Stupid

I genuinely despair. The internet should have, could have, been the tool to bring shared wisdom and learning to the world. It seems to me to be doing the opposite to a not insignificant portion of the world. There are those who share hate. And those who share stupid, wrapped in the comforting blanket of conspiracy theories.

Increasingly, the two are becoming one. It’s notable that people who were once left wing hippy conspiracy theorists have adopted, or been co-opted in, by far right groups. The likes of Qanon, a Trump promoted cult. It’s a truly bizarre alliance, but then both sides were always based on ignorance.

This week a ‘whistleblower nurse’ appeared on Tucker Carlson, who used her story to attack the New York governor. The nurse in question was not, by any reasonable definition, a whistleblower. She’s a well known antivax/conspiracy theory activist. Chemtrails, NWO, 5g, Covid hoax – you name it, she’s into it. 

There’s little doubt that she went into the hospital as a volunteer for the purpose of creating a story. There’s no doubt that the key elements of her story are false. Real doctors have talked through the nonsense in her videos. There are similar characters in the UK too who are managing to get spots on television or column inches in the media, print and digital. Propelled there all too often through digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Stupid is now mainstream. And just like a virus you can see it infect people you know. We’re doomed. Perhaps.