Every control mechanism on Earth depends on thoughts and how you should react to them. Y is bad because Y is a “FILL IN THE BLANK” yada yada yada….
Emotions are a choice. Especially the ones relying on judgement of a third party for which you have no full context.
Like thoughts, emotions can be broadcast. All that talk about the magic the controllers do is mostly the manipulation of emotional energy.
But here’s the thing, when something doesn’t fit the context, or even logic as in the case of COVID-19, you’re being manipulated. Consider the context, consider the ground principles you hold true. Consider the principles themselves if they are anti-human.