Discussion: UK anti-vaxx 'freedom' morons, protests and QAnon idiots

[editor]

Good piece here:

Exposure to misinformation could make people refuse a COVID-19 vaccine | Imperial News | Imperial College London

Exposure to online misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines could reduce vaccine uptake, threatening the goal of herd immunity.

www.imperial.ac.uk

Meanwhile I'm arguing with soon to be defriended fuckwits on FB who come up with statements like;

Happy not having it. Think I had covid, didn't trouble me. Would do it again. Let those worried about covid get the dodgy looking vacc, then all are happy right?

 

[Pickman's model]

Good piece here:

Exposure to misinformation could make people refuse a COVID-19 vaccine | Imperial News | Imperial College London

Exposure to online misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines could reduce vaccine uptake, threatening the goal of herd immunity.

www.imperial.ac.uk

Meanwhile I'm arguing with soon to be defriended fuckwits on FB who come up with statements like;

Why would you argue with them instead of simply going to defriending?

 

[two sheds]

with a sign off message of 'ah well if you're afraid of scary vaccinations ...'

 

[editor]

Why would you argue with them instead of simply going to defriending?

Out of courtesy to the friendship, I feel it's my duty to spend a few moments trying to correct their bullshit before sending them back to Facebook lie-lie-land. It's not like I'm incredibly busy with work right now anyway.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Out of courtesy to the friendship, I feel it's my duty to spend a few moments trying to correct their bullshit before sending them back to Facebook lie-lie-land. It's not like I'm incredibly busy with work right now anyway.

I agree - at least trying to make them see sense might help some deluded people like this recognise reality a bit more. Won't work in many I suspect, but it will in some.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Out of courtesy to the friendship, I feel it's my duty to spend a few moments trying to correct their bullshit before sending them back to Facebook lie-lie-land. It's not like I'm incredibly busy with work right now anyway.

These links could help with over coming their ' dodgy looking vacc' claim.

The Covid vaccine arrived quickly – but there's every reason to trust it | Charlotte Summers

It’s safe, it works, and it gives a tantalising glimpse of what else might be achieved given sufficient political will, says Dr Charlotte Summers, of the University of Cambridge

www.theguardian.com

The vaccine miracle: how scientists waged the battle against Covid-19

We trace the extraordinary research effort, from the discovery of the virus’s structure to the start of inoculations this week

www.theguardian.com

 

[Pickman's model]

Out of courtesy to the friendship, I feel it's my duty to spend a few moments trying to correct their bullshit before sending them back to Facebook lie-lie-land. It's not like I'm incredibly busy with work right now anyway.

By the time they've become conspirazombies no part of what made them friends any longer remains, I'm very sorry to say

 

[editor]

These links could help with over coming their ' dodgy looking vacc' claim.

The Covid vaccine arrived quickly – but there's every reason to trust it | Charlotte Summers

It’s safe, it works, and it gives a tantalising glimpse of what else might be achieved given sufficient political will, says Dr Charlotte Summers, of the University of Cambridge

www.theguardian.com

The vaccine miracle: how scientists waged the battle against Covid-19

We trace the extraordinary research effort, from the discovery of the virus’s structure to the start of inoculations this week

www.theguardian.com

"Mainstream narrative'"

 

[Orang Utan]

I’ve defriended one person over this without much engagement with them. They were already a fruitcake who believed in chemtrails, Diana being murdered by the Royal Family, all the 9/11 CTs and in false flag terrorist incidents, so I quickly decided that it wasn’t worth the bother

 

[Orang Utan]

"Mainstream narrative'"

The mainstream narrative says we need oxygen to breathe but I don’t trust them

 

[cupid_stunt]

"Mainstream narrative'"

I always reply that The Guardian is not owned by some billionaire, but by an independent trust largely funded by volunteer subscriptions & donations, it has no agenda on this, compared to what you would consider MSM.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I’ve defriended one person over this without much engagement with them. They were already a fruitcake who believed in chemtrails, Diana being murdered by the Royal Family, all the 9/11 CTs and in false flag terrorist incidents, so I quickly decided that it wasn’t worth the bother

Sounds like you did pretty well to last this long tbh

 

[BigMoaner]

go to the 99% Against Corruption facebook page. I dare you

absoloutly hideous manifestation of a) thickness and b) selfishness.

i am often tempted to set aside an evening to go to war there. but i don't.

 

[two sheds]

Could try the approach an acupuncturist once tried with me when i said I didn't like the idea of having needles stuck in me. She said there's a place they can put a needle that cures the phobia of having needles stuck in you.

Would need to be more successful than with me though, I said it's not a phobia and I don't want a needle stuck in their either.

 

[BigMoaner]

and that's just one group among so many

 

[Pickman's model]

and that's just one group among so many

They are legion

 

[BigMoaner]

I get teh whole "every one has a right to opinion" view, of course. People can believe what they like, i have very little interest in proving people wrong about most things. I am probably wrong about most things.

but with this mob, what i just don't get is how emphatically absolutely positively certain they are. in the face of almost entire scientific consensus. certain enough to actually put many, many people at risk.

