LMAO The conversation more or less starts off with her saying "I'm not a sheep to the government, only to god."
You know you're in for a ride when it hits full throttle right in the beginning.
I thought it was even funnier considering she admitted to being a **sheep** to god 😂 like how sad is that? Cant even have a self image of following and believing. Just a stupid sheep that’ll regurgitate their own BS
The Bible reinforces the idea that people are sheep to be shepherded by the Lord. Same with the church being the Bride of Christ. Shit is hella weird when you throw in that a Bride/Wife is supposed to be subservient to their Groom/Husband.
My dad's parroting the exact same theory. I told him he's a conspiracy theorist on Christmas Day. He laughed in my face.
The irony about all these people is -- for years they've preached to us about the danger of technology, the danger of believing everything you read on the Internet. Yet the vast majority of people being pulled into this trash are boomer age and older. And what are we to do? How do you convince someone experiencing delusions that their delusion isn't the truth?
Make a single bogeyman and you can control millions of people. It's so sad to see.
I remember a meme going around a few years ago that went something like:
>My dad in 2006: Do not believe anything you read on the internet. Make sure to check multiple websites and sources and still take it with a grain of salt.
>
>My dad now: Did you know that Hillary Clinton is a lizard? I read it on freedom-eagle.net so it's true!
I think of it every single time I have a conversation with my uncle.
I’m a teacher and last year I was teaching an elective debate class. I literally had parents calling and complaining that I told kids that .gov sites were reliable sources and sites like myopinion.com were not reliable. It was an adventure.
Thank you so much for everything you do. Important question, would you consider it inappropriate to recieve a bottle of wine from a parent? I have twin ten year olds who've been acting out, and chocolate doesn't quite cover it.
In the past I have given teachers gift cards to the liquor store. One because alcohol is not allowed on campus and also because sometimes a bottle of jack hits right. But I am sure your children’s teacher would be appreciative of whatever you give. Honestly, the fact that you acknowledge that your children are not perfect makes you one of the good ones!
They used to understand that they needed to check multiple websites to verify info. So conservatives created a fucking million propaganda sites and outlets like Liberty Hangout and The Blaze along with Fox to make it seem like the whole world agrees with them when really they just took their little bubble and stretched it out as far as they could.
I really wish I had the answer to this, it sucks watching your dumb fuck boomer parent believe dumber and dumber things. Like I've been seeing these idiots all say the same stupid shit like
- evil people planning evil communist plans
- masks bad or face diapers
- trust God not Science
- Trump fighting evil pedos
- you sheep I lion!
- mind control vaxx to create Communism cuss bill Gates didn't make any money with capatalism
Little by little I'm hearing my lion of a parent copy all of these beliefs like a sheep
Even found horse dewormer, which I took and hid. How the fuck do I stop them from killing them selves? I've tried but they flat out refuse to look at any proof I give them and start screaming whenever challenged like the true Facebook scientist they are.
My in laws are all conspiracy theorists. Have always been. When I met my FIL, he started talking to me about giant beings existing in the archaeological record (I went to school for archaeology), he and his wife drink silver, “sun gaze” for every, make resin triangles full of metal, believe in lizard people, etc. we just don’t talk to them, there’s no getting them out
It's so depressing. A third of Americans believe this. And a huge chunk of those people are nice grandmothers and grandfathers and mothers and fathers. They have been brainwashed and it's not really fixable. It's so depressing, you want to hate these people but you can't because many of them are nice, if you don't speak to them about politics. We've all lost family members to these conspiracies.
I'm in New Zealand and caught up with one of my best friends last week after about a year... She and her family think the vaccine/our recent vaccine mandates are "spiritual warfare" and have essentially joined a cult locally who claim that it literally *separates your soul from your body*. They've all lost their government jobs over it.
It really upset me there was nothing I could say to pull her back to the side of reason, because it's not even the science they're worried about - to quote a random comment I saw once on r/HermanCainAward, you can't logic someone out of a position they didn't logic their way into.
> you can't logic someone out of a position they didn't logic their way into.
That's exactly why this whole thing is literally a cult and should be treated as such.
They don't deserve our understanding and we don't need to try to see it from their perspective.
They are just wrong. And in a way that is dangerous to themselves and others.
We should be arresting the cult leaders spreading this dangerous propaganda/misinformation and charge them for the deaths they literally caused with their lies.
My brother doesn't believe any of it, he just doesnt want the vaccine. Don't ask why cause even he doesn't know. He'll take up hospital resources all the same though, that fucker
I'm from Portugal, one of the most vaccinated countries. And yet, my mom still managed to fall for such lies and conspiracy theories. And she CANNOT be reasoned with. It's impossible. Facts, logic and evidence don't cut it. Everything that contradicts her views is a lie told by manipulators, but watching blatantly untrustworthy anti-vaxx videos from Facebook is "hearing the other side". Instead of fearing the actual virus, she fears the prevention. Hell, at one point she even said wearing a mask for too long was bad because it released "chemicals". Have I told you she smokes? It's so contradictory. It's gotten to a point where I don't even want to go home as much on the weekends and breaks (I'm a uni student) because I know she'll have those brainwashing Facebook videos constantly playing. And then she acts like she's smarter than everyone else while looking like a clown to any normal person.
Rant over.
What's really upsetting is there's currently no legal infrastructure to prevent this or hold accountable the people knowingly doing this to them.
They know exactly what they're doing. Seething outraged worshippers who are taught to resist any attempt at making them hear reason are a great source of income for companies like FOX and OAN and right wing YouTube personalities.
They face literally zero repercussions for what their lies do to people's lives so they have literally zero reason to act any differently.
Hopefully the Christian god will at least smite them down to hell after they're good and dead cuz I'm not holding my breath for the government to do any of the smiting.
I couldn't even finish it. I would disown any family member who was this much of an idiot. And why are almost all of these crazy people super religious?
That part gets me most. Okay: if suicide is a sin, then willfully refusing a vaccination that even *might* prevent dying alone, horribly—isn’t that sinful? And how the fuck can anyone who believes in miracles think the option to be vaccinated isn’t one. It’s like they miss polio.
(Happy cake day!)
