Humanity's Race Toward Insanity and Death: The Parasite Theory
I have decided henceforth to approach my fellow humans as though at least half of them have been overtaken by a parasite that destroys people's brains – much as the Zombie Fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) overtakes the brains of certain carpenter ants in the Brazilian rainforest.
While this theory may raise me to the level of delusion already enjoyed by the group about which I am so concerned — including the anti-vaxxers, the Trump-defeat deniers, the climate-change denouncers, the great-replacement theorists and others of their ilk – it also relieves me of the burden of feeling as though I should try to demonstrate to these individuals the errors of their ways. If their capacities to think have been destroyed by parasites, it removes my obligation to reason with them — or even to keep an eye on the progress of the degradation of their brains. Theirs is a problem for a science community in which they do not believe, which puts help far beyond their reach.
Once infected by the “Zombie Fungus,” an ant in the Brazilian rainforest feels compelled to climb up a tree to the exact height that is the optimal growing environment for the invasive mushroom, and then to tighten its teeth around a leaf and not let go. Soon, spores from the mushroom penetrate the ant’s head, take root and begin to grow, causing the ant's head to explode.
Regrettably, I do not foresee a similar outcome for those infected by the varieties of propaganda and the range of conspiracy theories on offer these days. This is unfortunate, but I suppose it does relieve us of the burden of cleaning up after the brain explosions – in a literal sense, at least.
To read more about the Zombie Fungus, see the 2017 article by Ed Yong in The Atlantic entitled “How the Zombie Fungus Takes over Ants' Bodies to Control Their Minds.”
But you may not want to click on that link because, you know, parasites....
