Conspiracy theories ....

Pete Burrett

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Sebastian’s mum has become one of the leaders of Britain’s conspiracy community, collecting tens of thousands of followers with false claims – including denying coronavirus exists, blaming the symptoms of Covid-19 on 5G radio waves and likening the NHS to Nazi Germany.


This woman has 'tens of thousands' of followers. There's no indication how many actually believe her theories, or whether most are just amused / bemused by them.

Is it too easy to dismiss her as some sort of paranoid outsider, or should we at least listen to her views, as well as those of many others who oppose them?

Free speech (within the law) is a great thing, but should she get the sort of exposure that might adversely influence those unable to think for themselves?
 
I'm all for questioning the political narrative, but this is dangerous. There are a large number of people who get their "facts" from 2 minute Facebook videos rather than looking at the science or hearing from experts. That leads to thousands genuinely believing that covid is linked to 5G or Bill Gates, and that masks lead to people breathing in CO2 and is all part of a controlling elite.

This video was interesting in that this women told her son that there would be a worldwide genocide in the next few years, but when her son asked who would benefit from this, there was no answer!

On one had it's a bit sad and laughable, but this showed just how damaging and dangerous this can be for others.
 
The problem is society in general is only fed information and data on a need to know basis and when you have had mixed messages coming from the top it will lead to people making assumptions rightly or wrongly.The use and need of wearing a mask is a prime example as during the Lockdown the 'Experts" were telling us they were of no real significence either way yet as soon as the powers that be needed people to return to their work place it suddenly became a directive..
You might also argue that faced with a world pandemic and the need to control it why would Borders be left open for significent periods after warnings were given when it could have been contained at it's original source, why risk exposing the world to it.

I said on here during Lockdown that with a minority doing just as they pleased we would find ourselves doubting one another, since the slogan change it has felt like for many the virus is generally forgotten and we still have people doing just as they please as and when they want to.

The problem is so many people hang on every word they either read or hear from on the internet so they will have doubts about just about anything and everything but at the end of the day it is up to the individual to decide what they feel is right for them and their family.
 
I also think some people naturally like to rebel against whatever the current trend is and to challenge evidence that experts put forward. Not a bad thing, unless taken too far into David Icke territory.
 
"Tens of thousands of followers" .........says it all.
People who can`t develop their own ideas or thoughts so "follow" someone else.
Social media, in certain formats, is an echo chamber of half wits surrounded by similar half wits shouting about the same thing so it echo`s loudly and becomes their reality....
In fact things like Twitter/FB/Insta/Tik Tok etc should be re-named as "short social media" because everything is just a short snippet.

At least on a forum you get debate and a level of realism.
 
Sebastian’s mum has become one of the leaders of Britain’s conspiracy community, collecting tens of thousands of followers with false claims – including denying coronavirus exists, blaming the symptoms of Covid-19 on 5G radio waves and likening the NHS to Nazi Germany.


This woman has 'tens of thousands' of followers. There's no indication how many actually believe her theories, or whether most are just amused / bemused by them.

Is it too easy to dismiss her as some sort of paranoid outsider, or should we at least listen to her views, as well as those of many others who oppose them?

Free speech (within the law) is a great thing, but should she get the sort of exposure that might adversely influence those unable to think for themselves?

I think it is up to all of us to counter such nonsense TBH. There is no 'equivalence' between paranoid and ill-educated conspiracy 'theorists' and the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion, fact and sheer likeliness. Having an alternative view (in the light of the evidence) is not the same as having an alternative belief founded on easily debunked internet nonsense, wishful thinking, gullibility and a desire to look clever and 'ITK' on Twitter.

Anyone who wants to check out the 5G drivel (for example) can go onto YouTube and watch any number of people with no particular axe to grind except an expertise in electronics/physics who will patiently explain how it works (try Big Clive) - or can equally go onto YouTube and watch any number of crackpots with no expertise and a vested interest in getting you to buy their books, subscribe to their feeds and probably donate to their 'church' conflating 5G with death rays, lizard people, the Nazis, baby-eating Satanists and some kind of Hollywood cabal who abuse children just because they can - mostly suggesting that Donald Trump is the messiah come to save us all. I suggest that anyone who chooses to believe the latter rather than the former has little judgement.
 
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