Bob Brigham
April 30, 2022
Man wearing tinfoil hat (Shutterstock)
Following birtherism, PizzaGate, QAnon, Great Replacement, and Donald Trump's delusions about election fraud, there is now a "new boogeyman" gaining traction.
"In late 2020, conspiracy theorists started telling everyone who’d listen about a sinister plot called the 'Great Reset.' The global elites of the World Economic Forum (WEF) had either co-opted or outright concocted the COVID-19 pandemic, they falsely claimed. Then world leaders and technocrats, almost all of whom are supposedly active agents or compromised puppets of the Forum, adopted what conspiracists see as senseless and draconian policies, like lockdowns, ostensibly to curb the spread of the virus—but really to destabilize and traumatize the globe," Mark Hay reported for The Daily Beast.
He reported on a Telegram channel with around 28,500 subscribers.
"But the channel specifically suggested the WEF and its allies’ next big world domination gambit may be a 'cyber pandemic,' an ill-defined but massive false flag cyberattack, or series of attacks, on financial institutions. Or the entire power grid. Or the internet as a whole," he explained. "That’s not an isolated take. There’s been sporadic talk of an incoming, elite-orchestrated 'cyber pandemic' in Great Reset circles for well over a year. But the idea of this digital threat, and its imminence, has seemingly gained traction across the conspiratorial web since around the end of last year—and especially since the start of this March."
In March, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) discussed the "Great Reset" with Alex Jones, who declared bankruptcy after being sued by Sandy Hook families for pushing a conspiracy theory that the mass shooting was a false flag operation.
"The idea of a cyber pandemic is not actually new. Broadly, it’s in keeping with the cybersecurity world’s use of biological disease metaphors to explain digital risks. (Think: computer virus.) As early as 2004, cybersecurity researchers used the term to talk about the risks associated with increasingly interconnected digital ecosystems, in which a novel virus or exploit could hit one weak link, then cascade outwards through wider systems," he reported. "All conspiracy theories evolve, blending with other ideas they come in contact with to adapt to new audiences or changing circumstances. The Great Reset itself, experts explained, appears to just be an update of older conspiracy theories about the dark machinations of global elite cabals that’ve been circulating since at least the 1700s, always identifying new foes and plots."
He noted a post that recently appeared on a Reddit forum linking the conspiracy theory to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
“This is a fixed war sponsored by WEF [sic]. Putin is as much WEF as the western leaders are, don’t you be fooled,” the user wrote. “If EVENT 201 was the precursor to COVID 19, then last year’s CYBER POLYGON will be the predictive event for the coming CYBER WINTER of total global telecommunications collapse which will be achieved through Russian Nuclear Submarines. We will be fooled once again!”
Read the full report.
'Clock show' 60 Minutes does epic interview with 'Birds Aren't Real' parody conspiracy theorists
Sarah K. Burris
May 01, 2022
Travel booking site Kayak recently mocked conspiracy theorists with a commercial depicting a middle-aged woman imploring her family to "open your eyes!
Now, one of the more famous fake conspiracy theories used to mock QAnon followers and the far right is getting the "60 Minutes" treatment.
Speaking to the network, the chief architect of the conspiracy theory that birds aren't real, explained that the government is actually using surveillance drones to monitor people of the world.
Peter McIndoe explained that seagulls are a perfect example that birds aren't real. He noted that if one watches them swoop down and grab your food, they don't actually eat it. According to McIndoe, the birds take it back to the Pentagon to be studied.
“[We’re] fighting lunacy with lunacy,” said Claire Chronis, who works with McIndoe on the Birds Aren’t Real campaign.
"How do you feel about '60 Minutes' I'm surprised you've decided to sit here with us," asked reporter Sharyn Alfonsi.
"I'm not gonna go on news shows, but shows about clocks and time, I'm okay sharing my information with," said McIndoe with a dead-panned expression. "I understand this isn't anything like the media. So, thanks for having me on your clock show."
The group also includes Cameron Kasky, a Parkland student who survived the mass shooting at his high school and also joined the campaign. Many conspiracy theorists have disputed that mass shootings actually happened. The most famous example comes from Alex Jones and other far-right news outlets who claimed for years that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting wasn't real. They went so far as to attack family members of murdered children. One family had to move several different times because they were so inundated with threats. Jones was ultimately ordered to pay the parents millions of dollars in damages for his role in promoting the conspiracies.
Kasky explained that their key way to fight the lies of older generations is with their own lies that mock their elders.
"We don't want to use language that actual harmful and hateful conspiracy theories use to target people," said Kasky. He was harassed, doxxed and attacked online. He was called a crisis actor and his father and grandfather were called sex traffickers, an allegation that QAnon throws around without any real accountability.
See excerpts from the show below:
Sarah K. Burris
May 01, 2022
Travel booking site Kayak recently mocked conspiracy theorists with a commercial depicting a middle-aged woman imploring her family to "open your eyes!
Now, one of the more famous fake conspiracy theories used to mock QAnon followers and the far right is getting the "60 Minutes" treatment.
Speaking to the network, the chief architect of the conspiracy theory that birds aren't real, explained that the government is actually using surveillance drones to monitor people of the world.
Peter McIndoe explained that seagulls are a perfect example that birds aren't real. He noted that if one watches them swoop down and grab your food, they don't actually eat it. According to McIndoe, the birds take it back to the Pentagon to be studied.
“[We’re] fighting lunacy with lunacy,” said Claire Chronis, who works with McIndoe on the Birds Aren’t Real campaign.
"How do you feel about '60 Minutes' I'm surprised you've decided to sit here with us," asked reporter Sharyn Alfonsi.
"I'm not gonna go on news shows, but shows about clocks and time, I'm okay sharing my information with," said McIndoe with a dead-panned expression. "I understand this isn't anything like the media. So, thanks for having me on your clock show."
The group also includes Cameron Kasky, a Parkland student who survived the mass shooting at his high school and also joined the campaign. Many conspiracy theorists have disputed that mass shootings actually happened. The most famous example comes from Alex Jones and other far-right news outlets who claimed for years that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting wasn't real. They went so far as to attack family members of murdered children. One family had to move several different times because they were so inundated with threats. Jones was ultimately ordered to pay the parents millions of dollars in damages for his role in promoting the conspiracies.
Kasky explained that their key way to fight the lies of older generations is with their own lies that mock their elders.
"We don't want to use language that actual harmful and hateful conspiracy theories use to target people," said Kasky. He was harassed, doxxed and attacked online. He was called a crisis actor and his father and grandfather were called sex traffickers, an allegation that QAnon throws around without any real accountability.
See excerpts from the show below:
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