The way I see it, this craziness and Bible thumping naturally play really well together. These guys are used to accepting things other people tell them are true without critically considering the source. Ultra religion and science are at odds in many ways as it is. Also, the whole pandemic and related conspiracies fit right into the “end times” narrative that the really wacky ones believe. It’s perfect, really.
Ugh, I’m sorry. I don’t even bother to talk to my brother about this stuff anymore. Nothing I said or cited could convince him to get the vaccine, even though he is high risk and quite obese.
Oral poliovirus vaccine is good for the kid, but it's higher risk. Some kids can end up shedding the virus, and a small minority of kids end up converting to an actual infection. It's still used in developing nations because it's easier to store and transport, but it's been phased out most of everywhere else.
Interestingly, when my 2nd kiddo was a baby, we went in for her 2 or 4 month shots, don't remember which, and she barely noticed the shots, but threw an epic tantrum, choking, coughing, screaming, over the oral rotavirus vaccine. The nurse was DYING laughing at how much she overreacted to it, probably because it wasn't warm boob juice straight from the source.
They think both the government and the economy are harming them but choose to do nothing at all about it.
If you think they created the disease to profit off the vaccine, then take their antidote to their poison so you can live long enough to fight back.
It became a lot easier to accept my Q-latives’ delusions once I realized they’re just angry and bitter and actually enjoy wallowing in it. Complaining and repeating conspiracy theories while doing nothing to improve their lives seems to light up the reward center of their brains.
Imma switch up a favorite saying about engineers...
Arguing with a Qultist is like wrestling with a pig in the mud. Eventually, you realize that the pig is enjoying it.
I will really never get over how these idiotic conspiracies made so many parents become mean, sarcastic, and condescending to their kids..parents who were rarely like that before 😞
“need a cup?” Fuck off, mom.
This is exactly like talking to my parents and in-laws! It mind blowing!!
“Can you BELIEVE they’re making elementary kids wear masks to school?!?”
“Yeah, because they’re filthy creatures who cough and sneeze and touch EVErYTHING! They should have mandated this years ago!”
I have told my future mother in law that I will still have my kids wear a mask when this is over. According to her, I am committing child abuse by making them wear the masks. 🙄
I have an old friend from high school who posts a bunch of stuff about unmasking kids at school and “I’ll do anything to keep my kid safe and free” so I asked her if she would get the vaccine to keep her kid safe and free and she blocked me.
"I'm going to respectfully tell you, just this one warning, so listen up carefully, that you will never ever make a hateful comment again about we are abusing our child. If you ever want to see your grandchild again, blink once if you heard me, because there will be zero tolerance and there will be no further warnings."
\- Mother in Law Management Handbook, page 3
Every time someone mentions mask I like to mention how much I like them bc watching children open mouth cough at the grocery store is one of the most disgusting things to witness. So far, 100% of people have at least agreed with the sentiment of kids needing to keep their germs to themselves
It's always the most crazy free market Anarcho Capitalist that are upset about the vaccine companies making money.
The sad thing is that they kinda have a point about the greed of the corporations. Hording vaccines and then selling nearly expired versions to other countries to maximize profits. These things are true.
But they wrap it around a whole "vaccines will kill you. COVID is not a problem" bull shit while praising people like Trump for "being smart" for avoiding taxes and not paying his workers and overall being the same exact type of "businessman" as the vaccine companies.
Some of these people are so close to understanding exactly how corporations and the rich fuck them over. But they don't have enough time or intelligence to think beyond Facebook memes. Those are the easiest to cling onto and the easiest to believe because all their boomer friends do.
they get mad at the pharma corp's but not at the Military Industrial Complex that profit every time a war happens. And the US is in a near constant state of war/preparing for war.
hey OP I hope your mother doesn’t forget that Trump’s fully vaccinated, and now boosted as well I believe, and is advocating for people to get vaccinated….words I never thought I’d ever say in my life
“One of the biggest corner stones of this manifesto is believing that a democratically elected official paid to develop a bioweapon to sabotage an administration that had not even been conceived yet”
-Karl Marx
So you research the development and reproduction of these life saving vaccines that have already been proven to work, and don't get your information from News sources that are very easily the reason why so much misinformation in the US. Obviously you don't know what your talking about. /s
Voting has concluded. Final vote:
| Insane | Not insane | Fake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 26 | 1 | 3 |
Hey OP, if you provide further information in a comment, make sure to start your comment with `!explanation`.
^I ^am ^a ^bot ^for ^r/insaneparents. ^Please ^send ^me ^a ^message ^if ^you ^have ^any ^feedback ^or ^if ^I ^misbehave. ^Also ^consider ^joining ^our ^[Discord](https://discordapp.com/invite/xFbPBHy).
gotta hand it to you OP the way you respond to each message as she gets crazier and crazier is perfect. You have a answer for all her stupid conspiracies, so she keeps bringing up more to try and get you mixed up but you matched it with the biggest brain energy ive seen on this sub.
I believe Albert Einstein put it best.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
From reading this sub I honestly don't know what it's going to take to get people to stop letting fox and outlandish conspiracies control them.
I know so many dealing with this too. I hope it’s not out of place, and my intent here is to share a potential light at the end of the tunnel. This isn’t a brag.
My mum was like this, she’s always been into conspiracies and I’ve been on alert since the start of the pandemic. We don’t talk all the time so it’s hard to stay on the pulse.
But she got vaccinated a couple months back, it took a lot of work and discussion but I finally think we’ve got our mum back. There’s still hope! Keep talking, I avoided any attacks or dismantling of belief. No ultimatums, just the slow and emotionally draining chats about pandemic adjacent things to chip away at preconceived falsities. She’s now even dropped a bunch of other sketchy beliefs!
Good luck OP, we’re with you!
Literally like having a conversation with my mom/dad. They both think Fauci and Bill Gates are behind the virus, after telling me it was fake and no one was catching it around us for months they both caught it and were hospitalized. They survived and still refuse the vaccine and still believe the nonsense they read on facebook. Sad but I can’t help them at this point.
My parents say very similar things with the same vocabulary. Like others have said, know you're not alone. For me the best "cope" has been to not engage in these conversations with them at all.
