The Most Dangerous Pandemic
[a thread for 2020]
I had some weird online experiences today
They culminated in me making decisions for my mental health
But they also proved to me, once and for all, that weâre witnessing the end of civil society as weâve known it for 50+ yrs
1/
[a thread for 2020]
I had some weird online experiences today
They culminated in me making decisions for my mental health
But they also proved to me, once and for all, that weâre witnessing the end of civil society as weâve known it for 50+ yrs
1/
Thanks to COVID many of us are living through some form of lockdown at the moment (not my friends and family in Sweden, bless them, who have their own version of problems)
So weâre maybe spending more time online than usual, or reaching out to folks after a while
2/
So weâre maybe spending more time online than usual, or reaching out to folks after a while
2/
So Iâve reached out on Twitter, FB, Insta, and WhatsApp to see how friends are around the world
Itâs an uncertain time and people are understandably nervous about many things
Health, finances, family, life goals, relationships, pets, projects, hobbies, etc
To name a few
3/
Itâs an uncertain time and people are understandably nervous about many things
Health, finances, family, life goals, relationships, pets, projects, hobbies, etc
To name a few
3/
Now one of my friends decided to post one of those âplandemicâ videos on FB, and lots of people started commenting below his post
This friend of mine lives in Australia and is a classically-trained violinist as well as a tutor for kids with special needs
Heâs smart and kind
4/
This friend of mine lives in Australia and is a classically-trained violinist as well as a tutor for kids with special needs
Heâs smart and kind
4/
By all accounts, a reasonable, decent guy, who I met when he was a student in BC over a decade ago
Iâve considered him rational and possessing good critical thinking skills
Heâs polite and has empathy and has never been irrational
5/
Iâve considered him rational and possessing good critical thinking skills
Heâs polite and has empathy and has never been irrational
5/
So to see him start posting about COVID as overblown, potential hoax, etc was a bit jarring
I read through his friendsâ comments on FB, they were mostly in this vein:
6/
I read through his friendsâ comments on FB, they were mostly in this vein:
6/
I saw some folk mentioning psyops, manufactured illness planned by Democrats, a plot against Trump, CIA operations tied to Qanon, etc
Remember this guy is down under, not the US (and heâs never lived there, only visited twice-been in Aus all his life except 4 yrs in Canada)
7/
Remember this guy is down under, not the US (and heâs never lived there, only visited twice-been in Aus all his life except 4 yrs in Canada)
7/
Iâm thinking âwait, so why is this guy getting full-on conspiracies about COVID from the USâ?
Heâs smart enough to discern fact from fiction or snake oil
Doesnât he have better info than this shite? And other more informed friends?
8/
Heâs smart enough to discern fact from fiction or snake oil
Doesnât he have better info than this shite? And other more informed friends?
8/
So I read more comments and Iâm getting increasingly disturbed
I have a masterâs in clinical psych, did undergrad in poli sci, minored in what was called business psychology
Iâve studied science, took stats/epi courses
I can see most âhoaxâ links are devoid of factual data
9/
I have a masterâs in clinical psych, did undergrad in poli sci, minored in what was called business psychology
Iâve studied science, took stats/epi courses
I can see most âhoaxâ links are devoid of factual data
9/
So I wrote to my friend
First on the thread, then privately
The gist was âSome of this stuff youâre posting is questionable, some of the discourse is laughable, and some of the comments are downright dangerous and verging on delusional; whatâs up, friend? Why do this?â
10/
First on the thread, then privately
The gist was âSome of this stuff youâre posting is questionable, some of the discourse is laughable, and some of the comments are downright dangerous and verging on delusional; whatâs up, friend? Why do this?â
10/
I even said âYouâre in Australia, you know this has nothing to do with the USA, per se; and it might not even have much to do w/China beyond the start.Come on, this is a global issueâ
I expected a reasonable response-Iâve always had one before on any topic weâve discussed
11/
I expected a reasonable response-Iâve always had one before on any topic weâve discussed
11/
But what I got back was stunning
It amounted to âI canât believe you wouldnât be questioning this obvious plot. Our civil liberties are at stake, as is the world economyâ.
