TikTok Time Traveler

Why? Why do people believe what they are shown, when they are already aware that most of the visuals they consume are manipulated into unreality? Why do people find it fun to choose to believe in something impossible? WHY?

It's incredibly tempting (my brain loves this), but there's no point for me to outline the "evidence" and debunk it piece by piece. There's no point because the only "real" evidence is chopped up video presented by a sincere-appearing individual who might be participating in creating this possible "subversive" advertisement for his Air BnB listing?

Being open about my autism while asking these questions on social media has given me a few answers, and they're not encouraging. One portion of the believers are (likely allistic-brained) individuals choosing to "believe" the premise because... it's fun. I realize as I type this that I've actually engaged in this behavior. 

The "Blue Box" Van Gogh, though to be painting during 1888 in Arles

A Van Gogh painting surfaced that had some sort of blue shed in it. While I do not believe this blue shed to represent a mid-20th century UK police box, I would like to imagine that it IS, and that the Doctor is real, and Vincent got to see his impact on the world before he left it. I just can't. It's probably because the Van Gogh episode had a giant invisible space chicken as an apparent antagonist. Also, a thousand-plus year old socialist, freedom-fighting, educating, autistic-coded protagonist like the hero of "Doctor Who," believing in the right of royalty to rule? Ha! Elizabeth the 10th indeed.

Sophie Okonedo as "Liz 10"

The other reason given (and not by the believers themselves), is the one with which I am forced to believe myself. Most people are stupid. That's all. Most people don't understand that there are massive amounts of missing information in a situation and therefore choose a side or belief without truly knowing enough to make a logical determination. What really blows my mind is that a lot of people have the type of doorbell cameras that present the "time traveler" situation.

• Doorbell cameras do not consistently record. It's more like they take "snapshots" when there's movement sensed by their sensors. 
• The TikTok content creator who has conflated the second man in question (the elderly man walking on the property on a different occasion than the younger man) with a deceased scientist who was into alchemical madness in the vein of an L. Ron Hubbard and had a conspiracy website including musings on time travel. The two men DO NOT resemble each other. Before my dad passed, I hadn't realized, and now I see "him" everywhere, because skinny OLD WHITE MEN tend to look a certain way.
• Did anyone EVER think, that maybe... just maybe, that first man's FAMILY is looking for him? That perhaps that older man is his father and his family cares about their itinerant family member with a backpack who "disappeared" at that location?
• I realize I'm doing the thing I said I wouldn't, so I'll stop now.

The First Fourteen Oz books by L. Frank Baum

I love narrative. I started reading when I was three and haven't stopped, though I must admit that as an aging autistic adult with a career I switched to mostly audiobooks back in 2010. Perhaps without that overwhelming career I'll be able to look at pages again without impatience. Perhaps I will learn more patience with people. People who believe stupid sh*t.