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Column: COVID-19 conspiracy of dunces

In Plain View by Lachlan Labere
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Conspiracies around COVID-19 have oozed off the internet and into public places in Salmon Arm. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)

What would you say if I told you cancer isn’t real, that it’s a lie propagated by environmentalists, paid for by U.S. oil lobbyists directed by reptilian humanoids bent on global domination.

I hope that most people would find such a statement ridiculous, if not utterly offensive.

Belittling the leading cause of death in Canada with an inane conspiracy is insulting to the memories of all who have lost their lives to cancer and the many who are battling against it.

Now put yourself in the shoes of our provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, or one of B.C.’s many medical professionals currently engaged in the battle against COVID-19, individuals whose primary interest isn’t driven by personal politics or appealing to shareholders, but by Hippocratic Oath and a commitment to caring for the health of others. How would you respond if someone told you COVID-19 is a lie, a conspiracy to keep us complacent under the thumb of big government?

Unfortunately, this kind of toxic misinformation is making the rounds online, and has oozed into the real world, with a poster showing up in Salmon Arm stating, “WAKE UP BC!!! COVID-19 IS A LIE!”

Read more: Woman raised in Salmon Arm on COVID-19 frontline with field hospital in Italy

Read more: COVID-19: Internationally renowned virus specialist raised in Salmon Arm provides hopeful news, warning

Read more: Salmon Arm Walmart employee tests positive for COVID-19

I wonder how someone like former Salmon Arm resident Bev Kauffeldt would respond to such a mistruth? Kauffeldt has been working with Samaritan’s Purse at a field hospital set up to support a hospital in Cremona, Italy. She described the death toll there resulting from the virus as staggering and said she would hate to see any other community go through what it has.

Thankfully, it appears there’s little tolerance for conspiracies around COVID-19.

David Icke, a person who has made a living from peddling conspiracy, was recently given the boot by Youtube and Facebook for claiming the virus is linked to 5G mobile networks.

I got to see Icke give a presentation in Kamloops. It focused on his infamous conspiracy about society being shaped and managed by a reptilian humanoid elite, a lizard Illuminati bent on world domination.

Instead of parroting such idiocy, it would be a better use of one’s time to engage with and learn from our health-care professionals, and offer them gratitude and support.

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