I always assumed the term “brain worm” was slang for a repetitive thought that hijacks the mind and won't come out.
It could be a recurring bad memory, like three years of high school. Or an unpleasant sight that you can't unsee, like the announcement of Apple's new ultra-thin iPad. Or worse, an invasive loop of vivid testimony from a former porn star about her unprotected sexual encounter with a former president.
But not. Brain worm is a real medical condition, and this week it went viral (in a digital sense) when it was revealed that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he had harbored the parasite in his head and had consumed parts of it. of his brain.
The stranger-than-fiction story was revealed by the New York Times on Wednesday when it reported on testimony stemming from a controversial 2012 divorce case involving Kennedy's second wife.
He said he had undergone brain scans after suffering memory loss and mental confusion, and was told by a doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital that a spot discovered on the scan could be caused by “a worm that entered my brain and spread.” “he ate a portion of it and then died.” He alleged that he suffered cognitive problems as a result of the nerve-dwelling parasite, which in turn affected his earning potential.
It's a strange claim, even from RFK Jr. The son of the late Robert F. Kennedy is known for spreading misinformation and conspiracies surrounding billionaire Bill Gates' alleged nefarious plots, “deadly” vaccines, “weaponized” medicines, and spy technology powered by 5G cell towers. His unusual view of the world has made him a leading candidate for a niche of the voting public that feels he is speaking truth to power.
In general, his tendency to search in strange corners for Byzantine answers to simple questions has not been a winning strategy. A recent NBC poll of five presidential candidates found President Biden at 39%, Republican nominee and former President Trump at 37%, and Kennedy at 13%. Jill Stein and Cornel West got 3% and 2%, respectively. That's enough of a margin to leave the election in the hands of one of the main contenders should the election be close in November.
Kennedy has to find a way to overcome his testimony, but it won't be easy. The dead worm is making its way into the 2024 election cycle and could be a potential spoiler for the third party candidate.
Kennedy has built a campaign around his claims of good health. The 70-year-old has pitched himself to voters as a younger, stronger alternative to the oldest presidential candidates ever up for reelection: Biden, 81, and Trump, who turns 78 next month. . Judging by the athletic photographs on his campaign website, Kennedy would like to be seen as the virile, athletic and vivacious choice for the White House.
By his own admission, he suffered from the mental lapses often attributed to the other two leading candidates, but Kennedy was in his 50s when that happened and now says the problem has since diminished and he has recovered. In other words, the worm is dead, let's move on.
But in a campaign year in which political debate has taken a backseat to discussions about geriatrics and prison sentences, it almost seems a shame to take this highly entertaining story out of the mix. It has given us something to talk about that is not as dire as the “what if” scenarios of other contested elections… or a Trump dictatorship. And brain worms are not as uncommon as you might imagine, so there is also the possibility of turning our worries inward, away from the implosion of democracy and toward our own paranoia about personal health.
If this is too much, consider that Brain Worm is also the name of a heavy metal band (naturally), whose music can also embed itself in your mind like an unwanted guest.
