People Who Thought COVID-19 Was An Election Conspiracy Against Trump Explain How They Feel Now
So here we are. We are thirteen months past election night 2020.
There are new Senate members, new members of Congress. Nicole Kidman is Lucille Ball.
Adele has released her greatest work to date and Spiderman is back. A lot has happened and a lot has changed.
And yet so much is still tragically the same.
Covid is roaring with a new variant and people still think the election was rigged. The cycle is endless.
Some people have moved on and Qanon has been quiet lately, but all the drama lingers.
So who is playing the loop and who has moved on? Let's find out.
RedditorSo-CalledClownwanted to hear from the people who had issues with the facts about Covid and the election.
They asked:
"People who believed Covid was a conspiracy against Trump and that it would disappear once Trump leaves; how do you feel about that conspiracy now?"
I'm biased—I'm going to get my third shot next week.
COVID isn't a conspiracy, it's real.
And deadly.
Keep Moving
"That was just another goalpost they moved. Covid would go away after Easter, then Summer, then the election, then the new year, etc etc." ~ TheMicMic
"deep state"
"Not that I'm going to claim any conspiracy theory as fact. But the way I saw it (if it were gonna be true) is that there seems to be a 'deep state' group that isn't just made up of people from one country. And there were funds to the lab in China to create this virus and it wasn't released on accident."
"And the vaccine is actually a form of population control. I don't have a link as proof or anything but I've had several different people tell me that Bill Gates is funding the vaccine and he said years ago that the easiest solution to population control would be a vaccine." ~ whyohwhy3465
Big Events
"Alright I'll be the one... so I didn't think it was against Trump I just thought it was the next big thing for the new president to solve, just like any other. There's either a war to start or a war to end or SOME big event that comes oddly enough just before elections so I did think this was going to blow over after the election, and now I can only honestly say that my life and any around me have not changed, not denying anything simply observing my reality."
"After the lock downs and crap were lifted I never saw a change and even during the lockdowns my daily life never changed. Still got up every morning and went to work (construction) and came home to my family. Feel free to comment I'm not here to argue just stating a point of view, and welcome any additions to that." ~ workbear66
requirements...
"Some people think that COVID is now an excuse for the government to take power and limit liberty. The government is now requiring vaccines. What will they require next? If we (patriots) don't stand up to this, it might be too late to stand up to further encroachments on liberty."
"So, it might not exist (or might not be as serious as it's made out to be), but by emphasizing the seriousness of it, the liberals can use the crisis to remove our liberties. (I don't believe this, but I've heard similar things on conservative radio)." ~ egnowit
Believers...
"I work at a library. Pretty sure I’ve seen books go out on the subject. They still believe. Some people think now that the Democrats created the virus to kill only Republicans. Truth is more republicans aren’t vaxxed." ~ iesharael
These Low Effort Jobs Have Surprisingly High Salaries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Have you ever worked one of those jobs that paid you to kinda sit there? If you have, you know the joy that comes with watching the entirety of Breaking Bad ...Do we even have news channels anymore?
Or is everything just an opinion show?
The Set-Up
"It was more nuanced than that. It was the complete shut downs that they said were to make Trump look bad because it would tank the economy." ~ Eric_Partman
A's & B's...
"I genuinely wanna know like how corrupted American's news are that some doesn't even seem to believe the national news channel." ~ lip_tong
"Basically, different people have different biases and will believe the news station that caters to them. Because their new source say A, they wont believe the news source that says B. During the last presidency, the president and his party were contradicting medical experts. It was very messy, but people who were with the president stopped believing the medical experts." ~ So-CalledClown
Not about us!
"I can’t quite work out why so many people think it’s all about the US. It affects the whole world and many countries were affected before US. Neither the virus or the vaccine started in the US. Having said that, I don’t live there, so I don’t meet your 'interesting characters.'" ~ Significant_Return_2
No Logic Needed!!
