I have heard it all. We have heard about threatened take-overs of government or Bill Gates aspiring to depopulate the earth or Dr Fauci (of the US) profiteering from Remdesivir.
The most dumfounding theory is that 5G causes Coronavirus, because a conspiratorialist used a map that showed the virus was prevalent where 5G was prevalent, where in fact high population was the common factor for both.
Another claimed 1.5 million grave sites being prepared for Gauteng, when all that was reported was that that is current capacity. Yet another claimed that Dr Zuma was on a takeover bid, which the president personally refuted.
And daily I hear about white genocide in SA relating to about 30 "white" farm murders out of a total of 60 or so total murders on farms, at a rate of about 0.30% of total national homicides.
Various factors influence people to believe in such theories.
Psychological studies show that some causes are a high willingness to believe anything depending on how it is presented, which means, as one soul put it, “that I got it from him I took it as truth and passed it on without verifying”.
That happens every day but is started by someone with a political motive and rarely with a shared truth motive. In fact, truth means little nowadays, so the naive become unwitting helpers in the dark agendas of those trying to destabilize or racialize society.
Another psychological cause lies on the other end of the scale, in a high distrust of things, which leads them to suspect what isn’t there.
That leads to a further problem, namely confirmation bias or a tendency to default to whatever agrees with our own prejudices.
Further factors involve narcism (self-inflation at the expense of others by claiming superior knowledge) and Machiavellianism (dark, controlling or manipulative tendencies, normally cruel).
All of them tend to believe that humanity is rotten to the core and that secret groups are pulling strings to shape our collective destiny. Yet, most of what is evolving socially, is being driven by us, by our wants and needs, our selfish impulses and our sinful demands.
Another factor is a quest for uniqueness, which drives people to display their individuality through privy to inside information. For them, knowledge is possession as only they have it.
Others feel that such theories take back control. The opposite generally happens, resulting in chaos and confusion that smart enemies exploit to divide, conquer and take power for themselves – it was true of Germany and is no less true of a mindless little virus.
Finally, we tend to feel that the groups we relate to are inherently good and that whatever they say is right: a condition for belonging. But we need to have our own conscience, informed by objective truth, and to use that to influence our social groups positively.
Whatever the motives, fake news will do us great harm.
Speculating about things like this, is neither a spiritual gift, nor becoming of people of faith. Our savior died in plain view to undress sin and call it what it is. He was utterly transparent and even revealed his plans to his enemies. He hated secretiveness.
But information was used to great effect to start WW2 and build critical momentum, so part of winning the war involved the reversal of misinformation. Yet, as for the Civil War or WW2, rumors and propaganda can also win wars. They also feed viruses.
As such, allied nations closed ranks and protected information, upheld a positive message and demonstrated to Herr Hitler that they were unmoved. Such attitudes did far more to turn the tide of war and inspire fighting men, than trading in fake news.
Christians may think it’s their God-given duty to perpetuate fake news or to circulate conspiracies. But my bible says that if there be any good news or virtue, think on such things.
If we are to win the war against Covid-19, the most compelling things to do are to unite as a nation, stand with our leaders, close ranks, pray for each other, find ways to help not hinder, do your own bit regarding distancing, and speak positively into the crisis.
Like any enemy, the virus feeds on negative, pessimistic, stressed lives, but it flees from inspired, motivated, bloody-minded, defiant victors. And it can be won.
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