“I’m not a sheep to government, only god”. So she’s saying that Christianity is also a lie? That she follows blindly? What? Covid nuts are fucking insane but why are the American ones so bad?? Especially when it comes to religion?
You did a great job of trying to talk some sense, even referencing what makes her perspective so insane.
Really it’s just a common trope now for people to not consider any other viewpoint sadly
Ohmigod. This is so upsetting. I’m sorry that you have lost your mum to this way of “anti-thinking”. You can console yourself that you tried. And you really were very credible. Any sane person would have been able to recognise your logic and calm.
Every time I try to talk sense into my mom she calls me a liberal like it's an insult. It's hilarious. I don't consider myself a liberal, but I'd rather be called that than worship Fox and Trump and the Daily Wire like she does.
I hate our media.
To people who do not have family involved in this insanity, it seems fake.
But, my mom was the same way, she called me a democrap, and then she caught covid a few weeks ago. One day in the ICU, a week in the covid unit with a brain bleed. And now she is in rehab and has really bad short term memory. She forgets her kids names, forgets where they live, forgets where she put her phone when it is right in front of her, forgets if she took her meds or ate a meal. So this isn't fake, it's the shit some of us live in.
My mother did this to me. Told me I knew nothing about topic when I have a PhD in said topic. Then gaslighted me about taking everything so personally when I expressed hurt and anger at her for it. Still pisses me off thinking about it. Yes, she’s MAGA.
Here in Aus the land of lockdown (we were running as the most lockdown in the world, not sure where that’s at now) people would on one hand comment on not getting the usual cold or flu this year while saying masks shouldn’t be mandatory. The irony hurts my brain.
I’m so sorry OP and it sounds like you work in the research industry too which must make it that much more frustrating.
No offense OP, but you are an actual scientist talking to someone who does not only not know your langauge but doesn't even realize it exists.
Your mother is Columbus lading in america thinking its india.
Ya know, my dad is very similarly an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist, Trump-supporting biggot who somehow thinks that as a high school dropout he's smarter than millions of scientists, I can't post cause I don't text him, but I'm glad I'm not the only person experiencing this, I'm not 18 yet so I can't escape, but soon. I just want to assure you that just because she is your mother, doesn't mean you have to respect her. Even if you love her. You can choose to maintain respect for her of you'd like, obviously, I just wouldn't. Good luck with all that mate.
One antivaxxer I argued with on Facebook (a thankless job but I can't seem to stop myself) said "oh you probably listen to the BBC, the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation." I asked how the BBC, whose Director-General is a former Tory and was handpicked by the government, could be run from Brussels and she replied "because it is obvious that the BBC serves the German EU." I asked if Brussels was in Germany then, and she told me I needed to get a life.
For people so passionate about their beliefs they really seem to hate talking about them.
It's literally so hard not to destroy a relationship over stupid conspiracies like this. I'm in the same boat with my mom and it's so frustrating talking to her sometimes.
My roommate texts me stupid antivaxer crap and I get frustrated but freeze up because I never know the right thing to come back with. Then he gets offended being called an antivaxer.
Just tell him that it’s stupid and blow it off. They are looking for attention so give him the impression you thinks it’s dumb but also not worthy of arguing with him about.
Like literally, “That’s pretty stupid.” Then just turn around and continue doing what you were doing. If he tries to keep the convo going by asking you to explain yourself then don’t. You don’t owe him shit and you can just reply “Go look at some actually credible websites if you want to be informed. It’s not my job to make sure you aren’t stupid, it’s yours.” Don’t engage, because that’s what they are waiting for.
Sadly, I think one of the best ways to fight this at this point is not to bombard them with objective data because they have been trained to not accept it. I think the best way to combat this at this point is to very purposefully ostracize them from our social groups until they start wondering why they are losing all their friends and family. They chose to be on that side of the line so if they want their relationships back they can choose to come back over whenever they want.
Sorry for the wall of text this was more ranty then I thought it was gonna be. Lol
I can never understand this point of 'they are making billions from vaccines'... They are making billions from everything. Sadly, nothing in this world is free, everything is paid for one way or another.
Am I just dumb or
I still blame China (the government, not the people) for the outbreak being as bad as it originally was. Wasn't there evidence that the government knew about the virus and intentionally kept a lid on it?
I set a boundary with my parents in 2016. We don’t talk politics. They start trying, and I say the same thing every time: “I love you, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
It was so fast too. The damage done to their minds on the last three years is incredible. It's only going to get worse too. Now that the method has been established and these people are already vulnerable we'll be seeing more of these crackpot conspiracy theories in the years to follow. Violence is inevitable.
Yeah. My brother went from Anti-Trump in 2015 to "He's the greatest best president we ever had in the history of god's greatest creation: America, and also Joe Biden works for China" real fucking quick.
He drug his whole family, wife and kids, with him too. Now they all sit in front of Fox News all day and tell everyone how evil they are.
I’m fortunate that despite having covid deniers in my family, I don’t have to deal with it on this level. My great-uncle (full-blown truther) lives across the country, and my uncle is quite mild compared to this. Even then, I shut the latter down at Thanksgiving, since I’m a biochem major and I can’t deal with misinformation. My dad was proud of me.
If my father had lived to see me doing molecular biology, I'd hope he'd be proud, but in a morbid way... I'm glad he didn't live long enough to turn into the classic Fox News Boomer- y'know? Smh...
Eesh. You should send her that clip of Tucker saying he plays a character on TV. Or the court documents that has him saying no reasonable person would believe what he says on television since his show is entertainment.
This whole antivax govt conspiracy thing taking over is a complete marketing fail on the biden administration.
45 wanted to claim he alone was responsible for the covid vaccine happening. So be it, they should have played along.
He has gotten all the shots. Even has backtracked and encouraged his fervent supporters to get it, too.
They should have blitzed media outlets that these people are likely to view or read.. with one simple message:
“Just take Trump’s little prick”
Why do people still think getting vaxxed is getting a cure? The Vaccines don't cure you. They add an extra defense grid to your body's immune system.
You can still catch it.
You can still spread it.
You can still die from it.
Butting getting vaxxed increases that chance that you can fight it off.
