Birds Aren’t Real started telling me the truth sometime in the summer of 2021 as I began noticing a few stickers of various designs in downtown Chicago. I enjoyed the simplicity and the conviction of the conspiracy. I later shared this photograph with a colleague in late September 2021 as part of an ongoing discussion regarding street art.

In December 2021, the New York Times covered the conspiracy and the chief believer who offered insights into the early days of the movement and future direction:

The founder of the conspiracy aspires to be “an actual force for good”, which seems achievable as people come together to educate others about how easily conspiracy theories are formed and gain traction. An actual force for good implies moving from a not actualized state to an actualized state – which typically requires a significant duration of time – and which also implies the movement will transition from farce to force. Not all absurdities can be ignored, and sometimes action is required to counteract absurdities. Many people try to correct the absurdity, frequently skipping the step of pointing out the absurdity and allowing for self-correction. Perhaps pointing out the absurdity is all that can be done, should be done, or needs to be done. I will be watching for an increase of bird deniers in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election. If nothing else, I hope to see some humorous signs and stickers.

The purpose of “holding up a mirror to America in the internet age” inspires me and is aligned with my own pursuit of self-examination. My sense is that we don’t do nearly enough self-examination in America, and when we do, we frequently examine trivial attributes while ignoring the critical attributes. As a society, we have much to examine regarding the content, the creators, the presenters, the perpetuators, and the finances of modern media including and beyond the Internet. As an individual, I have much to examine regarding those same aspects, and extending to my willingness to participate and/or my willingness to revolt against conspiracies. The entry point to personal and collective self-examination can be through humor, and humor is in abundance among lying birds and those who love them. I smile as I think of a comic genius like George Carlin performing “rights aren’t rights” but replaced by saying “Birds Arent’ Real” and then telling you why. In a moment of seriousness, that bit also contains a real example of why rights aren’t rights based on a real conspiracy that affected many people I know.

Bird’s aren’t real. This is all a conspiracy.