I mean that's next level, isn'it? something pathological about it - the blind faith in one's own 'research' against institutions and then to follow that research in the disregard of the welfare of others.

 

[editor]

Yep: Does yoga have a conspiracy theory problem?

 

[William of Walworth]

My confidence is ultra-low that any conspiracist at all -- hardcore or fringe/'doubtful' -- is able or willing genuinely to 'do their own research'

Just for an instance, how about those bonkers idiots who refuse to accept that hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid?

Please look at this link, concerning volunteers caring for Covid patients at the Francis Crick Institute.

Does anyone reckon that the link might result in the 'non-existant Covid' conspiraloons seeing any sense?

Might they even start to accept that dedicated hospital staff and volunteers are working their arses off to the point of exhaustion, depression and daily upset???

I'm so glad that I don't really know any such conspira-twazzocks IRL, either online or personally, but fuck them anyway ....

 

[Johnny Doe]

I'm so glad that I don't really know any such conspira-twazzocks IRL, either online or personally, but fuck them anyway ....

Not so easy for these people's families. And I can't imagine my situation, where a family member who was formerly bright and sensible has had mental health issues before landing there, is unique

 

[bimble]

Yep: Does yoga have a conspiracy theory problem?

Pretty good article that, includes my favourite QAnon researcher.
i hadn't thought of the way the yoga world's idea of 'self sufficiency' (your health is your responsibility) bit lends itself very well to the overlap too. Definitely a big part of it for my neighbour for instance.

I think theres something else going on as well though, more to do with religious / faith-based attitudes to life in general making you more likely to be drawn to these theories.
You're more likely to believe non-fact based things that feel good if you have lots of practice in doing so, and being a Christian is better prep than doing yoga, for that.
eg) QAnon Conspiracies Sway Faith Groups, Including 1 in 4 White Evangelicals

 

[William of Walworth]

Not so easy for these people's families. And I can't imagine my situation, where a family member who was formerly bright and sensible has had mental health issues before landing there.

Sorry to hear this -- I hope you're able to manage with this, and cope somehow.

But I suppose it's pretty obvious that in general, I utterly lack patience with these people.

I think it must make a big difference that I don't really know any CTers personally, and that I almost entirely know about their witterings online and not IRL.

I'm sure I'd have to work a lot harder at empathy, etc., if any family member or close friend succombed to all this nonsense, perhaps for the reasons you mention.

But I also suspect I'd be pretty damned poor at persuasion towards sense, given how bonkersly infuriating -- and indeed dangerous -- all this conspiracy stuff is

 

[mwgdrwg]

Facebook, that's the problem. Delete your accounts then you no longer have to argue and lose friends and family connections.

 

[Johnny Doe]

But I also suspect I'd be pretty damned poor at persuasion towards sense, given how bonkersly infuriating -- and indeed dangerous -- all this conspiracy stuff is

Yup, it's hugely frustrating and it was a stranger in a pub, you'd just walk away. I can't though

 

[William of Walworth]

Facebook, that's the problem. Delete your accounts then you no longer have to argue and lose friends and family connections.

I definitely would, if I had any Facebook 'friends' who were conspiracists ..... luckily I don't

(I'm pretty inactive on FB anyway -- it's on the safe space of Urban that I mostly bevome aware of conspira-lunacy!).

 

[mwgdrwg]

I definitely would, if I had any Facebook 'friends' who were conspiracists ..... luckily I don't

(I'm pretty inactive on FB anyway -- it's on the safe space of Urban that I mostly bevome aware of conspira-lunacy!).

Lucky you, I would hazard a guess that you are the exception of not witnessing Facebook twist the minds of friends and family.

 

[William of Walworth]

Lucky you, I would hazard a guess that you are the exception of not witnessing Facebook twist the minds of friends and family.

You're probably right there

But in my case, my avoidance of any Facebook Nonsense is about the fact that I use FB so little anyway, I reckon .... and as you say, luck comes into it also.

 

[Pickman's model]

Pretty good article that, includes my favourite QAnon researcher.
i hadn't thought of the way the yoga world's idea of 'self sufficiency' (your health is your responsibility) bit lends itself very well to the overlap too. Definitely a big part of it for my neighbour for instance.

I think theres something else going on as well though, more to do with religious / faith-based attitudes to life in general making you more likely to be drawn to these theories.
You're more likely to believe non-fact based things that feel good if you have lots of practice in doing so, and being a Christian is better prep than doing yoga, for that.
eg) QAnon Conspiracies Sway Faith Groups, Including 1 in 4 White Evangelicals

I daresay that evangelical Christians are more likely to have voted trump or feel that he's an anti-politician politician than yoga practitioners or Muslims or yazidi or wiccans and so more likely to buy into some of the basic assumptions which help bring you into qanon

 

[NoXion]

None of my friends and family have fallen down any rabbit holes, so far as I'm aware of at least. Thankful for that.

 

[Pickman's model]

None of my friends and family have fallen down any rabbit holes, so far as I'm aware of at least. Thankful for that.

More likely both really and metaphorically to give your ankle a wrench by putting your foot in one