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Re:Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic by havewetsalt on Thursday April 29, 2021 @03:47PM (#26985794)
It's conspiracy theory by definition if it falls outside the official narrative. So even science can be a conspiracy theory.

In fact, real science has a tendency to be viewed (by non-scientists, it should go without saying) as conspiracy theory insofar as it challenges the official narrative, and invokes complicated explanations, rather than a nice simple answer.

Re:Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic by Majromax on Thursday April 29, 2021 @03:51PM (#26985855)
No, a conspiracy theory "by definition" requires collaboration between several human agents.

In this overall thread, the idea that the "disappearance" of flu is driven by political desire to label all respiratory illnesses as covid cases would be an example of a conspiracy theory.

Another commenter brings up the idea of 'viral interference.' This is not an example of a conspiracy theory, but I do not give the idea great credence on Occam's Razor grounds.

Re:Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic by didericis on Thursday April 29, 2021 @04:42PM (#26986440)
> the idea that the "disappearance" of flu is driven by political desire to label all respiratory illnesses as covid cases would be an example of a conspiracy theory.

You’d also have to claim that mislabelling was done deliberately for it to be conspiratorial.

I don’t think politically motivated distortions of perception are conspiratorial if those who are prone to mislabel things due to their belief system do so without realizing.

Not saying that’s an applicable explanation for the disappearance of flu, as it seems way too universal, just going further into semantics.

Re:Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic by realreality on Thursday April 29, 2021 @03:51PM (#26985849)
You need a conspiracy for it to be a conspiracy theory. Without that, it's just a theory (or, more likely, a hypothesis).