"Konspirationsteorier och covid-19: mekanismerna bakom en snabbväxande samhällsutmaning" by Andreas Önnerfors is a report published by MSB, a branch of the Swedish intelligence community. MSB is the agency responsible for countering "information warfare" from state and non-state actors. The report, published in April 2021, deals with conspiracy theories about COVID-19. MSB claims that the author is solely responsible for the contents.
Most of the study is pretty basic stuff, and need not concern us here. However, I noticed a few ironic twists and turns. For instance, in passing Önnerfors criticizes foreign non-state actors for attacking Sweden´s anti-COVID strategy, which is much less repressive than the favored line of action in the rest of the world. Since these actors are "Western" (for instance, German magazines), Önnerfors can´t really demand firm action against them, but it´s still intriguing that a report published in the name of a counter-psy-op agency mentions this as a problem! A more bizarre twist is that Abbie Richards´ "conspiracy chart" is included in the report. Richards, described as an "influencer", is a random 20-something college student who got "15 minutes of fame" when she reposted somebody else´s anti-QAnon content on her Twitter account. She also dances on TikTok and demands that golf courses be banned cuz climate change. Is the author of the report simping for this attractive young woman, or what? LOL.
At least two alt-media sites claim that Önnerfors is actually a Freemason, and even mention the lodges in which he is supposedly active. I admit that I don´t really care (it´s not the 18th century anymore), but it *does* look a bit peculiar that a Mason is responsible for a quasi-official government report attacking conspiracy theory! Another twist is that at least two conspiracy theories attacked in the study have been vindicated by further events (at least partially). One is the idea that the COVID virus may come from the Wuhan lab in China, considered a verboten conspiracy theory as long as Trump was POTUS, but now turned quasi-official truth by the Biden administration for reasons best known to themselves (unless it´s been memory-holed lately). The other is the idea that the pandemic is a "plandemic" the purpose of which is to establish totalitarian world control by mandatory vaccinations. I don´t think COVID is a literal planned pandemic (but note Biden Admin´s take on Wuhan), but mandatory vaccinations will soon become the law of the land in Austria and perhaps Germany, with EU "president" Ursula von der Leyen opining that all union member-states should impose it. It´s not easy to be a disinfo guy, it seems!
Inevitably, Önnerfors can´t explain why so many people believe in conspiracy theory. Or rather, while all or most of his stated explanations are probably true (such as emotionalist cognitive styles, identity-construction or even cynical elite propaganda), the elephant in the room - the existence of actual conspiracies - isn´t really discussed. Yet, there is an obvious correlation between the number of exposed true conspiracies and the number of conspiracy believers. Also, why are conspiracy theories such a huge "threat to democracy" today? Nobody complained about a post-truth world before, say, 2015.
From this gaping hole in the analysis follows that the author and MSB can´t really counter the conspiracy theories. Önnerfors pretends to "understand" the conspiracy believers, and test out some kind of love-bombing approach. Yes, he proposes that anti-conspiracists flood their social media accounts with positive pictures, perhaps of kittens. But at the same time, Önnerfors *very explicitly calls for social media censorship*, naturally from the side of the private corporations owning the sites. However, the constant attacks of the Biden administration on Facebook in particular, clearly shows that *the governments* are trying to shut down critical accounts and go after the people behind them. Does this guy seriously believe love-bombing anti-vaxxers, truthers, birthers, birchers and flat earthers will work if their free speech is simultaneously taken away by the very same "Illuminati-reptoid" establishment they think are responsible for the Conspiracy in the first place?
The only thing that can "save democracy" is a number of radical reforms to the system, a system that is obviously sick and sinking, and might even be beyond repair at some point in the future.
Absent that, the next crisis will see even more conspiracy theories...and even more conspiracy scenarios turning true.
We are already being "love bombed" to draw our minds away from crime-think. Its called being flooded with porn. E. Michael Jones take on it in "Libido dominandi" seems very Good. Havent red it but ive heard him discuss that book in various podcasts.
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