Let’s face it – conspiracy theories are delicious. They point to a dark sub-plot, a grand and nefarious cover-up to hoodwink the masses; the likes of which are otherwise to be found only in books and films. With the onset of the coronavirus that turned the world upside down for all of us, the temptation to buy into a nice juicy COVID-19 conspiracy theory is strong indeed. And there have been many!
It’s biological warfare in action! We always knew it was possible, and now the evil Chinese have set into motion a disease that will engulf humanity. This theory has two versions: one that the Chinese developed the virus in a lab and it accidentally ‘escaped’. The other one is that the Chinese deliberately let it loose; they're a totalitarian state so they didn’t mind sacrificing some of their own citizens at the altar of their nefarious ambitions. Alas for supporters of this conspiracy theory, this one has been debunked. Researchers have found that the novel coronavirus is the result of a natural mutation and not something cooked up in a lab.
The propaganda wars are on, right now. The Chinese have reacted fiercely to this being called the Chinese Virus by the POTUS and others. They have claimed that it is Americans soldiers who brought the virus to China. Chinese officials have also claimed that the virus originated in Italy and not in China at all.
There is also the theory that the virus is one elaborate hoax. This theory claims that COVID-19 is no deadlier than the common cold and all the panic surrounding it is a deliberate attempt to discredit the American President and to prevent Donald Trump from being reelected. In fact, Trump himself seems to believe that it’s somehow all about him.
The anti-vaxxers (nut-jobs who refuse to vaccinate their kids because they believe the vaccines will actually cause other deadly diseases) have long had it in for Bill Gates. According to them, the coronavirus pandemic is an elaborate plan of Gates and his foundation to just sell more vaccines.
In a world struggling to find a reason why so many lives are thrown out of gear, 5G is cellphone network also came in for blame. Those who are fearful or suspicious of technology in general were happy to believe that the proliferation of the virus has to do with 5G networks. Heads up, this theory was also found to be baseless.
There are plenty of wild conspiracy theories about the Jews deliberately spreading coronavirus all over. Why? Because they are responsible for everything that goes wrong in the world – because they want to take over the world – as they have always done, of course. Memes about George Soros, the Rothschilds prove that anti-Semitism is alive and well.
Rapper Cardi B has a theory of her own – apparently, celebs such as Idris Elba who have tested positive are lying. They are claiming to be COVID-19 positive because they are being paid to do this. For his part, Elba dismissed this as ‘stupid’.
The singer had been in the news for partying with several politicians right after she returned from abroad. She then tested positive for coronavirus and was roundly lambasted for her irresponsible behaviour. Then someone dug up an old picture of her with Prince Charles and the internet decided that she was responsible for the British royal also contracting the virus.
Think that is silly? Well remember this the next time you want to believe some outlandish theory – remember they are all silly, and many of these conspiracy theories are actually dangerous as well.
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