I recently discussed how antivax quacks' purported mechanisms for COVID-19 vaccine "shedding" reminded me of homeopaths. The fantastical mechanisms continue.
We need ways to counter them. If nobody counters when they warn about whatever made up junk they have someone else will believe them. I don’t know how to country them though - it is harder than you might think. There have been a couple real conspiracies in history and if they accuse you of being in one how do you prove you are not?
People go through stages as they fall into the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. Early in the decent they are still engaging in healthy reasoning patterns that I won’t go so far as to say are “logical” or “rational,” but they are still flexible enough to be diverted from the conspiracies. There’s always a reason they start down that path: maybe someone close to them got badly sick, maybe they just had a child and are seeking out the best ways to protect them. If you can sit down with them and engage with them on this underlying cause for concern in an empathetic way, that’s when you can change their mind and keep them in the zone of legitimate science and medicine. If they react to every discussion as a confrontation, they are beyond the point that bringing scientific evidence to them will change their mind.
We need ways to counter them. If nobody counters when they warn about whatever made up junk they have someone else will believe them. I don’t know how to country them though - it is harder than you might think. There have been a couple real conspiracies in history and if they accuse you of being in one how do you prove you are not?
Arguably best way to counter misinformation is non-platforming it. Mere provable facts and impeccable logic have a dogshit success rate.
The problem is other platforms exist. not jst social media, but daycare dropoff or coffee shops.
Then what’s your counter?
I wish I knew. So far I haven’t seen one that works. It is despirataly needed.
People go through stages as they fall into the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. Early in the decent they are still engaging in healthy reasoning patterns that I won’t go so far as to say are “logical” or “rational,” but they are still flexible enough to be diverted from the conspiracies. There’s always a reason they start down that path: maybe someone close to them got badly sick, maybe they just had a child and are seeking out the best ways to protect them. If you can sit down with them and engage with them on this underlying cause for concern in an empathetic way, that’s when you can change their mind and keep them in the zone of legitimate science and medicine. If they react to every discussion as a confrontation, they are beyond the point that bringing scientific evidence to them will change their mind.