The Twilight Zone is a cult classic; a popular sci-fi anthology series that aired from 1959 to 1964. Created, hosted and written by Rod Serling, the show became a byword for the weird and unbelievable, where natural laws did not always apply, where the unexpected did not need a logical explanation.
The introductory tune and Serling’s opening words have become part of the cultural fabric of America. “You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop, the Twilight Zone!”
This is what America has become, a place where imagination—frequently malicious—can ignominiously replace facts and evidence, and even science is being maligned as a weapon used by the government against the public.
The wildfires in Maui have been a devastating natural disaster that claimed the lives of at least 99 people thus far and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. They were fueled by dry conditions, strong winds and low humidity, and were worsened by the effects of Hurricane Dora passing south of Hawaii. While these causes are supported by science, this is not good enough for the conspiracy theorists that are ready to spin one after another.
These groups—for now we don’t know exactly who they are– have been spreading wild theories and propaganda on social media, radio, and other platforms that blame the government, environmentalists, or foreign agents for starting or spreading the flames.
“The powers to be are at work again. This was no wildfire,” a voiceover on one Facebook video states, showing photos of Maui wreckage. “A wildfire that demolishes buildings, leaving trees standing, leaving restaurant umbrellas and trees untouched – yet having the power to destroy a boat in the middle of the ocean … What we are seeing here is definitely no wildfire. Wildfires do not completely burn out vehicles, glass and all, yet leaving nearby trees and utility poles still standing upright.”
Some of the grotesque claims they have made include:
– The fires were intentionally set by the federal government as part of a land grab scheme or a population control agenda.
– The fires were ignited by environmental activists who wanted to stop development and tourism on the island.
– The fires were caused by Chinese or Russian operatives who wanted to sabotage Hawaii’s economy and security.
One of the most outlandish theories is that the fires were caused by a secret government “energy weapon” that used a laser beam to target the island. This theory relies on misinterpreting images of a SpaceX rocket launch from 2018 or a possible controlled burn at an oil refinery in Ohio as evidence of a weaponized beam in the sky.
Another false claim is that the government sprayed highly flammable chemicals like aluminum into the air as part of a weather modification program, making the island more prone to fire.
The cause of the fires is still under investigation by Hawaii officials, but there is no indication that they were intentionally started by anyone, let alone by a secret energy weapon.
Some also allege that the fires were started by elites or investment companies who wanted to acquire the land from native owners who refused to sell.
Even the latest suggestion that the initial spark may have come from downed power lines that should have been shut off in the fierce winds, does not qualify as anything but poor judgment on the part of the Hawaiian Electric Co.
Truly, this sounds like an episode worthy of The Twilight Zone. Unfortunately, though, this is not fiction. Conspiracy theories like these do serious damage to a nation and to individuals.
They undermine trust in science, experts, and institutions, and can endanger public health and safety. The Covid vaccine controversy and the ensuing death toll, mostly among those who rejected the vaccine, is recent proof of that harm.
Conspiracy theories fuel social division, hatred, and violence against certain groups or individuals. Disunity and hatred in America are rampant and getting steadily more intense.
Sadly, such unfounded theories erode democratic values and norms by promoting authoritarianism and extremism. This should be self-evident as we are living through a historic period where a former president, completely divorced from facts and reality, is tearing a nation apart as he drags us through the tragedy of multiple indictments.
Three years after he lost the election, Donald Trump still rejects all the facts and evidence that he lost the 2020 election. Yet the proof is overwhelming. The Department of Justice, led by Trump’s own attorney general William Barr, found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have affected the election.
The Department of Homeland Security, also under Trump’s administration, declared that the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history” and that there was no evidence of any foreign interference or tampering with voting systems.
Secret documents that have emerged have proven that his own advisers knew that the conspiracy theories were all bunk, and yet he persists in rejecting any such proof.
The conspiracy theories being concocted about the origin of the Maui wildfires are only the latest proof that a disturbingly large segment of the American population has entered the Twilight Zone.
