Hoax, conspiracy theory or truth?

OPINION

IN recent months, and with the coronavirus (Covod-19) crisis, a number of views have been floating around on social media.
Some people were vocal in saying that the virus itself was a hoax.
I thought that was serious and argued that the virus was real because people all over the world were dying from it, or from the compound effect it had if patients were already suffering from other debilitating diseases.
But some people continued to argue that Covid-19 was a hoax.
I argued that people have to be careful with what kind of information that they are propagating. It can have serious effects on lives.
Someone who thinks that the virus was a hoax may not follow proper protocol or procedure installed by authorities and consequently put lives in danger.
The same can go for a conspiracy theory.

Definitions and examples
Wikipedia states that a conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that evokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are probable.
A conspiracy theory may take any event or issues as its theme.
Some of the most popular conspiracy theories relate to incidents including:
– The assassination of President John F Kennedy,
– The 1969 Apollo moon landings, and
– The 9/11 terrorist attacks.
There is a documentary on a theory regarding Kennedy’s assignation, where it was claimed that the killing was an FBI action that went wrong.
But then, it is just a theory.
My advice is for you to view it, if you are interested in the topic, and view other theories too and make your conclusion. (But be careful that you do not spread or promote your view as if it is truth.)
You cannot hear about just one theory and form your conclusion. That is not what educated and rational people do.
But that is exactly what the majority of people do.
They hear about a theory or topic and without checking or verifying with credible sources, they pass on the information as if it is the truth. And that is not right.
An online dictionary defines hoax as a humorous or malicious deception.
Wikipedia started that a hoax is a falsehood fabricated to masquerade as truth.
The famous Loch Ness Monster which has been reported to have been sighted at Loch Ness (Lake Ness), in Scotland, by many people over the years.
But that cannot be accepted as real as yet. Some sources call it a hoax.
And the reason is there has never been real evidence shown to verify its existence.
(In our introduction academic programme in university this year, we viewed a video of someone presenting the history about the different reports of the creature which has not been captured on modern equipment yet. Actually, the photograph reported to have been taken by a surgeon has been confirmed to be a hoax.)
Another similar creature like the lake monster is the Yeti of the Himalayas. People in the western world refer to it as the Abominable Snowman.
Locals in the area have reported to have seen a monstrous ape-like creature moving about in the mountainous area. But as yet, there is no true evidence of its existence.
You can read more about that if you research online.
Now, let me now share with you some of my own experiences in dealing with people who tried using the wrong kind of information, as in believing in theories that are untrue.

Event 1: The Y2K problem
In late 1999, while I was a teacher back in Wewak, in East Sepik, I hopped on a PMV truck at Brandi to get to town.
Usually, when buses aren’t serving that route, PMVs from inland Sepik which travel down the Brandi route to drop off their clients pick up people who are stranded there and transport them into town.
The PMV I got on then had only one passenger at the back. He travelled down from the Sepik Highway area.
He was in his late 40s and wore a clean long-sleeved shirt which was buttoned up nicely and tucked in well into his long trousers.
We got into a conversation when the truck stopped near the Boram bridge for the PMV crew to check something.
“The world is going to end in 2000 and people need to think about life,” he said, as if sharing a truth.

During that time the Y2K theory was the hot topic in the province. People were saying that when the date changed to 2000, the computer world would crash and the world would become chaotic, if not ending.
I was unhappy to have heard that from the man. But I faced him and said politely: “Sir, the world would not end in 2000.”
Then he reacted by arguing as if I was attacking his Christian faith.
He went on talking feverishly for a few minutes. I sat quietly and listened.
I was wondering who in his church was teaching him that.
When he was done, I said: “The Y2K theory has nothing to do with your faith. It is just a theory.”
And I explained that if the computers do crash and the international market became chaotic, he and the majority of people who lived off the land and river and sea would not be affected. They would still have their taro, yams, sago, fish, pork or flying fox, because the computers would not affect their environment.
I told him that I believed in God too but the Y2K theory has nothing to do with Him.
His defensive mode slowly ebbed as I went on.
By the time the truck dropped me off, the man seemed relaxed and understood that I was not attacking his faith but putting things into perspective.
The theory that was passed around in his area or church was just a theory and would not affect him or other people.