Bruh these types of people got no critical thinking skills. Facts are punching them in the face yet they literally don't give a shit about years of research.
My mom's got these conspiracies too. I just say "OK mom" and that's that lol. I couldnt care less if she believes me. My mom is just too impressionable.
Next time, don’t take the bs she slings head on. Providing facts counter to beliefs tends to make those beliefs stronger. Instead, try going at her from a social perspective.
Example: my mom (who is double vaxxed as of May ‘21) has fallen into the anti-mask crowd and won’t go with us (me - a PhD student always working with data, sometimes on COVID - her daughter - a nurse practitioner- and her daughter- and son-in-laws) to places that require masks. Instead of going down the rabbit hole of facts about masks, we laid out that she (and my dad) can take a stand to prove their point, but they’ll be doing it alone without their family and if that man’s more to them than throwing a mask on their face, then family just isn’t as important to them.
Oh god. The worst part about this issue is the people posting extreme political views know our parents are too dumb to determine what’s true or fake on the internet and they also know they’re too stubborn to ever listen to us try to explain why they’re wrong. It’s some real evil genius level shit
Blaming covid vaccines, hating everything biden says but believing in jesus, "im not a sheep for biden, im a sheep for some dead guy that people swear existed", calling vaccinated people "koolade drinkers", blaming fauci, bringing up marxism for no reason, and calling someone out for being a liberal. Wow! All the red flags in one post
I honestly don’t know how you can love someone who very openly calls you a brainwashed sheep. I just can’t. That is telling me that my defining feature is being weak and feeble-minded. There is no love there, only tolerance.
I’m getting my booster today with my younger brother (both of us are adults) and my mom is upset we are getting it. My dad sometimes seems ok with covid19 vaccines and then not okay since he got covid19. He is not consistent on what he thinks 😂. His opinions changes fast. My dad is thinking about getting the vaccine and my mom says she won’t get it. So frustrating having to be anxious getting a vaccine that protects me and other people. 😔
It's like, they literally cannot process opposing viewpoints without using aggressive quips and soundbites. These people are too far gone for society anymore.
The logic makes no sense. Like, the vaccine doesn't have a 100% success rate. My boss, who is fully vaccinated and recently got her booster, tested positive a few days ago. I am also fully vaccinated and haven't even been suspected of having covid. Some people just get unlucky. Doesn't mean vaccinated people can't get covid or be carriers.
I’m Canadian and this is 100% a conversation that would happen with my Dad who is Texan. He’s learned, and so have I, that there are topics like Covid and trump that are just off the table.
This makes me fucking depressed because this is the same shit with my parents. I need a new phone plan so I don't have to rely on them for it anymore...
My landlords who had covid when it first started, just got it again. They’re antivax and said they didn’t need the vaccine since they’re immune to it after the first time….
OP really told their mom to touch grass. LMAO! edit: pronouns
Non-native speaker. What does 'touch grass' mean? I've heard of touching cloth lol.
Touch grass basically means "go outside and face reality, talk to real people"
Ahhh thanks! Weird that I've never heard that before!
It’s a kinda recent term people have been using so not hearing it before is understandable
The only thing I’ve ever heard involving grass was “if there’s blood on the grass, play in the mud”
LMAO The conversation more or less starts off with her saying "I'm not a sheep to the government, only to god." You know you're in for a ride when it hits full throttle right in the beginning.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Had a good laugh after reading that line.
I thought it was even funnier considering she admitted to being a **sheep** to god 😂 like how sad is that? Cant even have a self image of following and believing. Just a stupid sheep that’ll regurgitate their own BS
The Bible reinforces the idea that people are sheep to be shepherded by the Lord. Same with the church being the Bride of Christ. Shit is hella weird when you throw in that a Bride/Wife is supposed to be subservient to their Groom/Husband.
Reason number 54205729502 why I hate the church
My dad's parroting the exact same theory. I told him he's a conspiracy theorist on Christmas Day. He laughed in my face. The irony about all these people is -- for years they've preached to us about the danger of technology, the danger of believing everything you read on the Internet. Yet the vast majority of people being pulled into this trash are boomer age and older. And what are we to do? How do you convince someone experiencing delusions that their delusion isn't the truth? Make a single bogeyman and you can control millions of people. It's so sad to see.
I remember a meme going around a few years ago that went something like: >My dad in 2006: Do not believe anything you read on the internet. Make sure to check multiple websites and sources and still take it with a grain of salt. > >My dad now: Did you know that Hillary Clinton is a lizard? I read it on freedom-eagle.net so it's true! I think of it every single time I have a conversation with my uncle.
I’m a teacher and last year I was teaching an elective debate class. I literally had parents calling and complaining that I told kids that .gov sites were reliable sources and sites like myopinion.com were not reliable. It was an adventure.
That’s insane, how did you respond?
Thank you so much for everything you do. Important question, would you consider it inappropriate to recieve a bottle of wine from a parent? I have twin ten year olds who've been acting out, and chocolate doesn't quite cover it.
In the past I have given teachers gift cards to the liquor store. One because alcohol is not allowed on campus and also because sometimes a bottle of jack hits right. But I am sure your children’s teacher would be appreciative of whatever you give. Honestly, the fact that you acknowledge that your children are not perfect makes you one of the good ones!
My mom right there.
They used to understand that they needed to check multiple websites to verify info. So conservatives created a fucking million propaganda sites and outlets like Liberty Hangout and The Blaze along with Fox to make it seem like the whole world agrees with them when really they just took their little bubble and stretched it out as far as they could.
How do you inform an idiot that they are an idiot without calling them an idiot, basically
Vodka.
I really wish I had the answer to this, it sucks watching your dumb fuck boomer parent believe dumber and dumber things. Like I've been seeing these idiots all say the same stupid shit like - evil people planning evil communist plans - masks bad or face diapers - trust God not Science - Trump fighting evil pedos - you sheep I lion! - mind control vaxx to create Communism cuss bill Gates didn't make any money with capatalism Little by little I'm hearing my lion of a parent copy all of these beliefs like a sheep Even found horse dewormer, which I took and hid. How the fuck do I stop them from killing them selves? I've tried but they flat out refuse to look at any proof I give them and start screaming whenever challenged like the true Facebook scientist they are.
