Apocalyptic medical utopians launch fear-based 'People’s CDC’

Apocalyptic medical utopians have launched a group aimed at perpetuating COVID fear and preserving its accompanying rituals such as mask-wearing and social distancing. 

In an article praising the group, the New Yorker describes “a ragtag coalition of academics, doctors, activists, and artists who believe that the government has left them to fend for themselves against COVID-19" by lifting mandates and restrictions. In their minds, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been corrupted by an agenda to see people back at work and anxiety-free, and is therefore spreading “misinformation” with its lighter recommendations.  

After connecting with each other online, these individuals have formed the “People’s CDC”, a so-far leaderless group with thousands of online followers which spreads “real information” about COVID-19. They hold weekly meetings to discuss COVID and publish a weekly “Weather Report” “summarizing data about transmission rates, new variants, and death rates.” They also publish their own recommendations, such as that all events be held outdoors while wearing high-grade masks. 

The operatives push others to lobby politicians for renewed restrictions and disseminate anxiety about “Long COVID”, where “no amount of COVID is safe, and no number of shots can protect you.” 

They also integrate other globalist narratives into their belief system, such as claiming it is racist to not want to wear a mask because “a lot of anti-mask sentiment is deeply embedded in white supremacy.” 

The group is funded by the Kresge and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations, the latter of which donated $150,000 to the organization. 

According to the New Yorker, the People’s CDC has received the blessing of the real CDC. 

“We have comrades that are within the C.D.C. who are saying to us, ‘Go ahead with your bad selves.’,” said one member, Edgar Rivera Colón. 

There is little tolerance at the People’s CDC for those who believe COVID is anything less than a major crisis, who the operatives refer to as “minimizers.” One such minimizer is George Washington University’s School of Public Health and CNN analyst Leana Wen. Despite Wen advocating for locking the unvaccinated in their homes and treating them as felons akin to drunk drivers, at a later point she suggested an easing of mask mandates. This sparked a petition to get her kicked off a panel at the annual American Public Health Association meeting as well as accusations of being “unscientific, unsafe, ableist, fatphobic, and unethical.” 

However, People’s CDC member Zoey Thill says COVID rituals such as testing, masking and keeping events outdoors make for an uplifting experience which fills her with hope. 

“The reality is, I feel so hopeful,” Thill said. “It’s uplifting. It’s a demonstration of care and solidarity and love,” she added. 

The People’s CDC is reminiscent of other syndromes which cause similar behavior following a perceived shift in reality. 

Last month, The Guardian reported on Post-Avatar Depression Syndrome (PADS), a “condition” in which some feel depressed after watching the 2009 film Avatar because the film’s fictional setting appears more idyllic than reality. 

Following the hit psychological thriller The Matrix, some fans created the religion of “Matrixism,” or “The Path of the One,” which involved a messianic prophecy and the use of psychedelics. 

Also similar to the People’s CDC is the case of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier during World War Two. Onoda lived in the jungle until 1974, refusing to believe the war was over.