Conspiracy theories crowd out consideration of real issues

DEAR Newspapers Of The Area,

THE letter by Rodney Fox in a recent NOTA made a significant observation with regards not only to the topic of “chemtrails” but to conspiracy fantasies in general.

“Attempts to belittle or ridicule those seeking answers are unlikely to be effective when many people have already informed themselves on the subject,” Mr Fox wrote.

I refuse to use the term “theory” and use the term “fantasy” deliberately, not to belittle or ridicule, but to be clear and concise.

For an idea to be considered a theory it must be based on evidence, it must demonstrate causality, and it must be testable. A fantasy is often the result of confusing correlation with causation, incomplete evidence, and untestable claims.

To be fair to Mr Fox, and at the risk of giving credence to his unsubstantiated claims of a conspiracy, there is real evidence of the US government doing secret, nefarious experiments in the 1950s. Look up Operation Seaspray in Wikipedia.

But whether it is the issue of “chemtrails”, or 5G towers causing ones testicles to shrink, or vaccines causing COVID, my frustration is that these conspiracy fantasies, often inflated by foreign entities, instil unnecessary fear in people, divide our communities, and crowd out our mental space from considering real issues.

As a community and a country, and globally, we have to deal with the very real consequences of a changing climate, of a dependence on fossil fuels, and a rising economic disparity that is extinguishing hope among those on the wrong side of the divide. We need to make changes, as uncomfortable as that is.

Meanwhile, we have populist voices in Australia blaming migrants for rising house prices. However, when the Labor government proposes changes to the tax system to address this problem, and the prospect of these tax changes causes house prices to fall slightly, these same populist voices bemoan the fact, claiming the tax changes are unfair. So, what is it? Are house prices influenced by migrant numbers or tax structures?

And, finally, Labor. You have a whopping majority and you have the public’s overwhelming support to ban all gambling advertising. Be bold and stand up to vested interests. We do not want something half-arsed that will be ineffective. Give us reason to hope that good policy is possible.

Regards,

Peter Sobey,

Valla.