Infodemic: The Role Politicians Play

With the pandemic having created havoc throughout the entire world,

infodemic is what threatens the globe next.

Infodemic is a fake information pandemic when your mind is bombarded by

appealing headlines which though, turn out to be a massive disappointment

later.

COVID-19 death tolls have been continuing for almost half a year now after it

spread in last November from the suspicious Wuhan. While pandemic is

something, we must keep ourselves safe from at this hour, when India has

seen massive rises in the figures of death tolls, staying safe from blunt and

provocative information is equally important.

Politicians have a major role to play in spreading false information and

advertising wrong campaigns throughout the globe, creating havoc.

Talking about Brazil, President Jair Bolsenaro is least worried about his

people. He feels like he’s on his way to contest the Presidential elections

sooner.

In an advert move to save himself and his family from the accusations that

have been brought against him, he has been trying to lure his supporters by

moving out on the streets without a mask, maintaining no social distancing

and disregarding the norms specified by top health organisations across the

globe.(1)

He necessarily isn’t afraid of catching COVID-19 himself, because the

accusations that have been brought against him are deeply rooted and are

bound to bring his presidentship down.

At this hour, he feels it is more important to keep the supporters engaged and

as the President of one of the largest South American Countries, he

organises protests against his own governmental policies of creating

awareness for COVID.

What has been the consequence?

Last week, Brazil media sources reported of lakhs of graves being dug up

and thousands of dead bodies being put into it, maximum being those who

responded with affirmation and supported the President’s Political

propaganda.

In the United States similarly, when the death toll takes massive accession,

the President calls himself a war time President and asks his people to use

an untested Hydroxychloroquine for their COVID treatment, claiming that it

can heal anyone affected.

He also claimed, in front of the media, that he himself was on a regular

Hydroxy treatment. (2)

However, after the drug caused widespread deaths in the United States, the

President withdrew his claims saying he’d never been on hydroxy! He’s one

of the worst presidents the United States has ever seen. With almost no

claims that have truthful evidences, Trump is a complete ludicrous person.

Earlier he claimed that taking in dettol and Lysol , two disinfectants, could

help cure COVID-19. When people began consuming the same, Dettol itself

had to release guidelines on the same, labelling the president’s demands as

baseless and utter lies. (3)

Talking about a UFO issue that Sehaj has talked about in the earlier blog, with

a video attached, there was an official declaration by the Pentagon regarding

the sightings with which came this video, attached. (4)

Was it all a propaganda to turn away the attention from the hospitals turning

into morgues or is it Trump’s Election mandate 2020, where he desires to

revitalise the white supremacy once again?!

Amid the chaos, Iran has performed something exasperating! They’ve used

spurious liquor on advice of the diocese.

They poured in gallons of spurious liquors , mixed with ethyl, into people,

making them believe that this would cure Coronavirus. Such a rubbish

information led to several hundreds of deaths in the country. (5)

Talking about our own India, there have been reports from various sources

across Bengal, Orissa and Bihar that people have taken to putting mud and

gobar on their forehead to combat the virus. (6)

Amazing, right?

In this aeon of globalisation and industrialisation, when internet and correct

information is just a click away, these people are still fooled when their

government gives them certain directions.

Such mayhem is because they never keep themselves aware of the

happenings around the globe and neither do they have any information about

what to do and what to not.

It is very important to remember that COVID is a virus. It does not

differentiate between a president and a common man.

However, we must make ourselves self aware of such happenings and

whatever the government says, should try to keep ourselves protected

individually, if we fail to do it as a community. Only then can such ridiculous

happenings cease to take place.

By: Souhardya De

(The views expressed in the article are the author’s own. Indian Youth Cafe neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)

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References:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/may/18/bolsonaro-greets-anti-

lockdown-protesters-as-coronavirus-cases-rise-in-brazil-video

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52717161

https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/04/24/dettol-and-lysol-maker-

warns-against-drinking-and-injecting-disinfectant-after-trump-

suggestion/#43847d8746a5

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/04/27/heres-why-the-

pentagon-officially-released-ufo-video-footage/#11757f921a6a

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/iran-700-dead-drinking-alcohol-

cure-coronavirus-200427163529629.html

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coronavirus-

effect-cow-dung-urine-sell-for-rs-500/articleshow/74669478.cms?from=mdr