"Likely they’ll double down and believe even harder. Seems to be how conspiracy theorists work. Logic and critical thoughts don’t seem to play much of a role. I mean, they went to Dallas earlier this year because they thought JFK, Jr was going to come back from the dead and appoint trump president. So, my guess is, in order to protect their beliefs they’ve already adjusted their conspiracy to allow for the discrepancy." ~ ByGrabthar
Neverending...
"The conspiracy I was hearing more about was COVID coming to an end if Trump remained in office but if Biden took the throne, then he or the administration would prolong it and keep it an ongoing process as it is right now. So that part still holds up." ~ rw032697
We got receipts...
"The goalposts have moved. Now it is a virus created by Fauci and China, funded by the Dems to kill conservatives. There's definitive proof that the red states are hit harder and more conservatives have died than libs, despite eating a tremendous amount of horse paste." ~ RedWindArt
The Business of it all...
"The myth that needs to be adjusted is businessmen being the most qualified public servants. It's a completely different skillset. A businessman is a salesman. He is especially good at convincing people they need what he has. Then he provides that at the most efficient way he can."
"To a businessman a functional and healthy labor force is an expense, not an asset. It is a cost that needs to be minimized. A public servant sees the need and is given limited resources to prioritize finding ways to meet those needs. Despite what anyone else says, in the US, the need is to channel resources into supporting commerce."
"A significant part of that is providing a qualified, healthy workforce to businesses. To the country at large that workforce is an asset that needs to be nurtured. Where Covid broke we had a businessman in charge when we needed a public servant."
"Somewhere along the line we became convinced that we were spending too much to support commerce, that that expense was a personal responsibility not a public one. We are still in the middle of that conflict, and Covid is an inconvenient reminder that there are definitely issues that are bigger than commerce." ~ forebill
Brain Dead
"They still think it is... If you really want to lose a few brain cells just look at any post in the conservatives subreddit." ~ geak78
Rising Up
"They don’t care. They still protest in my town weekly. Well not this week because it’s raining. Just because masks = apartheid doesn’t mean they’re worth mild discomfort to get rid of, apparently… especially to people who definitely never said a word against actual apartheid." ~ 49thPercentile
Abolishment...
"Things like this are why I'm been promoting the abolishment of political Governments for a long time. Governments should be science and fact based. The fact that politicians can promote dangerous falsehoods and hide behind 'freedom of speech' is such a big problem."
"Governments are responsible for the people they govern. Misinformation should never have been released from any government person or establishment. They should be held to higher regard and punishments should be much more severe when in a position of power/influence." ~ Rogaar
Warped
"This theory doesn’t make sense. During a time of crisis, the president usually receives stronger support, and 'operation warp speed' should have gained votes for whoever is in office when it became successful." ~ banditk77
"If he had had the capacity to go full on statesman and dealt with COVID like something resembling an adult, I am somewhat convinced he could have won the election. Scary as that might be." ~ bombmk
Gravy Lovers
"I don't think it was a conspiracy against Trump. But it's pretty clear a lot of politicians took advantage of it for their own purposes (for ex, 'stimulus bills' that fund their pet projects), so they don't want the gravy train to end." ~ IBeTrippin
After the election...
"I don't think most of them thought the virus would literally cease to exist, just that it would stop being a big deal and not get as much coverage after the election. And that if the 'two week' lockdown restrictions were lifted before the election, the economy would start to recover and help Trump win." ~ Simply_An_Owl
Trump was the issue...
"I find it funny that people would think that something that virtually started out across the world (giving their own country plenty of time to shield itself) was a conspiracy against them. If covid is a conspiracy, it'd be against China. If you ask me, i thought the conspiracy was Trump." ~ rainbow_beret
I can't believe that this is where we still are.
Here is to a better 2022!
Stay safe people.
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When looking at a resume, it's easy to understand how prospective employers will assume someone is very intelligent based on their education and past experience.
But one shouldn't only assume someone's intelligence based on what they read.
