Chapter 9
A rejected proposal to DARPA throws Peter Daszak’s life into mysery. Online mobs, conspiracy theorists, investigative journalists and pseudo-journalists, even politicians fully buy into the idea that the “instructions to build the murderweapon” have been uncovered in the suspect’s closet. But why do we want to believe that humans created the virus? Why do we seek somebody to blame?
“There is a tendency to look down on, let’s say, Burmese supernaturalism or Azande witchcraft, where people see misfortunes and illnesses as being caused by witches and invisible spirits that are doing harm. [We like] to flatter ourselves in modern environments, that all pre-modern people are not rational like we are now. But with the lab leak, I think it’s the exact same incentives.”
Anthropologist Chris Kavanagh and Cognitive Psychologists Matt Browne have studied what they call the “guru sphere”, a new online phenomena where persuasive influencers create sealed realities for their followers, not dissimilar to cults. There is a specific blend of anti-establishment, heterodox, anti-science gurus that have contributed dramatically to the popularization and amplification of the lab leak myth.
No matter the scientific evidence to the contrary, these communities were radicalized by conspiracy myth influencers to never let go. So ideologically captured, their beliefs and agency would soon be directed and weaponized for larger plots.
References:
Origin’s interview with Prof. Stuart Neil
Bad Boy of Science. (2021, November 19). COVID ORIGINS: The Latest Evidence (w Stuart Neil and Philipp Markolin) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Hpj32bDyQ
Shooting the messenger is a human tendency
John, L. K., Blunden, H., & Liu, H. (2019). Shooting the messenger. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(4), 644-666. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000586
On Andrew. G Huff, an ex-employee and fake “whistleblower” from EcoHealth alliance
Note: A former employee and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist had published a delusional book, or rather a violent manifesto, claiming he was in the room when Peter and Zhengli designed the new virus. The former employee left the company on good terms in 2016 and never even met Zhengli, nor worked on any projects related to coronaviruses. Yet now he believed that the vaccines were a plot to control the population, that Peter was a CIA asset, and that various “three letter agencies” were hunting him with helicopters and drones to prevent him from telling the truth. The former employee readily admits in his book of not taking the medications doctors prescribed to him for PTSD and other psychological issues, and boasts about how he had the right to kill a person he got into a fistfight with in the army; or how he was right to run over a dog on the street and should not have been reprimanded for it. He was dangerous, and he advocates for using the guillotine to hold those who created the pandemic, or were involved in the cover-up, ‘accountable’.
I had seen this disturbed person on Twitter, not knowing who he was at the time when he already falsely claimed I was paid off by EcoHealth alliance.
One the slippery slope from conspiracy theory “entertainment” to true believe in them
Van Prooijen, J., Ligthart, J., Rosema, S., & Xu, Y. (2021). The entertainment value of conspiracy theories. British Journal of Psychology, 113(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12522 (Note: Why we find conspiracy theories entertaining)
Munro, D. (2023). Cults, conspiracies, and fantasies of knowledge. Episteme, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2022.55 (Note: this explains well how entertainment and social motives can lead from merely participating in conspiracy theories to creating the circumstances for becoming true believers. It fits well with current ecosystem dynamics and nudging into fragmented reality by algorithms.)
Lewandowsky, Jacobs and Neil on cognition of conspiracy theorists and the origin topic
Lewandowsky, S., Jacobs, P. H., & Neil, S. (2023). Leak or leap? Evidence and cognition surrounding the origins of the SARS-COV-2 virus. In Routledge eBooks (pp. 26–39). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003330769-5
The conspiratorial mindset is driven by social, epistemic and existential needs
Markolin P., “The conspiracy mindset.” January 20, 2023. https://www.protagonist-science.com/p/the-conspiracy-mindset
DEFUSE proposal leak
Team DRASTIC. Research. (2021, September 20). DRASTIC analysis of the DEFUSE documents. D.R.A.S.T.I.C. Research. https://drasticresearch.org/2021/09/20/1583/
DRASTIC Analysis of the DEFUSE Documents – D.R.A.S.T.I.C. Research (drasticresearch.org)
and net) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363729325_DRASTIC_-_An_Analysis_of_Project_DEFUSE
Media coverages of DEFUSE proposal “leak” by DRASTIC exploding into the infosphere
Knapton, S. (2021, September 22). Wuhan scientists planned to release coronavirus particles into cave bats, leaked papers reveal. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/09/21/wuhan-scientists-planned-releaseskin-penetrating-nanoparticles/
Mike Gallagher [@RepGallagher]. (2021, September 23). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/RepGallagher/status/1441088973565091849
"New documents released by Drastic Research show Peter Daszak and the EcoHealth Alliance had applied for funds that would allow them to further modify coronavirus spike proteins and find potential furin cleavage sites.
