WEIRD...IT SEEMS OUR RESPONSE TO THOSE TIMES...CAN SOMETIMES
GET WEIRDER.
SOME OF US ARE QUICK
TO EXPLAIN AWAY A CRISIS
AS A CONSPIRACY.
WITH COVID-19...IT'S BEEN
A LONG TIME OF BEING
LOCKED DOWN...AND A
LOT OF US LEFT ALONE
WITH OUR
THOUGHTS...AND ACCESS
TO THE INTERNET.
THIS WEEK...THOSE
THEORIES HAVE RAMPED
UP...SOME NEW
ONES...SOME OLD ONES.
LIKE THIS QUESTION
FROM DENNIS...WHO
ASKED YESTERDAY...
IS IT TRUE THE
GOVERNMENT
REIMBURSES EACH
HOSPITAL 13-THOUSAND
DOLLARS FOR EACH
COVID DEATH?
IT'S A QUESTION THAT
WAS FIRST BROUGHT UP
BACK IN APRIL...AND SINCE
HAS STIRRED UP A LOT OF
SUSPICIONS.
AND THE ANSWER ISN'T A
SIMPLE YES OR NO.
YES...HOSPITALS GET
MONEY FOR COVID
DEATHS.
BUT THOSE MEDICARE
PAYMENTS ARE BASED ON
FIXED RATES HOSPITALS
ALREADY GET PAID FOR
OTHER PATIENTS WITH
SIMILAR RESPIRATORY
ILLNESSES.
SO, NO...IT'S NOT PART OF
A SINISTER PLOT TO
INFLATE NUMBERS OR
MAKE MONEY.
BUT WHEN THAT EXTRA
PAYMENT WAS FIRST
BROUGHT UP...IT WAS
PERPETUATED ON SOCIAL
MEDIA AS A REASON WE
ARE SEEING HIGH
NUMBERS OF REPORTED
COVID DEATHS.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
JUST WENT WITH IT.
CONSPIRACY
THEORIES...THEY'RE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES...THEY'RE ENOUGH TO DRIVE
ANYONE CRAZY.
SO WE THOUGHT WE'D
SEEK SOME PROFESSIONAL
HELP TO EXPLAIN.
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD.
THIS PANDEMIC WAS
PLANNED.
EXCEPT IT WASN'T...AS SO
MANY HAVE ALREADY
POKED
POKED HOLES IN THAT THEORY. BUT THAT'S NOT THE
POINT.
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE
PRONE TO ACCEPT
CONSPIRACY
THEORIES...AS FACT?
"THERE'S WHAT THE
PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL,
REFER TO AS
CONFIRMATION BIAS WE
HAVE A VERY STRONG
TENDENCY TO SEE THOSE
THINGS INT HE WORLD
THAT CONFIRM WHAT WE
ALREADY THINK AND
BELIEVE AND TO
DISCOUNT THOSE THINGS
THAT DON'T FIT INTO
WHAT WE THINK AND
BELIEVE."
"IN A GROUP CONTEXT
THAT'S HIGHLY
REINFORCED."
"IT JUST MAKES LIFE A LOT
EASIER IF YOU START WITH
OTHER PEOPLE WITH A
LOT OF SHARED
ASSUMPTIONS, YOU
DON'T HAVE TO BE
NEGOTIATING AND
DISCUSSING EVERY LITTLE
THING."
"BUT THE KEY POINT IS
THESE PERCEPTIONS ARE
ALWAYS PARTIAL, THEY'RE
ALWAYS PARTIAL, THEY'RE
ALWAYS INCOMPLETE."
"AND EACH OF THESE
TEAMS SEES ONLY THE
PART, A PART OF REALITY,
EACH OF THOSE TEAMS IS
CONVINCED THAT THE
PART THEY ARE SEEING IS
ALL OF REALITY."
"WHAT IS IT ABOUT
SOMEBODY'S
MIND...WHAT PREVENT
PEOPLE FROM ACCEPTING
THE SIMPLEST
EXPLANATION AND NOT
ALWAYS TWISTING IT INTO
SOMETHING MORE
GRANDIOSE?"
GRANDIOSE?"
"THERE'S
"THERE'S A VERY POWERFUL FORCE INSIDE OF EACH OF US TO SEE
OURSELVES IN THE RIGHT,
AND THERE A VERY
POWERFUL CONSEQUENT
FORCE TO KEEP
OURSELVES IN THE RIGHT,
IT'S JUST SO HUMAN."
"WE'VE
"WE'VE BUILT A LIFE THAT IS FROM S CERTAIN VIEW POINT THAT AGAIN FOR
ALL OF US IS PARTIAL TO
ABANDON THAT IS
ALMOST UNTHINKABLE, I
MEAN THAT'S LIKE
JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE
WITHOUT A PARACHUTE
THAT IS FREEFALL...I CAN'T
IMAGINE SEEING IT LIKE
THAT CAUSE THOSE ARE
ALL HORRIBLE PEOPLE ON
THAT TEAM AND I'M NOT
GOING TO JOIN THEM
HOW CAN I POSSIBLY SEE
THE WORLD."
"WELL DR HOOPES I
BELIEVE THAT KIND OF
COVERS IT BUT THIS HAS
BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND I
BELIEVE OUR TIME IS UP
AND I THINK SAME TIME
NEXT WEEK."
DOCTOR HOOPES TOLD
US
US THOSE
US THOSE EXTREME TEAMS...ONLY MAKE UP ABOUT EIGHT TO 12
PERCENT ON EITHER SIDE
OF THE SPECTRUM.
BUT THEY ARE USUALLY
THE MOST PASSIONATE
ABOUT THEIR
PERCEPTIONS.
MOST OF US ARE IN THE
MIDDLE...AND IT'S NOT SO
FUN TO BE PASSIONATE
ABOUT MODERATION.
WE'VE SAID IT BEFORE
AND WE'LL SAY IT
AGAIN...BEFORE YOU LIKE,
RETWEET, OR SHARE
SOMETHING WITH YOUR
SOCIAL MEDIA
FRIENDS...ASK
YOURSELF...DOES THIS
SEEM REASONABLE?
SOMETIMES THE SIMPLE
EXPLANATION...TAKES A
COUPLE OF SIMPLE