Mainstream
Contents
Mainstream: Beliefs, Science, Values etc
Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, mainstream implied conformity with a majority opinion or belief. The word was innocuous; in Western democracies which upheld freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and in which the scientific method was valued, differing opinions, beliefs and theories were respected.
Suddenly, however, people who challenged the mainstream were called conspiracy theorists, members of a tin-foil hat brigade, extremists.
I was shocked, but in this article I would like to show that mainstream-ism has occurred before.
Grant
January 2023
Definitions
What is 'mainstream'? The following examples may clarify the term:-
- considered normal, and having or using ideas, beliefs, etc. that are accepted by most people Cambridge Dictionary online
- having, reflecting, or being compatible with the prevailing attitudes and values of a society or group Merriam-Webster Dictionary online
- the thoughts, beliefs, and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people The Britannica Dictionary online
There is nothing in the above definitions to suggest that conformity with mainstream beliefs or values involves coercion. Conformity is presumed to be peaceful, a personal decision, exercising freedom of choice. However, there is also nothing in the definitions to suggest that the persons having mainstream beliefs or values should respect the beliefs of others outside the mainstream.
Mainstreaming or Normalizing
One might assume that the word 'mainstreaming' would be "the process of making something start to be considered normal" (Cambridge Dictionary online). But I hesitate to use the word because current Internet searches focus on gender mainstreaming which is a specific example only.
So, instead of mainstreaming I prefer to use the word normalizing.
For example, attitudes or beliefs about gender fluidity are being normalized. The method of normalization starts with an interest group, stakeholders in a movement, who work over a long period of time to incrementally break down barriers and previous or current social norms so that the new value system becomes tolerated, then accepted, then widespread until it is mainstream.
Historical Mainstream Beliefs
Looking back over history I now recognise that some beliefs which were mainstream have since changed. For example:-
- The world is flat. Partially defeated when Columbus didn't sail off the edge, and Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the world, although they could have sailed in circles on a flat earth.
- The earth is the centre of the universe and the sun revolves around the earth. Challenged by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543.
- Creation: the belief that God created the universe, the earth and everything in it is no longer mainstream; replaced by evolution on a foundation of uniformitarianism
- Uniformitarianism - 'the present is the key to the past' - developed by Charles Lyell (1797 – 1875) in the field of geology, suggesting that the forces which have shaped the earth have acted over a long period of time. The opposite of catastrophism which accepts that the earth has been shaped by catastrophic events such as meteorite impact.
- Evolution - famously presented by Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) through his book The Origin of Species.
- Big Bang Theory - 'the expansion of the observable universe began with the explosion of a single particle at a definite point in time' published by Georges Lemaître in 1931.
The change from one mainstream belief to another no doubt involved a transition phase and much debate. Evidence-based science is acceptable; ideas promoted by atheists to eradicate religion and deny the validity of the Bible are not. Why should they care? Isn't religious belief a personal choice?
Then there was the pandemic...
2020
In 2020 another belief was upheld as mainstream: vaccines are safe and effective. While past vaccines evaluated rigorously over a long period of time may have proven safety and efficacy the mantra was applied to newly developed vaccines for Covid-19, including new technology with mRNA vaccines. Propaganda was used to normalise acceptance of the new vaccines, fear was used to encourage people to take the vaccines because 'the benefits would outweigh the risks', and coercion was used so that workers would take the vaccines as a condition of ongoing employment. In Australia the catch-phrase was 'No Jab, No Job'.
As described in the article Infodemiology the World Health Organisation proscribed a narrative and engaged social media companies to censor accounts and comments deemed contrary to the mainstream view. People were de-platformed, shadow-banned or accused of misinformation, disinformation or hate speech.
Mainstream Media filtered content so news about protests, vaccine injuries or alternative medical options was effectively unpublished.
Mattias Desmet initiated awareness of a social condition called mass formation psychosis and linked it to The Psychology of Totalitarianism.
Evidence of vaccine injuries, evidence that the vaccines were not as safe as the propaganda stated, has been suppressed.
Coercion
Coercion has happened before.
During the middle ages the Church seemed focussed on heresies and heretics with an Inquisition that covered centuries. A heresy was any belief not accepted by the Church or the Church's traditional beliefs. A separation of Church and State reduced the power of the Church to punish those who held (or were accused of holding) contrary beliefs.
During the period of Nazi leadership in Germany propaganda and restriction on news sources facilitated social acceptance of actions which now seem abhorrent.
There is no doubt that similar instances of widespread propaganda mixed with fear and coercion occurred in communist and other fascist regimes.
What is extraordinary is that the free western democracies engaged in promoting a mainstream belief in a manner which is inconsistent with values of free speech, human rights, evidence-based science, and engaged in suppression of debate, violence against protesters, and denial of any wrongdoing.
A Challenge
If you are reading this page and wonder 'what on earth are you talking about?' you are not alone. The observations made here are not made by everyone. The key is whether or not you can recognise when you are being subjected to propaganda. If we are so vulnerable then consider too: what else have we been coerced to believe? What science, values or beliefs have become mainstream, accepted as normal by the majority, but which should be questioned, scrutinised and challenged?
Whenever there is a single narrative, and debate is not possible, that should trigger some form of alarm.
Mainstream may be fine for the majority but a majority belief doesn't make it right.