Amid a slew of misinformation floating around various media outlets lately, one Redditor referenced an alarming conspiracy and called for more critical thinking from readers.
The Redditor posted their story in the Canada-focused r/onguardforthee subreddit, writing, "Saw a conspiracy theory being [reinforced]; reported it, but left me unsettled."
They continued to explain that a video they saw featured a man claiming to have discovered a magnifying glass on a pile of deadwood in Alberta, Canada. The man then used this scenario to support the misinformation that people are starting wildfires in Canada.
"Manufacturing evidence to support conspiracy theories needs to be called out, but more importantly: people need to develop their minds in a way to discern what goes into making videos they see," wrote the original poster.
The OP acknowledged there will always be people susceptible to misinformation, but they were concerned at what seemed to be a growing number of the population who fall prey to conspiracy theories.
In regard to the specific video the OP saw, they said, "I don't want to boost them or provide them any more visibility; this isn't about one video or one person (already reported), it's about pleading for critical thinking to make a comeback, or be bolstered."
While fires can of course be started intentionally, the recent increase in intensity and duration of wildfire seasons has led to baseless conspiracy theories about their origins.
The 2024 wildfire season in Canada was one of the most destructive ever. According to Reuters, climate scientists said the extended drought and hotter-than-average summer caused by rising global temperatures contributed to the fires.
Scientists also pointed out the planet's continued warming will lead to longer and more devastating wildfire seasons in the future.
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Definitely 💯 Other Redditors were also upset over the amount of misinformation around wildfires. One user wrote, "A magnifying glass, are you kidding me?"
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Another Redditor said, "[Conspiracy theorists] are willing to put people's lives in danger to prove their nonsense."
One user pointed out, "Some people will do anything for attention."
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