MLT opposed the COVID vaccine because he thinks, like most conspiracy theorist, that it is all part of the Illuminati plan. The supposed overlords controlling the world’s affairs, operating secretly as they seek to establish a New World Order. The covid vaccine mandate was due to a pandemic the likes of which we have never seen before in our lifetime. Hindsight is an ability we all have to criticise the mistakes that were made, and there are plenty. That ability is not restricted to ex footballer/ex pundit MLT, who now spends his spare time on Twitter reporting on the research he has gathered from a few YouTube clips and a Charlie Ward podcast. The reason most pundits don’t chip in is because their job is to cover sports news. Same reason Kate Adie never commented on football matches. MLT say’s “it’s been proven”. How can he grasp the atrocities of war if he can’t grasp the meaning of the word ‘proven’? MLT was one of the best footballers on planet earth, he is now one of the best on flat earth.
For all this talk of vaccine mandates I thought I'd point out that they never actually existed in the UK, bar the disgusting treatment of care workers. I'm still waiting to find what nice things I won't be allowed to do here as I was assured by the experts on this forum.
The fact that Tiss is retweeting someone who thinks that Gary Lineker and David Baddiel are paid state agents really should give him pause for thought...
Matt should really consider emigrating to across the pond where he might feel more at home with the like minded conspiracy theory nutter butters over there.
Thing is with Matt, for some reason I don't think he's a ****er, I just think he's a wally. There's a big distinction. The problem is, I'm not sure he's bright enough (although whenever I've met him, he's always come across as smarter than the average footballer) to understand how the algorithms and the Russian bot farms really work. Hence why I'm trying to put something in place that if he's honestly interested in 'the truth' might help him out a bit. Who knows, but I just don't see him as a bad person (there are plenty of those out there, and plenty of them standing with him right now - Paul Joseph Watson for one. When those people become your allies and supporters, it's time to take a check on yourself). I think he's tripped and fallen headlong into his rabbit hole.
The thing is he would probably the same about the majority of the people replying to him. I had a Barney with some people in the covid thread regarding covid vaccines. I think anyone that backs enforced vaccinations is headlong down a rabbit hole. But they thought me advocating for freedom of choice was me going headlong down a rabbit hole. I think ultimately it comes down to people’s personal opinions of individualism vs. collectivism and their responsibilities within those frameworks MLT clearly believes individuals rights are being trampled on, and feels strongly enough about it to use his platform to say so. I think as long as what he’s saying isn’t offensive and he has evidence to back up what he’s saying, he should be allowed those thoughts. I think it’s a bit unfair to say he’s formed his opinions based purely on Russian bot farms. A lot of people feel similarly to him
Of course he should be allowed those thoughts, and quite plainly he is allowed those thoughts. I struggle on the "he has enough evidence to back up what he's saying" bit, mind you. I didn't say he's formed his opinions based purely on Russian bot farms. That's a pretty big (and completely incorrect) extrapolation. What I'm saying is that the way things like the Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg works, is that they identify what they call 'nodes' such as Matt or James Melville or Leilani Dowding, who have certain belief systems, then they flood those timelines with bots that agree and amplify those messages (and help the original target solidify their beliefs, because they see 'people' siding with them). They also flood them with further propaganda that becomes more and more radical, safe in the knowledge that the 'useful idiots' as they are termed, will then go and retweet it. So they then become tools to amplify 'agitprop'. He becomes someone that unknowingly promotes Russian misinformation. It's the playbook, and it works.
He's allowed to have an opinion, he's not been silenced, but these are the consequences of his actions. Its hilarious though, he's getting his info from other "media" too, who also have an agenda. Their's just lines up with his twisted thinking.
It's worth pointing out too that this happens at all ends of the political spectrum. It's not strictly a conspiracy/right wing thing.
True, I don’t deny at all that that is probably happening. My problem is that genuine conversation is being stifled by calling people crazy etc. (I’m not accusing you of doing this btw). I meant that general I have seen a lot of people painted as ‘qanon conspiracy theorists’ recently when I actually think they are raising valid points about government intervention/overreach and freedom. Although to be honest I haven’t followed what MLT has been saying closely, I just feel for him as my views about covid have made me a pariah on here
I think Os raises a good point about people's definitions of rabbit holes though. And I agree that I consider those who went down the route of 'lock everything down. Sack those without jabs' were also in a media induced rabbit hole. And that it's far more batshit than those who were questioning whether the lockdowns were causing more harm than good andthe morality of forced jabs. That of course is just my opinion though and everyone will have their own. For me though the difference is when people (such as Matt) start going down the route of Bill Gates controlling the world and covid not being real etc when it becomes a bit more mental.
See here's another funny thing about perceptions I've always been Ralph in but I've found the "Ralph is God and can't be questioned" mentality just as crazy as the Ralph out crew. It's actually similar to the covid debate and very much where we are as a society at the minute. Lots of extremes with little room for grey and a tendency to lump people at either end of the scale. Feels like it started with the Brexit referendum though it may have been before that. I blame the internet and social media personally.
