Take a glance at this extraordinarily interesting article by James Marriot in the London Times, “Conspiracists are about to get a dose of reality: Antivaxers, cranks and fantasists thrive in safe, stable societies but the days of consequence-free idiocy may be ending.” In it, Marriot makes the fascinating argument that anti-science and anti-democracy activists have been able to survive in the modern world because they are protected by the very technologies and social behaviors that they pretend to despise. They can reject vaccinations, for instance, because most people get them…and so antivaxers don’t get the highly infectious diseases that might otherwise kill them.
But, says Marriot, that’s changing. In a world where people like RJK Jr. call the shots, you are far more likely to get exposed to something that could actually kill you. As a result, antivax ideologies become truly deadly.
All of which is to suggest that, in future, we may see a good many people reaping what they sow, and regretting it.
Marriott, James. "Conspiracists Are About to Get a Dose of Reality." The Times, https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/conspiracists-are-about-to-get-a-dose-of-reality-c2fltx0xd.
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