WHAT DO THEY WANT? These motley collections of the angry and the ignorant in whose eyes the Covid-19 Pandemic is a “Scamdemic”. What do they hope to achieve? Some part of them, aware of their pitifully small numbers, must know that they have placed themselves beyond the comforting approbations of the tribe. How do they deal with such painful awareness? Human-beings are social animals: they draw strength and confidence from one another. So, to deliberately locate oneself outside the circle of the tribal firelight requires a motivating force of enormous power.
At the heart of their decision to step away lies an unshakeable conviction that they possess special knowledge. By “doing the research” they have discovered that the world is not as the Government and its “experts” would have them believe. They are convinced that these, the Powers-That-Be, mean them and their unenlightened fellow citizens harm. It is, therefore, their moral duty to call out these malign “mis-leaders”, and to bear steadfast witness to the “Truth” – no matter what.
This very old delusion (if ‘delusion’ is the right word) can lay claim to a surprisingly honourable cultural pedigree. For what else were the religious leaders and prophets of the past, if not a motley collection of individuals who believed fervently that they had been vouchsafed a vision of the Holy City, and had been chosen by God himself to rescue the sinful masses from themselves?
Nobody who has read the Old Testament will have the slightest difficulty in recognising the prophetic archetype: the outsider who descends upon the city from the wilderness: wild, unkempt, eyes ablaze with the certainty of God’s mandate; to stand before the King and rebuke him for his sinful failure to safeguard the welfare of the people.
In this age, the Internet has taken the place of God. And why not? It feels as powerful and omniscient as the Almighty, and seems to possess the same ability to reward the pious seeker with all manner of alarming insights and arcane knowledge. Jehovah is said to have communicated with Moses through a burning bush. Is a cellphone, laptop, or PC, any less preposterous as a vessel for the word of God?
Once the prophetic archetype is understood, it becomes much easier to comprehend why a group as tiny as the one which gathered outside the TVNZ studios in Auckland on Wednesday morning (18/8/21) did not feel in the least embarrassed. The prophetic narrative doesn’t work if the world around the prophet nods in enthusiastic agreement. The masses have to be so mired in sin and ignorance that they can no longer recognise the truth – even when it is laid bare before them. The evil mis-leaders, similarly, cannot slap their foreheads and cry ‘My God, you’re right! How could we have been so blind?’ They have to remain as steadfast in their vice as the prophets remain steadfast in their virtue.
An open confrontation with evil is critical to the prophetic narrative. One cannot be a true prophet in secret (or even online). It is crucial that the eyes of God, or, in this case, the cameras of TVNZ, witness his servant in action. Proof must be supplied of the prophet’s willingness to suffer for the Truth.
A man as well-versed in the Bible as the charismatic Billy Te Kahika knows that a true prophet goes Kanohi kite Kanohi with the Devil, and that, in this fallen world, the Devil usually wins. Which is why, when the Police closed in upon him outside TVNZ he was at pains to calm his angry disciples, telling them that the officers were only doing their job. It wasn’t quite “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” – But it was close.
The conundrum which presents itself to Billy TK – and to all others who aspire to be the mouthpieces of God – is how to differentiate the lies of the Devil from God’s truth. For the Devil is deceitful and delights in pretending to the wisdom and beneficence of the Almighty, while all the time leading the deluded down the primrose path to perdition. How can one know that what one believes to be the truth isn’t a big fat fib?
The greatest of all the biblical prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, wrestled with this question. This was his answer:
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
What manner of evil king – or queen – would encourage her “team of five million” to be kind and keep one another safe? What true prophet would feed evil fruits to his people? Only the Devil craves the chaos and division in which evil takes root. If your harvest is all thorns and thistles, Billy, then maybe you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Jesus mixed his metaphors a bit eh.
Modern society has killed religion with science, yet people yearn for the spiritual and absolute, hence with the malign influence of social media, the void being filled by conspiracy theorists at one end and the secular clergy of the woke at the other.
Both are insane but don’t realise it.
A lot of these groups are encouraged by right wing groups, likewise the woke groups seem to have more in common with right wing policy groups than left wing policy.
This fellow is a real Wacko Nut Job IMHO ?
I know a few of these conspiracy nutters; anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, socialists. I’m convinced it’s just attention seeking for the flat earther, the “connect the dots” anti-vaxxers just see what they want to see, they are also obsessed with other conspiracy theories, astrology, that sort of thing.
