'Crazy and evil': Bill Gates surprised by pandemic conspiracies

[webfact 81,860]

'Crazy and evil': Bill Gates surprised by pandemic conspiracies

By Kate Kelland

 

FILE PHOTO: Bill Gates, Co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, attends a conversation at the 2019 New Economy Forum in Beijing, China November 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates says he has been taken aback by the volume of "crazy" and "evil" conspiracy theories about him spreading on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, but said on Wednesday he would like to explore what is behind them.

 

In an interview with Reuters, Gates said the millions of online posts and "crazy conspiracy theories" about him and about top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci had likely taken hold in part because of the combination of a frightening viral pandemic and the rise of social media.

 

"Nobody would have predicted that I and Dr. Fauci would be so prominent in these really evil theories," Gates said.

 

"I'm very surprised by that. I hope it goes away."

 

Gates, a billionaire who stepped down as chairman of Microsoft Corp in 2014, has through his philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation committed at least $1.75 billion to the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes support for some makers of vaccines, diagnostics and potential treatments.

 

Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates said Wednesday he has been taken aback by the volume of “crazy” and “evil” conspiracy theories about him spreading on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, but said he would like to explore what is behind them. Fred Katayama reports.

 

Since the pandemic began a year ago, millions of conspiracies have spread over the Internet, fuelling misinformation about the coronavirus, its origins and the motives of those working to fight it.

 

They include claims that Fauci and Gates created the pandemic to try and control people, that they want to profit from the virus' spread, and that they want to use vaccines to insert trackable microchips into people.

 

"But do people really believe that stuff?," Gates asked.

 

"We're really going to have to get educated about this over the next year and understand .. how does it change peoples' behaviour and how should we have minimized this?"

 

EXCITED ABOUT BIDEN

Gates praised Fauci and Francis Collins, head of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, as "smart" and "wonderful people", and said he looked forward to seeing them able to work effectively and speak the truth under the new administration of President Joe Biden.

 

During former President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic, Gates said, it had "sometimes felt like they were the only sane people in the U.S. government."

 

"I'm excited about the team that Biden has picked" to tackle the health crisis, Gates said.

 

Gates said he was also pleased that under Biden, the United States has rejoined the World Health Organization, and "that he's appointed smart people, and the fact that Dr. Fauci won't be suppressed."

 

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-28

 

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[Lacessit 23,332]

Gates predicted COVID-19 in 2016. While I don't like the company he built, he is a smart guy.

When you have 50% of Americans still believing in angels, it's no surprise they should believe in weird stuff as well.

[candide 12,035]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Gates predicted COVID-19 in 2016. While I don't like the company he built, he is a smart guy.

When you have 50% of Americans still believing in angels, it's no surprise they should believe in weird stuff as well.

Right. And the most worrying aspect is not so much how stupid these theories are, but how many people believe them.

[TheFishman1 1,947]

People must be really gullible they believed in Trump and that guy had more lies and conspiracy theories than anybody ever in the history of politics

[Tug 22,297]

It beggers belief how gullible people are and how destructive this kind of misinformation is people who deliberately and knowingly spread this bs should be jailed imo especially the media and crackpots on social media there needs to be consequences and mr gates and family and dr Fauci a big shout out to you both outstanding human beings imo 

Edited January 28 by Tug

[simple1 20,097]

19 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

People must be really gullible they believed in Trump and that guy had more lies and conspiracy theories than anybody ever in the history of politics

 

trump was one of the main promoters of conspiracy theories in the USA during his presidency; it's unfortunately that apparently he cannot be impeached for his conspiracy activities, presumably due to Free Speech. IMO USA urgently needs to overhaul legislation concerning conspiracy theories which in effect are hostile and damaging to society for political purposes.

[Odysseus123 13,565]

7 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

trump was one of the main promoters of conspiracy theories in the USA during his presidency; it's unfortunately that apparently he cannot be impeached for his conspiracy activities, presumably due to Free Speech. IMO USA urgently needs to overhaul legislation concerning conspiracy theories which in effect are hostile and damaging to society for political purposes.

Whilst I agree with your post-I still cleave to the idea that trump was a carefully crafted and constructed puppet put forward and controlled by various media driven "influencers"-he as much reflected the state of mind of the radical-right as led it.