I have friends whoâve had COVID-oneâs battling it now
A friendâs dad died of it
Itâs not a âhoaxâ
12/
It amounted to âI canât believe you wouldnât be questioning this obvious plot. Our civil liberties are at stake, as is the world economyâ.
I have friends whoâve had COVID-oneâs battling it now
A friendâs dad died of it
Itâs not a âhoaxâ
12/
I asked why he thinks itâs a hoax instead of a legit illness
Why was the basic fact that this is a pandemic not jibing with his reality? I wondered
I was already fearing my otherwise rational friend had fallen prey to Rupert Murdochâs SkyNews (Aussie FOX News equivalent)
13/
Why was the basic fact that this is a pandemic not jibing with his reality? I wondered
I was already fearing my otherwise rational friend had fallen prey to Rupert Murdochâs SkyNews (Aussie FOX News equivalent)
13/
And thatâs when my mind was fully blown



I was pulled down the rabbit hole
I was a reluctant Alice drawn into a dark online belief system full of Mad Hatters
I was just missing my blue/white apron dress, my sheer white stockings, my buckled shoes, and a Cheshire Cat
14/



I was pulled down the rabbit hole
I was a reluctant Alice drawn into a dark online belief system full of Mad Hatters
I was just missing my blue/white apron dress, my sheer white stockings, my buckled shoes, and a Cheshire Cat
14/
So it turns out in the past 18 months or so, my Aussie friend has latched onto Alex Jones level ideas, all originating in the US, mostly from alt-right adjacent sources, about all manner of things
Itâs not quite Qanon, as thatâs a specific cult, but itâs the next best thing
15/
Itâs not quite Qanon, as thatâs a specific cult, but itâs the next best thing
15/
A quick rundown of his beliefs: why heâs sure COVID is part of a larger global conspiracy:
All well-to-do liberals do sex change on their children; hence when Trump was a Dem in the 1980s, his kids all got âtransedâ
He believes Chelsea Clinton is trans, Obamaâs girls too
16/
All well-to-do liberals do sex change on their children; hence when Trump was a Dem in the 1980s, his kids all got âtransedâ
He believes Chelsea Clinton is trans, Obamaâs girls too
16/
He straight up believes we have been fooled by NASA about the moon landing; that it was a Nazi plot to trick us into spending money on rockets and the US co-opted it for monetary gain in the 1960s
When I asked why he thinks this is remotely possible, I got another shocker
17/
When I asked why he thinks this is remotely possible, I got another shocker
17/
He began somewhat aggressively âpointing outâ to me that no one wants us to know about the flatness of the earth
I questioned how he accepts such an explanation, given heâs flown on a plane, and has a university degree
He told me Iâm blind to earth as a 4-dimensional disc
18/
I questioned how he accepts such an explanation, given heâs flown on a plane, and has a university degree
He told me Iâm blind to earth as a 4-dimensional disc
18/
He started bombarding me with links to convince me that the âsecret truthâ about the flat earth was the key to figuring out coronavirus
I was seriously questioning his mental well-being at that point
19/
I was seriously questioning his mental well-being at that point
19/
It kept getting weirder
Governments are controlled by Gates and Soros in their entirety
BUT, governments are autonomously powerful enough to spread disinfo via the CIA
BUT ALSO governments want to make themselves look good falsely and a virus is the best way to do so
20/
Governments are controlled by Gates and Soros in their entirety
BUT, governments are autonomously powerful enough to spread disinfo via the CIA
BUT ALSO governments want to make themselves look good falsely and a virus is the best way to do so
20/
Letâs not forgot that old chestnut, the âevery part of this fits into the grand chess match played by the cabal in true powerâ
It really was bizarre
I tried to appeal to his sense of kindness and love of intellectual pursuits
21/
It really was bizarre
I tried to appeal to his sense of kindness and love of intellectual pursuits
21/
And I wanted to remind him that heâs in Australia, the coronavirus originated with outbreaks in Asia, and that we should stay informed without getting panicked
And he kept pushing me to âsee the lightâ and begged me to âredpillâ
22/
And he kept pushing me to âsee the lightâ and begged me to âredpillâ
22/
It got darker and darker; then he was on South African white farmer replacement theory, antivaxx shit, âveganism is contrary to nature,â and even (yes) Australian aborigines are a subspecies of human (a specific humanoid primate that can sometimes breed with humans)
WTF!
