Coronavirus is a biological weapon conspiracy theory

Topic:                          Coronavirus is a biological weapon conspiracy theory

Attention Getter:        Bill Gertz, a journalist, ate Washington Times, released a statement indicating that the COVID-19 virus originated from China’s biowarfare program. Steven Monster was a second journalist to suggest that the coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. Such notions led to the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 is a bioweapon.

Reason to listen:  COVID-19 is a current pandemic, and people should differentiate facts from conspiracy theories to establish effective containment measures.

Thesis statement:         Although the current pandemic continues to affect people, the belief that coronavirus is a biological weapon weakens the efforts to control the epidemic.

Preview:  First, I will review the origin of the conspiracy, followed by its weakness. Finally, I will evaluate the impact of the conspiracy theory.

1. The conspiracy theory that coronavirus emerged as a bioweapon emerged from the media and political thoughts. Social media and newspapers became significant instruments in spreading fake news about coronavirus (Mejova & Kalimeri, 2020). Journalists were the first people to suggest that coronavirus is a Chinese bioweapon. They used different platforms to spread misconceptions. Politicians made unverifiable claims about the coronavirus and its relationship with bioweapons (Mejova & Kalimeri, 2020). Such actions influenced the members of the public to believe that China released the virus as a weapon to weaken the economic superiority of the competitive economies. However, the arguments used to support this theory remain weak and indefensible.

Transition:                   Now that I have discussed the source of COVID-19 as a bioweapon conspiracy theory, I will explore the major weaknesses of this theory.

2. The rumors spreading that China released the COVID-19 intentionally do not rely on scientific background. People spreading rumors argue that Chinese could misuse the science and technologies for benign purposes (Okediya, 2020). The claims show that biotechnologists from China may have used their techniques for studying complex viruses for the wrong purposes. However, those who support the conspiracy theory fail to present tangible evidence to show that Chinese scientists misused the science and expertise for benevolent commitments (Okediya, 2020). The absence of substantial evidence affirms that the notions do not hold. The false public information has significant impacts on the audience.

Transition:                   Now that I have covered the major weakness of the conspiracy theory, I will explore its impacts.

3. The endorsement of the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 is a bioweapon weakens the ability of the population to comply with the government guidelines. Approximately 50% of the global population has some level of endorsement of this conspiracy theory (Freeman et al., 2020). Such facts show that many believe tend to believe that COVID-19 is a Chinese bioweapon. The beliefs weaken the effectiveness of the government measures to contain the pandemic as people lose trust with institutions and professions (Freeman et al., 2020). The distrusts among the members of the public have a close association with fear, negative beliefs towards the COVID-19 virus, and conspiracy mentality.

Conclusion

1. The conspiracy theory in question states that COVID-19 is a Chinese bioweapon
2. The belief that coronavirus is a biological weapon weakens the efforts to control the pandemic.
3. Most people lose trust in government health institutions and professionals.
4. In conclusion, we should remember that Bill Gertz, a journalist ate Washington Times and Steven Monster, were the first journalists to suggest that the coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.

References

Freeman, D., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., Petit, A., Causier, C., East, A., … Lambe, S. (2020). Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England. Psychological Medicine, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291720001890

Mejova, Y., & Kalimeri, K. (2020). Advertisers jump on coronavirus bandwagon: Politics, news, and business. ArXiv:2003.00923 [Cs]. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.00923

Okediya, P. (2020). China coronavirus bioweapon conspiracy theory: The application of international humanitarian law by states. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3614166

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