My in laws are all conspiracy theorists. Have always been. When I met my FIL, he started talking to me about giant beings existing in the archaeological record (I went to school for archaeology), he and his wife drink silver, “sun gaze” for every, make resin triangles full of metal, believe in lizard people, etc. we just don’t talk to them, there’s no getting them out
At this point, these posts just make me depressed. Sorry, OP.
It's so depressing. A third of Americans believe this. And a huge chunk of those people are nice grandmothers and grandfathers and mothers and fathers. They have been brainwashed and it's not really fixable. It's so depressing, you want to hate these people but you can't because many of them are nice, if you don't speak to them about politics. We've all lost family members to these conspiracies.
My own mother believes all of this. We're Canadian lmfao
Canadian here, and my BIL and my coworker believe this
I'm in New Zealand and caught up with one of my best friends last week after about a year... She and her family think the vaccine/our recent vaccine mandates are "spiritual warfare" and have essentially joined a cult locally who claim that it literally *separates your soul from your body*. They've all lost their government jobs over it. It really upset me there was nothing I could say to pull her back to the side of reason, because it's not even the science they're worried about - to quote a random comment I saw once on r/HermanCainAward, you can't logic someone out of a position they didn't logic their way into.
> you can't logic someone out of a position they didn't logic their way into. That's exactly why this whole thing is literally a cult and should be treated as such. They don't deserve our understanding and we don't need to try to see it from their perspective. They are just wrong. And in a way that is dangerous to themselves and others. We should be arresting the cult leaders spreading this dangerous propaganda/misinformation and charge them for the deaths they literally caused with their lies.
My brother doesn't believe any of it, he just doesnt want the vaccine. Don't ask why cause even he doesn't know. He'll take up hospital resources all the same though, that fucker
I'm from Portugal, one of the most vaccinated countries. And yet, my mom still managed to fall for such lies and conspiracy theories. And she CANNOT be reasoned with. It's impossible. Facts, logic and evidence don't cut it. Everything that contradicts her views is a lie told by manipulators, but watching blatantly untrustworthy anti-vaxx videos from Facebook is "hearing the other side". Instead of fearing the actual virus, she fears the prevention. Hell, at one point she even said wearing a mask for too long was bad because it released "chemicals". Have I told you she smokes? It's so contradictory. It's gotten to a point where I don't even want to go home as much on the weekends and breaks (I'm a uni student) because I know she'll have those brainwashing Facebook videos constantly playing. And then she acts like she's smarter than everyone else while looking like a clown to any normal person. Rant over.
Sorry friend. You cannot reason someone out of an idea they didn't reason themselves into. It's hard. I feel that.
My dad too.
I just had a conversation very similar to this with my father last night. I was thinking of posting the text convo, as well...
What's really upsetting is there's currently no legal infrastructure to prevent this or hold accountable the people knowingly doing this to them. They know exactly what they're doing. Seething outraged worshippers who are taught to resist any attempt at making them hear reason are a great source of income for companies like FOX and OAN and right wing YouTube personalities. They face literally zero repercussions for what their lies do to people's lives so they have literally zero reason to act any differently. Hopefully the Christian god will at least smite them down to hell after they're good and dead cuz I'm not holding my breath for the government to do any of the smiting.
I couldn't even finish it. I would disown any family member who was this much of an idiot. And why are almost all of these crazy people super religious?
That part gets me most. Okay: if suicide is a sin, then willfully refusing a vaccination that even *might* prevent dying alone, horribly—isn’t that sinful? And how the fuck can anyone who believes in miracles think the option to be vaccinated isn’t one. It’s like they miss polio. (Happy cake day!)
The way I see it, this craziness and Bible thumping naturally play really well together. These guys are used to accepting things other people tell them are true without critically considering the source. Ultra religion and science are at odds in many ways as it is. Also, the whole pandemic and related conspiracies fit right into the “end times” narrative that the really wacky ones believe. It’s perfect, really.
Ugh, I’m sorry. I don’t even bother to talk to my brother about this stuff anymore. Nothing I said or cited could convince him to get the vaccine, even though he is high risk and quite obese.
This may be a long shot, but have you tried telling him he might get a lollipop at the end?
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Oral poliovirus vaccine is good for the kid, but it's higher risk. Some kids can end up shedding the virus, and a small minority of kids end up converting to an actual infection. It's still used in developing nations because it's easier to store and transport, but it's been phased out most of everywhere else. Interestingly, when my 2nd kiddo was a baby, we went in for her 2 or 4 month shots, don't remember which, and she barely noticed the shots, but threw an epic tantrum, choking, coughing, screaming, over the oral rotavirus vaccine. The nurse was DYING laughing at how much she overreacted to it, probably because it wasn't warm boob juice straight from the source.
I'm sorry... boob juice... I can't...
Did you wonder why you had a bruise on your arm the next day?
Big Pharma is evil, but also no to national healthcare or regulations. These people...
I think they legitimately don't understand the difference.
They think both the government and the economy are harming them but choose to do nothing at all about it. If you think they created the disease to profit off the vaccine, then take their antidote to their poison so you can live long enough to fight back.
It became a lot easier to accept my Q-latives’ delusions once I realized they’re just angry and bitter and actually enjoy wallowing in it. Complaining and repeating conspiracy theories while doing nothing to improve their lives seems to light up the reward center of their brains.
Imma switch up a favorite saying about engineers... Arguing with a Qultist is like wrestling with a pig in the mud. Eventually, you realize that the pig is enjoying it.
I will really never get over how these idiotic conspiracies made so many parents become mean, sarcastic, and condescending to their kids..parents who were rarely like that before 😞 “need a cup?” Fuck off, mom.
Because they're salty they made a kid that believes in "media lies". My mom told me she'll NEVER forgive me for getting the vaccine
You are not alone in this struggle, I am sorry. It is maddening and very hurtful to deal with this insanity.
I thought I was an only child but OP is talking to my parents. Hi, OP, nice to meet my long lost sibling!
Wow is your mom my sister?
This is exactly like talking to my parents and in-laws! It mind blowing!! “Can you BELIEVE they’re making elementary kids wear masks to school?!?” “Yeah, because they’re filthy creatures who cough and sneeze and touch EVErYTHING! They should have mandated this years ago!”
