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Australian flood disinformation sparks threats to pilots

23 Comments
By Taylor THOMPSON-FULLER

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23 Comments
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Morons.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

What the hell is going on down in Australia with their conspiracy theories?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

People, God bless them, you can make them believe anything. If you take a day or two and learn to push the right buttons, you can make the smartest people believe the silliest things. History has too many examples to count, but nobody today can be bothered with history.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Conspiracy theorists are dangerous - there are enough gullible Muppets out there who lap this drivel up and spread it across social media, and it grows arms and legs, and before you know it a lot of people are taking it seriously. It can cause serious harm, and spread panic - look at the so-called Millennium Bug.

If people won't believe the politicians, then get boffins to call out these idiotic cloud seeding claims. It's as bad as the 'chem trails' conspiracy... one person's unfounded paranoia is another person's gospel

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Posts shared online

Because many people, especially those vulnerable to conspiracy theories, get their news online via social media, it's expected that wack stories will be spread, But didn't Rupert Murdoch's family get their start in Australia, and they now use major outlets in North America and Western Europe to spread stories most reasonable people will not believe. Many people still deny that human-caused climate change is real, but apparently some think a local flying service is responsible for the deluges Australia has had to contend with. And Murdoch is reported to be starting his own weather channel, which he'll use to deny his friends and fellow billionaires in the fossil fuel industries have any responsibility for, instead he'll blame some flying service like Handel Aviation. Or maybe he'll attack windmills like one of his favorite Florida politicians.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Morons

I read one very interesting article on conspiracy theories stating they appeal to the unintelligent desperately trying to look intelligent and perceptive.

I think ‘morons’ does the job well here.

Australian fashion designer Alice McCall

As you’d expect, eminently qualified in this area.

Obviously a few stitches short of a hem.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Having said that the last couple of typhoon seasons in Japan have felt different than before and I do think the lack of planes churning up the air has something to do with that. It will be interesting to see if it gets back to normal once the flights are up to normal levels again

Interesting idea from ‘left field’ there.

I think it’s a few bob short of a quid from a science point of view, but I’d be interested to hear from people better versed in this area than me.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Disaster after disaster, huge numbers of people living hand to mouth on government assistance, a sclerotic economy with stratospheric house prices, wages, and living costs. And yet its currency has appreciated in leaps and bounds this past year against those of its largest trade partners, none of which come within a country mile of it in the profligacy stakes. Go figure!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

A former co-worker of mine here in Japan (He was an Aussie) was really into the chemtrails/cloud seeding conspiracy. He moved back to Australia a few years ago. Makes me wonder if he was involved in this.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yes, the whole planet develops backwards. Attacks, wars, everyday knife and gun violence, irrational accusations and stubborn theories bare of any evidence. Soon they’ll burn again scientists and declared witches, then all is deindustrialized or substantially rolled back and finally the very few survivors of it all climb again up the trees and beat themselves dead with stones and sticks about a last polluted banana. Don’t laugh, take much care instead.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Conspiracy theorists are an intriguing bunch:

They're skeptical of everything around them - yet they'll readily believe some anons in the internet without so much as questioning them

Why not apply the same amount of skepticism to those anons?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Interesting idea from ‘left field’ there.

The 'contagion of unreason' is made possible in part by the media allowing left field to consume ever larger spaces. I recall a short while back an outlet publishing a post saying that Covid vaccines caused ED, when in reality studies had shown it was the virus itself that had done so. To me that's on the media outlet for spreading wack, and of course on the dishonest, or perhaps just plain moronic poster.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Add that to the social media expansion and you get crazy people talking to crazy people about crazy things.

For example:

Having said that the last couple of typhoon seasons in Japan have felt different than before and I do think the lack of planes churning up the air has something to do with that. It will be interesting to see if it gets back to normal once the flights are up to normal levels again.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Anyone with half a brain is going to hear the "theory" of cloud seeding being the cause of the flooding and utterly dismiss it as bogus reporting. Has anyone ever heard of any cloud seeding causing massive flooding? I never have. They are lucky if cloud seeding results in any rainfall at all.

Take a second and think about what they are saying. If it sounds far fetched or unlikely, then maybe it is. There is no doubt in this instance it is rubbish.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It is not crazy to notice a change in the typhoon season and connect it with the reduction of plane travel. It certainly is not crazy to watch and see if when plane travel goes back to normal if the typhoon season also goes back to normal. That is observation. Admittedly a two year change in the weather is not even close to being more than anecdotal. That could be said for floods, fires, hot and cold weather events. It is observation over time that makes the difference.

Obvsiously is someone clever on here can advise me on what is the spark that starts a typhoon and de-link it from air-travel please do.

Damn the Wright brothers and their magical flying machines. No planes= no typhoons.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

When I started reading the article I had no idea the accusation regarded cloud seeding and expected to read that all and sundry were accusing these pilots of somehow provoking downpours by "chemtrailing". I have had people tell me to my face in complete sincerity that the contrails jets leave in the sky, which is just water vapor in the exhaust that condenses as soon as it hits the cold air of the upper atmosphere, are really chemical clouds put there by the gub'ment to poison us or make us compliant, depending on who is telling the story.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Has anyone ever heard of any cloud seeding causing massive flooding? I never have

Well back in the fall of 1915 there was this fellow in San Diego named Charles Hatfield .........

https://daily.jstor.org/charles-hatfield-rainmaker/

By the time the epic rain stopped in San Diego County, nearly 30 inches had fallen in a month, making January 1916 the wettest period in the region’s recorded history.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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