The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

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bossho
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The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by bossho »

Ok, so recently hell has been on wheels and life has been extremely hard hitting personally. Stuck in a far away part of Cambodia under lockdown dealing with the death of my former girlfriend -she died in Phnom Penh- and it was just horrible trying to maintain care for her in her last days, I've maxed out my tolerance for b.s.. When an old friend from the states erroneously thought that I was asking for his Covid denier speech I hit the brakes and called him out on his b.s. and threw him off the team - permanently!

A little research on what some experts reason this denial mechanism out as and I felt a little better. I am not fishing for your thoughts on how Covid management is going wherever you are. There is plenty on that here on this board. I am talking about the readers out there and some of the public that just think this Covid thing is all made up, its a scam to control us or whatever the hell they think. I guess it does not really matter what the insane think but its the constant denial of facts that really overwhelm me. I just cant take them anymore and I have no time for it. I don't wish to refute you, its not possible to win an argument against stuck on stupid, but I found the following articles provoking and some to be constructive as tools to deal with these naysayers.

Christopher F. Schuetze NEW YORK TIMES
By Christopher F. Schuetze
April 28, 2021
BERLIN — Germany’s domestic intelligence service said on Wednesday that it would surveil members of the increasingly aggressive coronavirus denier movement because they posed a risk of undermining the state.

The movement — fueled in part by wild conspiracy theories — has grown from criticizing coronavirus lockdown measures and hygiene rules to targeting the state itself, its leaders, businesses, the press and globalism, to name a few. Over the past year, demonstrators have attacked police officers, defied civil authorities and in one widely publicized episode scaled the steps of Parliament.

“Our basic democratic order, as well as state institutions such as parliaments and governments, have faced multiple attacks since the beginning of the measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement confirming that parts of the denier movement would be under observation. The Interior Ministry oversees the intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

In announcing the decision to keep tabs on conspiracy theorists, intelligence officials noted the movement’s close ties to extremists like the Reichsbürger, a network of groups that refuse to accept the legitimacy of the modern German state.

And:
https://www.bbc.com/news/55825480 this should be click able.

Also good:
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-tal ... er-5089630
"People think that their party loyalty should determine whether they wear masks or not. We’re substituting scientific expertise with politics."
— EMMA FRANCES BLOOMFIELD, PHD

I m tired of cringing when I hear someone say that it is a conspiracy about so and so and then take the floor and go on at length while people actually listen.

Your experiences and thoughts here?
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Artisan
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by Artisan »

Science always beats pseudoscience.
pebbles&nightsky
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xandreu
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by xandreu »

I don't think there is one single reason why people deny covid. There are as many variations of denial as there are reasons for denying it - many don't deny that the virus is real, they just downplay the severity of it.

As I've mentioned before, I think that to a large extent, denying covid (or the severity of its impact), is a coping mechanism. For many, they just can't face the reality of the situation. And who can blame them, when we see things like make-shift piles of burning bodies in an overwhelmed India right now. Whoever thought we would live through or witness something like this in our lifetimes? It's a frightening time to be alive for most of us, but for some of us it's just too much.

When the human brain can't cope with the reality of a tragic situation, it finds ways of deceiving itself. It tells itself that what's happening around it isn't real, or it's an exaggeration, or it's a conspiracy or it's not what it seems, or it's all a lie. It's just a coping mechanism. Understandable, but frustrating nonetheless.

I try not to get angry when I read some of the nonsense they come out with, but it's very difficult not to sometimes. Especially when, as it so often is, it's downright disrespectful to the families who have lost loved ones. To call out a perceived conspiracy in the way that they do sometimes feel like they are spitting in the face of people genuinely grieving for loved ones they've lost.

I'm not sure what the answer is to be honest. You are right in that there is no point in trying to reason with them. I have learned that the hard way.
The difference between animals and humans is that animals would never allow the dumb ones to lead the pack.
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John Bingham
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by John Bingham »

These COVID deniers are fond of making statements like "132 million people died of Cancer last year" - so what's the big deal? Obviously ignoring the fact that even more people will die of cancer this year, plus the few million extra from COVID. They also like to point out that there is more chance of dying in a traffic accident. I'm guessing that there will be far less deaths from traffic accidents this year, and we can thank COVID restrictions for that. They are like cult members, they have fixated on a belief and nothing will change their beliefs. The Leopards ate my face subreddit is full of these doofuses.

Silence, exile, and cunning.
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Phnom Poon
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by Phnom Poon »

it's usually enlightening to ask why they believe what they do
but honestly, probably not worth it in this case
just point them to one of the science-only covid reddits

.

monstra mihi bona!
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Random Dude
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by Random Dude »

I know people who have been anti any covid measures from day one, it seems to have become an ideological position for them, sort of like the people who have voted for a certain political party their whole life and will never consider changing regardless of what's happening in the political world. It's who they are at this point and seems to be a point of pride for them to refuse to wear a mask or use a tracing app or whatever - in their mind they're 'owning the sheeple' or something and I don't think anything is going to change that tribal mindset.

At the beginning I'd debate their points because nobody really knew anything about it, I could sort of see their point when they said it's not fair for people to have to close their business when only about 20 people in the entire country were infected and most people wouldn't even realise they had it because there were no symptoms so what's the big deal.... but now, over a year into this thing, having learned what we have and seeing what is happening in places like Brazil and India I can't be bothered even talking to them because it's like they haven't taken anything at all onboard this whole time, they just tend to brush aside the daily news from India as if it's irrelevant.

They'd say things like 'masks are bad for your health and will kill you' and show you the link to some 'expert' on youtube as proof but when you point out how the local dentist wears a mask most of the day with no problems they waffle a bit, deflect from the point then parrot the same bullshit next time you're talking about it.

They go on about how the government is trying to control us, it's a plandemic etc but have no answer when you ask them which government, because the whole world is trying to fight this they go quiet and just spread their theory on facebook instead.

They smirk when they tell me 'I'll never let anyone track my movements with the tracer apps' while they spend half their life on facebook, use their bankcards everytime they go to a shop or restaurant, carry a smartphone and watch everywhere they go and can't see the irony.

It's sad because these are people I used to like and respect. Now I have trouble seeing them as being any different from the flat earth society idiots or worse, dangerous religious fundamentalists and I've pretty much ceased all contact with most of them but there are plenty more out there, they're spreading their shit and doing their best to make the covid situation even worse. There's no reasoning with them, I think all anyone can really do is avoid them and hope the world manages to get on top of the covid situation despite the deniers.
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nemo
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by nemo »

Mostly Q-Tards.
fsdfdsdf
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by fsdfdsdf »

They aren't so much in denial. Most of them are able to do the mental gymnastic trick of believing and not believing at the same time
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Kammekor
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by Kammekor »

Let's be honest, Covid has been pretty much invisible for most people. For me, I know two people who've had covid, both not living in Cambodia. They became ill and recovered. That's my experience with covid in 14 months time.

But I do see the measures taken, and when I make the comparison without giving it much more thought I see a world in lock down while only two people I know have been ill and they both recovered.

I think that's an important reason people deny covid.
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canucklhead
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Re: The Covid deniers out there and how to handle them.

Post by canucklhead »

Kammekor wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 8:46 am Let's be honest, Covid has been pretty much invisible for most people. For me, I know two people who've had covid, both not living in Cambodia. They became ill and recovered. That's my experience with covid in 14 months time.

But I do see the measures taken, and when I make the comparison without giving it much more thought I see a world in lock down while only two people I know have been ill and they both recovered.

I think that's an important reason people deny covid.
My experience as well.
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