One of the buddies of mine who I’ve spoke of quite a bit......big Trump guy......told me and two of my other buddies that we are going to die very young as the vaccine is just a way for ‘them’ to start to control the population by killing us off.
This is a college educated person who is very intelligent, very good job.....good family man.....someone who in any given moment t is a well reasoned person, who whole heartedly believes what he just told us in a group chat.
That's amazing.
That's amazingly sad. You've got to actively want to believe something as far fetched as that. It makes me curious about what he's lacking in his life that he would want to believe in such a paranoid/improbable view of the world.
People want to belong. And each belief system is a system of belonging and Faith. People that don't have this tend to fall victim easily to manipulation.
Cults take advantage of these people and make them do things, because they're exposing their weakness of belief and mind.
QAnon did just that to the people who's trust and belief in government is at an all time low. They need something to assure they'll be safe, so they fall victim to those that spew this stuff.
Scientology is another great example.
Some religions, some people think are cults. The Spaniards, holding their beliefs as truthful and the "Right, correct" way, viewed many people as Pagans and heretics. And actually went to the lengths to force people into their belief system.
Faith and Belief are not virtues and belief without reason are both dangerous and quite frankly - ridiculous. Keeping this to the topic at hand, people believe things about the virus that have no basis in fact but we already know this. They have inserted themselves as experts when they have no expertise in the subject but they feel justified because - well they believe. That's dangerous!
I will continue in the P/R section but I will leave this with - ALL religions are cults and the religion of trump is the most dangerous of our lifetime.
See, here's the thing. What happens when that belief ends up being proven as fact? That is Science in a nutshell.
People have Faith in Science, but also they don't have to believe it. Just like people have faith in the new dream theater album being good, doesn't mean they believe it will be. Upon release, it's proven to be either true to your faith and belief it will be good, or totally prove your belief and faith wrong. Yet, you still hold faith for the new album and the tour being good, and maybe the songs being played live will convert you to believe the album is actually good.
Also, how do you become an expert? Sometimes, the expert doesn't know everything either. They aren't perfect as well. Which is why you have to have faith that the expert is telling you the truth as well. And when that faith is tested many times, and shown to be deceitful, it's kind of hard to trust the expert. Especially when they flip-flop.
For me, I don't consider no one an expert at anything. They are more well-versed and well-informed of what they do. And sometimes, people come in and say something to that expert which makes that expert look stupid, because they never bothered to think of it, and therefore it changes their perspective. These things can happen the more time goes on.
And also...This forum is a cult. Fandom is a cult. Everything in this world can be a cult.