Was It Actually Lasers?
In late 2018, the most deadly wildfires ran rampant through the state of California, leaving many without homes or injured. The cause of these wildfires was determined to be faulty power lines that had fallen over. However, people still found a way to convince others that there was an extra-terrestrial alternative to the cause of this event.
Though there was a few conspiracies being thrown around about the cause of these wildfires, the most prominent theory that circled around was that the 2018 California wildfires had been started by Jewish space lasers. This conversation had first started a few days after the fires had started to spread.
It’s been reported that this hoax had originated from QAnon, a community of individuals who share their beliefs, no matter how fanatical they sound. This community is notorious for spreading lies and hateful comments, so it’s not surprising that a conspiracy such as this one had originated in such a place, however, the leading supporter of this claim is unnerving.
One of the leading supporters of this craze was Marjorie Taylor Greene. She has been recently sworn into office as a new Representative for Georgia in January 3, 2021, which is why this story has gained some more traction as of lately. When the fires were raging through California, Green had made some insensitive comments on her Facebook page regarding the fires.
It’s very easy to rely on conspiracy theories when faced with tragedy. Rumors and theories can fill in the blanks of the unknown when we don’t know exactly what’s going on. However, it took a quick and simple Google search to find the real reason behind this tragic event. What had actually taken place was faulty power lines. A live wire had fallen from an active PG&E tower, which then destroyed almost 14,000 homes and killed 85 people.
I find the “space laser” conspiracy rather confusing for this exact reason. Everything is known about this tragedy, live wires found dry grass and the fire started from there. For this reason, I believe this is just a loophole for people to point the blame towards someone else, fueling their own beliefs and trying to get others on their side.
With the recent appointment of Marjorie Taylor Greene, this story has found itself in public news once again to bring light towards what she has done. She now has a much bigger audience and responsibility than she once had, which makes comments like this concerning as it could get into the heads of the wrong people and only pushing a message of hate.
All of this being said, I can understand why many may find comfort in conspiracy theories. They fill in the blanks when we feel like we need them the most. In this situation, there is no blanks to be filled, so why push a narrative that is completely untrue? It only points blame towards others and minimizes the situation at hand. So, to answer the question “Was it actually lasers?” No, it wasn’t, it was just a ploy to place blame on those who don’t need it and make the victims feel invalidated.
Works Cited
Hananoki, Written by Eric. “Marjorie Taylor Greene Penned Conspiracy Theory That a Laser Beam from Space Started Deadly 2018 California Wildfire.” Media Matters for America, www.mediamatters.org/facebook/marjorie-taylor-greene-penned-conspiracy-theory-laser-beam-space-started-deadly-2018.
“How Wildfires Became Ripe Areas for Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2021, www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-30/a-space-laser-did-it-gop-congressman-had-out-there-theory-on-deadly-california-wildfire.
