Ok, bear with me... Mankind is developing a new type of religion: conspiracy-theorism.

[shrike3]

14. You may be on to something.

I heard, and saw, some of the strangest things during the height of the pandemic. People who'd on one hand say that religion is the scourge of the earth and should be abolished would on the other hand say that Covid was a hoax and/or it was a weapon created by either the U.S. government or China to control us. Among other theories.

Also, where I live churches were hosting vaccination clinics, and little old ladies who go to the church every week got double boosted. Go figure.

The conspiracy types I described above are almost entirely white men (and a few white women, usually girlfriends or wives of that type) who feel beleaguered in general: everyone is out to get them. They hate trans people, they hate woke people. The list goes on.

Your explanation is as good as any, I suppose.