The Bummersville Sometimes

"This week we talk about the great conspiracy surrounding pandemics and the effect they have on humanity. Many people need to find the patterns in world events so much that they even go so far as to create a conspiracy around a worldwide disease. Spoiler warning wash your hands. Story starts at 20 minutes."

Presented By: Chelsea
Category: Conspiracy

You may find it comforting, or maybe depressing, to learn that pandemic conspiracies are nothing new. Starting with the Russian Flu in 1889 which spread quickly in the new industrialized world, people feared the new. Noticing that most of the cases were concentrated around cities, fears spread that disease was caused by electrical lines, closely paralleling the rumors surrounding 5G towers.

Later, with the Spanish flu, their was the prevailing belief among the public that the disease was spread deliberately. The usual suspect was the Germans, who had just lost a world war. Desperate to protect themselves, people turned to falsely touted medicines such as castor oil to save them. Malaria drugs were also taken, leading to a shortage of the people who actually needed it. Some people died when they took poison by mistake.

Among the most common conspiracies, medical conspiracies serve as way to study conspiracies in general, as well as their origins. Paradoxically, conspiracies bring comfort to people who can't accept that the world is random. Humans are a species that are hardwired to see things in patterns, even when they don't exist. We always like to feel heroic and uncovering hidden knowledge allows a vehicle to be heroes. Finally, there's the age-old problem of confirmation bias. People who don't want to believe because the truth inconveniences them look for (and find) reasons to reject the truth.

Conspiracies, especially medical ones, are dangerous. Look no further than the anti-vaxxers who have helped the return of diseases like measles now that people are less likely to get vaccinated.

Takeaway: Arm yourself with knowledge.

Trivia

 * Patreon skit: Cristina does the Patreon as fast as she can.