23/
WTF!
23/
I couldnât fathom this
I liked this guy
Iâve always liked him
But his part of our exchange was like witnessing a psychotic break with someone in florid psychosis
We couldnât agree on basic facts of human existence or the physical universe
24/
I liked this guy
Iâve always liked him
But his part of our exchange was like witnessing a psychotic break with someone in florid psychosis
We couldnât agree on basic facts of human existence or the physical universe
24/
And he kept linking me to sites (some Australian but almost all from the US)
His brain was infested with false ideas and nonsense
There was no point arguing further; due to my pushback he was starting to question if my psychology degree was a sign I was paid by the cabal
25/
His brain was infested with false ideas and nonsense
There was no point arguing further; due to my pushback he was starting to question if my psychology degree was a sign I was paid by the cabal
25/
Like for ffs, what f**king cabal?
To do what?
For what gain?
Them free abortion vaccines sure do taste good when they give you COVID before you die!
26/
To do what?
For what gain?
Them free abortion vaccines sure do taste good when they give you COVID before you die!
26/
I gave up, I disengaged
He was almost at harassment level
I muted/unfollowed, and will potentially block, it got that bad

My old buddy! So sad
Long live his âtruthâ I guess
RIP 12 yrs of friendship I guess
But then came the next whammy
27/
He was almost at harassment level
I muted/unfollowed, and will potentially block, it got that bad

My old buddy! So sad
Long live his âtruthâ I guess
RIP 12 yrs of friendship I guess
But then came the next whammy
27/
I sent a msg to 2 mutual friends, one living in the Netherlands, the other right here in Canada (in Alberta)
I told them how crazy the exchange was, how incredulous I was, how far gone our Aussie buddyâs arguments seemed
And that they were mostly regurgitated from US crap
28/
I told them how crazy the exchange was, how incredulous I was, how far gone our Aussie buddyâs arguments seemed
And that they were mostly regurgitated from US crap
28/
You know whatâs coming
I foreshadowed it in the title of this thread
It was almost a caricature in that I share examples from Australia, Holland, and of all places, ALBERTA, but it is what it is
Many stereotypes grow out of a kernel of truth
29/
I foreshadowed it in the title of this thread
It was almost a caricature in that I share examples from Australia, Holland, and of all places, ALBERTA, but it is what it is
Many stereotypes grow out of a kernel of truth
29/
BOTH of these friends, not just one or the other, mostly took our Aussie buddyâs side
The European was more a devilâs advocate-he couldnât disprove the outrageous claims I discussed; he refused to use Occamâs Razor on them AND heâd read a lot of those links himself already
30/
The European was more a devilâs advocate-he couldnât disprove the outrageous claims I discussed; he refused to use Occamâs Razor on them AND heâd read a lot of those links himself already
30/
My friend from Alberta was more admonishing in her tone
I felt like Alice again, in Dunderland or Blunderland this time
It was ludicrous
She pulled all the same arguments and a few new ones
31/
I felt like Alice again, in Dunderland or Blunderland this time
It was ludicrous
She pulled all the same arguments and a few new ones
31/
I felt betrayed
I couldnât have this many friends infected with such far-fetched, unhelpful, utter misinformation metastasising out of American sources, could I?
