A rather simple but striking quote has always stuck with me: “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras”. You might have heard it reiterated one way or the other, but in its essence, it's a pretty straightforward one and means that you should always look for the simplest solution, because it’s most likely the right one. Just like Occam's Razor, it urges you to always think as simple and as logical as possible.
When it comes to conspiracy theories, however, you take Occam’s razor in your grubby mitts and throw it out of the window, because conspiracy theorists will take their time to either come up or spread with the most convoluted and complex theories possible. Reptilians, JFK, flat earth, MK ULTRA, aliens in the US government, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, D.B. Cooper, vaccines, chips, global warming, the Nazi base on the Moon, HAARP, Avril Lavigne’s twin double, there’s a conspiracy theory for just about anyone.
And 2020, as tumultuous it is, gave birth to another far-fetched conspiracy theory that’s threading the needle between dumb and insane. In case you’ve missed it, the hottest new conspiracy in 2020 revolves around 5G, vaccines, and former wealthiest person, Bill Gates himself. The paranoia, the herd mentality, cherry-picking facts that suit the conspiracy agenda, as well as the steady disregard for official scientific data have successfully fueled the anti-5G psychosis to new heights.
The 5G/COVID-19 conspiracy, explained
So, what’s this conspiracy theory all about?
According to the mindless conspiracy theorists, the EMF radiation caused by the newly-deployed 5G cell towers is causing all kinds of harm to the human body, and the large rollout of cellular technology is going to be the end-all doom of humankind, but that’s just one half of the equation. Talk about bad timing, but conspiracy theorists swear that 5G is seemingly directly linked to the worldwide spread of COVID-19, with the international lockdowns being a front for the Deep State to deploy 5G infrastructure worldwide without any public constraints. And why would the Deep State do that? Simple! The coronavirus vaccine that Bill Gates is developing in secret will seemingly contain nanoparticles and chips that will allow him to control the world thanks to the vaccine he developed. If that’s not enough, the 5G radiation is deemed sufficient to fry your brain.
Yep, my head is spinning already.
Theory #1
5G spreads coronavirus
It doesn't. There's zero sceintific evidence that electromagnetic fields, radio or cellular signals aid the spread of the microscopic SARS-CoV-2 virus which caused the pandemic.
Now, conspiracy theorists are quick to point out that coronavirus-related deaths and spread coincide with areas of mass deployment of 5G infrastructure. Well, of course - it would make sense that the coronavirus would affect areas with greater population density; at the same time, it's logical that the same high-density areas will be prioritized for the erection of 5G infrastructure. There's no Deep State infecting and killing people off by flipping the switch of the cell tower. Simple as that.
Theory #2
The COVID-19 pandemic was used as a cover to build 5G infrastructure "in secret"
Well, well, well, if it isn't Big Wireless and Big Pharma teaming up once again to make us all mindless drones with their nanoparticle-infested coronavirus vaccine! Surely, the timng between the deployment of 5G infrastructure and the COVID-19 pandemic was merely a coincidence. Period.
Theory #3
5G will fry our brains and give us cancer
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No, it won't. Not only because the FDA says so, but because it's backed by science of the official kind.
All wireless communications are carried by non-ionizing radiation, which has barely enough energy to vibrate atoms. On the other hand, ionizing radiation has enough energy to not only vibrate atoms and molecules but also ionize them, which could lead to adverse changes in DNA structure, and finally, lead to cancer. What are some examples of ionizing radiation? X-Ray, gamma rays, and ultraviolet radiation, like the one emitted by our very own Sun.
The scientific consensus regarding non-iodizing radiation, including 5G, is that it's safe. Even microwaves, which could physically warm you up during exposure, are not harmful in the long run as our skin acts as a barrier that doesn't let them excite the water in our cells and boil us from the inside. Then why is it deemed as the wireless Armageddon that will be the end-all of humanity? Blame the Russians. Almost all 5G conspiracy theories can be traced back to Bill P. Curry and propaganda fueled by Russian RT television network, which is owned and endorsed by the Russian government.
Bill P. Curry's study, "Microwave Absorption in Brain Tissue (Grey Matter)", investigated the absorption rate of microwave radiation of the human brain tissue. The results are concerning - the higher the radiation frequency, the higher the absorption rate of the grey matter. However, Curry made a fatal flaw. Can you spot it? Yep, that's right, it's "tissue" and not "a whole human head" - Curry didn't account for the shielding effect of the human skull and skill, both of which prevent said high-frequency radiation from harming our own grey matter. The skin acts as a sort of barrier that completely mitigates radiation and protects out internal organs and tissues from any harmful effects. If you ever plan on heading out of the house without your skull and skin, you might really be in some danger.
The graph that conspiracy theorists love to death. Sour
NY Times
On another note, 5G has been classified as "potentially carcinogenic", or 2B by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). You know what else has been classified as "potentially carcinogenic" by the IARC? Pickled vegetables and ginkgo biloba.
Not even joking
And what about the Russian connection? The Kremlin's own pet TV is certainly aiming to sow dissent among the populace regarding the up-and-coming wireless technology, most certainly to sabotage the global rollout of 5G wireless infrastructure, all because Russia is terribly behind in this regard.
“It’s economic warfare,” Ryan Fox, COO of New Knowledge, a technology firm that tracks disinformation, told the NY Times. “Russia doesn’t have a good 5G play, so it tries to undermine and discredit ours.”
Russia and the USSR up until the 90s both have a very extensive history of distributing propaganda against western adversaries, mainly the United States. Many of the KGB's secret propaganda operations were outed by Vasili Mitrokhin, a former head of KGB who defected to the UK. Some of these include but are not limited to spreading the idea that the US created HIV/AIDS in a lab, false conspiracy theories about the John F. Kennedy assassination, stirring up racial tensions involving the Ku Klux Klan, and so on. The main goal of these was to discredit USA globally and isolate it by instilling a sense of anti-americanism. Is Russia, the de facto heir of the USSR, aiming the same things by claiming that "5G will fry your brain"? Absolutely.
Theory #4
5G kills birds
Nope, 5G doesn't kill birds. There's no scientific backing for this conspiracy theory. As Joe Kirschvink, a biophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, said, “Radio wave emissions above 10 MHz from radio transmission antennas (including cell telephone towers) are not known to harm birds.” The majority of cases where mass dying of birds have been observed can be traced back to natural causes. For example, a mass bird dying in Rome, Italy, right at the start of the European spread of the coronavirus was picked up by the anti-5G crowd and used as an example for the effects of the radiation onto animals. Sadly for the conspiracy lovers, a storm took down a tree, on which a large number of birds had built nests, which led to their unfortunate demise. Case closed.
Why are people afraid of 5G, then?
Simple - people are often afraid of things they don't understand. Given the novelty of 5G, these fears are completely normal and substantiated, but with time, everything will wane down and 5G will be perceived as safe as its predecessors. Don't forget that conspiracy theories regarding wireless technologies have been around ever since the first generation of wireless technology, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
And if you're afraid that the government or Bill Gates want to chip your body, rest assured nobody will do that but ourselves. After all, we are all already "chipped" as we've got a phone in our pocket. We chipped ourselves.
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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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