And let’s not forget the power of religious political belief:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/126114521/covid19-labour-party-volunteer-breaks-lockdown-for-poto-williams-leaflet-drop
Perhaps the aura from JA is supposed to provide protection from virus particles?
Where is Frank Macstay and his curtain twitcher report on his fellow citizens when you need him?
Chris you’ve posted your job application to the World Health Organisation here instead of your DB column
Thanks Chris, an excellent read. Every crisis has its nutters, always has and always will.
Masks don’t work. Vaccinations don’t work. Shutting NZ off from the rest of the world forever certainly won’t work. Open the gates Jacinda, we all know this is an exercise in futility. People catch disease, people get sick and people die. We all will eventually.
Are you volunteering, Judy?
“Masks don’t work. Vaccinations don’t work.”
Oh okay, well that’s that then?
“and people die. We all will eventually.”
No way, this can’t be true!
Car crashes happen but because the government makes a law to wear seat belts most survive but some still die and in a few cases will actually cause death. It is the same with vaccine it will help many not die but a few will die getting it and some will die anyway but for peace of mind most sensible people get the jab to protect them and the wider community just as most wear their seat belts.
Unfortunately those that give the middle finger to the rest of us then get covid take up time and bed space that should be free for those really sick people with cancer heart problems etc.
Stop being selfish think of others
Well said Trevor.
Yeah but why aren’t there seatbelts on motorbikes? Where is the evidence that most people get sick or die from this miscellaneous variant let alone diagnostic laboratory evidence of it’s existence? What happened to “my body my choice”? I will not base my entire existence on non scientific methodology, opinion, knee jerk governance, projection, circular arguments or bootlicking.
Yes but what about “MY body – not YOUR choice!”
Feel free to risk your own life/health but do it in such a way that you don’t compromise others who are less self-entitled and suffer from a self-centred superiority complex.
Strange assertion on your part Jody when it is obvious that you do base your entire existence on non scientific methodology, opinion, knee jerk governance, projection, circular arguments and bootlicking.
Yeah cause that worked so well for Fiji and Brazil and India. You can’t have a healthy economy with a sick population.
Is anyone REALLY suggesting……Shutting NZ off from the rest of the world forever (certainly won’t work)….this really a pointless strawman argument.
A bit like if speculators didn’t buy (or start selling) rentals there’d be no where for people to live who needed to rent….D’Oh…… Unless the speculators ‘blow up’ the house, or foreign owned empty houses, then the same number of houses still exist.
Someone will buy to live in it, or another speculator will buy at a LOWER price and (can) charge less for rent, to get the same or similar returns.
These strawman type arguments highlight those that really haven’t thought about matters OR have another hidden agenda.
My youngest sister has been anti-vax for about 25 years & your second paragraph is a fairly good description of their views. I am not so impressed with some of your religious ideas although you have got it correct calling Billy TK a false prophet.
While people want to be optimistic & solve the world’s problems (a noble pursuit) we have been told there will be an end to the current way the world operates one day. I like the idea of living eternally in a perfect world, I don’t see any downside as it gives me comfort in troublous times as well as motivates me to live producing the good fruit you mention. As an added bonus following a healthy Eden diet is likely to let us live longer & healthier.
All the comments including Chris column seek to demand a binary position, for or against vax.
This is as unhelpful as conspiracy theories (those type only exist in James Bond movies).
By unhelpful I mean that the official narrative does not allow failure or getting it wrong, even changing tack. Yet there is growing empirical evidence that the virus lethality levels are only highly specific to the aged, that the vaccine may be responsible for Delta mutations, that the vax doesnt prevent us spreading the virus.
These observations are viewed censorially, yet they are empiric. I want us to beat this thing, Id just like the official blinkers off. Currently it reminds me of the second day orders on the Somme, go over the top again.
Fair comment.
He’s busy
Edit: Frank’s busy
And then of course there is evidence to dismiss the fact Delta is responsible for mutations of Covid, thus the binary position being demanded
True Bert, but that is the only allowed position. To discover truth demands more.
I agree Nick J, but whose truth?
An example is America. Some said there was an insurrection, others said it was no more than tourists visiting the Capitol. Fortunately we were able to see live footage of the event for our own eyes to determine.
I, like you, research and determine what I believe to be truth. I challenge others to provide evidence, then I challenge the evidence.
Nick, the Delta variant in unvaccinated India.
And the evidence that deaths are age related is not as conclusive as it once was – those with health conditions were and are at risk, and now younger people are being hospitalised with Delta.