More often than not, one can tell rather quickly that someone possesses above-average intelligence, based on how they speak, how they behave, or other telling details.
Redditor PadWanKenobi was curious to hear what people felt were the tell tale signs they were in the company of a possible genius, leading them to ask:
"What’s a sign of extremely high intelligence?"
Instant adapability
"Ability to intuitively and quickly understand complex systems and how lots of parts relate in a coherent whole."
"Like I work with some people who just keep tons of concepts in their head and easily integrate new information into their understanding of those concepts."
"They immediately know what questions they should be asking to better understand."
"And these are things they're currently working on, not like things they spent time studying in school over years."
"They just have a very strong ability to synthesize new information into their understanding."
"I sit in meetings distracted and confused having forgotten what we talked about in the previous meetings, and these folks just consistently have a solid handle on everything."- Ok-Control-787
Innate Problem Solvers
"They know when not to solve a problem."
"This took me a while to understand but the smartest people I know do this."
"It could be a really simple thing like ignoring emails from people asking for help."
"The supervisor or boss might have a quick and easy solution for the situation but instead of just handing it to the person that asked they let them figure it out on their own."
"They know who they can do this with and when to do it."
"If they did that with all of their underlings it would just create a mess."
"Another example that I can think of is planned chaos."
"Some people can predict exactly where things will go wrong and they could fix it before it creates a problem."
"They don't because nobody ever notices what's going on in the background when things are working perfectly."
"Once things fails then everybody notices and if you are the one person that fixed it you become the hero."
"They can also use then chaos to reach a goal they couldn't get before if things were working correctly."
"There's many examples of this in every day life that I didn't see before until I realized what was happening."- atapes
You know what they say about people with small hands
"If your hand is smaller than your face."- FallofTheKnight
The all knowing glow.
"When someone asks you a question and you push your glasses up while light comes out of it and covers your eyes for some reason."- JonEregor
Those giveaway behavioral quirks
"Wearing glasses and saying things like 'ah yes', and 'I see' while you pensively rub your chin."- iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
Encouraging others
"When they explain something they make the people around them feel smarter, not dumber."- redkat85
Being one step ahead.
"The capacity to understand complex things, see patterns where regular people don't."- Ostepop234
"They have this tendency to make you go 'Ohhh, why didn't I think of that?' when listening to them talk."- did_it_forthelulz
An endless love of learning
"A passion for knowledge and expanding understanding of complex concepts."
"The plumber can be just as insightful as the scholar."- KatatoniK94
Of course, one shouldn't always be fooled by what they see.
As many people are masters at appearing much smarter than they are.
In fact, one important sign of super intelligence is being able to separate those who appear smart, from those who actually are.
With each passing year of a marriage, couples will often discover that while they don't love each other any less than they once did, that spark their relationship used to carry has faded.
This will often lead these couples to look for ways to spice things up a bit.
Among the more popular experiments is inviting a third member to their bedroom.
Enticing as this prospect is, however, it's also easy to be intimidated by the reality of it, or even the mere suggestion of it.
"Men, what advice do you have for men whose wives want to bring a third into the bedroom?"
Make sure you want to do it.
"You need to be completely honest with yourself, ask if this is something you want and could live with."- Dame87
Proceed with caution
"It’s like frolicking in a mine field."
"You both better be SUPER into the idea, you can’t have one person who’s reluctantly agreed to go along with it."
"And established rules."
"A threesome sounds like fun and games until you’re watching your partner make faces and sounds that you only thought were for you in your most intimate moments together, and a burning jealousy comes out of nowhere and breaks your heart."
"I’m not saying it’s automatically a bad idea and I know people do polyamory successfully, but dear god be careful."- coleosis1414
Make sure you're an active participant
"I had an ex that was adamant that she wanted to be a swinger or whatever."
"The one time I decided to roll with it, I hit it off immediately with the other dude's girlfriend and had a blast hanging out with her all night."
"The other dude was a total creep, though."