Event 2: The End of the World in 2010
Were you aware that some people were spreading the rumour that the world would end in 2010?
They said an old astronomical calendar in an ancient South American civilization predicated that the world would end in 2010.
It was a doomsday theory.
There was a movie that was made at around that time too and that become a hit.
Sadly, I heard highly educated adults propagating that theory too.
I found out about this theory in a strange way.
In 2009, I was teaching in a small island nation in Central Pacific.
One time, while I was busy correcting the maths work of 14 year olds in the classroom, a boy and a girl got into a scuffle, first with words and later physically, as in pushing each other.
I intervened and asked what the problem was.
The boy said the girl told him that the world would end in 2010. He disagreed.
The girl insisted and continued to inform him of the approaching doomsday.
I separated the two and told them that I would not entertain that topic in class.
I said from a Biblical point of view, nobody knows the day or the hour when the world would come to an end.
And for now, they should be concentrating on maths work, not end-of-the-world theories.
When I was passing through Brisbane Airport a few months later, I picked up an astronomy magazine at the newsstand there. And then I understood when I read the cover story.
It was about the ancient calendar and the theory that the world would end in 2010.
However, the magazine interviewed astronomers around the world to see if there were any big astronomical event that may pose a danger to earth in 2010.
It seems the girl must have heard about a theory and without verifying that information was propagating it.
That was sad, but it does happen.

Get to the truth: Verify the theory
As can be seen in my personal examples, false theories, or conspiracy theories, which are propagated can have very serious consequences.
And it should be the aim of every educated person to stop passing around theories or information that cannot be verified.
I am also aware that some conspiracy theorists benefit from their theories. They give talks and write books and make money out of those.
Certain professions make it a rule to verify information before using it.
In the military, false information from a scout team can endanger the lives of soldiers who may go on a mission.
In journalism, editors urge reporters to get their facts right. Information they gather must come from sources that can be checked.
Failure to do that means the media outlet could lose its credibility.
In the academic field, you cannot remain credible if you are not using sources that can be verified. Your research paper would be rejected if you are using unnamed sources to support your theses. (We were taught that in our university introductory programme here in Australia.)
In court, people who claim to be witnesses in a trial will have to take an oath before taking a stand. If they are found to be operating on hearsay, they will be in hot water and can be penalized for doing so.
You must learn to get to the truth and tell the truth.
Don’t pass around theories that are coming from sources that cannot be verified.
Pursue truth: Check your sources
These are some tips that you can use to ensure you are not spreading false theories.
Provide a source for your information.
Refrain from copy or cut and paste. Don’t just copy something from somewhere and post on social media.
Do your homework. Check the source.
Just because someone speaks very good English or is dressed immaculately gives you no reason to copy his speech and propagate it.
Remember, you could be the cause of something disastrous.
I was sent information by people but I did a little bit of checking and found out that some of those information came from people who had no names or are linked to people who are labelled as conspiracy theorists.
That is serious.

Beware of people who talk
There are many people in the world who just like to talk about something without getting to the truth.
They make it their business to just talk.
I learned about such people when I read Acts 17, where Apostle Paul went to Athens and spoke to philosophers there.
Acts 17.21 describes some of those who were present there as those who “spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or hear some new thing”.
That is to say, their wish is not necessarily to get to the truth but to merely talk.
Beware of such people.

Does Covid-19 xist?
Now, I get back to the topic of the virus.
Is Covid-19 a hoax?
No, it is not.
You can see the virus under a microscope and it is causing the deaths of people around the world.
Just because nobody has died from it in PNG does not rule out its existence.
Now, watch this: Whether the millions or billions of kina to be spent in putting up necessary infrastructure and purchasing a lot of items in the name of fighting the virus can be argued though.
It is true that some people and organisations benefit in times of a crisis. Firms who manufacture arsenal or war equipment benefit when there is a war.
The same can happen in a pandemic too.
But that does not mean the pandemic does not exist?
No. It is vital to separate what is true from what may not be true.
Certain social media, like Facebook, have fact checker programmes that you can use to verify the information that you want to share.
If you want to be credible, always check your sources.
Don’t share information that you are not sure about.
Go for the truth.
And share the truth.
Next week: Beginning of the Universe: A scientist talks with philosophers.

• Thomas Hukahu is an Australia Awards student based in Adelaide.