[Aurornis]

I’m amazed at the prevalence of conspiracy theories on HN in recent years. Even for simple topics like a website crashing under load we get claims that it’s actually a deliberate conspiracy, even though the crashes have turned this from a quiet event into a social media and news phenomenon, likely accelerating the number of cancellations.

[arcticbull]

COVID years really messed some people up.

[leakycap]

You mean like all the people that died? The caretakers in the years after? The medical staff who never got a break? You're right about that.

[arcticbull]

My comment was not about COVID.

[leakycap]

Your comment was:

> COVID years really messed some people up.

You seem to think that you said something different than you did.

If you don't see where your communication broke down, look closely the first word of the quote above. That's you, in case you forgot.

[arcticbull]

No, what I said was the COVID years. People became dramatically more prone to conspiracy theories and significantly more polarized in the 2020-2025 period. A lot more happened to people than just exposure to COVID, which was of course part of it. I'm not talking about the people who died or the healthcare workers. There was a meaningful step change in the way we interact with each other and what is acceptable. There was a huge impact to the social fabric and cohesion of society.

[leakycap]

Using my eyes, I looked back at the text on my screen next to your username.

Your comment was 7 words, one of which is literally "COVID". Then you said you're weren't actually talking about COVID, but you actually meant something about how you think others are now prone to dramatic conspiracy theories.

It seems like you're experiencing some of this yourself or are stuck in some sort of race condition where if someone else doesn't agree with you, it's clearly a them issue. They're the conspiricist.

While explaining that you intended me to get a whole different message from your initial 7 words, you go on to say that while discussing the "COVID years" that...

> I'm not talking about the people who died or the healthcare workers.

Why aren't you focusing on these things? It seems much more important than whatever you are spinning on about the social fabric and cohesion of society as you type into a webform to a stranger about how everyone has conspiracies now.