Letter: It’s time to get to bottom of virus theories

Thank you, Associated Press, for reporting this story, and for writers Amand Seltz, Barbara Ortutay and David Klapper for opening the conversation on a very complex situation in the piece headlined, “Conspiracy-theory video shows challenges for big tech,” published in The Westerly Sun on Wednesday, May 13. Conflicting information about medicine is nothing new, but in these times, it swirls as rampantly in the air as the new coronavirus. Every day new information about the virus is reported and we adjust our lives in response. It is becoming clear to me how medicine and politics have become one and the same, and we need first to acknowledge it and then act to dismantle it.

Last week a close friend sent me the YouTube link to part one of the documentary movie, “Plandemic.” What do you think? he asked. I watched it with one eye, as I prepared dinner, not really that interested, because I expected it to end with some product for sale to cure all. When it didn’t end with a sales pitch, as I expected, and actually had made a couple of points that piqued my interest, I decided that I would watch it again later more closely. But the link didn’t work and the message read, “Taken down because it violates YouTube Community Guidelines.” So I responded to my friend immediately that the fact that it was taken down so quickly interested me. Meanwhile, my friend messaged me again with a new link to the video that prompted me to download it before it was taken down again and I did, luckily, because before long it was taken down again, with this message, “violates a copyright claim.” I suspected that there could be some dangerous truth in this video that threatens someone, somewhere, somehow. I went to Amazon and ordered her book to learn more from Dr. Judy Mikovitz.

Since then, I have watched the 25-minute episode several times, thanks to the download, and am about a third of the way through her book.

I have never been a conspiracy theorist about anything, but my 44-year teaching career taught me an important learning technique: Ask questions. I have many questions about this story that I think transcend the challenge of big tech being able to prevent the viewing of such a video.

Who decided or ordered these platforms to cut the mic on this video?

What community guidelines does this video violate?

What copyright claim does it violate?

Why have videos selling quack products been allowed to air without this “take down” reaction?

Why have the social media platforms suddenly removed without warning or reason other postings that have been up for years that do not conform to prevailing medical protocols, i.e. “Truth About Cancer.”

Who stands to gain by discrediting Dr. Judy Mikovitz?

Who stands to lose by having her research findings revealed?

What does Dr. Mikovitz gain or lose by speaking out now?

I am intentionally stirring the conspiracy pot. It’s time we examined it for what it is or is not. Instead of squelching it, break it wide open somehow. I hope that we can bring the conversation into a public forum, because I think the public health of the world is at stake. The movie “Deep Waters” might be a blueprint, I don’t know, but I do know that this is about more than a supposedly “questionable, false, and potentially dangerous coronavirus theories” video going viral on social media.

Etta Zasloff

Hope Valley