When people sell their soul to the devil for a buck, someday he comes for his dues.
(not allowed to edit my spam)
And the evidence that deaths are age related is not as conclusive as it once was – those with health conditions were and are at risk, and now younger people are being hospitalised with Delta.
Vaccines are the single most life-saving innovation ever in the history of medicine.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a5008/4344963/
“Global life expectancy at birth, ~28.5 years in 1800 and ~31 years in 1900, increased over the past two centuries in the developed world, and over the past 50 years in the developing world, almost exclusively as a result of reduced mortality from infectious diseases. This became possible as a result of improved sanitation, the discovery of antibiotics, and vaccination”
https://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article/73/9/513/18362/Vaccination-A-Public-Health-Intervention-That
https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2013/02/19/a-graphic-that-drives-home-how-vaccines-have-changed-our-world/?sh=6737ee883302
“But if enough people forego vaccination, outbreaks can occur as the disease spreads among unprotected individuals. The recent emergence of some diseases that were previously considered dormant in the U.S., such as measles, demonstrates that the anti-vaccination movement is having a direct, negative effect on public health”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170303163208.htm
“there is already a global chatter—the rumours, distrust, and wildfires—surrounding the virus and vaccines. These elements are contributing to what WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has characterised as an “infodemic”—the fake news that “spreads faster and more easily than this virus”, which intermingles misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.
…
frames the core problem: “we don’t have a misinformation problem, we have a relationship problem”. The misinformation can be deleted, but the underlying distrust that has caused it and allowed it to stick remains. Rather than countering and dismissing rumours, Larson encourages the health community and other stakeholders to listen to these rumours and recognise what people are saying. These analyses can reveal deeper issues such as the feeling of being disenfranchised…”
When assessing statistics from overseas, it’s necessary to note that the UK had a lot of infections when people had only one dose (they had 2 months between doses), and with Israel they vaccinated early with doses three weeks apart – which is not as effective in developing immunity as a longer gap.
Also, both the Pfizer (better for the first 4 months) and AZ (not as effective as Pfizer the first 4 months) are about the same after 6 months in effectiveness – and then need boosters.
So by the end of the end of the year our health and border staff (and families) will need boosters, and early next year some of the others vaccinated early for health reasons.
We are now vaccinating at 6 weeks apart with the Pfizer and know when it starts to decline in effectiveness, and one option we have is to mix vaccines (rather than a booster) if we do not have enough Pfizer on hand.
There are indications that mixing Pfizer and AZ is more effective than two doses of either, so a booster with AZ might be OK (the evidence is AZ first does Pfizer second at this stage).
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01359-3
WHO WILL BE RIGHT ?
Fascinating discussion of good and evil intellectual fruit .
The true test of the real truth is who stays alive and who doesn’t. Whether the world vaccine program is in fact , a sinister tool of mass genocide perpetrated by corrupt Govt’s linked to the super rich or a benevolent program of mass protection for the restoration of normal human life , where Govt is acting for the common good .Essentially the Govt is good vs the govt is evil .
If the anti vax are correct then all the dumb people who got the vax will be dead soon and they will be safe. If the pro vax people are correct then the dumb people who didn’t get the vax , may be very sick or dead soon and the pro vax will be saved .Its a big call .
This is a legitimate forum for the white heat of debate and I support Air Cooled Guys right to “His body -His choice ” . I suspect he got his name because air goes in one ear and out the other with nothing in between .If indeed he doesn’t get a jab , I can only presume in the long run we are all the better for it. Thank you Bert and Roblogic.
When I bet whether the last lotto number is odd or even I may win or lose $ 5 with minimal consequence .
But if I gamble on vax or no vax I’m potentially risking my life , substantial long term health problems, the live’s of others .or overloading the health system so others don’t receive treatment .
If a Tsunami is coming is it better to see it from the beach or the hill ? Your decision will determine if you live or die .
Is it better to put your seat belt on ; before or after your car has crashed ?
Is it better to get a vax or smart not to get one ?
These are not trivial matters.
Right now I’m going to stick with UK virologist Clint Smith (RNZ) , Dr Micheal Baker , Nick Wlison , Dennis Gorman and the other epidemiologists rather than Billy T Snake oil , the University of Numptyland ,and Scamdemic Social Media .
Ladies and Gentlemen choose your bets carefully , its sad, but some of us will not be leaving the casino .
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