of lower air pressure which can be factually worked out because you know maths and science works.

I wasn't asking you to tell me a fact

I was asking you to define what a fact is. I did state that clearly.

How does maths and science work to prove that something is a fact?

If he starts talking about the Avril Lavigne conspiracy theory you've got a real problem

Maths is a pure language that could be understood by alien life forms when we meet.

A science fact can be proven to be reproduced over and over and over again.

Yes sometimes things at present cannot be explained, yes sometimes it is known that there is "something else" that needs discovery.

But to dismiss many bodies of indisputable proof under "well science changes all the time" is just stunted.

We are all living longer due to advances in medicine, indisputable fact, penicillin is a fact, vaccines are a fact, clean water is a fact. How satellites send information so people can communicate over the internet right now is run on facts not opinions or guesswork.

So whether you agree with facts or not your life expectancy and internet communications are dependent on them.

Thanks frozendaisy.
Also repeated hypothesis testing over time helps science discover what is a fact. It's a slow process but it's the best we have.

@frozendaisy

blog.oup.com/2020/03/scientific-facts-are-not-100-certain-so-what/

OUP are a fairly reliable source, and Oxford University usually has its 'facts' roughly right, I think. But perhaps you think that they're 'stunted' too. I'm sure they'll be gutted.

Honestly this whole things makes me so sad as good people disappear down various rabbit holes. A colleague of mine who was just a lovely person ( single living in his own) starting watching what he called 'broadcasts' during lockdown and is now a total nut job. He didn't step inside a single shop or restaurant for 2 years as mask wearing was required. He started off supporting trump but not believes that trump sold out, he can't make chit chat anymore with our trying not o convince you how you are wrong and he is right. He has lost all his friends and doesn't socialise anymore. He just goes home from work and logs on to sites about how Hilary clinton is really a secret sex trafficker as her full time job, the earth is flat. No one ever landed on the moon. Putin is a great lad.. the queen was killed off by the government . The covid vaccines have gps chips in them to control us.

He's on the verge of getting fired and I so worry about what will become of him. He is exactly the type of person who will come in one day and shoot us all.

My ex DP fell down the same conspiracy rabbit hole.

I had my vaccines against his wishes and I'm most definitely going to die a slow and painful death in future. He's sure of it.

The cost of living crisis is also one big government scheme... something along the lines of The Great Reset and how they're going to buy our homes from us and rent them back to us... "have less, be happy" is the key phrase he keeps throwing around.

Also a Trump supporter. Also thinks the UK Gov't killed the Queen. Also thinks Putin is a very clever man and Ukraine are staging a lot of the devastation and destruction for "reasons"???

Not the dealbreaker reason why he is an ex but I'll be so glad not to have to listen to that shite day in day out anymore!

I found this interesting. psychcentral.com/blog/conspiracy-theories-why-people-believe

It struck me that all of us could probably fall down a rabbit hole and that some conspiracies are more acceptable to believe in and are less harmful. I guess the challenge comes when the belief held is problematic.

100%
Evil steals alot of credit from incompetence.

There is some sort of WEF/Global reset/Davos conspiracy theory around - it's rampant on some social media and some newspaper comment boards. 🙄

It seems to involve completely bankrupting us all, and turning us into "North Koreans" ruled and controlled by corporations - something like that anyway.

I just think this shitstorm is a combination of Brexit, Covid, Ukraine and incompetent government for 12 years..😗

But, we have had recessions before, we will have them again - no great conspiracy, just the usual boom and bust of economies. They all pass,😉