"Also, my ex could not handle the fact that someone else was giving me the slightest bit of attention."
"So, needless to say, that didn't go anywhere."
"Turns out she didn't want to be a swinger, she just wanted to have sex with other people behind my back, which she had no problems whatsoever with."- Ted_Denslow
Look out for ulterior motives
"Just remember that if you bring this up and your husband is against it, that could be the beginning of the end of your marriage."
"For a lot of people their partner saying 'I am seriously considering having sex with other people and I'm checking with you if it is ok', is a deal breaker."- gamerplays
Consider a test run?
"Go to a bar together separately."
"Watch them flirt/interact with someone else."
"If you get jealous, it's probably a bad idea to bring in a third."
"If it turns you on, go for it."- SinSlayer
Query people with experience.
"It’s something my wife and I have talked about."
"We both agreed that opening the Pandora’s box is not the way we want our relationship to go."
"While it sounds fun, we have seen way to many relationships derailed because of it."- DarthDujo
Consider going whole hog.
"Bring a 4th."- xxemrgmi
Evaluate your relationship first.
"Make sure you and your partner are secure in your own relationship before having another person join."
"Have boundaries, and no secrets."
"From my experience it doesn't usually work out in the end."- Thick-Procedure455
Just don't!
"Don't do it."
"For a long time, my ex harbored a fantasy of watching me have sex with another woman."
"Hey, who knows why any of us are wired the way we are?"
"After contemplating the idea together for a while, we decided to approach one of her more attractive co-workers, who had made a series of flattering comments along the lines of "you're so lucky" and "he's so good-looking'."
"She enthusiastically agreed."
"Our first meet-up was of course awkward, but the second, third and following were pretty good."
"In fact they got progressively hotter, as we all got more comfortable with each other's boundaries, erotic likes and dislikes."
"However, over a few months these occasional kinky weekends transitioned into the co-worker asking more frequently and aggressively to be invited over."
"We tried to explain that we had intended these threesomes to be rare and exotic highlights in our sex life, not regular occurrences, but she didn't take the message to heart and instead became increasingly insistent, bordering on smothering."
"After being turned down one Friday, that night she unexpectedly showed up at our door anyway, carrying a weekend bag and wearing nothing but a raincoat, stay-ups and heels."
"While that was quite a sight, it definitely creeped us out, as it made us finally realize the whole arrangement was descending into 'play Misty for me' territory."
"My ex and I agreed that her unexpected and unwelcome appearance signaled the end of future three-ways, at least until we were able to cool our own selves down, reassess, and perhaps later find a less demanding and insistent third."
"Things subsequently got very sticky at work for my wife, as her co-worker, with whom she had to interact closely, strongly resented being permabanned, and kept demanding to know 'what she'd done that was so awful'."
"Coworker eventually asked to be transferred to another office, but by the time that process was over and done, the discomfort / guilt / pressure / confusion my ex was suffering both at home and at work had begun to take its psychological toll."
"I must confess it didn't help that our own sex life was simultaneously going through a rough patch."
"Long story short, we ended our decade-long relationship less than a year after breaking off the threesomes, chiefly due to trust issues and growing sexual incompatibility, both perhaps triggered by our experimentation."
"Ever since, I've regretted agreeing to that first three-way."
"If I hadn't been so damned eager to take a bite of forbidden fruit, we might have kept our relationship intact."
"But I guess this can also be put down as what sometimes happens when you ignore that old advice, 'don't sh*t where you sleep'."- theartfulcodger
When venturing into the unknown, it's always wise to gain some first hand experience, to hear a variety of pros and cons of what you're possibly getting yourself into.
That way, deciding whether or not it's for you will become increasingly clear.
It's also important to remember, that it is always ok to say "no".
People Share Their Best 'You Either Die The Hero Or Live Long Enough To Become The Villain' Experiences
"You either die the hero or live long enough to become the villain."
