Conspiracies (the thumbnail image is misleading)

This was on the original iteration of the blog, but I think it's still relevant, so I'm putting it back up. Originally posted 9/22/20. COVID is just being used as an example here.

All right, so I was planning to do a qanon deep dive, but I decided I wanted to discuss the topic of conspiracies in general. Disclaimer: I am not a professional of any sort, I’m a guy on the internet. If something I say is blatantly incorrect, then please let me know.
Also, I’ve kind of disregarded my schedule plan. My life is too busy at the moment.

That being said…
A large number of people have been involving themselves with the ascension community lately, but many of them seem to believe anything they see that isn’t mainstream. News flash: you’re just another type of sheep. It’s been a problem for a while, honestly. I’ll admit, I used to be this way, but critical thinking is extremely important.

Many conspiracies likely have some truth to them, or they wouldn’t be so widespread. However, just because something is true doesn’t mean everything connected to it is. This is called magical thinking. Many people get into political conspiracies, or ufology, or ascension and get very excited, taking almost everything as confirmation of their beliefs. This isn’t entirely harmful in moderation (such as looking for the results of a metaphysical action) but definitely is with matters concerning the physical world and safety.

For example, a common one. The CDC said that masks don’t block the smoke particles from the fires in the Western United States. I’ll post the image this was associated with underneath.

Seems legit, right? Well, no. The thing is, covid-19 can spread through the air, which is why we have to socially distance, but it also spreads through larger droplets that are blocked by all people involved wearing masks. Straight from the CDC website, though they recently removed the information on airborne transmission.

Scientists are looking into the likelihood of airborne transmission, and even if it’s discovered that the virus is mainly airborne, that doesn’t mean organizations that promoted masks were ‘cabal’. Furthermore, this is not proof of the virus not existing. I'm not saying the CDC is perfect, and it is strange that they removed information about airborne transmission, but masks do serve a purpose, and I’ll maintain that position unless someone proves that covid-19 does not spread through droplets, in which case I’ll drop it.

I’m not about to get into other theories about the virus, but if you have a reason not to wear a mask supported by evidence then keep doing what you’re doing I guess. It’s not something I care about much and find talking about most of these things very draining, was just using that image as an example of fallacious reasoning.

Another thing is, images of that sort are commonly spread, and some are even fabricated tweets. These can get very far before their false nature is exposed, and by then the harm is already done.

Many conspiracy videos and websites provide no sources, or dubious ones. I’m sure some are decently sourced and I’m open to looking at anything from an analytical perspective. Regardless, many conspiracies also include things like someone not following Christian values as evidence of their misconduct, which makes no sense. This is 2020, people are allowed to be atheist. Honestly, people are allowed to be Satanist too, most Satanists aren’t necessarily terrible people -- however there certainly are people who want to harm others with the occult. See what I mean about magical thinking?

I think that if you're going to research these subjects, then you should pick one and research it thoroughly before posting online, as opposed to trying to find as much as you can. The truth will always come out, but we need to make sure we're actually spreading truth instead of psy ops.

Anyway, that’s all I had to say. Again, let me know if I said anything incorrect, if you have evidence as for why. I’ve been considering going through conspiracies and either proving them or tearing them apart with research but I’m worried that I’ll make a fool of myself since again, I’m no professional and don’t know everything, so I might need a team if I were to attempt something of that sort.

Edit: This article basically describes what I'm trying to say. I don't necessarily endorse the rest of the website.