Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/07/20/john-oliver-examines-coronavir.html
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Related:
And conspiracy theories as ARGs:
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My old uncle Phineas was fond to mumble: “Dere are three t’ings [holds up three rheumatic digits] you should teach the kids: Selflessness, Wonder, n’ Doubt.” By “doubt” he meant a healthy skepticism; and alongside civics and linear algebra, i wish that could be formally taught in school. Call it “scientific method” if one needs to dress it up a bit.
Well done, John Oliver!
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The problem is that all the conspiracy nuts think that they are the ones with healthy doubt while everyone else just accepts the story the Illuminati, Freemasons, NWO, Bilderberg group, lizard people, aliens, Soros accolytes, Rothschilds, Jews made up.
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That’s exactly right! They do their OWN research!
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If there is something to be in deep denial about, something too painful to accept, it’s our current situation. I’m not angry at people who believe in conspiracies, especially around coronavirus. But I do pity them, and send them my thoughts and prayers.
It’s the unity conspiracies that make me shake my head: The ones where everyone except them has to be part of the conspiracy, and since they know about it now, why bother?
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This episode is a bit weird tho.
That logic… a lot less people questioned the Reagen attempt than the JFK assasination therefore JFK questions aren’t legitimate?
It’s also kinda odd that they used their spotlight to mock a conspiracy theory about Bayer Corp. One of the only conspiracy theories I’ve heard that actually turned out to be true involved that company:
A division of the German pharmaceutical company Bayer knowingly sold blood-clotting agents infected with HIV to Asia and Latin America months after withdrawing them from Europe and the US, an American newspaper claimed yesterday. (Guardian)
O_O
That wasn’t what was being stated or even implied.
JFK’s assassination and death changed the world; that huge impact made people want/need to believe there were immense forces at work, whether they had any actual evidence to support that idea or not.
When an incident is less impactful, like the attempted assassination of Reagan was, people are generally less likely to disbelieve and seek out extraordinary causes.
That’s the only point that particular juxtaposition of the two historical events was intended to make, from what I saw.
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Thanks for taking the time to clear that up.
No JFK conspiracy theorist here but avid questioner and I do tire of seeing others with reasonable questions getting deligitimised or lumped in with “conspiacy theorists”.
I feel for people with genuine questions about adverse effects these days - probably get written off as “anti-vaxxers” because of all the nutters.
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That’s good, because that would be hella off-topic.
(There are many reasonable questions, though I have no real answers.)
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Good point. The agreed upon truths of that case are legit bananas.
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