Mass Hysteria

Space.com is reporting that some experts believe that the reports of people getting sick after a meteor (properly a 'meteorite') landed in Peru are nothing more than mass hysteria. After villagers in Carancas heard the impact, those who rushed to see what caused the noise reported becoming physically sick. Now we, and they, are being assured that there is nothing to worry about.

Some health officials suggest that the symptoms described by the locals, the large number of people reporting symptoms, and the apparently rapid spread have all the hallmarks of a case of mass hysteria.

"Those who say they are affected are the product of a collective psychosis," Jorge Lopez Tejada, health department chief in Puno, the nearest city, told the Los Angeles Times.

This psychosis could have begun as a result of fear of the meteorite and the mysterious "disease" on the part of the residents and spread as official and media reports seemed to confirm it and give it credence.

"The Peruvian event seems to be a rare case where we may be witnessing collective anxiety that is approaching near hysteria," said Benny Peiser, a social anthropologist at John Moores University in England. "The major[ity] of the affected Peruvian town hinted that some of the mass anxiety is due to fear of imminent impacts and psychological stress which is not surprising given the premature speculation and media hype."

Other experts are actually questioning whether any meteor hit at all.

quot;In recent years, there have been numerous cases where alleged meteorite falls were linked to mysterious explosions on the ground—only to be proven wrong," Peiser said. "One of the main reasons for the significant increase of such claims is almost certainly due to the growing media interest in the cosmic impact risk. It is part of human nature— and extremely tempting for the news media—to hype any event that initially looks mysterious."

While this fear is normal and understandable, it's been blown out of proportion so that the public thinks that impact risks are higher than they are, Peiser argues.

"Most people are simply not aware that we are making enormous progress in finding and identifying the population of Near Earth Objects and that the impact risk is thus diminishing year by year," Peiser said.

So don't worry, be happy. The aliens did not bombard Peru and the residents of Carancas did not get turned into zombies. These are not the 'droids you are looking for. The government sent a spokesman to explain all this to the residents, of course.

(Photo by Joel Friesen)

There is an immediate opening for a new government spokesman.

(Brought to you by the Peruvian Meteor Scholars For Truth®)