And yet here we were, all evidence pointing to the affirmative
32/
I couldnât have this many friends infected with such far-fetched, unhelpful, utter misinformation metastasising out of American sources, could I?
And yet here we were, all evidence pointing to the affirmative
32/
It dawned on me that anyone primarily reading English media or sources (even alternative media), was likely to start encountering these fake belief systems promoting...what? What was their goal?
Bannonâs chaotic endgame? Trumpstersâ extortionate schemes? Mass confusion?
33/
Bannonâs chaotic endgame? Trumpstersâ extortionate schemes? Mass confusion?
33/
And they were there in our faces
Packaged so nicely/attractively
Just click a link and youâd get more of the âinsider infoâ ad nauseam
34/
Packaged so nicely/attractively
Just click a link and youâd get more of the âinsider infoâ ad nauseam
34/
In the end, I had to just cut off the convo (in private messaging apps) because it was becoming abusive to continue
I was (am) actually hurt, in disbelief, and very disturbed by it all
35/
I was (am) actually hurt, in disbelief, and very disturbed by it all
35/
What this experience showed me, after starting as an honest desire to reach out and catch up with friends in other places, is that conspiracy theories are eroding every last piece of the foundational structures of society
We literally arenât sharing reality anymore
36/
We literally arenât sharing reality anymore
36/
We donât just have different experiences in a common life; our brains are being hacked
Weâre living different lives
Itâs becoming that mythical tale of Aztecs not seeing Cortesâ ships because theyâd never encountered such things before (a fake story, but suddenly apropos)
37/
Weâre living different lives
Itâs becoming that mythical tale of Aztecs not seeing Cortesâ ships because theyâd never encountered such things before (a fake story, but suddenly apropos)
37/
We run the risk of not being able to relate or empathise with each other anymore because we no longer share a core sense of connection to fundamental truths about our lives
This is very dangerous
Itâs an illness as bad as COVID
38/
This is very dangerous
Itâs an illness as bad as COVID
38/
Perhaps worse, perhaps catastrophic
Maybe it will affect humansâ intrinsic characteristics of altruism and working towards common goals and socialisation from our survival instincts
Then weâll be automata, macro-size selfish genes fighting each other for scraps
39/
Maybe it will affect humansâ intrinsic characteristics of altruism and working towards common goals and socialisation from our survival instincts
Then weâll be automata, macro-size selfish genes fighting each other for scraps
39/
Even those pushing this upon us (and no, itâs not necessarily a cabal, but there are those who delight in the spread of misinformation) will pay the price when they flail around with the rest of us eventually
This illness, if it truly takes hold, wonât just affect plebes
40/
This illness, if it truly takes hold, wonât just affect plebes
40/
Itâs scary to see otherwise nice, smart, reliable folk turn into rabid conspiracists in relatively short order
Itâs like the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the descent and thereâs so much insane stuff coming hard out of the US (again, to what end) that itâs rotting brains
41/
Itâs like the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the descent and thereâs so much insane stuff coming hard out of the US (again, to what end) that itâs rotting brains
41/
And mainly, it just broke my heart to see friends fade into non-existence not because of COVID-19 or its after-effects, but because of massive bullshit that has exploded into the zeitgeist as a result of the current conditions
I fear there may be no easy return
42/
I fear there may be no easy return
42/
And thatâs a pathological condition of the human race, a pandemic that is caseating the communal body of human civic society and the compact for shared experience
If we not just figuratively but LITERALLY live life in unique bubbles, whatâs the point of a society anyway?
43/
If we not just figuratively but LITERALLY live life in unique bubbles, whatâs the point of a society anyway?
43/
I am sad to have to essentially cut off ties with 3 friends in one day, with whom no form of rational or civil discourse was possible
I fear for us in the coming years
Weâd better fight this illness with all weâve got, or pretty soon we wonât have anything at all
44/fin
I fear for us in the coming years
Weâd better fight this illness with all weâve got, or pretty soon we wonât have anything at all
44/fin