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Social media, vaccine deniers, surreality
I have always found my fellow Americans a little puzzling. I was surprised that George W. Bush was seriously considered as a presidential candidate, let alone Donald Trump. Trying to understand it leaves me none the wiser. I am reminded of when I asked somebody about what was behind their vigorous support of Bush, probably for his reelection. Apparently, he would make us safer. This intrigued me: I asked,
A similar issue is often raised in talking to vaccine skeptics: they tend to make no sense. Before I can start to relax somewhat, many people must be immune from SARS-CoV-2. If a significant fraction choose not to be vaccinated, herd immunity is not happening anytime soon. Recently, some of the (un)reasoning has been reaching people uncomfortably close to me, by means of accounts describing, most simply, how the infection tests are fake, that the vaccination is to give us microchips, that this is a plan to have the whole world use a single currency and have a single religion. All that was missing was the moment the leaders take their human-skin-suits off.
I can't help but be struck by, as with climate change, just how implausibly many people across the world would have to be in on the conspiracy for it to fly. Further, it makes about as much sense as the Underpants Gnomes' business plan and the details typically rest on various easily verified (as false) foundations.
It turns out that many people have little ability to assess plausibility yet they confidently believe sources anyhow. Not only that, their choice of source seems to be something some guy said on YouTube or what their friend passed on or whatever. Okay, this is not new, it is just happening to me closer than usual, it feels less abstract. I can't help but start wondering about the moral culpability of idiots who spread rumors that kill. I would rather see people somehow developing whatever critical skills make them immune to infection by such poppycock.
How will he do that?The answer was basically radio silence. There often doesn't seem to be any real thinking behind these beliefs.
A similar issue is often raised in talking to vaccine skeptics: they tend to make no sense. Before I can start to relax somewhat, many people must be immune from SARS-CoV-2. If a significant fraction choose not to be vaccinated, herd immunity is not happening anytime soon. Recently, some of the (un)reasoning has been reaching people uncomfortably close to me, by means of accounts describing, most simply, how the infection tests are fake, that the vaccination is to give us microchips, that this is a plan to have the whole world use a single currency and have a single religion. All that was missing was the moment the leaders take their human-skin-suits off.
I can't help but be struck by, as with climate change, just how implausibly many people across the world would have to be in on the conspiracy for it to fly. Further, it makes about as much sense as the Underpants Gnomes' business plan and the details typically rest on various easily verified (as false) foundations.
It turns out that many people have little ability to assess plausibility yet they confidently believe sources anyhow. Not only that, their choice of source seems to be something some guy said on YouTube or what their friend passed on or whatever. Okay, this is not new, it is just happening to me closer than usual, it feels less abstract. I can't help but start wondering about the moral culpability of idiots who spread rumors that kill. I would rather see people somehow developing whatever critical skills make them immune to infection by such poppycock.