Daniel Conderman 
Something My Cousin Mel Said That Stopped Me in My Tracks
The other day, my cousin Mel brought up something that I hadn’t thought about in years. But once she said it, I couldn’t unsee it. It was one of those moments where your brain clicks something into place, and suddenly, everything feels different.
She said, “Remember Bird Box? That movie where looking at something made people go insane and self-destruct? Why did that go viral right at the start of the pandemic?”
At first, I laughed. It seemed like a stretch. Just another case of pop culture timing aligning with real-world events. But the more I thought about it, the more it unsettled me.
The Premise of Bird Box
Released in late 2018, Bird Box was a Netflix original film starring Sandra Bullock. The concept was simple: an unseen force was driving people to madness if they looked at it. To survive, people had to wear blindfolds, trust others blindly, and listen to the warnings of those who could see the danger. The only reliable warning system? Birds that would freak out when the unseen threat was near.
For a streaming movie, it was a massive cultural event. Social media exploded with memes of people wearing blindfolds. There were viral challenges where people tried to navigate their homes without sight. Everyone was watching it. But the timing… well, that’s where things get strange.
The Sudden Explosion of Bird Box Right Before Everything Changed
Despite being released in December 2018, Bird Box had a strange resurgence in early 2020. Almost overnight, it became a must-watch film across America. It felt like everyone had seen it, even people who rarely watched Netflix. And then, within weeks, the world changed.
Lockdowns began. People were told to stay inside, to listen to officials, to avoid questioning the rules, and to simply trust the people “who could see the real danger.”
The film’s message? Don’t look. Don’t question. Don’t think too hard about it. If you do, disaster follows.
The Social Climate of Early 2020
When the pandemic hit, there was a sudden and absolute crackdown on conversation. People who asked questions—about the origins of the virus, about possible treatments, about anything outside of the officially sanctioned guidelines—were treated as dangers to society. Debates were shut down. If you suggested alternatives, you were labeled irresponsible, reckless, even murderous.
It was a time when the messaging was clear:
- Trust the experts.
- Follow the rules.
- Do not ask too many questions.
- And above all else, do not look too closely.
If you “looked” at the wrong information, you could lose your job, your credibility, your voice online. If you questioned what was happening, you were told you were harming society. And what was one of the most-watched, most-discussed movies right before all of this took hold? A movie that told us that “looking” at something dangerous could destroy us, and the safest course of action was blind obedience.
Coincidence or Conditioning?
Maybe it was all just a coincidence. Maybe Bird Box was just a viral hit that re-emerged at the exact moment society was being primed to follow orders without questioning them. Maybe it just so happened to reinforce a mindset that made people more willing to comply with strict rules, censorship, and the suppression of dissent.
Or maybe something deeper was at play.
Maybe there’s a reason why certain ideas are pushed at certain times. Maybe there’s a reason why some media goes viral and other media disappears. Maybe there’s a reason why people in power prefer a population that doesn’t ask too many questions.
Maybe.
I’m not saying I know what happened. I’m not saying anything was orchestrated. But once Mel pointed it out to me, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
And now, neither can you.
