I was a conspiracy theorist, too

[meow2u3]

I know why people turn to conspiracy theories in uncertain times. I did the same when my husband had a brain tumor.

It was October 2005 when my husband Mike called me with the news. I was working on my dissertation in my home office, and he had just received the call from his ophthalmologist.

“I have a brain tumor. It’s called a craniopharyngioma. It’s a benign tumor near the pituitary gland.”

“Benign” is a misnomer for the tumor in his midbrain that would ultimately rob my smart, improv comedian, graphic designer husband of not only his vision but his short-term memory and his ability to care for himself over the following nine months.

In the early days of the diagnosis, I was debilitated by grief and anxiety. One night, I wept at dinner. “It’s not fair,” I remember repeating.

He calmly responded, “Who would it be fair for, though? Would it be fair if I were old? Would it be fair if we did not have a baby? It has nothing to do with what is fair, Danna. It is just random.”

It is just random. These words were not comforting to me. They made me angry.

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2020/5/15/21258855/coronavirus-covid-19-conspiracy-theories-cancer

A lot more at the link.

[chia]

1. Thanks for posting, that was a great read.

[FM123]

2. Interesting article!

The part that really stood out to me was this:

When we feel powerless in a situation that is both complex and overwhelming, the identification of people and institutions to “blame” feels good to us.

[CaptYossarian]

4. God is another one.

(S)he gets blamed and thanked a lot for the most trivial things.

And to think that God favors one team or athlete over others is ridiculous.

I guess who one blames or credits depends on their upbringing.

Another type of person I can't figure out is someone with no regrets. They simply don't care who they've hurt in the past. Those are my biggest regrets--the moments I can't go back and fix.

In the author's case, it was an early death of a loved one. Your brain is in a blender as you watch this unfold in slow motion. Anger and denial are the first 2 in the 5 stages of death (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross). Blame and conspiracy theories just come with those emotions.

[Karadeniz]

3. Excellent read...thanks for sharing!