Savannah Hasham

Prof. Gilligan

Civic Media in the Digital Age (Journalism 2.0)

Topic: Onion Article

The 2024 Eclipse:

Preface:

On April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse is predicted to occur. According to the the Cable News Network, “In the US, an estimated 32 million people live within the path of totality and a total solar eclipse will be visible for those in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, although weather threatens to spoil the fun for some.” (Strickland, Ashley). However, for myself and many other Americans, this eclipse is not like the various eclipses we have had in prior years. This eclipse will not only reach more people than in other years, in addition, there will not be another eclipse in the United States until 2044. Yet, this eclipse has not only touched millions of Americans but has created media attention for the conspiracies that have circulated about this unusual phenomenon.

Conspiracies Surrounding the Eclipse:

One conspiracy and by far the biggest one surrounding the eclipse of 2024 is that the world will end once it occurs. According to some Christian resources such as Christianity Today, “As the April 8 event will take place primarily over North America, some in the US are anticipating a great Day of Judgment complete with terrorist attacks, biological warfare, and nuclear meltdowns. According to alt-right conspiracy theorists, including some fringe evangelical leaders, this war will usher in a new world order in which Christ will return and America (alongside Israel) will rule the nations.” (Robinson, Andrea L.). With this being said, there have been multiple predictions, as we all know, throughout the recent years predicting the end such as the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian War. Not to mention, many people believe that the end is near. A Pew Research Center study found in 2022 that over 60 percent of evangelical Christians in the US believe we are living in the end times. This conspiracy is far beyond the eclipse but with another natural phenomenon occurring the world keeps getting stranger and stranger by the year.

Another conspiracy surrounding the eclipse is that producers of eclipse glasses are just a ploy to get consumers to spend money and that the sun during this time is not as hurtful as everyone is making it out to be. Some people on Twitter even went as far as to boycott these glasses and claim that they would be looking at the sun without glasses. On the other hand, scientists are pleading with people that although it would be nice to look at the sun without special glasses it is a simple fact that there is a possibility of going blind as a result. As said by The Philadelphia Inquirer, “The sun is super bright, and looking for any longer than a few seconds can damage the cells in the retina (the back of the eye). And that damage can be permanent, causing someone to lose some of their central vision…glances will add up and could seriously harm a person’s eyesight. Just don’t do it, OK?” (Bloch, Emily).

Another conspiracy surrounding this year’s solar eclipse involves nothing other than politics. Politics in America practically takes over every infamous event in the nation and almost always involves some type of politics no matter what the subject. It is not a surprise that this year’s eclipse brings such conspiracies. According to WIRED, Far-right trolls and extremists, in particular, have been using the total solar eclipse to push their belief that a group of “elites” is using the event as cover to impose new controls on the population.” (Gilbert, David.). If it could not get any worse there have been reports that cell coverage and other electrical equipment will not be working correctly during the time of the eclipse. Not to mention, Twitter like said, has completely promoted such conspiracies and even another social media platform TikTok has created a place to spread these theories.

Takeaways:

Today I am writing the takeaways on April 8, 2024, at 4:30 pm. The eclipse just passed through Norton, Massachusetts. This eclipse was not total and on such a cloudy day it was barely noticeable. I observed from my room because although I did peak at the eclipse I did not have glasses so I did not watch the entirety of this phenomenon. However, I am in class now and the sun has not exploded, the world as I know it hasn’t ended yet, and my phone did not have any technical difficulties. Yet, I wrote this article because I was very interested in these conspiracies. Could this be the dark end and we just don’t know it or was this eclipse just an unusual natural event with no repercussions? I guess we will have to find out.