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by Novice (740 points)
reopened ago by
When Doc Brown and Marty meet in the parking lot you can see a sign that says "Twin Pines Mall". Later, after altering the future, the parking lot sign reads "Lone Pines Mall". Could Micheal J Fox have something to do with 9/11? Maybe the guilt of the event caused his Parkinsons disease.

15 Answers

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by Novice (600 points)
selected ago by
 
Best answer

The claim that "Back to the Future" predicted 9/11 or that Michael J. Fox was involved is completely silly. The film was released in 1985, long before the attacks, and contains no credible connections to the events.  The Twin Pines Mall becoming Lone Pine Mall is simply a reference to the butterfly effect, not a hidden nod to 9/11. Additionally, the idea that Fox’s Parkinson’s disease resulted from guilt over such a conspiracy is scientifically and factually incorrect, Parkinson’s is a neurological condition, not caused by emotional distress.  These claims distort reality and ignore facts. Back to the Future* has no ties no 9/11, and suggesting otherwise fuels harmful misinformation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/20/a-youtube-video-claims-back-to-the-future-predicted-911-and-that-isnt-even-the-weird-part/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055

False
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by Apprentice (1.1k points)
The claim that Micheal J Fox is involved with the 9/11 terrorist attack could most likely be traced back to the conspiracy theory about Back to the Future predicting 9/11. The theory is believed to have started from a youtube video posted in 2015 called "BACK TO THE FUTURE predicts 9/11. The claim that Micheal Fox was involved cannot be proven, and is just speculation due to Synchromysticism as listed in the original video. Additionally it is highly unlikely that Fox being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is related, as Parkinson's is believed to be related to, "a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins"(National Institute on Aging, 2022).

Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ULjJ3EqyY

Information on Parkinson disease: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-disease-causes-symptoms-and-treatments

Synchromysticism: https://synthematasymbola.wordpress.com/synchromysticism/
Can't be true or false (Opinion, poem, etc.)
by Newbie (220 points)
0 0
I agree with your breakdown of this claim. The idea that Michael J. Fox was involved in the 9/11 attacks stems mainly from conspiracy theories like the 2015 YouTube video "BACK TO THE FUTURE predicts 9/11," but there is no credible evidence supporting this idea. As you mentioned, the connection is based on synchromysticism, which looks for hidden symbolic meanings but doesn’t rely on factual proof (Synchromysticism explanation). In reality, Back to the Future's "Twin Pines Mall" changing to "Lone Pine Mall" is simply a clever plot device about time travel, not a coded prediction of future events (Reddit discussion). Also, Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis occurred in 1991, a full decade before 9/11, and experts like the National Institute on Aging explain that Parkinson’s is linked to genetic and environmental factors, not emotional guilt. Overall, these conspiracy claims rely more on speculation than verifiable facts.
0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (300 points)
No, Michael J. Fox did not have any involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That has been traced back to the terrorist group al-Qaeda, which Michael J. Fox has no involvement with, since the group is largely Islamic and has roots in the Middle East. While it is true that the "Lone Pine Mall" incident did mimic the events of 9/11, it can't be automatically assumed that because it was mimicked in a movie, that the actors had inside information about 9/11. In recent years, Fox has actually participated in 9/11 memorial fundraising events in which he raises money for Parkinson's disease.

https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/9-11-anniversary
False
by Newbie (420 points)
0 0
You do a great job being definitive with your answer and clearly stating how it was false. You also did a great job of explaining how the claim was wrong and debunking their argument with facts and true statements.
ago by Novice (750 points)
0 0
Your debunking of the Michael J. Fox and 9/11 conspiracy theory is well-reasoned. You correctly identify al-Qaeda as the responsible terrorist organization, highlighting the lack of any connection to Fox. The point you make about the "Lone Pine Mall" scene is astute, clarifying that a fictional resemblance doesn't imply prior knowledge of real events. Furthermore, mentioning Fox's participation in 9/11 memorial fundraising efforts for Parkinson's disease provides a strong factual counterpoint to the false claim. By referencing the National Archives, you've used a credible source to support your explanation of the actual events.
0 like 0 dislike
by Novice (580 points)

The source of "Back to the Future predicting 9/11" goes back to a 9 year old satirical YouTube video by YouTuber "Barely Human". There is nothing in this video that "predicts" the September 11th terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York City. The only parallel that even closely ties the event of Marty McFly being at the Twin Pines Mall and the attack is the statement that there are "muslim terrorists" attacking Doc Brown. Also, Parkinson's disease cannot be onset due to lying. Stress could be a factor in Parkinson's disease, but the symptoms are different case to case. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ULjJ3EqyY

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-disease-causes-symptoms-and-treatments#:~:text=Early%20symptoms%20of%20this%20disease,to%20interfere%20with%20daily%20living.

