Conspiracy | A dialogue to be re-established now

As the COVID-19 crisis subsides, it’s tempting to ignore conspiratorial people, hoping the movement will die out on its own. But that won’t happen. Considering the personal dramas that have been played out during the pandemic and the threat that disinformation represents for our democracies, it is “urgent” to re-establish social dialogue with this segment of the population.

Catherine Handfield
The Press

This is the message launched by Marie-Eve Carignan and David Morin, co-holders of the UNESCO Chair in the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism, in their book My brother is a conspiratorpublished these days by Éditions de l’Homme.

“We have a window of opportunity to try to generate this uncomfortable, unpleasant dialogue,” said David Morin, professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke. It’s not easy to have this collective conversation, but between two crises, it’s probably a good time to have it. »

This dialogue is uncomfortable, because conspiratorial people have been seen as a threat to the proper management of the pandemic, and because their beliefs in these alternative narratives provoke a knee-jerk reaction in some. It’s uncomfortable, too, because it involves listening to the grievances that are expressed through conspiracy, some of which are “legitimate.” And because it implies, collectively, to do an examination of conscience.

“As a society, to say to ourselves that we have left behind a part of the population which is now demanding things is confronting, because it means that there are elements that we may have missed and that we must question,” says Marie-Eve Carignan, professor of information, journalism and public communication at the Université́ de Sherbrooke.

Conspiracy is the symptom of a broader social evil, of a distrust of the political, media and scientific system, she underlines. After the pandemic, other crises will follow (economic, climatic, etc.), which adherents will still interpret through the prism of conspiracy. Conspiratorial rhetoric has even crept into the crisis in Ukraine and – disturbingly – into the reading of election results.

“This speech, it is not about to die out, and that is why we must now think of solutions before it continues to skyrocket”, summarizes Marie-Eve Carignan.

“The fight against conspiratorial discourse cannot go through more polarization and more confrontation, so let’s try the ways of dialogue with those with whom it is possible”, sums up David Morin.

Solutions

The book My brother is a conspirator – a real reference work for anyone who wants to understand the phenomenon – explains what conspiracy is (watch out for amalgams), who the members are (watch out for prejudices) and in what context the conspiracy “software” is downloaded from them. Because “trying to understand is already putting oneself in a posture of both openness and action”, write the authors.

And this action, they say, must be both individual and collective.

The individual work is to maintain the link with these people (while respecting oneself), by focusing on the links we have in common, without confrontation.

And collectively, society has to think about how to understand how this distrust of institutions has arisen, notes Marie-Eve Carignan. The authors don’t have “ready-made” answers, but it goes first through education in democracy, scientific work and journalistic work. It also involves reflecting on certain grievances, including social justice, the link between citizens and institutions, and the plurality of points of view heard.

The media, they believe, showed a certain “orthodoxy” during the crisis. People who asked questions about the legitimacy of health measures had little space to discuss it (which also allowed conspirators to monopolize the file, notes David Morin). This is without taking into account the use of the terms “touristatas” and “covidiots”… “That we did not have this conversation in the first months, because we were in times of crisis, does not seem to me super shocking, says David Morin. But today, you have to have it. »

Political leaders also have responsibilities, first of all – fundamental – not to spawn in the waters of conspiracy to obtain political gains. Leaders must also exercise caution and avoid stigmatizing whole sections of the population. During the crisis, anyone who dared to challenge the health measures was quickly discredited, even accused of being a conspirator…

Finally, in the field, more psychological resources must be offered to support members’ relatives, who sometimes feel a sense of shame and guilt. These are the families who will be able to reach out to those who want to get by. Because yes, insists Marie-Eve Carignan, conspiratorial people can get away with it. “It has to come from the person, it has to be the right moment in their journey,” he says. And you have to be there when she wants to come back. »

And the leaders?

Be careful, however: we must distinguish between people who adhere to conspiracy and conspiracy leaders and entrepreneurs, notes David Morin. “As much as one must act with empathy towards people who adhere, one must not be complacent with those whose conspiracy is a business plan, on the economic level and on the ideological level”, says the professor. Far-right movements and anti-government movements, he recalls, take advantage of the vulnerability of a segment of the population to promote their interests.

My brother is a conspirator

Marie-Eve Carginan and David Morin

Editions of Man

208 pages

My brother is a conspirator

Marie-Eve Carginan and David Morin

Editions of Man

208 pages