5 ms·

5G does not cause coronavirus

26 points by ericzawo 7y ago

thefounder 7y ago
Stuff like this really makes me question many assumptions about the world and our political system/democracy.
JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
It’s dystopian that this even has to be said. A child with a second grade level of understanding of science would know this.
- badrabbit 7y ago
  Not really, a child would also believe a confident person who claims to know more about the subject and throws in legitimate facts to enable their silly conspiracy. We all believed when they told us you couldn't subtract a number from 0 at a similar young age (until we learned about negative numbers)
vezycash 7y ago
3 weeks ago, I had a long argument with friend of mine, a chemical engineering grad who believes this 5g crap and at the same time believes Corona virus isn't real. I wasn't worried cos he has barely noticeable drug-caused mental issues. And he's drawn to occult, UFO, 666 conspiracy groups on Facebook and telegram. However, my old man who's more distrustful of rumors than I am is active on both WhatsApp and Facebook and is begining to believe this 5g nonsense as well - latching on to the intentionally misleading fact that viruses aren't "living things." I didn't bother arguing my stubborn old man and just asked him if ebola, HIV and SARS are man made as well. Then he retorted that Trump's accusing China of making the virus in a lab. A Nigerian senator and a Nigerian pastor with his own TV channel and millions of 'sheep' worldwide both published videos a few days ago, spreading the 5g virus further and the dumb govt quickly released 5g distancing statements. I hope whoever started the joke is happy with themselves.
- 9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
  Unfortunately it's not a joke: 5G FUD has been spreading well before coronavirus, and its adherents are as firmly convinced by it as antivaxxers: https://www.radiationhealthrisks.com/5g-cell-towers-dangerous/ https://www.radiationhealthrisks.com/5g-cell-towers-dangerou... And of course there's lowlife scum trying to make money from this, including literal tinfoil (fine, silverfoil) hats: http://lessemf.com/personal.html#221 http://lessemf.com/personal.html#221
- saaaaaam 7y ago
  It may be that RT started the joke: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/science/5g-phone-safety-health-russia.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/science/5g-phone-safety-h...
LaundroMat 7y ago
It's a rhetorical question, but why do media spend time on this? By giving it attention, they are legitimising it and actively helping the spread of blatantly false information.
- saaaaaam 7y ago
  Because there’s an audience for it to whom they can monetise through advertising, and because most media are simply entertainment masquerading as information. Much of what people consume is a million miles away from being rigorous fact/evidence-based media.
kasperni 7y ago
Here is an actual screenshot from someone's Facebook page spewing out this garbage. https://ibb.co/cx62sbD https://ibb.co/cx62sbD
- uyuioi 7y ago
  Lol. That’s pure garbage in text form.
- rambojazz 7y ago
  ahah this guy has managed to pull a grand unified theory of all the conspiracy BS together.
smileypete 7y ago
Reminds me of the advance fee frauds that people fall for, or compulsive gambling. Once people really believe that first conspiracy theory and then a few others, they get totally emotionally invested. After that they can't easily deny anything or the whole chain of belief would start to unravel. The conspiracy theorists might be better off just studying science from high school level upward, but this doesn't provide the easy return that they're looking for. This doesn't mean that governments are always right or honest, eg the WHO and some government's position on not wearing masks to help stop the spread of Covid is downright illogical, negligent at best and criminal at worst: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNkjJHliMZo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNkjJHliMZo Of course this adds to a loss of trust in such bodies and in turn can even make conspiracy theories seem more plausible.
- nextweek2 7y ago
  > help stop the spread of Covid is downright illogical You are thinking from an individual point of view, governments and WHO are thinking of society, not you as an individual. From a society point of view, saying masks don't stop the spread is completely logical. If WHO said "People should wear masks" there would be a world wide shortage overnight. Even for hospitals, care homes and other health workers. That would be a very bad outcome. The current best use of masks is in environments of higher risk, not them being stockpiled in people's homes. You might be sensible and only buy what you need but will others? > This doesn't mean that governments are always right or honest You are judging things only from your perspective, what is right for you and what is right for the masses are not always the same thing. Governments the world over have said they are following scientific advice. That advice is also going to be about hard decisions on who gets saved and who doesn't. That's a hard job for anybody as there is no right, only less wrong.

