Young people and your conspiracy theories (part 1)

I think if you could label, in one word, the overwhelming feelings of some of the loudest adults speaking on COVID-19, that word might be ‘anger’ or even ‘rage’. Not all adults, of course, just many who make the most noise on TV, the internet, or in shopping queues.

However, when a person of influence or power is primarily and constantly angry, what effect does that have on the vulnerable around them? They don’t feel anger, they feel fear.

Fear is what children feel when their parents are angry. Fear is what workers feel when their boss is angry. Fear is what civilians feel when world leaders are angry. Fear is what young people feel when loud adults all around them are angry.

There are quite a few righteous and legitimate reasons for adults to be angry, but there’s also plenty of self-righteous, short-sighted, narrow-visioned, socially-irresponsible, down-right-stupid-and-selfish reasons too.

Angry conspiracies

I was heartbroken this week when an old mentor from when I was growing up took to social media with an all caps warning about ‘new world order’, the ‘great reset’, and the ‘globalist conspiracy to move everybody towards communism.’ This was all dressed up in COVID-19 pandemic language.

The post, and subsequent conversation in the comments, went exactly the way you’d expect. There was an assertion that they had done extensive ‘research’ from ‘non-mainstream’ sources and uncovered some ‘hidden truth’. They made appeal to experts, some of whom had made up credentials, many had serious ego-issues, and most had been widely discredited. Finally, there was a complete disregard of any information that didn’t agree with their own experts as ‘all part of the conspiracy’. It was foolish, it was misguided, and it oozed deep resentful anger.

I hate these conspiracy posts. Hate them, hate them, hate them. They bug me intellectually, and I think they undermine genuine work by good people, but that’s not why I hate them. I hate them because they do exactly the thing they’re trying to ‘expose:

• They rewrite anything that doesn’t agree with them using the terms of their own conspiracy.
• They label any source other than their own as ‘mainstream’ (as if that really means anything), in order to outright reject it without discussion.
• They rely exclusively on sources run by half-baked egotistical groups driven by agenda and drenched in apocalyptical rhetoric (and poor spelling!).
• They rage against secret truth while claiming only they (and certain others) have the full picture.
• They end up in a position of power – and the only acceptable response is swallow everything they say and join their cult.

So, I hate conspiracy posts like this. They don’t represent narrative discovery as much as they represent narrative creation. They leave the poster looking and feeling superior, like they’ve been let in on a secret. They draw attention away from what we’re actually told to do (share the gospel!), and then they prey on the vulnerable, the lonely, the isolated, and those who feel of less value.

Young people are in the room

I’m not sure these adults have any concept of how loud they are online, or even just at home. This constant rhetoric permeates the environment of young people, and it sends roots right down into their developing sense of reason.

These conspiracy theories used to sit on the fringes, but I’m worried that the increased isolation of the last year is amplifying them into whole new arenas. Again, young people are listening, and how do we want them to develop?

We want young people to exercise critical thinking, independent judgement, and grow as wise consumers.

We want young people to be able to look at the world and make value calls in line with the gospel, driven by compassion, and under-girded by hope.

We want young people to interact in a healthy, fruit-of-the-spirit-shining-through way with other people.

We want young people to be led by the great commission, fuelled by the great commandment, and supported by a church who are also led by the great commission and fuelled by the great commandment.

Are you one of these adults?

Are you knocking on the doors of conspiracy plaza? Are you spending a little too much time scrolling through headlines on fringe websites or YouTube channels? Have you taken to play-testing some of these ideas with your family, or one your personal social media platforms?

Maybe this is the time to pause and consider what effect this could be having on the young who hear. You are entitled to believe whatever you want, but please do so respectfully and at least knowingly that you’re having an effect on young people in your blast zone of influence.

If you’re going to research alternative theories, do so with same levels of critical caution that you would want a young person to exercise. If you’re going to push back on groups you don’t like or agree with, do so with the same presence of mind you would want a young person to learn. If you’re going to call out people who you think are dangerous, then do so with the same integrity of Spirit that you’d want the adults of tomorrow to demonstrate too.

Is it really anger?

I said ‘anger’ at the beginning but let’s be honest with each other. Anger is often the calling card of fear itself. Fear self-perpetuates itself and often anger is its vehicle. We are, as a culture, afraid and we’re tired. We have been all year. But for the sake of our young people let’s not let our fear push anger to drive the outputs of our lives.

Instead, let’s pray for more hope! Hope is what drives us through tragic and challenging times. Hope is what builds resilience. Hope is what draws us to deeper, more firm-footed placed of faith. If you’re struggling to find hope, maybe start with the classic ‘count your blessings’ to feed your gratitude furnace. That’s where hope comes from.

I like to say that gratitude leads to hope, hope leads to faith, and faith leads to love.

Stay tuned for part two: “How to lead a conspiracy theory session with your young people.”

Photo by Bruce Warrington on Unsplash