Social Media BS!

Swollen Balls!

OMFG people quit listening to your social media feeds as a source for news or even the truth. The internet like so many things started out innocuously as a novel way for scientists and engineers to converse information, but has now morphed beyond what anyone could have seen.

When I mean morphed I mean it became a conduit of not only information and fact, but soon of alternative facts and fiction, all under the guise of “opinion” and freedom of speech. I am okay with opinion, hell I write a blog full of it, and I support free speech and people should be able to express their opinions without censorship. However, I draw the line on people expressing their opinions when those opinions are racist, homophobic, misogynistic or when the opinion is blatantly expressing a false narrative.

Let’s look at the scourge of today, Covid and how social media is driving the decisions for many to not get vaccinated. A lot of those who are anti-vaccine get their information from social media posts that purport that the vaccine will change your DNA (100% false), a tracking device will be in the vaccine to monitor you (A technical impossibility, sorry Bill Gates), this is a hoax by government to remove freedoms and make us socialists (Do you even know what socialisms is?).

Many of these people further believe that scientists can’t be trusted because the scientists got masks wrong at the start. Yes that is true but as the scientists learned more about the virus and they realized it is transmitted by air and not through contact they changed their information and brought in the use of masks. It was the correct thing to do and wearing masks has helped prevent transmission. Just look at the Flu season last year. In Canada in 2019 nearly 7,000 people died from the flu (18.4 people per 100,000). Last year in Canada we had one yes I said one person across the whole country died from the flu. So guess what, masks work to prevent spread, the evidence is there, the scientists are right. Besides can someone please explain to me what the big deal is about wearing a mask in public spaces? Talk about your first world problems.

People doubting and ignoring the science preferring too believe random unqualified and unhinged individuals on Social media who promote ingesting bleach or Horse De-wormer (Ivermectin) as the cure to Covid are truly a bunch of TWOT’s. A TWOT is anyone who is so closed minded they would rather burn at the stake than change their stance on vaccines and science, no matter how strong the supporting evidence. Yet when any of them get Covid, they go to the hospital for treatments and care that was developed by …..Science!

So why do TWOTs rely on social media to set their opinion. First, they all are looking mostly for a narrative that fits their perceived ideas. People tend to seek out that which supports their position first and for many the reliability of the source is not as important. They want to hear their position being validated by someone and the internet is the perfect place to find that validation because of a lack of any oversight.

Let’s look at a real life example. Nicki Minaj, who is a rap artist and posted on Twitter, which she has 23 million followers, that she was not getting the vaccine till she does more research because and I am paraphrasing “a friend of mines cousin in Trinidad got vaccinated and now he is impotent and his balls are swollen”. Really, a friend of hers cousin, well if that is not irrefutable proof not to get vaccinated I don’t know what is. Holy Fu&*#ng Sh#t more research? I doubt she has done any but her narrative is now what people who oppose the vaccine are going to glam onto and pass all over the internet, the story of Nicki Minaj’s cousins friend massively swollen balls. To combat this narrative the government of Trinidad and Tobago came out and reported that this was false. In fact the health minister and his staff spent and entire day checking to see if there have been any reported cases of swollen testicles or impotence from the Vaccine either in the country or worldwide. The answer was no. The White House now is planning a meeting with Ms Minaj to address her concerns about the vaccine.

Ms. Minaj’s status as not only a celebrity but as an influencer will have an effect on her followers who are hesitant and the Anti-Vax movement will add this to their pure Guano protests ignoring the fact that this is proven false, I can even see the sign:

COVUD CAUASS
IMPEDINSE
AN HUEG BALS !

To all you influencers out there, Shut the F up. Unless you are a virologist or an infectious disease expert, not a rap artist (and I am using artist in the most liberal sense I can) keep your opinions and hear say of other peoples balls to yourself, especially during a health emergency.