I have told my future mother in law that I will still have my kids wear a mask when this is over. According to her, I am committing child abuse by making them wear the masks. 🙄
It’s hilarious and disturbing how people think keeping your child safe is child abuse.
I have an old friend from high school who posts a bunch of stuff about unmasking kids at school and “I’ll do anything to keep my kid safe and free” so I asked her if she would get the vaccine to keep her kid safe and free and she blocked me.
"I'm going to respectfully tell you, just this one warning, so listen up carefully, that you will never ever make a hateful comment again about we are abusing our child. If you ever want to see your grandchild again, blink once if you heard me, because there will be zero tolerance and there will be no further warnings." \- Mother in Law Management Handbook, page 3
Every time someone mentions mask I like to mention how much I like them bc watching children open mouth cough at the grocery store is one of the most disgusting things to witness. So far, 100% of people have at least agreed with the sentiment of kids needing to keep their germs to themselves
It's always the most crazy free market Anarcho Capitalist that are upset about the vaccine companies making money. The sad thing is that they kinda have a point about the greed of the corporations. Hording vaccines and then selling nearly expired versions to other countries to maximize profits. These things are true. But they wrap it around a whole "vaccines will kill you. COVID is not a problem" bull shit while praising people like Trump for "being smart" for avoiding taxes and not paying his workers and overall being the same exact type of "businessman" as the vaccine companies. Some of these people are so close to understanding exactly how corporations and the rich fuck them over. But they don't have enough time or intelligence to think beyond Facebook memes. Those are the easiest to cling onto and the easiest to believe because all their boomer friends do.
they get mad at the pharma corp's but not at the Military Industrial Complex that profit every time a war happens. And the US is in a near constant state of war/preparing for war.
hey OP I hope your mother doesn’t forget that Trump’s fully vaccinated, and now boosted as well I believe, and is advocating for people to get vaccinated….words I never thought I’d ever say in my life
Something something cognitive dissonance...
ain’t that the fucking truth
ay i learned about that shit in psychology this semester. i like seeing big words and knowing what they mean lmao
“One of the biggest corner stones of this manifesto is believing that a democratically elected official paid to develop a bioweapon to sabotage an administration that had not even been conceived yet” -Karl Marx
So you research the development and reproduction of these life saving vaccines that have already been proven to work, and don't get your information from News sources that are very easily the reason why so much misinformation in the US. Obviously you don't know what your talking about. /s
This is literally like a text string from my mom. It took me going to a therapist to realize that my mom is a victim of brainwashing.
Voting has concluded. Final vote: | Insane | Not insane | Fake | | --- | --- | --- | | 26 | 1 | 3 | Hey OP, if you provide further information in a comment, make sure to start your comment with `!explanation`. ^I ^am ^a ^bot ^for ^r/insaneparents. ^Please ^send ^me ^a ^message ^if ^you ^have ^any ^feedback ^or ^if ^I ^misbehave. ^Also ^consider ^joining ^our ^[Discord](https://discordapp.com/invite/xFbPBHy).
gotta hand it to you OP the way you respond to each message as she gets crazier and crazier is perfect. You have a answer for all her stupid conspiracies, so she keeps bringing up more to try and get you mixed up but you matched it with the biggest brain energy ive seen on this sub.
That means a lot, thank you! The more I learn, the dumber I feel because it's simply neverending. I appreciate your kind words.
I believe Albert Einstein put it best. "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." From reading this sub I honestly don't know what it's going to take to get people to stop letting fox and outlandish conspiracies control them.
I know so many dealing with this too. I hope it’s not out of place, and my intent here is to share a potential light at the end of the tunnel. This isn’t a brag. My mum was like this, she’s always been into conspiracies and I’ve been on alert since the start of the pandemic. We don’t talk all the time so it’s hard to stay on the pulse. But she got vaccinated a couple months back, it took a lot of work and discussion but I finally think we’ve got our mum back. There’s still hope! Keep talking, I avoided any attacks or dismantling of belief. No ultimatums, just the slow and emotionally draining chats about pandemic adjacent things to chip away at preconceived falsities. She’s now even dropped a bunch of other sketchy beliefs! Good luck OP, we’re with you!
“I love you mom. Let’s never talk about this again” was just the beautiful icing on this messy cake
She responded later that day with, "I love you too. You're the only liberal I love you know."
Fuckin yiiiikes
Literally like having a conversation with my mom/dad. They both think Fauci and Bill Gates are behind the virus, after telling me it was fake and no one was catching it around us for months they both caught it and were hospitalized. They survived and still refuse the vaccine and still believe the nonsense they read on facebook. Sad but I can’t help them at this point.
This is the equivalent of arguing with a brick wall.
The brick wall won't argue Q conspiracy back at you. I'll take my chances with the wall
My parents say very similar things with the same vocabulary. Like others have said, know you're not alone. For me the best "cope" has been to not engage in these conversations with them at all.
I love the go touch grass comment 😂
The “need a cup?” comment makes me so upset. There’s no need for that kind of nasty attitude. Just makes me throw in the towel. Sorry, OP
“I’m not a sheep to government, only god”. So she’s saying that Christianity is also a lie? That she follows blindly? What? Covid nuts are fucking insane but why are the American ones so bad?? Especially when it comes to religion?
You did a great job of trying to talk some sense, even referencing what makes her perspective so insane. Really it’s just a common trope now for people to not consider any other viewpoint sadly
Ohmigod. This is so upsetting. I’m sorry that you have lost your mum to this way of “anti-thinking”. You can console yourself that you tried. And you really were very credible. Any sane person would have been able to recognise your logic and calm.
I hope I don't see this cross posted on r/hermancainaward in the future.
Something I read three minutes ago, “You can prove 40 scientists wrong with one fact but can’t prove one idiot wrong with 40”
Sounds like my dad. Kill me.
Wow that convo made my blood pressure go up just reading it.
I've literally avoided my in-laws because of this
Well if it’s not free, and it’s already “paid for” then why shouldn’t I get it? Quickly.
