Hello! Like all good conspiracy theories and blog posts, this one is inspired by my dad's WhatsApp. In one of his infamous group messages, someone forwarded an Indian TV broadcast explaining some evidence suggesting COVID-19 was a deliberate attack on the US economy. The video highlighted interesting evidence that two of the biggest cities in the world, Shangai and Beijing with populations over 20 million each, only had 6 and 8 deaths, respectively, which seems to be disproportionate compared to over 2500 deaths in New York City which has around a third of the population of either city. Also, the video mentioned some Chinese companies that may have foreseen the extent of this virus and are growing at an unprecedented rate.
Initially, after watching the video, I wasn't convinced this whole situation was orchestrated by the Chinese, but I figured there might be more to the story than what meets the eye. I hope in the blog post to find some compelling evidence on both sides of the story so that you can do more research and reach your own conclusions.
Initially, after watching the video, I wasn't convinced this whole situation was orchestrated by the Chinese, but I figured there might be more to the story than what meets the eye. I hope in the blog post to find some compelling evidence on both sides of the story so that you can do more research and reach your own conclusions.
First, I wanted to discuss some of the evidence that suggests COVID-19 might be a deliberate attack apart from that discussed before. The virus's origin in Wuhan, China was 20 miles away from the only Chinese BSL-4 (Biosafety Level 4) lab which has very high security because it contains potentially life-threatening agents. However, whether the virus was released intentionally or was released accidentally due to incorrect sanitation protocols is up for debate. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that there is no evidence to explain the novel virus from an evolutionary standpoint, so it must have been engineered. But, is this the truth or simply the result of insufficient research and knowledge about the virus? Also, COVID-19 is one of the most infectious diseases in human history and is interesting because it remains asymptomatic in the human body for so long, long enough to spread to multiple people without the carrier's awareness. In theory, it is the perfect bioweapon. An article I read said that "COVID-19 is 99% fear and 1% outcome." In addition, the number of cases in China has seemed to flatline at around 81,000 while the number of cases in the US seems to increase by thousands every day which some sources suggest might indicate that the Chinese had a "cure" or a way to stop the spread of the disease. Ultimately, China's historical lack of transparency, economic competition with the US, and scientific prowess may suggest it is an orchestrated attack.
Now, for some of the competing evidence, suggesting that COVID-19 is not a deliberate attack on the US. One of the most basic pieces of evidence is that although the number of cases and deaths in China is much fewer compared to the US, ultimately many people did suffer and die, and China was not left entirely unscathed. Also, the Chinese economy as a whole has been devastated and rebound is unlikely to be soon with a rising unemployment rate that has been compared to the 2008 financial crisis. There is also competing evidence that the specific "spike proteins" on the virus were likely to have evolved naturally instead of in a laboratory. Some Chinese officials, specifically Lijian Zhao, have even pointed fingers at the United States as the culprit behind the pandemic suggesting patient 0(the first victim of COVID-19) was in the United States. Most opponents of this conspiracy argue that the inception of the conspiracy was on the basis of racism and simply pointing fingers back and forth between the Chinese and the US instead of meaningfully developing a solution. What do you think?
Ultimately, this is just a small look into both sides of this theory, and there is a ton more research that can be done. But, one of the conspiracies I did not touch on in this post was about a connection between 5G and COVID-19 because there is somewhat of a consensus that this theory isn't factual. Another important reminder is that discussion of this idea does not detract from the tragedy that is going on in the US and across the world and the dramatic loss of life, and as always, I hope you are practicing social distancing and staying healthy. I want to end with the quote I ended within my first post because it is even more applicable now than before. "When we hear about the next new virus or poison or even policy, we need to see what else is going on in the world. Are people deliberately putting messages to distract us from another issue?"(Mark 22). Is there more to this situation than what we may hear about? Is this conspiracy just a manifestation of racism or is there some truth in it? Whatever the answer may be, I encourage you to think critically and wonder if people are "distracting us from another issue? What else is going on in the world? As a starting point, I included the links I used down below. Happy researching!
