Covid Conspiracy Theories- A New Religion Born?
I was chatting to an old friend on WhatsApp recently when she suddenly said they were not getting vaccinated. Oh, I said. Are you an antivaxxer? I meant it as a light-hearted joke, and not really a serious question. But, as our conversation went further and deeper into the subject, I realized, with huge sadness, that yes, she was indeed, a conspiracy theorist and an antivaxxer. I am genuinely fascinated by the way Covid split the world into groups of people who don’t understand or respect each other based on their beliefs in one or another approach to vaccinations, masks and Covid itself. As if we didn’t already have enough to separate us. Religion. Politics. Parenting style. Vegetarianism. Transgender rights…Cancel culture and race issues…The list of taboo dinner party subjects was already too long! FFS, how and why did Covid have to turn into a yet another topic which so easily breaks friendships and even families ? It is difficult to remain respectful when eac