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The hidden threat of global woo — I look at the serious political and immunological threats posed today by movements that aren’t usually seem as political extremism but as merely flaky. Turns out “wellness” can make us all very unwell https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-from-wellness-to-insurrection-the-hidden-threat-of-global-woo/
My main recommendation: In our family and private lives, we need to make it clear that woo -- that is, the belief that medicine, science, the media, or the education system are fraudulent and harmful -- is socially unacceptable and is as dangerous as any other extremism
In this piece I cite Marc-André Argentino at Concordia Univesity, who calls this movement "Pastel QAnon" (it often uses literally pastel-coloured pages).
Another name for it, from this very interesting post by @PharmacistScott, is "Conspirituality" https://twitter.com/PharmacistScott/status/1357737019192049665?s=20
Another name for it, from this very interesting post by @PharmacistScott, is "Conspirituality" https://twitter.com/PharmacistScott/status/1357737019192049665?s=20
I also cite -- and recommend -- this solid reporting by @ejdickson on the links between the natural-childbirth and natural-parenting movements and violent conspiracies such as QAnon https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/qanon-pastel-antivax-natural-parenting-community-freebirth-1098518/
I think a big reason why these “anti-mainstream” beliefs shifted this century from being harmless flakiness to being harmful and sometimes violent is because something happened to the meaning of the word “alternative.” It meant something different a generation ago...
In the ‘80s (and before) there was a huge desire for alternative media (I created some!). Some sought alternatives to their doctors’ prescriptions—ie acupuncture, supplements (not yet proven useless). But there was a difference... the alternative didn’t *reject* the mainstream
If you read the Village Voice or The Weekly Standard, you did it to get extra info closer to your perspective—it didn’t mean you thought BBC or New York Times were fiction. Acupuncture fans or natural-childbirth buffs didn’t generally think vaccinations or colonoscopies a fraud
There were limits to this—there’ve always been nuts who think fluoridation of water or aircraft vapour trails are suspect. Schooling your kids at home in non-pandemic times has never been good.
But on the whole, “alternative” health, politics, media or music were *supplements*
But on the whole, “alternative” health, politics, media or music were *supplements*
