I was trying to think of a believable “tin foil hat” conspiracy theory for this guy in Burrito Apocalypse, and settled on the idea that he was convinced that radio waves are frying our brains. He’s supposed to be a bit nutty and that jived nicely with his role in the comic. However I wasn’t sure if anyone still believed this.
Then I met an Uber driver who not only fervently believed in the dangers of radiation, but went way beyond anything I might have come up with. He had a cell phone strapped to his dashboard and casually mentioned that it was a special model that minimizes radio waves. When I asked about it, he went on to say that he not only was concerned about radio waves from cell phones, but that any electrical device could emit potentially harmful radiation.
Like electrical wiring in your house? He was so concerned about it that he set up a special timer to shut off the entire electrical system when he went to bed at night, and turn it back on just before daybreak. He had two electrical circuits set up so things like his refrigerator would not be affected overnight.
Apparently some others are much more concerned than he. He cited one guy that wears a “special hoodie” designed to protect him from harmful radiation. As he dropped us off at the airport he gave me a serious look. “I wear that myself sometimes. Especially in airports – airports are the worst places for radiation!”