 

The original "twitter" (social media) idea was quite brilliant but-due to the very nature of the beast-could not really be controlled.One must not forget that up to the last days it was not really clear as to just who was leading who by the nose..

 

I would conjecture that most Republican politicians live in mortal fear of the radical right media-they did a very bad bargain with the devil on that one.

 

(but..that might be my very own conspiracy theory)

[Jeffr2 9,858]

41 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

trump was one of the main promoters of conspiracy theories in the USA during his presidency; it's unfortunately that apparently he cannot be impeached for his conspiracy activities, presumably due to Free Speech. IMO USA urgently needs to overhaul legislation concerning conspiracy theories which in effect are hostile and damaging to society for political purposes.

Since we don't really have freedom of speech, there are limits, this shows how it must be regulated more.  Conspiracy theories are destroying the US, and other parts of the world.  Social media needs to be held to account for allowing these lies to be published and amplified.  Sadly, some aren't mentally competent enough to suss out what's true and what's not.

[nobodysfriend 4,340]

Being philanthropic in a densely overpopulated world is a luxury I do not permit myself to .

The suicidal overpopulation has to stop , or our species has no future .

Covid helps to do that . And to reduce pollution .

It may be a good thing after all ...?

[LomSak27 6,053]

As my sister in law stated; 'you really never knew just how many of your neighbors were complete idiots'.

 

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

When you have 50% of Americans still believing in angels, it's no surprise they should believe in weird stuff as well.

 

It doesn't surprise me about americans. However both on Thaivisa and the younger sets facebook sites, like the CM ones. A whole passel of Brits & Aussies are knee deep in this rubbish heap too with an assorted crew of euros, not to leave them out. Somehow I expected better, my bad.

 

We are making these great technological leaps while another subsection of the populace is returning to a mediaeval mindset. Half expecting to see a bunch of flagellants marching around cities towns. Flagellants were also notorious for racist pogrom violence, it would fit right in.  

[Phuketshrew 9,254]

14 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

Flagellants were also notorious for racist pogrom violence, it would fit right in.  

Not tot be confused with Flatulents, who are just full of wind .....

[Lacessit 23,332]

22 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

 

We are making these great technological leaps while another subsection of the populace is returning to a mediaeval mindset. Half expecting to see a bunch of flagellants marching around cities towns. Flagellants were also notorious for racist pogrom violence, it would fit right in.  

The great technological leaps are leaving a considerable number of people behind that have no understanding of where those leaps are taking them. How many Americans understand when the Founding Fathers brought in the Second Amendment, they had no knowledge of firearms that could wipe out dozens of people in a minute? How many people understand the implications of AI, and how it is revolutionizing manufacturing and distribution processes to the point where humans are unnecessary?

It's always easier to create a conspiracy theory to explain one's own misfortune. Change has never been easy.

[Jeffr2 9,858]

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The great technological leaps are leaving a considerable number of people behind that have no understanding of where those leaps are taking them. How many Americans understand when the Founding Fathers brought in the Second Amendment, they had no knowledge of firearms that could wipe out dozens of people in a minute? How many people understand the implications of AI, and how it is revolutionizing manufacturing and distribution processes to the point where humans are unnecessary?

It's always easier to create a conspiracy theory to explain one's own misfortune. Change has never been easy.

And sadly, many of these people get their information from dodgy sites, social media and dodgy politicians.  Thus skewing their view of the world and what's going on.

[Eric Loh 20,574]

We can take heart from the Twitter's ban on Trump that resulted in a whopping decline of 73% of misinformation. Trump's manipulation on social media has influenced and emboldened the rise of misleading information and conspiracy theories in the last 4 years. With him gone and not giving any more oxygen to these neo-conservative and conspiracy right wing groups, we can hope that it will start a decline of these kind of crazy and evil contents. 

[Jeffr2 9,858]

13 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

We can take heart from the Twitter's ban on Trump that resulted in a whopping decline of 73% of misinformation. Trump's manipulation on social media has influenced and emboldened the rise of misleading information and conspiracy theories in the last 4 years. With him gone and not giving any more oxygen to these neo-conservative and conspiracy right wing groups, we can hope that it will start a decline of these kind of crazy and evil contents. 

I think that 73% drop was about voter fraud.  Still lots of fake info out there.  Especially about vaccines, Bill Gates, etc.  QAnon is alive and well....sadly....