He made up a conspiracy theory to see how people would respond to it — and it took off. Here’s what he learned
The performance artist behind “Birds Aren’t Real” believes that people fall for conspiracy theories because they feel disconnected from society.
Whether it’s the heavy dusting of stubble or the way he sinks deep into the TV news set’s plush red chair, Peter McIndoe looks stressed. Distressed even.
Whether it’s the heavy dusting of stubble or the way he sinks deep into the TV news set’s plush red chair, Peter McIndoe looks stressed. Distressed even.
It’s the summer of 2019 in Memphis, Tenn., and the recent college dropout is there to share his avian gospel. The movement he created, almost by accident, when he’d showed up to a rally and scrawled three inane words on a sign is still in its early days. But that message — “Birds Aren’t Real” — would soon spawn rallies, viral videos and credulous media coverage.
Just weeks before, McIndoe had poured most of his savings — roughly $2,000 US — into a billboard with the phrase, and the resulting buzz had earned him an invitation on the local news. “The message of the movement is essentially to spread awareness that from 1959 through 2001, the government mercilessly genocides over 12 billion birds,” McIndoe tells the two hosts, his eyes intense. What you see in the sky now, he explained, were spy drones sent by the government.
