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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.
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Regarding elections? People in the US don't tend to vote on the issues, but for personalities. For example? Various folks told me that they voted for George W Bush because he talked their language, and they could relate to him and his family. Same deal with Trump - they felt he was honest, no-nonsense, not politically correct, and real - also a business man, not a phony.
Then there's the group that voted for Bush because they hated Al Gore (mainly because Gore came across as too smug and smart and it irritated them) and they voted for Trump because anyone was better than Hillary (who they hated for basically the same reasons they hated Gore, and they believed all the crap the conservative media threw at them).
I learned a long time ago that most people don't think critically - they buy the best marketing package or how the facts are presented, and if they are presented to them in a manner that validates their world-view, their beliefs, and their desires - they will buy it hook line and sinker, without a second thought.
Regarding the vaccine? Yeah a lot of people don't like vaccines. I had a conversation with a friend recently - who I had to convince that no, they weren't putting nano micro-chips in our blood stream to track us. First of all - why would they want to? Second - it's terribly advanced even for them, and Third - kind of counter-productive.
And my mother told me about a friend of hers who refused to get the vaccine, refused to wear a mask, and rarely went out anyhow. Also, apparently she voted for Trump not because she liked him but because she always voted Republican.
Me: She's a bit of a ding-bat.
Mother: Well, yeah, more than a little bit. Always has been.
Americans are very frustrating.