A few weeks ago, we learnt that cocaine is not a cure for COVID-19, nor is an evangelist’s antidote in a silver bottle.
Today, you get to hear about the batshit ideas (pun intended) that people have come up with as potential causes of the virus.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a stampede of conspiracy theories and bogus causes as people try to wrap their heads around what it means.
In the age of global lockdowns, as always, memes prevail. They’ve become a tool to communicate without actually saying anything, cope with trauma, discover shared behaviours, and satirise culture. It’s no surprise that the pandemic has infiltrated the sphere.
Conspiracy theories date back pretty far, from Illuminati groups to UFO sightings, Flat Earth devotees and disease denialisms. Here in 2020, we have the equally awful and joyous marriage of COVID-19, conspiracy theorists, and the world’s favourite communication tool: social media.
First of all, that cursed bat soup video. Excuse me while I barf. To be fair, experts are saying bats are among the carriers of the virus, but this video was filmed miles away in Palau and has no documented link to the outbreak.
Tik Tok star Sam Thullesen reckons COVID-19 started way back in 2001. He explains a lengthy conspiracy theory in a notebook and settles on Monster’s, Inc.’s Mike Wazowski and Sully as the culprits.
@samthullesenCORONAVIRUS = SOLVED ##PlayWithLife ##normalpeople ##FYP ##coronavirus @emilythullesen♬ original sound – samthullesen
Let’s finish strong with a meme that’s been circulating recently. This one pins video conferencing giant Zoom as a power-hungry corporate mogul. It does make a lot of sense considering the tool’s surge in popularity during lockdowns.
Fake news is fun. But if you want to immerse yourself in some real-life events, Quentin Tarantino now writes dope movie reviews.
