sociali spatium gigantis

Is there a problem with conspiracy theories?

What are conspiracy theories?
According to Collins Dictionary in simple terms, a conspiracy theory is a belief that a group of people are secretly trying to harm someone or achieve something. There were several studies carried on the cause of people believing in conspiracy theories;
-One of these studies carried out, found that people who feel psychologically and sociopolitically disempowered are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.
-Another study found that people are more likely to believe in conspiracies when they are experiencing anxiety/fear.

As we well know, conspiracy theories are no longer new as there has been a rise with the help of internet. One popular one we can think of is the belief that the Covid-19 vaccine is not safe- Some say it would be used to reduce the population in Africa, Some have said people who take the vaccine would die after 2 years, some have said people who take the vaccine would have their DNA altered and magically produce a frog or toad as an offspring. Although, I don’t know how that scientifically makes any sense.

Another one is the belief that the president of The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a clone- It was spreading like wild fire on social media that the president had died and been replaced by a Sudanese lookalike called “Jubril.”

As funny as the above listed theories sound, I have heard worse. One major reason why we would be hearing a lot of these and more is due to the fact that the world can get very confusing, dangerous and unpredictable. So, many may feel the need to explain what is happening according to their own reasoning.
Although, some don’t really want to understand how the world works, they just have a need to belong or feel special (socially). I can confidently say there are a lot of this attention seekers in Africa.

There are several negative effects of believing things without gathering the facts on the subject. It can present a potential danger to public health, it can make people engage in dangerous or violent behavior.
This present age of information has gradually become an age of disinformation- Thanks to the several instant messaging applications where people find it very easy to spread false information within flash seconds.
As we come across information from various sources in our day-to-day lives, it is important to be able to distinguish between false conspiracy theories and facts. It may be very tempting to ridicule conspiracy believers, but it is important to note that these sort of beliefs are quite common— in fact, you probably believe in some of them.

Something must break a lady #1

It has been said by many: “Although, men are good at telling lies, women are better.” Before you get sensitive on the matter, it was as a result of the little survey I carried out. The survey touched some reasons why a lot of ladies tell lies. Some points were; they do so in order to make someone feel better, to avoid trouble, to make life simpler, some even said they just like to lie. Well, I’d say, there is a lot of points to cover on this topic but I just want to narrow our minds to some reasons we might not have thought of.
Let’s start with the university setting. It’s not easy to be a university student in Nigeria and not tell lies.

One reason why girls might be inclined to tell lies is due to peer pressure. If you would recall, I made mention of some ways in which guys too can be affected by peer pressure in ‘something must kill a man.’ Now this peer pressure can be the face-to-face interaction with friends and several acquaintances in school or digital interaction (social media). I’ve heard girls lie about where they live, the type of car their dad drives, and all the things they don’t have but wish they had. I know you yearn to have a taste of the finer things in life, you don’t want to be silent when your peers are speaking. No one wants any of that but like I said in the prequel, oppression plenti.
Girls naturally want affection and attention. Now this becomes a problem if her friends get all the attention and she’s left out. I mean, girls got to do what girls got to do!

Having friends that tell lies a lot is another major contribution. I remember a girl that had these boogie-ass friends. She once told a lie about where she lived, only for her crush to discover the truth. Now, this was a problem cause she lost her self respect and the guy she was trying so hard to impress.
Despite the fact that it doesn’t really bring out the best in us, some have invented telling lies as their survival technique.

Imperfectly perfect

It has been ages; I thought I had given up on this blog. I have a topic that is of utmost importance. Jumping right into it- What does it mean to body shame?
I’m 100% sure you’ve your answer prepared in your head, just like every other person should have their views. But I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it simply means; mocking one’s body size or shape. Sadly, this is very common. There are different ways in which people can be body shamed- This could include; fat shaming, shaming for thinness, making critical comments about the shape or the size of a lady’s mammary glands/buttocks, insulting a man for the size or length of his pecker, the list goes on and on.
The crazy thing about this act of ridiculing or mocking a person’s physical appearance is that it does not only affect the ridiculed, it also affects the ridiculer. Why do I say so?
An American author, Wayne Dyer said: ” Judging a person does not define who they’re. It defines who you are.” I believe anyone always looking for an opportunity to body shame others have problems with the way they feel about themselves and their bodies- They are so blinded by fantasies of having a perfect body that they forget we’re all flawed as humans.
Trust me; I’m guilty of this. There was a time I had this issue of facing my flaws. It was so difficult that I had to take some pleasure in commenting on how others looked, thinking that it would make me feel any better. Guess what? I felt like shit eventually.
One way or the other, directly or indirectly, we’re all guilty. Society has tricked us into believing there is a standard for a guy or a girl’s shape, height, or size. This is why we see a lot of useless commercials selling fake butts, penis enlargers, fake chests with abs, fake boobs, and so on. Some of the lies that society feeds you are;
Skinny- Anorexic
Thick- Obese
Virgin- Too good
Non virgin- Slut
Friendly- Fake
Quiet- Rude.
The list goes on and on; society is never pleased, so why should you let anyone tell you how to live your life? You don’t need abs to be a fabulous guy; Shave because you want to, not because you’ve to; you don’t need to kill yourself to have big butts or firm boobs, Just be you and do what makes you happy.
Remember: “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

Feelings & the cold truth: EP 3

Nigeria- A developing country with a tremendous young workforce. The country has a lot of potentials, most especially the young men. On many occasions, we hear of ladies broke shaming young men. I’ve been wanting to hammer on this topic for a very long time now, I’m glad I’ve the chance today. Born as a male in Nigeria, you’re already in a stress filled world- Society looks up to you, family brings their own expectations, unfortunately, even the slightest source of happiness from the opposite sex comes with a lot of baggage most times.

It’s as if once you’re born a male, you’re expected to be as hard as diamond. Everyone expects you to take hits without getting wounded, suppress all negative feelings without feeling down. I have seen situations where a lot of people would rather help the ladies than the guys because they feel guys shouldn’t be in any way shown sympathy. All these are enough to run a man mad. It hurts to see a lot of ladies take the advantage in exploiting, scheming and even going far as broke shaming. It is very wrong to broke shame a guy.
Before I started compiling my points for this content, I got a lot of shocking comments about dates with guys and roles we play. I’m not here to judge but let me be a hunnid with you, There is no crime in a lady paying the bills or taking financial responsibility. The problem is when you feel you are not meant to do anything and the whole load goes to the guy. Some girls would say: “He is the one that likes me, so it is his responsibility to always call me, text me, pay for everything and send me money.” Nothing is wrong with a guy doing all that but have you also thought about his financial stability? It shouldn’t always be about he should but can he?
We’ve got feelings too, the last thing we want is a lady nagging, putting more pressure on us or expecting a lavish lifestyle when we can hardly get out of the pressures around us. If a guy really likes you, he’ll naturally care. It is not even about being rich, he can go an extra length to get you a lot of nice things. It doesn’t mean it is his duty, it is just a way of showing he cares which can of course, be reciprocated.
One thing that has indulged this mindset in many ladies is the belief that a guy of the same age that is interested in her should automatically be a big spender. Many have been with guys that make lots of cash through illegal means and automatically expect that from every guy. It’s wrong. Never belittle a guy for whatever reason- Whether he is not the guy you perceived him to be or he is not meeting up to your expectations, it would be best you leave him alone and look for what suits you. Please, don’t even think of broke shaming a guy. He may actually be trying something big, he may still be trying to figure out what life has in store for him or whatever the case may be, respect that! It is okay if a guy is not your taste or you’re not just feeling him, but it is totally way out of line to judge him based on his financial status.