Plandemic

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'''''Plandemic''''' is a viral<ref group=note>Somewhat less so after it was banned from [[YouTube]] and [[Facebook]]. Either way, no pun intended.</ref> [[schlockumentary]] and 2020's pretender to the [[Vaxxed|''Vaxxed'']] throne.<ref name="Seen 'Plandemic'? We Take A Close Look At The Viral Conspiracy Video's Claims">[https://www.npr.org/2020/05/08/852451652/seen-plandemic-we-take-a-close-look-at-the-viral-conspiracy-video-s-claims Seen 'Plandemic'? We Take A Close Look At The Viral Conspiracy Video's Claims] by Scott Neuman (Friday 8 May 2020) ''NPR''</ref><ref name="Washington Post">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/08/plandemic-judy-mikovits-coronavirus/ Who is Judy Mikovits in ‘Plandemic,’ the coronavirus conspiracy video just banned from social media?] by Katie Shepherd (Friday 8 May 2020) ''Washington Post''</ref><ref>Beth Skwarecki, [https://vitals.lifehacker.com/if-you-found-that-plandemic-video-convincing-read-th-1843339002 If You Found That ‘Plandemic’ Video Convincing, Read This Too]. vitals.lifehacker.com, 8 May 2020.</ref> 

== Initial infection ==
Clocking in at 26 minutes, it purports to be a preview (!) of a longer (!!!) version to be released later. The piece starts out in a somewhat self-conscious stylistic imitation of the [[PBS]] investigative journalism series ''Frontline'', spending a fair amount of time creating a cherry-picked when not fictitious background of its main subject: Judy Mikovits. Once that is complete, it descends into a [[Gish Gallop]] for the ages.<ref name="Science Based Medicine">[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/plandemic-judy-mikovits-and-the-mother-of-all-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/ Plandemic: Judy Mikovits and the mother of all COVID-19 conspiracy theories (some final thoughts)] by David Gorski (Monday 11 May 2020) ''Science Based Medicine''</ref>

== Immune response ==
As a reaction to the later part, some journalists tailored their stories to training readers how to evaluate information rather than debunking the piece directly.<ref name="ProPublica">[https://www.propublica.org/article/im-an-investigative-journalist-these-are-the-questions-i-asked-about-the-viral-plandemic-video I’m an Investigative Journalist. These Are the Questions I Asked About the Viral “Plandemic” Video.] by Marshall Allen (Friday 8 May 2020) ''ProPublica''</ref>

Perhaps more interesting than the documentary itself was its immediate and unusually forceful rebuttals from a wide range of the opinion spectrum.  If history remembers it, it may be as a tipping point in the media's response to new conspiracy theories. Among the debunkers were the State of New Jersey,<ref name="New Jersey Office of Emergency Management">[https://www.facebook.com/READYNEWJERSEY/photos/a.176301939053879/3555540404463332/ New Jersey Facebook account] (Friday 8 May 2020) ''New Jersey Facebook Account''</ref> [[Snopes]],<ref name="Snopes">[https://www.snopes.com/collections/plandemic/ Snopes Debunks Plandemic] (Monday 11 May 2020) ''Snopes.com''</ref> fashion magazine ''GQ'',<ref name="GQ">[https://www.gq.com/story/plandemic-anti-vaxxer-conspiracy-theory What Is “Plandemic,” the Latest Anti-Vaxxer Conspiracy Theory?] by Luke Darby (Monday 11 May 2020) ''GQ''</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'',<ref name="Forbes">[https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/05/08/why-its-important-to-push-back-on-plandemic-and-how-to-do-it/#7b5429a95fa3 Why It’s Important To Push Back On ‘Plandemic’—And How To Do It] by Tara Haelle (Friday 8 May 2020) ''Forbes''</ref> ''TechCrunch'',<ref name="TechCrunch">[https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/07/plandemic-video-judy-mikovits/ Platforms scramble as ‘Plandemic’ conspiracy video spreads misinformation like wildfire] by Taylor Hatmaker (Monday 11 May 2020) ''TechCrunch''</ref> and many, many others. Conspicuously absent from either side were far-right sources such as [[Fox News]] and [[One America News Network]], who clearly saw the blowback coming. Well. Except for [[Michelle Malkin]].<ref name="Gospel News Network">[https://gospelnewsnetwork.org/2020/05/13/dr-judy-mikovits-michelle-malkin-silicon-valley-censorship-and-plague-of-plandemic-corruption-video/ Dr Judy Mikovits / Michelle Malkin: SILICON VALLEY CENSORSHIP AND PLAGUE OF “PLANDEMIC” CORRUPTION] by Randolph Jason (Wednesday 13 May 2020) ''Gospel News Network''</ref>

== Long term prognosis ==
In a classic display of the effectiveness of an aggressive approach to fighting viral spread, online interest per Google Trends peaked on 7 May 2020 but collapsed to almost nothing five days later.<ref name="Google Trends>[https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2020-05-06%202020-05-13&q=plandemic "plandemic" searches], Google Trends</ref>

==Etiology==
According to [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]], his non-profit Children’s Health Defense funded ''Plandemic''.<ref>[https://bsky.app/profile/patriottakes.bsky.social/post/3lbfirfctac2n RFK Jr revealed that his group, Children’s Health Defense, financed “Plandemic,” a conspiracy “documentary” suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic was government planned.] by @patriottakes.bsky.social‬ (November 20, 2024 at 9:43 AM) ''Blue Sky''. [https://archive.is/1P79A Archived copy without video play.]</ref><ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/rfk-jr-plandemic-funding-1235173801/ RFK Jr. Said His Organization Funded Viral Covid Conspiracy Film ‘Plandemic’: Trump's anti-vaxxer pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has suggested the government itself may have unleashed the disease] by Miles Klee (November 20, 2024) ''Rolling Stone''.</ref>

==Reviews==
The reviews are less than stellar, including a whole 20 minute, multiple-part video debunking the bullshit from its core.
{{Youtube|B4bupkt2FGU}}
For those of you who can't see embedded YouTube, here is the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4bupkt2FGU link]

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12745644 ''Plandemic'' on IMDb]
*[https://www.bitchute.com/video/T6ByOc9NOgW9/ The video itself] on [[BitChute]] (tread carefully in BitChute)

==Notes==
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==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

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Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, Conspiracy theories, Conservative deceit , Pseudoscience, QAnon, Schlockumentaries, YouTube