Rotary’s healing touch for the people in need
Conspiracy theories have come in news, courtesy Marjorie Taylor Greene and former US president Donald Trump. talks about their perils and dealing with them
It has been over a year since covid came into being and the slum colonies in South Mumbai especially the Fisherman’s Colony in Cuffe Parade has been bereft of any examination camp for their general health.
On February 21, 2021, The Rotary Club of Mumbai had organised a healthcare camp. The genesis of the camp was to address the slum colonies which have been rife with covid and its side effects which even with minimal infection, high steroid usage has a tendency to enhance blood pressure, diabetes and even Glaucoma.
Permission from the authorities was given for the camp taking into account that at no time would there be more than 50 people accumulating, and that social distancing, both for standees as well as during the examination was to be observed at all points.
The Rotary concentrated on the slum colonies of South Mumbai, Geeta Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Ganesh Murthy Nagar, the
Fisherman's Colony and the Badhwar Nagar Colony.
As a publicity source, fliers were distributed thrice at 2day intervals in the areas selected and large banners were put up in Marathi/Hindi being the local dialect in the camp zone.
To prevent a sudden upsurge of the crowd which would invite the wrath of the Municipal corporation and even the police, each camp zone was allotted a 90minute interval appointment. The population was exhorted to register their names in advance to prevent any waiting.
At the camp zone, large circles were drawn at 4 feet distance so the patients could stand between and prevent and close proximity.
The camp was inaugurated with a short video from the District Governor of District 3141 Rtn. Sunnil Mehra, Shri Makarand Narvekar the local MLA and the Commissioner of the Municipal corporation Award, Ms Chanda Jadav.
Both the eminent speakers spoke glowingly of the fact that this was the first healthbased camp in South Mumbai catering to the healthcare needs of the populace since the outset of covid. They thanked and appreciated the Rotary Clubs not only for this camp, but also for the help rendered to the above colonies during covid time (Rotary had distributed 24 large sprayer units and gave 150 large packages of food grains and essential supplies during the covid-19 lockdown).
The camp was conducted by Rotary Club of Mumbai South as the lead club with Rotary Clubs of Mumbai Cuffe Parade, Bombay Hanging Garden, Bombay Pier, Mumbai Downtown and Mumbai Parleshwar joining as co-hosts and well attended by their respective Presidents and members.
Conspiracy theories are in news these days, thanks to American politician and businesswoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and former US president Donald Trump. Both supported the conspiracy regarding voter fraud in the recent US elections. Their constant support is said to have led to the January 6 US Capitol Hill Riots.
Indeed, Greene’s list of conspiracy theories beliefs run deep and have at times come from the proTrump QAnon community, who believes that Trump was battling secret sect of Satan-worshipping paedophiles running a global sex racket. About the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, she blogged about Hillary Clinton running a childtrafficking racket from a pizza restaurant in Washington DC.
Another shocking theory was Greene’s denial of 9/11 Twin Tower Attacks and mass shootings in schools taking place. She allegedly supported the theory that the 9/11 attacks were conducted by the US government itself. Many (including Greene) believed that the fatal mass shootings that took place in schools in Newton, Connecticut and Parkland, Florida did not happen. Greene even confronted David Hogg, one of the Parkland shooting survivors, and called him a ‘coward’. Greene was recently removed from Congress committees for her support of such theories.
Trump has also quite actively supported theories that have been debunked so far. He always claimed that former president Barack Obama was not born in US and is also an ISIS supporter. With regards the 9/11 attacks, Trump spoke about the Arab population in New Jersey cheering and celebrating as the Twin Towers went down. These are but a few of the conspiracy theories Trump supported.
While there are several conspiracy theories doing the rounds, one needs to use tack to deal with them to avoid bigger issues.
Defining moment
Geeta Ramakrishnan, an Ontological Coach and Author, feels conspiracy theories come from a ‘big tragic world occurrence’ that are typically illogical, far-fetched and with ill-intent.