Rep. Gallagher explains why that's so important." Note: Twitter video attached.
Carlson, J., & Mahncke, H. (2021, September 23). Leaked documents reveal proposal by Daszak’s organization for developing COVID-Like viruses. The Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/leaked-documents-reveal-funding-proposal-by-daszaks-organization-for-developing-covid-like-virus-4011711
Lerner, S., Hibbett, M.. (2021, September 23). Leaked grant proposal details High-Risk coronavirus research. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2021/09/23/coronavirus-research-grant-darpa/
Wade, N. (2021, September 23). New routes to making COvid-19 in the lab - Nicholas Wade - medium. Medium. https://nicholaswade.medium.com/new-routes-to-making-covid-19-in-the-lab-f94318cad4de “If Congress is at all interested in the origin of a virus that has so far killed almost 700,000 Americans, why does it not subpoena Dr. Daszak to turn over all his records and explain under oath everything he knows about the research he funded at the Wuhan Institute of Virology?”
Engber, D., & Federman, A. (2021, September 24). The Lab-Leak debate just got even messier. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/lab-leak-pandemic-origins-even-messier/620209/
How are the Lahu treated in Thailand?
Ekachai, S. (2013, August 27). Time ripe for whole new take on 'Thainess' https://www.bangkokpost.com. https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/366720/time-ripe-for-whole-new-take-on-thainess
More background info on secular gurus:
Note: According to Prof. Matt Browne and Prof. Chris Kavanagh, pseudoscientific loquaciousness is of course not the only hallmark of these secular gurus, there is a whole set of characteristics that play into their archetype. Narcissism we already mentioned, but also the idea of having a special understanding of the world plays into it. All gurus run into the same problem when claiming to have special insights into the hidden world, no matter if science, spirits or the afterlife. Since this is quite a significant claim, these individuals need to somehow enhance their own credibility. “Even in pre-modern society, people do generally say: Why you?”, Chris gave to consideration. “One way to enhance credibility is to be an unusual character, with attributes that you would not normally see”, traditionally things like birth marks and defects, or mental illnesses would stand out, producing unusual patterns of speech or behavior to give weight to their insights. I guess when something extraordinary is going on, we need somebody extraordinary to explain it. “Oh, it needs to be some type of performance”, Matt added. “Gurus, prophets, in various societies, were always in the business of marking themselves out as special, different from the ordinary people. “I think the modern crop of secular gurus fall into a similar social role, of special people offering advice about the world.” Today, credibility is borrowed from elite institutions, a well-lit professional looking podcast studio, lots of charisma and some nifty marketing. “Most shamans go through transformative experiences that give them special insights. Most of the secular gurus have undergone some type of public cancellation events. That is how many gurus cast their cancellation, as this big revelatory event.” Jordan Peterson gained fame by his public objections in the form of three video essays to an amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act that would see protections for gender identity and expression against discrimination. By mischaracterizing the amendment as an affront to free speech, he provoked outrage in the trans community while gaining popular support from right leaning audiences. Media coverage led to protests against the professor who they alleged has helped foster a climate for hate to thrive with his mischaracterization of the law. University administrators wrote two letters of warning that free speech does not supersede human rights, nor does it give permission to discriminate. These letters in turn were depicted by Peterson as censorship, making him a martyr for free speech absolutism. Similarly, Bret Weinstein’s rise to fame came when he protested the Evergreen state college’s suggestion for an unorthodox day of absence. Traditionally, on the day of absence, minority and black students and staff would stay off campus to highlight their contributions to it. In 2017, the college agreed with a proposal that maybe white staff and students could do that this year instead to show solidarity with historical injustices. Bret Weinstein was fighting against it. When his refusal to leave provoked student outrage and insults of racism, the national news media picked up the racial tensions and reported it as a “woke mob” harassing an innocent professor. Thus, another martyr was born for people who agreed with his political stance. “From the outside it looks like, oh is it not a shame that this happened to this person… but when you look back, for some of them, they have been trying to generate one of those for the last 20 years”, Chris Kavanagh explained the dynamic. In today’s attention economy, one has to do something drastic to stand out, as I am sure a certain similarly named sleuth collective would agree. “Why should people listen to them? Because they have special insights and knowledge that normal people lack or are too afraid to say”, the cognitive anthropologist elaborated. That self-created image is their shtick.