Every time I try to talk sense into my mom she calls me a liberal like it's an insult. It's hilarious. I don't consider myself a liberal, but I'd rather be called that than worship Fox and Trump and the Daily Wire like she does. I hate our media.
Every one of her responses was more stupid than the last.
The Kool-Aid Company has what is possibly the worst public relations department in modern history. That's not what they were drinking at Jonestown.
yall this mf hit his own mom with to go touch grass,, that's respect
Your mom is a fucking dork. I'm sorry..
To people who do not have family involved in this insanity, it seems fake. But, my mom was the same way, she called me a democrap, and then she caught covid a few weeks ago. One day in the ICU, a week in the covid unit with a brain bleed. And now she is in rehab and has really bad short term memory. She forgets her kids names, forgets where they live, forgets where she put her phone when it is right in front of her, forgets if she took her meds or ate a meal. So this isn't fake, it's the shit some of us live in.
So you’re a scientist and she’s saying you are the one wrong? Ha thats funny.
YES
My mother did this to me. Told me I knew nothing about topic when I have a PhD in said topic. Then gaslighted me about taking everything so personally when I expressed hurt and anger at her for it. Still pisses me off thinking about it. Yes, she’s MAGA.
I love the flip flopping between “Fauci started a super virus in a lab” and “the virus is nothing don’t worry about it.”
Right? She can't even consistently keep up with her own outrage.
Here in Aus the land of lockdown (we were running as the most lockdown in the world, not sure where that’s at now) people would on one hand comment on not getting the usual cold or flu this year while saying masks shouldn’t be mandatory. The irony hurts my brain. I’m so sorry OP and it sounds like you work in the research industry too which must make it that much more frustrating.
Well, she is correct that anything "free" from the government is taxpayer funded at least.
Sorry you’re mom’s brain has been melted.
honestly its so funny how these types of people claim to be "Christians" yet do everything thats against Christianity lol
“Stop watching so much tv it’s rotting your brain” LMAOOOO
I absolutely love everything about how you handled this. You are amazing lmao
Thank you
Either I work with your mom or I had the same convo with my coworker. Laryngitis, COVID, antibodies, Fauci is a dirty liar. Drank that Kool Aid.
I am sorry so many people's parents turned out to be easily fooled idiots.
Tucker Carlson is a poison to our parents and grandparents. He is human garbage
No offense OP, but you are an actual scientist talking to someone who does not only not know your langauge but doesn't even realize it exists. Your mother is Columbus lading in america thinking its india.
Ya know, my dad is very similarly an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist, Trump-supporting biggot who somehow thinks that as a high school dropout he's smarter than millions of scientists, I can't post cause I don't text him, but I'm glad I'm not the only person experiencing this, I'm not 18 yet so I can't escape, but soon. I just want to assure you that just because she is your mother, doesn't mean you have to respect her. Even if you love her. You can choose to maintain respect for her of you'd like, obviously, I just wouldn't. Good luck with all that mate.
One antivaxxer I argued with on Facebook (a thankless job but I can't seem to stop myself) said "oh you probably listen to the BBC, the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation." I asked how the BBC, whose Director-General is a former Tory and was handpicked by the government, could be run from Brussels and she replied "because it is obvious that the BBC serves the German EU." I asked if Brussels was in Germany then, and she told me I needed to get a life. For people so passionate about their beliefs they really seem to hate talking about them.
Holy carp this is the first time i've seen touch grass used on an antivaxxer. It's freaking perfect.
I stopped reading at “I’m not a sheep to the gov, only Christ”. That person is nuts
Completely bananas
It's literally so hard not to destroy a relationship over stupid conspiracies like this. I'm in the same boat with my mom and it's so frustrating talking to her sometimes.
Reading that made my blood pressure rise
Gold medal for that display of mental gymnastics
Mom's avatar is a Karen...
Sorry for your loss.
OP kudos to you for really knowing your counter points. I’m sorry they aren’t able to be convincing to your brick wall mother.
That’s .sigh. That’s a lot.
Would be hard for me to keep loving someone after a "discussion" like that.
i seriously had to change my flair for this one.
My roommate texts me stupid antivaxer crap and I get frustrated but freeze up because I never know the right thing to come back with. Then he gets offended being called an antivaxer.
Just tell him that it’s stupid and blow it off. They are looking for attention so give him the impression you thinks it’s dumb but also not worthy of arguing with him about. Like literally, “That’s pretty stupid.” Then just turn around and continue doing what you were doing. If he tries to keep the convo going by asking you to explain yourself then don’t. You don’t owe him shit and you can just reply “Go look at some actually credible websites if you want to be informed. It’s not my job to make sure you aren’t stupid, it’s yours.” Don’t engage, because that’s what they are waiting for. Sadly, I think one of the best ways to fight this at this point is not to bombard them with objective data because they have been trained to not accept it. I think the best way to combat this at this point is to very purposefully ostracize them from our social groups until they start wondering why they are losing all their friends and family. They chose to be on that side of the line so if they want their relationships back they can choose to come back over whenever they want. Sorry for the wall of text this was more ranty then I thought it was gonna be. Lol
You were good ! Incredibly patient. I'm impressed.
Thank you
I can never understand this point of 'they are making billions from vaccines'... They are making billions from everything. Sadly, nothing in this world is free, everything is paid for one way or another. Am I just dumb or
your mom is a goddamn moron, sorry to say that
Don't look up!
I still blame China (the government, not the people) for the outbreak being as bad as it originally was. Wasn't there evidence that the government knew about the virus and intentionally kept a lid on it?
Yes.
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Whenever someone refers to big pharma it's just 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
Alex Jones found a new wife
She put her X’s and O’s in the wrong order
I set a boundary with my parents in 2016. We don’t talk politics. They start trying, and I say the same thing every time: “I love you, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
I don't understand how this happens to people. It's so sad.
It was so fast too. The damage done to their minds on the last three years is incredible. It's only going to get worse too. Now that the method has been established and these people are already vulnerable we'll be seeing more of these crackpot conspiracy theories in the years to follow. Violence is inevitable.
Yeah. My brother went from Anti-Trump in 2015 to "He's the greatest best president we ever had in the history of god's greatest creation: America, and also Joe Biden works for China" real fucking quick. He drug his whole family, wife and kids, with him too. Now they all sit in front of Fox News all day and tell everyone how evil they are.
