Culture

People Are Dunking On Eco-Fascists Who Think “We Are The Virus And Coronavirus Is The Cure” 

"People saying shit like 'woah dude, what if like coronavirus is the cure we are the real virus' should cure themselves."

by Michelle Rennex  27 March 2020
we are the virus meme eco-fascists coronavirus

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A little over a week ago, images of unusually clear canals across Italy went viral.

The photos showed fish swimming around the usually murky waters of the Venice canals with swans floating around the surface. Similarly in Sardinia, Italy, people shared videos of dolphins allegedly returning to the ocean as a result of the reduced boat traffic.

People quickly called this return of wildlife an “unexpected side effect of the pandemic” with some even going so far to claim that humans are the virus, and coronavirus is the cure.

After the footage went viral, the Venice mayor’s office explained that the clear canals weren’t a result of an improved water quality at all.

Crediting the reduced boat traffic that normally brings the sediment to the top of the water, the fish that have magically “returned” to the canals were actually always present in the waterway.

Despite this, the idea that coronavirus was giving nature time to “heal” from the virus that is humans continued to spread online. Instances of reduced air pollution from less traffic, clearer waters thanks to less movement and the unexpected “return” of wild animals has convinced some that coronavirus is “Earth’s vaccine.”

But what these people fail to realise is that these statements support eco-fascism — the idea that individuals should sacrifice themselves for the greater good of nature. The reason that nature has been able to blossom, in the days since coronavirus lockdowns, is as a direct result of reduced activity by corporations, not the actions of individuals.

The fact remains that just 100 companies across the globe are responsible for 71% of the world’s green house gas emissions. So without any significant changes in the way these companies operate, there will be no noticeable change or “cure” to the current state of the environment.

As a result, people online are taking the piss out of eco-fascists and their blanket statements about how nature is finally “healing” from the “virus” of humans.

A popular meme to come out of the “we are the virus” narrative is people highlighting the companies who have products in places that don’t belong. For example, the alarming number of Lime Scooters and oBikes that are scattered throughout rivers, lakes and oceans across the globe.

People have also mocked the “wildlife is starting to return” idea by photoshopping wild animals into places they don’t belong. Or perhaps, places they would belong if we hadn’t infected the world with human existence.

But most of all, people just could help but poke fun at the generally baffling idea that we, and not giant corporations, are responsible for the nature’s problems.