Bret Weinstein fearmongering about the vaccines and a “toxic spike protein”
(just some examples among many, Search term: "spike protein" from:bretweinstein until:2021-12-12 since:2021-01-01 min_faves:100)
Bret Weinstein [@BretWeinstein]. (2021, June 25). X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/BretWeinstein/status/1408479764621381639 “My concern begins with ‘spike-protein’ produced by all current vaccines. When spike-protein was chosen by vaccine manufacturers, it was not known to be toxic/destructive and it was designed to stay in the membranes of cells that produce it.”
https://x.com/BretWeinstein/status/1408479770644336640 “The first reason vaccine induced headache is “scary” to me is that we have substantial evidence that spike protein not only crosses the blood-brain barrier, but tatters it, opening the central nervous system to toxins and pathogens”
https://twitter.com/BretWeinstein/status/1408303612279676930 "Best outcome for all: I turn out to be crazy. But If instead: SARS-CoV2 came from a lab, Ivermectin is an effective COVID treatment & prophylactic, and spike-protein based vaccines injure large numbers of people, then can we talk about narrative control and institutional capture?” (Note: here he also mixes in the lab leak idea, contributing to the merging of the conspiracy-spheres between anti-vaxxers and lab leak proponents, as well as media-censorship about these issues)
Background on Major Joe Murphy, United States Marine Corps
U.S. Department of Defense. (n.d.). DOD rescinds COVID-19 vaccination mandate. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3264323/dod-rescinds-covid-19-vaccination-mandate/ (Note: The DoD vaccine mandate on 24. Aug caused him to quit the force )
Project Veritas reported on General Murphy’s backstory a bit and posted his letter to the Inspector General
uncoverdc.com. (2023, September 19). Project Veritas: Former DARPA Fellow Pens letter exposing Gov’t secrets. UncoverDC. https://uncoverdc.com/2022/01/12/project-veritas-former-darpa-fellow-pens-letter-exposing-govt-secrets/
Here are Murphy`s original delusions from veritas:
Murphy_Letter. (n.d.). Google Docs. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aSrF-yip3ERUbVi-rf-ZeVuxa_xPtPrl-EuU986BO4A/edit
Petter Törnberg’s book “Intimate Communities of Hate Why Social Media Fuels Far-Right Extremism” has been illuminating
Törnberg, A., & Törnberg, P. (2024). Intimate Communities of Hate: Why Social Media Fuels Far-Right Extremism (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003108344 “We lay the foundation of a new way of understanding online extremism, building on the tradition of Émile Durkheim and Randall Collins. We find that online radicalization is not merely an effect of repeated one-sided arguments, as suggested by metaphors such as “echo chambers”. Instead, social media politics can be better understood through Durkheim’s concept of rituals: moments of shared attention and emotion that create emotional energy and a sense of intersubjectivity, weaving from participants a political tribe – united, energized, and poised to act.”
How often does Richard Ebright use his catchphrase as discursive element?
Note: Twitter search criteria: "Stooges will be stooges" from:r_h_ebright until:2024-06-06 since:2020-01-01 min_faves:1 Counting was done manually through timeline scrolling; just to get an impression, this is not a rigorous analysis; but here is what I counted: Liars will be liars ~ 80 times, Sociopaths will be sociopaths ~ 250 times, Imbeciles will be imbeciles ~ 400 times, Stooges will be stooges ~ 1000 times. Some other variations I did not bother even looking up, like “frauds will be frauds”, “idiots will be idiots” etc.