Living with people who distribute misinformation during COVID-19


It's September of 2021, and I've noticed lately that a lot of people are dismayed by the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. But luckily, this is nothing new, and learning to roll with it, without getting upset, is something that I've been doing in a long life, and I'm sure that I will continue to do.

Yes, of course this is a serious situation, and in no way shape or form would I consider making light of it. People are getting sick and dying. But this has happened to people throughout history, and the best that I can say is to know when you're arguing with a brick wall, you need to let it go. If you can't do that, you'll end up arguing all of the time, which some people do, and must be exhausting.

I'm an old sales and marketing guy, and I know what to do when someone grabs you by the lapels and starts ranting something that they might have heard from someone who might have heard from someone, you smile and nod, and gently ease away. Not everyone has the capacity to do abstract thinking, and for those people, they simply repeat. It's part of the reason why advertising uses catchy jingles, by the way!

I'm in Arizona, and I've lived here, and California, for all of my adult life. And as much as I love these places, I have to admit that I've met my share of people who have heard that you should eat avocados with every meal or your hair will fall out, or that carrots will kill you because everyone who ate carrots in 1846 has died. Some misinformation is easy to recognize as being utterly ridiculous, and some is recognizable because it tends to be repeated, virtually word-for-word. It takes some time and care to work it out, and it's always fascinated me.

Like I say, I've lived a long life, and since I'm in robust health I'm sure that I'll live a lot longer. And I'll share the world with well-meaning people who will say stuff that's terrible misinformation, but I won't hold it against them. Of course, I won't let them come to harm - if we're about to cross the street and they've heard that on alternative Tuesdays red lights mean green, I'll put a hand, gently, on their shoulder. I really see no reason to annoy people who have jumped off a building and are saying as they pass each floor "So far, so good!" (I just love that one!).

Gathering information, and understanding it, takes time, and maturity, and I've got more maturity than I ever imagined I'd have. But in addition to having a high IQ, I have a high enough EQ to understand that often things make people feel better, even if it's misinformation, and if it does no harm, there's nothing wrong with that.

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