Conspiricy Theorists

[S7DiscoDown]

I love a good conspiracy theory. Yet seldom believe them. I just like watching the lunatics who are absolutely convinced they are right based on bizarre 'proof'.

I was really into the whole twin towers 9/11 ones. Some pretty well made films and documentaries on it. Yet all pretty much proved to be b***ks.

I do believe in UFOs though. Some of the recent footage released by the US airforce and navy raises all kinds of questions. I mean these blokes ain't crack pots. It's footage from mutli million pounds worth of aircraft and radar. They simply can't explain. So it is an 'unidentified flying object'

 

[exeterboro]

think at the very worst it might have been allowed to happen, most probably through incompetence as much as intention. It did give the US a pretext for going into Iraq (even though Bin Laden was based in Afghanistan). I then think I might sound a bit mad even thinking this...

I probably am leaning to this because, on the day I couldn't understand why the other planes weren't shot down, awful, yes, but there is history of the USA doing this in North Korea and Iran when they thought passenger jets were a danger to them.

The USA certainly benefitted from the wars through resources, so intentional or unintentional they did gain in some way.

 

[WoodallServices]

What’s really surprising is the amount of what you thought were intelligent close friends and colleagues signing up to this nonsense. You chuckle and go along with it for a while before you’re thinking “sh*t they’re serious”.

 

[Lemmy_kilmister]

My cousin is now a full on whackjob.
Now a confirmed flat earther.
Her sister is absolutely bereft.

 

[exeterboro]

My cousin is now a full on whackjob.
Now a confirmed flat earther.
Her sister is absolutely bereft.

I know someone like this, we have agreed not to talk about certain things. I don't make a big deal about 9/11, but I certainly don't talk about it with them because they feel I am confirming all their conspiracy theories, which isn't my intention.

 

[Same_as_before]

Conspiracy theorists are always at both ends of the political spectrum. Left and right. If you make the spectrum into a globe they meet. There is zero difference between the far right and left. They both despise people, they despise work, they despise you having anything they don't have, they despise democracy, they despise the poor, they despise life.

 

[MolteniArcore]

I know it's always been a thing, but has anyone noticed Covid has started what seems to be a whole new wave of conspiricy theorists?

What i've noticed with them, is they will now question everything in the news, and always think there's some ulterior motive to any news story.

I bet you there's people out there who truly believe the war in Ukraine is just an excuse to raise gas prices.

Wasn't it all kicked off during the Brexit Referendum when the mainstream attack on 'experts' began by people like the current Prime Minister?

 

[Oooo]

The big one in the US is of course that democrats and hollywood are collaborating on hiding a large peadophile ring. Absolutely bonkers

 

[Same_as_before]

Wasn't it all kicked off during the Brexit Referendum when the mainstream attack on 'experts' began by people like the current Prime Minister?

The nut job who decided on the flat earth was a yank with too much time on his hands. UFO's by a drunken sailor from Connecticut on a boring Tuesday, it fills the papers.

 

[BoroMart]

Conspiracy theories are often due to a gap in a person's ability to research a subject effectively and that they are more inclined to believe a YouTube "expert" as a result.

...and amusingly they all tell you to do your own research. But when you ask them to show their workings out from their research they either go off on a strop or they link you to one of these youtubes or some far right website. These are of course not 'their research' and in fact fail even the most basic scrutiny on research standards

 

[Littlejimmy]

The big one in the US is of course that democrats and hollywood are collaborating on hiding a large peadophile ring. Absolutely bonkers

I caught a bit of Ian Hislop's programme about Fake News on BBC4 the other night. He went to the pizza restaurant which became the focus of some ridiculous theories about it being used by Hilary Clinton and co. to run a paedophile ring from a secret basement. A man actually went there with an assault rifle, but couldn't find the basement that didn't exist and ended up shooting a closet full of computers and other stuff. Luckily nobody got hurt but people still believe the conspiracy theory. Nuts.

 

[Same_as_before]

...and amusingly they all tell you to do your own research. But when you ask them to show their workings out from their research they either go off on a strop or they link you to one of these youtubes or asome far right website. These are of course not 'their research' and in fact fail even the most basic scrtiny on research standards

You summed it up well, there is no research. Every issue brought up in the moon landing has been easily debunked, bit still we have not been to the moon, Russia and China know we have and they would love to prove differently.

 

[American_Mary]

When you have people like Trump and Johnson in positions of power, leaders who deny experts, create false truths, propagate lies and push fictitious narratives for their own ends you create a petri dish where all sorts of conspiracy theory and alternative thought thrive.

When those in power continue to lie it gives rise to the veracity of anything they say, it's a device they use to create uncertainty and doubt, you only have to look at Johnson's Savile smear against Starmer to see why and how a lot of these ideas are allowed to manifest and spread.

