If the growing information overload and lack of attention spans via technology weren’t hurting human collective intelligence enough, now we have government attempts to brainwash the populace with absurd claims. Whether it’s rejecting vaccinations or saying Tylenol causes autism, it’s wild to think people believe whatever their favored politicians say. But it’s not just the government that’s behind this; average people are in it, too, such as a woman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who claims that “cancer doesn’t kill people.”
Posting to Facebook, the Cincinnati woman specifically wrote, “Cancer doesn’t kill people. Chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, and biopsies do.” The post itself, fortunately, has very little engagement besides a comment bot and an individual cheerleading, “I completely agree.” However, word of her post made it to Reddit, and unsurprisingly, r/mildlyinfuriating. The poster remarked on how insensitive the woman’s words were. “I actually found this offensive lol and I’m not one to get offended easily,” they said, explaining how they’ve undergone surgery and radiation to deal with their medical issues.
The comment section is filled with people sharing their stories about themselves or someone they know who has also dealt with cancer, thanks to modern medical treatment. One top commenter says both his wife and mother suffered from cancer and was quite upset about the cancer remark as well: “People who say this have never sat by a loved one’s bed side and watched them die. Or gotten years more with someone thanks to the treatments.”
Many people immediately connected the dots of this Cincinnati woman’s beliefs with the current Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. “You can draw a straight line to RFK Jr. He has amplified a lot of medical conspiracy types and anti vaxxers in the government health agencies,” points out one Redditor. “Everything is a conspiracy if you’re stupid,” adds another.
Whatever the case, at least the woman’s original post didn’t get too much attention, seeing how Facebook is considered a place where many gullible people learn misinformation, especially about medical fallacies.
