Division and reality

Shannon Bohrer

(6/2021) Last year the country seemed more divided than ever, and the divisions revolved around science and facts, what is real, or what is not real. History tells us that we have been here before. Science is real.

When the pandemic first appeared, we heard rumors that many people believed to be fact but were not true. A store clerk told me that the State of Maryland was going to be locked down on a Friday evening. Nobody was going to be allowed to leave and none could enter. The clerk said she heard this from a National Guard member. It never happened.

Early in the pandemic, we heard that the virus was created by Microsoft. Microsoft was going to manufacture the vaccine, and each dose would insert a micro-chip in everyone. Later we heard that it was the Chinese, then the Russians, which created the virus for the express purpose of creating a vaccine. We also heard that the vaccine was created with the virus. The Chinese and the Russians would then sell us the vaccines. Of course, the vaccines, from the Chinese and the Russians, would also contain a microchip.

One conspiracy theory concerned the testing. When testing for the virus, the tester gently, takes a swab of your nasal mucus. I say gently unless the tester was a former stone driller from a rock quarry. Apparently, some of the testers believed the nasal passage extends to the top of one’s head. The conspiracy theory around testing was that the government was stealing your DNA for use in developing future Covid strains. A counter-theory was that during the testing, "they", you know - the ubiquitous "they", were inserting microchips.

We heard from conspiracy theory politicians and pundits that the pandemic was a hoax, and that Covid-19 was not that serious, no more deadly than the annual flu. Even when the number of deaths increased, they still maintained it was not that dangerous. And, when the numbers continued to grow, they asserted the numbers were padded with deaths from other causes. At one point, deaths in the State of Florida from Covid dropped dramatically. However, just by coincidence, deaths from pneumonia in Florida increased dramatically during the same time.

There were conspiracy theories that hospitals were padding the number of Covid deaths because hospitals were being paid more for Covid deaths. Covid patients are hospitalized longer, require more care, and use ventilators, the hospital bill for Covid patients is larger than most of the other illnesses. But that does not mean they were falsifying the numbers of patients being treated.

Early in the pandemic, we were told that wearing a mask was not needed and not encouraged. Later, when sufficient personal protective equipment was secured, mask-wearing by the public was encouraged. After which, we heard that wearing a mask was a government conspiracy. The theory being that if the government could make everyone wear a mask, then the government could extend its control over the citizens. The conspiracy included that if they can make you wear a mask, they can take your guns away.

When states began lockdowns and closing schools, the conspiracist believed this was a step too far, the first step in ultimate government control. They believed that our government wanted to control what we wore and where we went. In some circles, it was said that we were moving in the direction of communism, socialism, or even worse - fascism. (As a side note, Antifa is an acronym for a belief, which means anti-fascist and anti-racist.) Being anti-fascist and anti-racist is a good thing. I like a democracy, not fascism, and I want laws and policies that prohibit racism. While I support Antifa’s cause, I do not endorse any lawlessness – from any side.

According to some conspiracists, wearing a mask and controlling where people can gather, including the number of people, is a freedom and liberty issue. The supposedly excessive and abusive actions by governments were protested by purportedly freedom-minded individuals and groups. The individuals and groups were so worried about the loss of their liberties; they protested while dressed in military and combat attire, armed with semiautomatic assault weapons. Some were even carrying signs, asserting their right to protest and carry firearms.

The specific freedom and liberty issues they felt they were protecting are not in our constitution, they believe they were implied. The protesters espoused they were patriots, protecting you from the government. I understand that many of us have a government trust issue. However, many of us have a greater trust issue with individuals who play military dress-up, carry assault weapons, and tell us how government overreach is requiring people to wear a mask. The credibility of the conspiracist was further questioned when they planned to kidnap a governor. If one believes that government overreach is a problem, should not kidnapping a governor be a problem? If the protestors take over to protect us from our government, that is not just an overreach, it is an insurrection.

Many have questioned the origins of the untruths, the conspiracy theories. We have always had and will continue to have conspiracy theories, most of which have been confined to fringe groups. However, the "alternative facts" and "other truths" have blossomed during the previous four years. It has been well established that some media outlets have published false and divisive untruths.

During Trumps' second impeachment, Fiona Hill said that members of Congress should stop the "fictional narrative" around Ukraine's involvement in our election "because it plays into Vladimir Putin’s hands."

It is well documented that the GRU, the Russian Military Intelligence, is the origin of many untruths, including the virus. Russia's best interest, from their perspective, is to divide America and denigrate our democracy. It is easier to conquer your enemies with internal division, than to fight them.

Autocratic leaders feel threaten when democracies work. It threatens them. The Russians can put out false stories, knowing they have help from some of our citizens and politicians, and even some media outlets.

"A free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience
prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government" - George Washington’s farewell address, 1796