Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on Apr 19, 2021 7:15:00 GMT
Coronavirus and conspiracy theories
The virus is being discussed everywhere, sometimes by people who think that 5G caused the pandemic. I have been thinking about an aspect that is of interest here: the effect that the virus will have in general when it comes to conspiracy investigations. It seems to me that while the lockdown restrictions might give housebound people more time and opportunities to look at conspiracy sites and spread some ideas and information, the stress might bring some of them down to a level where these ideas don’t mean much. Worrying about redundancies and where the rent will come from and suffering because of not being able to get out and socialise may make conspiracy topics seem unimportant and irrelevant or even a luxury. As for people who are still working, they may have to carry an extra load because of ill colleagues so become too tired to do much investigating even if they have any spare time. The restrictions have made little difference to me. My worry is keeping my job. You have to be very careful, as rocking the boat in my sector can get you unable to work in the field again. I am lucky, as I am on the peripheral to this, but I still have to pick and choose my battles, nonetheless. I feel very sorry for those more directly involved, as it is getting horrendous for them. |
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 19, 2021 8:15:12 GMT
Picking your battles carefully is a sign of wisdom. There is a right time and place for such things.
This is a good time to revive this thread. The future is uncertain for many of us. We could be dealing just with a blip, we may need to live restricted lives for a while yet and things could get much worse.
Survival tips will be very useful. Making 'what if' preparations for bad times in the future is a good idea, provided that we don't get too carried away.
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Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on Apr 26, 2021 7:59:02 GMT
I am feeling out, to get a gauge of sentiment. I think it is safe to say staff outside my department has had enough. We want to get back to normal, and treat people.
Survival threads are a good idea, and need to be thought about. The next few years will certainly be bumpy.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 26, 2021 18:22:58 GMT
There is surviving in the modern world in general and there is getting through a specific difficult time or even a future major disaster.
Preparation for future trouble raises many issues.
Basic items being in short supply for a while is one thing; the complete collapse of civilisation or a zombie apocalypse is something else!
Only people with huge amounts of money to spare – and maybe waste – can prepare for most eventualities. They can get in enough food supplies and equipment for 100 years. Huge estates, underground bunkers, yachts and private planes are useful too.
At the other extreme, there is not much that someone on a low income living in a small space with no garden can do.
I suspect that some people who are interested in metaphysical things have not got much in the way of practical skills, so growing and making everything themselves is not an option.
I think it best to make realistic plans based on our personal circumstances, skills, interests and options and accept that many things are out of our control.
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Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on May 5, 2021 14:08:59 GMT
I think you are selling us plebs rather short. There is more we can do than you realise!
I think we should start a thread on the matter.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Oct 26, 2021 7:48:37 GMT
A very misleading myth
From Tsar one year ago in a members-only thread: “What do people think about the prevalent idea that, if we "just work hard" and "just put our minds to it", we can "do whatever we want" - ? Personally, I find it at best to be really irritating and at worst to be extremely cruel.“ I replied briefly at the time. There is no reason not to make the material available to guests: “This needs several considered responses, but I agree with all that you say (for once??!!). The American Dream myth similarly suggested that hard work and persistence would pay dividends; now books such as The Secret say that visualisation and similar techniques will bring you everything. I think that many people do sooner or later realise that getting to the top is not for them and quietly drop their ambitions, but anyone who takes these things very seriously and invests everything in them is being set up for severe disappointment.“ One year on, I think that 'irritating and cruel' is spot on. Someone said to me about her little boy, “He can be anything he wants to be.” This is stupid and ridiculous; I felt really annoyed when I heard it! These ideas are very prevalent and very dangerous, but I suspect that people who post on here are unlikely to believe in rubbish such as this: 
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Tsar
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Post by Tsar on Oct 27, 2021 14:29:55 GMT
Mostly it's one of those things most people mindlessly repeat without ever thinking about it. If you do ever think about it for more than 1 second, it's obvious it's a load of old nonsense.
It's insulting, too, in a way, suggesting that if you're not a barnstorming success at everything you do that it's down to a lack of application. In reality there are more factors to success than just belief and hard work - many of them beyond our control.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Oct 27, 2021 18:29:10 GMT
I completely agree with all of this too. So many people operate on automatic when it comes to speaking: they never stop to think about what they are saying. At best what they say is useless - Jane Austen spoke out over 200 years ago against people who have nothing to offer but threadbare platitudes – at worst it is misleading and damaging. It is often off the mark too. “It's insulting, too, in a way, suggesting that if you're not a barnstorming success at everything you do that it's down to a lack of application.” I have heard that this is what Multi-level Marketing pushers tell disillusioned people who signed up in the expectation of making a fortune: “You just didn't work hard enough.” This is much better:  |
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