Though not necessarily a universal truth, all of us have witnessed unfortunate moments in our lives where we've seen this saying become a reality.
Be it seeing our favorite public figures take a serious fall from grace, someone we know and admire eventually disappointing us in a devastating manner, or even seeing ourselves turn into someone we promised we'd never become.
One Redditor was curious to hear people's examples of this saying coming to light, either from a personal experience or seeing it happen to a well-known, public figure, leading them to ask:
"Who is your example of 'you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain'?"
Jim Jones
"Jim Jones."
"He originally stood up for civil rights when it was really unpopular."
"Was hospitalized and accidentally placed in the black ward."
"When the doctors found out, they tried to move him, but he refused."
"Then he became a cult leader and used his power and influence to end the lives of a thousand people."- Crvsby
Earning a position of power
"Working in restaurant kitchens."
"You either burn out young, or become the boss that everyone hates."
"There's exceptions, but that's the rule."- grandpas_old_crow
Henry Heimlich
"Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver."
"Made up a bunch of untested uses for it, treating people having asthma attacks, and drowning victims were the two I remember that he publicly talked up."
"Later, he funded an experiment that involved injecting people with Malaria to see if it would treat other conditions.
"The experiment was found to be unethical by American review boards, so he conducted them in Ethiopia." - User Deleted
Philippe Petain
"Philippe Petain."
"In WW1 he led the French to victory at Verdun, one of the worst battles in human history."
"In WW2, after France was beaten, Petain was the head of state of Vichy France."
"Guy went from the Lion of Verdun to the biggest Nazi collaborator in France."- arthuranymoredonuts
Our bodies
"Every organ until it gets cancer."- SuperBaconjam
Conor McGregor
"Conor McGregor."
"He had the whole country behind him here in Ireland at one point bar people who thought combat sport is grotesque."
"He was witty, original, backing himself up and having a Hollywood like rise to stardom."
"Now he's someone who the whole country is ashamed of, goes punching old men, clearly sleeps around on his wife while she's at home with the kids, just a walking caricature of himself."
"He didn't listen to his own advice."
"Get in."
"Get rich."
"Get out."- StephenPigot2020
Turning into our parents
"My dad used to annoy me by calling my Pokemon cards 'Pokey-Mans'."
"Now my kids have them and I do the same thing and it annoys the sh*t out of them."
"Thanks for the (Pokeyman) gold!"- rumpel4skinOU
Benedict Arnold
"Benedict Arnold."
"Almost died during the revolutionary way, if I recall correctly, and if he had he would have been remembered a huge hero, and a martyr."
"Instead he lived and changed sides, and is remembered only for his being a traitor."- uniqueperson22
Be it someone we knew quite intimately, or someone we admired from a far, it is always heartbreaking to see someone evolve from someone we love, to someone we utterly hate.
Sometimes we do things that have to be done.
And some of those things live in life's gray area of right and wrong.
What comes as a surprise to some is when we don't care if we're wrong.
We may still technically be in the right.
But morally and ethically, there may be some issues.
But still, many people don't care.
Redditor BirdyPizzawanted to see who would fess up about some of the worst things we're responsible for but have no shame.
"What is the darkest thing you have ever done and don’t regret?"
I've stolen from department stores that overcharged. I was arrested. I didn't care. So there...
The Grief
"Five years ago my dad suffered a catastrophic stroke. Left paralyzed and robbed of his speech and ability to communicate he was a shell of the once vibrant, charismatic man he once was. He was moved into skilled nursing where he lived for nearly two years, he was miserable."
"On my last visit I told him it was okay if he wanted to leave us, that we would miss him but he should go. A week later I received the call that he had passed. Instead of immediate grief I felt relief. Relief that he was finally free. The grief came later and I still miss him every single day."
theroadtoeverywhere
Things Missing
"Got into a car accident and had to stay with my mom for a couple days to figure out what to do. Went back to my apartment (I had two roommates) and everything was missing from my room. Long story short one of my roommates had everything hidden in her room."