Links:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/economy/china-economy-coronavirus/index.html
https://www.thelibertybeacon.com/covid-19-coronavirus-a-fake-pandemic-whos-behind-it-global-economic-social-and-geopolitical-destabilization/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2020/03/21/did-5-g-cause-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/2873731001/
https://www.modernghana.com/news/987181/covid-19-the-conspiracy-theories.html
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/26/covid-19-is-the-stuff-of-thrillers/
https://journal-neo.org/2020/03/12/covid-19-an-engineered-pandemic/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/was-covid19-bioengineered-by-china/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/17/covid-19-coronavirus-did-not-come-from-a-lab-study-shows-natural-origins/#68a160aa3728
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Links:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/economy/china-economy-coronavirus/index.html
https://www.thelibertybeacon.com/covid-19-coronavirus-a-fake-pandemic-whos-behind-it-global-economic-social-and-geopolitical-destabilization/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2020/03/21/did-5-g-cause-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/2873731001/
https://www.modernghana.com/news/987181/covid-19-the-conspiracy-theories.html
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/26/covid-19-is-the-stuff-of-thrillers/
https://journal-neo.org/2020/03/12/covid-19-an-engineered-pandemic/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/was-covid19-bioengineered-by-china/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/17/covid-19-coronavirus-did-not-come-from-a-lab-study-shows-natural-origins/#68a160aa3728
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Janvi :)
Janvi, you certainly have a way of hitting the nail on the head and creating food for thought. Jury is still out debating who did what and how, but the fact is that USA and Europe are the worst hit by this pandemic whatever be the reasons and its source. Surprisingly, or may be not so surprisingly, Asia and Africa are not so badly off; is there a method in madness. Also, another fact is that howsoever badly Chinese economy may have been hit during these last three months or so, they will be and are the first ones to come out of it and how. As of now, they are in the process of supplying all types of medical requisites to rest of the world and making money, plus strategically buying large number of equity shares in various companies (on way to becoming global owners). In other words, China is already on the way to win this "Third World War without firing a single bullet/missile" in this war of medical health vs financial health. Experts have estimated 1 Billion loss of jobs globally; which may mean 3 Billion people (assuming average 3 members per family) being without subsistence level living or dependent upon governmental largess. Assuming 8 Billion global population, at least 27% are likely to be directly impacted, and many more indirectly. The socioeconomic impact of this pandemic is likely to last perhaps even longer than the First & Second World Wars, and all the other pandemics put together. We may conclude whatever, but every accusing finger seems to point towards China as with your own competing second logic, USA and Europe being the worst hit, can not be the originators; only beneficiary so far seems to be China! I think the story is not yet over, as it is still evolving with the worst yet to come!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I think there are certainly numerous socioeconomic repercussions of this pandemic. Unfortunately, we cannot predict them entirely, but all of us(including world governments) need to take efforts to not only prevent further spread of the disease but also to prepare to "soften the blow" of the aftermath of the pandemic. One of the interesting things I was thinking about is how America and Europe have been the hardest hit and the potential reasons behind that. One thing that I thought about was that America and Europe have historically "weaker" governments that emphasize democracy and freedom of the people where Asia, especially China, has had a history of more autocratic rule. I think that sometimes the true quarantine protocols that could entirely stop the spread of disease are not compatible with Western ideals of democracy. I am conflicted whether during times like this we should take extreme measures to quarantine or follow our historical emphasis on freedom.
DeleteHi, I just want to point out that Janvi acknowledged this is a conspiracy theory. We need to keep in mind that thousands in China have died of COVID-19, and Chinese Americans (as well as Asian Americans in general) have been the victims of hate crimes in the U.S. because of this line of thinking. Viruses don't discriminate, but people and institutions often do. According to Reuters, Iran's death toll from COVID-19 just reached 4,585 (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-iran-idUSKCN21V0PT) and this wasn't acknowledged in your comment. Also, plenty of diseases have originated from the U.S. and Europe throughout history.
ReplyDeleteThe coronavirus is not one country's fault. It is a global responsibility to save lives now, whether that's from COVID-19 or from hate crimes.
Yes! Thank you for emphasizing such an important point! As I brought up at the end of the post, it is a conspiracy theory, and it certainly does not take away from any of the tragedy that billions(including the Chinese) have suffered and are suffering from as a direct or indirect result of the pandemic. Although it certainly isn't one country's fault(and neither would I want this post to ever make it seem like I place a blame on a single country), I do think that it is important to analyze some of the potential socioeconomic and political causes and effects. If we look at COVID-19 as an isolated event, without looking at everything else that is going on in the world, I ultimately think it could hinder our progress towards a "solution".
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