“It is interesting to note that our brain has a unique property to attract negative news. We then dwell on it with repeated thoughts and discussions without any serious conclusion. We live in a world where social media plays a prominent role in our lives. It is not only the print and newspapers, it is media like Google, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp that help spread such news like wild fire. This amplified negative publicity seems to create great interest in the general public, even though it rarely adds value to our lives.”
Ariba Abbasi, a Senior Counselling Psychologist at The Happy Tree, Delhi, describes them as ‘explanations of harmful or tragic events as the result of the actions of a small powerful group’. “Such explanations often reject the accepted narrative surrounding those events.”
As per Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, Senior Psychiatrist & Founder, Manasthali, Gurugram, theories come from the notions and presumptions of any mysterious event. “Paranoia and overactive imagination can see ghosts in shadows and that’s what inspires fantastic ideas. Since everyone likes the thrill and suspense of a mysterious story, people enjoy listening and retelling such stories.”
Dr. Sneha Karmani, Consultant Psychiatrist, Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Pune, defines them as narratives of important events thought to have been ‘caused by secret plots by powerful groups’. “These are falsely held belief systems about perceived threat in any event. In an ancestral environment in which humans were frequently confronted with threat to their survival, it may have been protective to be suspicious of powerful, potentially hostile coalitions. Conspiracy theories are widespread because in the evolutionary history of our species, it was adaptive to hold these beliefs. They continue to exist in the modern world, whether adaptive or not.”
Dismissal or importance?
Trump and Greene gave conspiracy theories importance. Should we too? Dr. Karmani reveals, “Giving importance to what they said and supported would take away our time, effort and peace, because when something is not found in truth, one cannot reason it to the point of rationality. While the whole episode definitely has an impact on people’s minds, it relies a lot on namecalling and demeaning other people and groups, without a factcheck or regard, which in a democratic society should be abhorred. They have also tried to incite violence, which can have dire consequences.”
Ramakrishnan agrees Greene’s ‘instigating social media tweets’ supporting theories capable of stoking political violence, caused mayhem. “While to her defence she said she picked up these topics because they sounded very interesting in theory and she believes it at face value and was disturbed about it and upset with the government for it. She did give a statement regretting not questioning the validity. In reality, it may not be that easy to verify some theories, and there could always be a small percentage of ‘what if it is true’ doubt in one’s mind.”
Dangers involved
Dr. Kapoor feels overexposure to them can create a sense of distrust which, consecutively, can create ‘paranoid mental state’.
“People who are generally anxious feel insecure and seek confirmation, thereby sowing the seed of mistrust in other people’s mind. With social media being the go-to for anybody seeking answers, such stories which inspire curiosity, spread like wild fire. People interact passionately on virtual forums and negative emotions are aired. The resulting effect can be dangerous for individuals being falsely blamed and society at large.”
“While most conspiracy theories are noticeably flawed, there have been many that could pass off with a great quotient of doubt, especially if propagated by a powerful person and fanned with the media in the wrong direction,” Ramakrishnan states.
Put an end
Dr. Karmani backs literacy, critical thinking, and general education as a whole to tackle conspiracy theories. “Bullies and gossipers are born in schools, and although it is human tendency to gossip, extreme forms could rely on out-grouping minorities, exploiting vulnerabilities of certain people, and affecting their self-esteem and well-being. These attitudes and personalities should be identified at an early age, and efforts must be taken towards minimising such behaviours. Given that inequality and powerlessness in a society, or any group, is a significant cause of conspiracy mongering, policy designers must address this problem.”
Abbasi’s strategy in dealing with them is to focus on facts. “Beginning with a question as simple as whether the person actually believes the conspiratorial content may reduce endorsement of the distrust evident in some theories. A next step may be the non-judgmental presentation of well-sourced facts as a possible alternative explanation. One can supplement facts relevant to the conspiratorial content with basic information on the nature of conspiracy theories and their causes. A more nuanced approach may be to personalize the subject to invoke emotion. There is modest evidence suggesting that creating emotion may, for instance, reduce short-term prejudice. Promoting counterfactuals entails having a person consider how the past or present could be different based upon alternative personal actions.”
Mark Twain has rightly said – How empty is theory in the presence of fact! And so is conspiracy theory...