"I called and told her the things were missing from my room and she came up with a lie that a couple girls came to look at my room (I was moving out bc of the accident, long story) and that they must have taken my things. She had everything I owned. Including my grandmothers perfume bottles, stuffed to the back of her closet, under her bed, behind her dresser etc."
"So I packed all of my stuff up. Then took a giant black garbage bag and stuffed as much of her closet in it as I could. Took it to the middle of nowhere, dug a hole and burnt it. She called screaming at me that her stuff was missing. I told her the two girls must have come by and taken her stuff too."
udntsay
Violence
"I hit my uncle left right and center when he was trying to choke my father to death. I was 16 years old at that time, a very skinny girl. I beat his face neck and every part of him that I could target with so much intensity that my knuckles turned blue the next day. I had an animalistic rage that day trying to help my father get away from his death grip. I hate my uncle even today."
"I got anger issues because of growing up around him. And I don't regret beating him that day at all. He was physically abusive to his wife as well. One fine day, his wife retaliated by beating him blue with a stick. And he stopped being physically violent towards her post that."
avadakebakra
Danger
"A neighbor like 10 years ago was neglecting their dog badly in the heat. The dog escaped often and ended up at the shelter a lot. One day she jumped the fence and got her tie-out cable stuck on the fence. (She was not in danger of choking.) Neighbor put her on a 3-foot-long cable tied to a doorknob, no water, 90 degree day. I let some kind folks steal her, watched the whole thing and said nothing to stop them."
Oh-Oh-Ophelia
Goodbye
"When my father was dying and in pain I was the one who told the doctors he had been through enough and we couldn't see him suffer anymore. Doctor injected him with something, I assume a morphine mega dose and he passed peacefully moments after. Euthanasia may not be legal in UK but compassionate doctors know what's what. I don't regret it because my pa made me promise I would have his back when he got sick or old. I'm sad he got sick and never got to get old."
Express_Evidence_23
That is a lot of mess. But sometimes we have to do what we have to do.
Toxic
"One of my ex best friends in high school was a real narcissistic lunatic. Had so many egotistical fantasies about what he deserved but I remained his friend because we met through my close friend (his girlfriend). As I started realizing what a terrible person he was I convinced him to go after his fantasy of a harem by asking to add a 3rd to their relationship, that led to a fight between his gf."
"I called her about it and asked how she felt about him adding someone to their relationship and about him sleeping with her. She said she knew nothing about that and started crying because he cheated on her. I basically helped orchestrate their breakup and have no regrets. She is happy with her first child now and he is in a toxic af relationship with 3 kids, 2 of which aren't his and his partner is 8 years older than him."
skijeng
My Buddy
"Had to make the choice to take my dad off of life support after he got Covid this year. He was sedated for a couple of weeks and one of his lungs collapsed and I couldn't watch him fall apart anymore. My dad was a bulky dude. Constantly did a lot of outdoor work and to see him bone skinny and have no muscle left killed me and I knew even if he somehow got through it, he would have been so miserable and depressed in that state he was in. I don’t regret it. I think it was the right thing to do by him. I’ll never not miss him though. That was my buddy."
CarterS20884
The Ruin
"Turned a close friend into the fish and game. He would poach mountain lions and bears. His whole family would literally shoot them and leave them. He would brag about it. I couldn’t stand it and felt that I needed to stop him. He’s in prison and so is his uncle. I know I ruined his life but he was literally killing so many mountain lions and bears."
Donkey-Puncherr
School Daze
"In middle school, there was this group of boys that would corner me in the hallway and try to scare me. I was the perfect target for these little b**tards. I was short, skinny, and had (and still have) and anxiety disorder. One day I just had enough, and asked a friend if I could have an extra pencil, sharpened it as much as I could, and when I saw one of them in the hallway, I stabbed the hell out of his leg. Sh**head got what he deserved."
leserolith3
Wow... we really are a dark and secretive people.