We live in dishonest times with little or no certainty, everything is deliberately kept opaque and murky so nothing can be trusted, look at Covid for an example where Government, inaction, corruption and latterly ignorance allowed the seeds of conspiracy to grow and fester.

 

[changingman]

Adam Curtis' latest series (the name of which escapes me) absolutely nails this in my opinion.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

Like someone said earlier, once someone believes a conspiracy theory it then becomes more plausible that other theories are true which causes a snowball effect. They then have others around them that believe the same thing and ideas spread. They've always been out there - chemtrails and control via vaccinations - but larger audience through current events has made them more prominent and easy access to shareable media like tiktok & Facebook etc makes them seem more common

Definitely something in there around getting one over on other people, especially "experts"; the attitude taken by conspiracy nuts is always that they're above you because you are some kind of sheep that doesn't question things and you need to "wake up". Yet can never truly articulate why random YT vids or sites that have demonstrably lied and failed numerous fact checks are more reliable than the mainstream media, which does get things wrong but does have to abide by standards

Unfortunately people now monetise this and know that views = ££££, especially if linked to current events. In isolation theories just sound nutty, but link it to things people don't like, such as smart meters, covid vaccinations, lockdowns, council tax etc and you have a winner

Most the fake conspiracies originate from a small group of people e.g https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/17/covid-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-ccdh-report

12 people with combined 59 million followers responsible for 73% of covid disinformation, astonishing.

 

[exeterboro]

Like someone said earlier, once someone believes a conspiracy theory it then becomes more plausible that other theories are true which causes a snowball effect. They then have others around them that believe the same thing and ideas spread. They've always been out there - chemtrails and control via vaccinations - but larger audience through current events has made them more prominent and easy access to shareable media like tiktok & Facebook etc makes them seem more common

Definitely something in there around getting one over on other people, especially "experts"; the attitude taken by conspiracy nuts is always that they're above you because you are some kind of sheep that doesn't question things and you need to "wake up". Yet can never truly articulate why random YT vids or sites that have demonstrably lied and failed numerous fact checks are more reliable than the mainstream media, which does get things wrong but does have to abide by standards

Unfortunately people now monetise this and know that views = ££££, especially if linked to current events. In isolation theories just sound nutty, but link it to things people don't like, such as smart meters, covid vaccinations, lockdowns, council tax etc and you have a winner

Most the fake conspiracies originate from a small group of people e.g https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/17/covid-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-ccdh-report

12 people with combined 59 million followers responsible for 73% of covid disinformation, astonishing.

I agree with this but when it comes to war and invasion which we have been part of and seen around the world then the rubbish we are sold for the invasion can be seen as conspiracy and maybe the truth isn't in conventional sources.

 

[Otto42]

Most conspiracy theories originate in the USA......nuff said!

Edit: Apart from my favourite originated by Al Fayed that the Duke of Edinbrugh and MI6 murdered Princess Di because of her relationship to Dodi!

 

[dooderooni]

The paedophilia conspiracy theories have recently entered into the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice in the US.
The Democratic choice of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first black woman to sit on the court has met with opposition from the Republican Party, mostly centered around a 'lenient sentence' she passed in a child pornography case. The far right of the Republican Party has ran with this and gone as far as saying those supporting her are supporting (if not actually partaking in) paedophilia.
Meanwhile, the Republicans are up in arms at their own Congressman, Madison Cawthorn, for telling a reporter that part of joining the Washington government circles is that you get invited to orgies.
I'm sure irony isn't big amongst those who like to peddle these conspiracy theories for personal or political gain.

 

[BoroMart]

A lot of conspiracy theory is highly plausible on the surface, and if you don't have reflect on what you are reading and the narrative I think it can be quite attractive.

Conspiracy theory is built on minimising the gap between plausible and probable.

It is at a very basic level plausible that 9/11 was an inside job. BUT, it's improbable to the point of laughable that the buildings were rigged with dynamite when built, and that the planes were not planes full of people, and that the security services planned this as an excuse to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the Israelis were involved, and that 5,000 people in the airline industry are lying to cover up what 'really' happened, and that all the secret service people involved have kept quiet, and that the majority of the people in the twin towers didn't really exist, and that the footage was doctored live on air by multiple news organisations........I could go on you get the picture.

Anyway....biggest hoax of all time, some sky fairy, created everything and will sentence us to an eternity in hell if we don't tell him how great he is, by attending one of his opulent houses, putting our hands together and closing our eyes every Sunday....and of course pay a little money to keep it running.

 

[Cambsred]

Anyway....biggest hoax of all time, some sky fairy, created everything and will sentence us to an eternity in hell if we don't tell him how great he is, by attending one of his opulent houses, putting our hands together and closing our eyes every Sunday....and of course pay a little money to keep it running.

I hope God doesn't read FMTTM.