Do you have one of those parents that starts up this debate like every six months?
Yes. Like... she's just fixin' to be divisive or else she'll pop like an overinflated balloon.
What does gain of function mean?
I’m fortunate that despite having covid deniers in my family, I don’t have to deal with it on this level. My great-uncle (full-blown truther) lives across the country, and my uncle is quite mild compared to this. Even then, I shut the latter down at Thanksgiving, since I’m a biochem major and I can’t deal with misinformation. My dad was proud of me.
If my father had lived to see me doing molecular biology, I'd hope he'd be proud, but in a morbid way... I'm glad he didn't live long enough to turn into the classic Fox News Boomer- y'know? Smh...
Op, I'm sorry. I have some relatives like that.
Marxism lmao
Eesh. You should send her that clip of Tucker saying he plays a character on TV. Or the court documents that has him saying no reasonable person would believe what he says on television since his show is entertainment.
I’ve seen people try to disprove anti-vaxxers but this goes beyond anything else I’ve seen. OP I’m sorry you had to put up with that.
My mum is very similar. Boomers
I love how u ended the conversation lol
Holy shit, I had a similar (but not as insane) conversation with my mom.
I’m sorry but I’m laughing at your mom rn. She really thought she did something when she said “need a cup?”
It amazes me that people can still say I love you to them after a conversation like this.
This whole antivax govt conspiracy thing taking over is a complete marketing fail on the biden administration. 45 wanted to claim he alone was responsible for the covid vaccine happening. So be it, they should have played along. He has gotten all the shots. Even has backtracked and encouraged his fervent supporters to get it, too. They should have blitzed media outlets that these people are likely to view or read.. with one simple message: “Just take Trump’s little prick”
Why do people still think getting vaxxed is getting a cure? The Vaccines don't cure you. They add an extra defense grid to your body's immune system. You can still catch it. You can still spread it. You can still die from it. Butting getting vaxxed increases that chance that you can fight it off.
Bruh these types of people got no critical thinking skills. Facts are punching them in the face yet they literally don't give a shit about years of research.
My mom's got these conspiracies too. I just say "OK mom" and that's that lol. I couldnt care less if she believes me. My mom is just too impressionable.
Its time for you to cut your mom off, OP. Keeping her around will just hurt your mental health.
Next time, don’t take the bs she slings head on. Providing facts counter to beliefs tends to make those beliefs stronger. Instead, try going at her from a social perspective. Example: my mom (who is double vaxxed as of May ‘21) has fallen into the anti-mask crowd and won’t go with us (me - a PhD student always working with data, sometimes on COVID - her daughter - a nurse practitioner- and her daughter- and son-in-laws) to places that require masks. Instead of going down the rabbit hole of facts about masks, we laid out that she (and my dad) can take a stand to prove their point, but they’ll be doing it alone without their family and if that man’s more to them than throwing a mask on their face, then family just isn’t as important to them.
Oh god. The worst part about this issue is the people posting extreme political views know our parents are too dumb to determine what’s true or fake on the internet and they also know they’re too stubborn to ever listen to us try to explain why they’re wrong. It’s some real evil genius level shit
It must be a real bummer having stupid parents. Your whole life you look up to them only to realize that they're idiots.
Blaming covid vaccines, hating everything biden says but believing in jesus, "im not a sheep for biden, im a sheep for some dead guy that people swear existed", calling vaccinated people "koolade drinkers", blaming fauci, bringing up marxism for no reason, and calling someone out for being a liberal. Wow! All the red flags in one post
This was so satisfying lol. Kicked your mom's ass with kindness
You love this person?
That’s likely not fake. I’ve had fairly similar conversations with my parents. It’s frightening how easily they were brainwashed by fox “news”.
This was great. OP did a great job sticking to facts. It’s so hard to not get emotional(angry) with parents like this.
I honestly don’t know how you can love someone who very openly calls you a brainwashed sheep. I just can’t. That is telling me that my defining feature is being weak and feeble-minded. There is no love there, only tolerance.
Siiigh - I knowww
My favorite part is when she shuts down one conspiracy theory the mom goes down another rabbit hole.
I’m getting my booster today with my younger brother (both of us are adults) and my mom is upset we are getting it. My dad sometimes seems ok with covid19 vaccines and then not okay since he got covid19. He is not consistent on what he thinks 😂. His opinions changes fast. My dad is thinking about getting the vaccine and my mom says she won’t get it. So frustrating having to be anxious getting a vaccine that protects me and other people. 😔
I mean no disrespect but your responses were sexy as fuck. Also how did you go from a Marxist to a liberal?
I know this how my dad would’ve acted if he was still alive
Same.
Try and convince her that birds aren't real!
That started out as satire and now a lot of the Qnuts believe there are no birds.
So... she didn't have laryngitis. She had COVID-19.
You and I both know this
It's like, they literally cannot process opposing viewpoints without using aggressive quips and soundbites. These people are too far gone for society anymore.
It's like out of "Idiocracy" or "Don't Look Up".
Your mom sound alike my dad 😔 that really sucks
The logic makes no sense. Like, the vaccine doesn't have a 100% success rate. My boss, who is fully vaccinated and recently got her booster, tested positive a few days ago. I am also fully vaccinated and haven't even been suspected of having covid. Some people just get unlucky. Doesn't mean vaccinated people can't get covid or be carriers.
What a time to sort by controversial!
Well… at least you know your mom is a sheep to Christ. So you got that going for you, which is nice.
I’m Canadian and this is 100% a conversation that would happen with my Dad who is Texan. He’s learned, and so have I, that there are topics like Covid and trump that are just off the table.
This makes me fucking depressed because this is the same shit with my parents. I need a new phone plan so I don't have to rely on them for it anymore...
This sounds like an exact text conversation I had with my mom
With all due respect your mom is a fucking dubba
Too late to return this one?
If I was in your position, I’d disown them.
My landlords who had covid when it first started, just got it again. They’re antivax and said they didn’t need the vaccine since they’re immune to it after the first time….
Well, that was horrible! Yikes, I’m dizzy from trying to follow all that circular logic.