26 points by ericzawo 7y ago

Stuff like this really makes me question many assumptions about the world and our political system/democracy.

It’s dystopian that this even has to be said. A child with a second grade level of understanding of science would know this.

badrabbit 7y ago
Not really, a child would also believe a confident person who claims to know more about the subject and throws in legitimate facts to enable their silly conspiracy. We all believed when they told us you couldn't subtract a number from 0 at a similar young age (until we learned about negative numbers)

vezycash 7y ago

3 weeks ago, I had a long argument with friend of mine, a chemical engineering grad who believes this 5g crap and at the same time believes Corona virus isn't real. I wasn't worried cos he has barely noticeable drug-caused mental issues. And he's drawn to occult, UFO, 666 conspiracy groups on Facebook and telegram. However, my old man who's more distrustful of rumors than I am is active on both WhatsApp and Facebook and is begining to believe this 5g nonsense as well - latching on to the intentionally misleading fact that viruses aren't "living things." I didn't bother arguing my stubborn old man and just asked him if ebola, HIV and SARS are man made as well. Then he retorted that Trump's accusing China of making the virus in a lab. A Nigerian senator and a Nigerian pastor with his own TV channel and millions of 'sheep' worldwide both published videos a few days ago, spreading the 5g virus further and the dumb govt quickly released 5g distancing statements. I hope whoever started the joke is happy with themselves.

9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
Unfortunately it's not a joke: 5G FUD has been spreading well before coronavirus, and its adherents are as firmly convinced by it as antivaxxers: https://www.radiationhealthrisks.com/5g-cell-towers-dangerous/ https://www.radiationhealthrisks.com/5g-cell-towers-dangerou... And of course there's lowlife scum trying to make money from this, including literal tinfoil (fine, silverfoil) hats: http://lessemf.com/personal.html#221 http://lessemf.com/personal.html#221
saaaaaam 7y ago
It may be that RT started the joke: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/science/5g-phone-safety-health-russia.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/science/5g-phone-safety-h...

LaundroMat 7y ago

It's a rhetorical question, but why do media spend time on this? By giving it attention, they are legitimising it and actively helping the spread of blatantly false information.

saaaaaam 7y ago
Because there’s an audience for it to whom they can monetise through advertising, and because most media are simply entertainment masquerading as information. Much of what people consume is a million miles away from being rigorous fact/evidence-based media.

kasperni 7y ago

Here is an actual screenshot from someone's Facebook page spewing out this garbage. https://ibb.co/cx62sbD https://ibb.co/cx62sbD

uyuioi 7y ago
Lol. That’s pure garbage in text form.
rambojazz 7y ago
ahah this guy has managed to pull a grand unified theory of all the conspiracy BS together.

smileypete 7y ago

Reminds me of the advance fee frauds that people fall for, or compulsive gambling. Once people really believe that first conspiracy theory and then a few others, they get totally emotionally invested. After that they can't easily deny anything or the whole chain of belief would start to unravel. The conspiracy theorists might be better off just studying science from high school level upward, but this doesn't provide the easy return that they're looking for. This doesn't mean that governments are always right or honest, eg the WHO and some government's position on not wearing masks to help stop the spread of Covid is downright illogical, negligent at best and criminal at worst: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNkjJHliMZo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNkjJHliMZo Of course this adds to a loss of trust in such bodies and in turn can even make conspiracy theories seem more plausible.

nextweek2 7y ago
> help stop the spread of Covid is downright illogical You are thinking from an individual point of view, governments and WHO are thinking of society, not you as an individual. From a society point of view, saying masks don't stop the spread is completely logical. If WHO said "People should wear masks" there would be a world wide shortage overnight. Even for hospitals, care homes and other health workers. That would be a very bad outcome. The current best use of masks is in environments of higher risk, not them being stockpiled in people's homes. You might be sensible and only buy what you need but will others? > This doesn't mean that governments are always right or honest You are judging things only from your perspective, what is right for you and what is right for the masses are not always the same thing. Governments the world over have said they are following scientific advice. That advice is also going to be about hard decisions on who gets saved and who doesn't. That's a hard job for anybody as there is no right, only less wrong.