Birds Aren’t Real

Thanks to a recent 60 Minutes episode, I learned of a terrible conspiracy theory in which the U.S., a.k.a the “deep state” has destroyed all birds and replaced them with surveillance drones. Every bird you see is actually a tiny feathered robot watching you. Just kidding! The hullabaloo actually “is a parody social movement with a purpose. In a post-truth world dominated by online conspiracy theories, young people have coalesced around the effort to thumb their nose at, fight and poke fun at misinformation.” (NYTimes). Started by a college drop-out, Peter McIndoe (23) spread the word that “birds aren’t real” at rallies, protests and to anyone who would listen as a social commentary on the absurdity of how people latch onto movements they know nothing about. He has recently “come out” revealing that it was all a hoax with an important underlying message about the prevalence of misinformation.