Fenja Akinde-Hummel explores how a German microwave conspiracy theory with right-wing undertones ended up in her London-Nigerian family group chat. Illustration by Sandy Christ.
I'm a massive, unashamed foodie who uses a microwave. I can fully relate to the tinge of shame. My latest strategy is just to shout 'Tim Spector says they're fine!'. Anyway, my combi-oven-microwave blew up last week and now I'm having to work out the best alternative. Apparently air fryers are packed with forever chemicals.... 🙄
the part about the group chat silence at the end is so telling. debunking rarely actually lands because the fear was never really about the microwave. it was about something that feels much harder to name.
I've found people that are afraid of the microwave are the same people that are just fearful in general, and if it wasn't the microwave it'd be something else. They always need something to be the boogeyman. Sure, the concept is scary, harnessing something that could potentially kill us to cook something, but isn't that what fire was too? How is this different?
The contrast between how the microwave is perceived in London versus Nigeria is fascinating. In one context, its opaque convenience breeds deep psychological suspicion; in the other, it’s just a functionally irrelevant, fuel-sucking box due to erratic infrastructure. It shows that our 'belief' in technology is never objective—it is entirely dependent on whether we trust the state lines and power grids to deliver what we need. A wonderful, layered read.
I'm a massive, unashamed foodie who uses a microwave. I can fully relate to the tinge of shame. My latest strategy is just to shout 'Tim Spector says they're fine!'. Anyway, my combi-oven-microwave blew up last week and now I'm having to work out the best alternative. Apparently air fryers are packed with forever chemicals.... 🙄
the part about the group chat silence at the end is so telling. debunking rarely actually lands because the fear was never really about the microwave. it was about something that feels much harder to name.
I've found people that are afraid of the microwave are the same people that are just fearful in general, and if it wasn't the microwave it'd be something else. They always need something to be the boogeyman. Sure, the concept is scary, harnessing something that could potentially kill us to cook something, but isn't that what fire was too? How is this different?
The contrast between how the microwave is perceived in London versus Nigeria is fascinating. In one context, its opaque convenience breeds deep psychological suspicion; in the other, it’s just a functionally irrelevant, fuel-sucking box due to erratic infrastructure. It shows that our 'belief' in technology is never objective—it is entirely dependent on whether we trust the state lines and power grids to deliver what we need. A wonderful, layered read.
Have never owned a microwave machine in my life .. and I am in my 7th decade of life