Satire
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by Newbie (360 points)

The claim that Back to the Future predicted 9/11 or that Michael J. Fox has anything to do with it is false and an entirely baseless conspiracy theory. The movie was released in 1985, which is sixteen years before the attacks. There is no plausible evidence linking any aspects of the film to the events. In the film, after Marty McFly travels back in time and knocks down one of two pine trees, the "Twin Pines Mall" becomes the "Lone Pine Mall". Its' a detail symbolizing the butterfly effect, not an obscure reference to 9/11. Additionally, proposing that Fox had anything to do with 9/11 or that the guilt from something like that caused his Parkinson's disease is factually incorrect.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/20/a-youtube-video-claims-back-to-the-future-predicted-911-and-that-isnt-even-the-weird-part/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055

False
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by Newbie (270 points)
The claim that Micheal J Fox had something to do with 9/11 is completely false. The "prediction" of 9/11 is a complete conspiracy theory. There were Youtube videos made about it but all of them ending up just being theories made by confused people. A lot of this falls under "true nature of coincidence."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/20/a-youtube-video-claims-back-to-the-future-predicted-911-and-that-isnt-even-the-weird-part/
False
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by Novice (600 points)

Stating that the Back To The Future movie predicted 9/11 is extremely misleading and exaggerated. On IMBd it states that this conspiracy theory is backed up by fans themselves. There are multiple fan groups that can publish any statements online without backing them up with evidence. This claim is simply a series of coincidences that happen to align with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There are also videos on Youtube that have been published in the past where regular civilians try to break down this conspiracy theory. Also the theory that his Parkinson's Disease was caused by his guilt is entirely false. Parkinson's Disease is caused by genetics and risk increases with age. By providing a credible source for this comment it would help people have a more educated conversation on this topic to find the real truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIfznBM6zX8

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63065866/

Exaggerated/ Misleading
by Newbie (220 points)
0 0
I agree saying Back to the Future predicted 9/11 is just fan speculation, not fact. IMDb confirms there's no real evidence, and breakdown videos like this one show it's just a coincidence. Also, Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis has nothing to do with guilt; it's mainly caused by genetics and age (National Institute on Aging). Using real sources makes the conversation way more accurate.
by Novice (810 points)
0 0
I feel that you made a very strong point about "misleading nature", and I do agree about your argument with Parkinson's Disease. The research about Parkinson's disease really spoke to me because the complexity of neurology is true, it is about ones genetics and age, and not connected to perceiving the future. Especially, not a result of of emotions guilt of a psychological condition that one can not fix. Your credible sources was very informing and respectful to the conversation, which I admired because the topics can be drawn away often from the facts, and more to theories causing unnecessary critical thinking.
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by (180 points)
The claim that the movie Back to the Future predicted the 9/11 terrorist attack is not true. Their claim is a conspiracy theory that is not supported by any evidence. Although there were signs in the movie that may convince people the two are related, there is no evidence to prove Michael J. Fox was in any way involved. The guilt of the event could not have caused Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease because as it says on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website, he was diagnosed in 1991 and 9/11 happened in the year 2001.

https://www.michaeljfox.org/michaels-story  

According to John Hopkin's Medicine Website, the top reasons for how someone could be diagnosed with Parkinson's is age, genetics, and environmental causes such as exposure to farming chemicals like pesticides, and working closely with detergents/solvents. Non of these reasons have to do with having too much guilt.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-disease-risk-factors-and-causes
Exaggerated/ Misleading
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by Newbie (350 points)

This claim that Michael J Fox had something to do with 9/11 is one that more people than not are seriously considering. It can likely be traced back to a youtube video posted in 2021 with the title, "9/11 & "Back to the Future" + "The Walk" / Twin Towers Connection / Predictive Programming." In this video it talks about numerous theories over the course of the movies that contribute to the idea that they knew something about 9/11. They rely heavily on the claim that the twin pines mall and that when they are attacked, it is by "muslim terrorists". This claim can not be proven by any means as there is no validity to these claims. Also it is not at all possible that guilt of something, that is not true, is the reason that Michael J Fox came down with Parkinsons disease later in his life. It comes down to a multitude of factors such as age, gender and genetics.

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIfznBM6zX8

Parkinson's research: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-disease-risk-factors-and-causes

False
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by Newbie (320 points)

This theory on if the film Back to the Future could have possibly predicted 9/11 could stem from a video posted on YouTube titled "BACK TO THE FUTURE predicts 9/11". This video is primarily satire and has been floating around the internet. People have taken points from the video as fact and have turned this piece of satire into a real theory. This is stated in an article published by The Washington Post titled "A YouTube video claims 'Back to the future predicted 9/11' - and that isn't even the weirdest part". This article clearly states that this is video was satire that has been taken seriously.

Sources :

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/20/a-youtube-video-claims-back-to-the-future-predicted-911-and-that-isnt-even-the-weird-part/

Satire

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