Sunderland Echo

MOUTH OF THE WEAR Conspiracy ‘theorists’ don’t even know what a theory is

- With Tony Gillan

After months of positing fairytale as fact on the internet, the potential vaccine means they’ve now got the big one. Those people who “refuse to live in fear”, while simultaneo­usly informing us that Bill Gates is coming to murder us all in our beds, can fill their boots as never before. Apparently we’re all victims of a plan for world domination, as “evidenced” by perfectly sensible people wearing masks.

If I was an evil genius, I like to think I would manipulate mankind into something more exciting than making people walk round The Bridges with a piece of cloth over their noses.

Do masks do any good? Ten whole seconds of rational thought will conclude that they do. How many times should we say this? – they protect others.

I speak as an expert on absolutely nothing. But even I know that when we cough and sneeze, covid or not, a perfectly horrible concoction of airborne rottenness leaves our splutterin­g mouths and nostrils. A mask does much to curtail this and others are appreciati­ve. How simple a reason do we need to wear one?

It is untrue that a statement which can be neither proved nor disproved automatica­lly qualifies as a theory. Nor does a complete absence of evidence on any subject indicate a cover-up.

The burden of proof lies with those making claims; especially the extraordin­ary ones. Someone who makes a ludicrous assertion and imagines that saying “Prove I’m wrong then” provides validation is to be ignored, unless they are seven years-old in which case it’s forgivable.

YouTube clips of attention seekers don’t count as evidence either.

But back to the inchoate vaccine. We can look forward to some outstandin­g online flapdoodle over its ingredient­s, much as we already have with the flu vaccine (containing bleach, Pot Noodles and monkey’s blood).

Bill Gates, the conspiracy “theorist’s” voodoo doll, is purportedl­y controllin­g the vaccine. The poor lad’s down to his last $100 billion, thereby resorting to a get-rich-slow scheme.

A genuine theory is grounded in fact. A successful theory survives new facts, which is why we have the Theory of Evolution and not the Wild Guess of Evolution.

Regrettabl­y, unlike the moon landing “hoax”, matters are too serious to be merely laughed at. We must therefore utilise the mortal enemy of conspiracy “theorists” everywhere.

Reason.

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? This lad knows the value of wearing a mask and he should know - he’s a surgeon.
This lad knows the value of wearing a mask and he should know - he’s a surgeon.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom