Conspiracy theories - what to do

[lizzieoak]

I’m not sure if this is a blokey thing or if the men I know are just a bit daft. I only seem to have these conversations with men, but that may be coincidence.

A number of my male friends and relatives keep getting all excited over (really stupid) conspiracy theories. Last night, for example, I’m hanging out with a good friend and he starts going on about Facebook. About how the Chinese govt, or CIA,
or Dr Evil (I was so boggled I wasn’t taking in all the details) actually invented Facebook, and they found Zuckerberg to front it as they needed a personable young person (yes, because everyone loves us Jews). They invented it so tht we’d provide them, free of charge, with all the information they need to control us down the road; our kitten photos, pictures of the kids’ school plays, our opinions on Strictly Dancing, and our holiday party invites (I may be paraphrasing ;) )

He then said “they” have “men in suits” (not sure why he thinks suits are a sign of evil, he often wears suits) monitoring our Facebook accounts.

I pointed out that if they are watching fb, it’s going to be the accounts of suspected radicals and organized crime people, and that “they” do not have the manpower to watch all the fb accounts in the world (and “they” would die of boredom if they did). I’m not sure he saw the logic there!

I’ve had a similarly stupid conversation w my ex husband years ago when I emailed him at work to tell him our baby dd had just stood up for the first time. He said the govt (his employer) was paying people to read every single incoming and outgoing email to catch people not working, but indulging in the doings of ridiculously adorable infants.

Is this anywhere near common, or do I just know plonkers? Am I somehow driving them mad? I’ve asked my friend to stop telling me his conspiracy theories as he’s making me uncomfortable (I’ve pointed out that conspiracy theorists often end up believing in the lizard people and antsemetic tropes). He stops for a while, then starts again. Claims it’s “fun” to think about.

Is it as odd as it feels to me? Are they mad? How to stop it?

There are definitely people who look through Facebook profiles for information, even at local government level. However I find it very hard to believe they trawl every single account in the hope of cataloguing all our likes to one day control/divide/conquer us. Who has time for that!

I have to eye roll at people (it's always men actually) who think they're delivering a revelation when they tell me that anyone could see anything I put on the Internet. Yeah I know. I don't put stuff on I don't want people seeing. "yeah but there's probably a man right now wanking over your pictures NOTHING is safe". Don't care. More fool him. "It's a nanny state, George Orwell, Big Brother, before you know it they'll be taking your kids away!". Fuck. Off. Weirdo

Yes, but the political ones you mention aren’t part of a worldwide tiny cabal of nutters, striking their Persian cats and plotting our downfall.

It’s the certainty that bothers me the most maybe. Oddly I don’t mind people having certainty over faith (until it oppresses others), but CT seems more outlier-ish.

I think it’s naive to think all conspiracy theories are bonkers. Someone up thread mentioned the existence of extra terrestrials being very far fetched, but I feel it is almost a certainty that there is life on another planet somewhere.

I know a lot of conspiracy theorists but not one of them have anti-Semitic ideas. In fact I was quite surprised that many of you feel that comes into it a lot.

I do believe a few CT though - David Kelly being murdered being one of them!

I love conspiracy theories. I Can spend hours reading them.

www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html

Perfect timing for this NYT article published today. Basically the USG do have a secret UAF project (previously a CT). My favourite bits:

"Under Mr. Bigelow’s direction, the company modified buildings in Las Vegas for the storage of metal alloys and other materials that Mr. Elizondo and program contractors said had been recovered from unidentified aerial phenomena. Researchers also studied people who said they had experienced physical effects from encounters with the objects and examined them for any physiological changes. In addition, researchers spoke to military service members who had reported sightings of strange aircraft."

"A 2009 Pentagon briefing summary of the program prepared by its director at the time asserted that “what was considered science fiction is now science fact,” and that the United States was incapable of defending itself against some of the technologies discovered."

"In the interview, Mr. Elizondo said he and his government colleagues had determined that the phenomena they had studied did not seem to originate from any country. “That fact is not something any government or institution should classify in order to keep secret from the people,” he said.

For his part, Mr. Reid said he did not know where the objects had come from. “If anyone says they have the answers now, they’re fooling themselves,” he said. “We do not know.”

Fascinating...

That there is life in other galaxies is not a conspiracy theory.

I am also surprised that someone who knows a lot of conspiracy theories has never come across one that is antisemitic.

One survey showed that conspiracy theorists like conspiracies because it makes them stand up. (Can't link, sorry). There is a link between education and also income.

Stand out!

Love this thread!

I have a very good and long time friend - a clever, eloquent and well educated woman who has worked in computer programming, education and politics. There is nothing about her that says 'nutjob' or 'avoid - fruitloop' . For as long as I've known her she has told me that she communicates with extra-terrestrials. She's perfectly calm about this - believes she has been chosen but is unclear as to why or what they want. I seriously don't know what to make of this - because the thing is - I believe her! I just do. Does that make me the loon or her?

Humpsfor20yards

Ermm as I said, I was quoting ANOTHER POSTER on the extra terrestrial life being a consipiracy theory. Actually I think they said it was bollocks.

And please point out where I said I know a lot of conspiracy theories? I know a lot of theorists but that’s not all we talk about and none of them have ever mentioned anything anti-Semitic to me, why do you find that strange? Not all people who are intetested in consipiracy theorists are Holocaust deniers.

I like conspiracy theories because I find them fun and interesting, perhaps also because a part of me has some morbid curiosity about the unseen/unspoken/unknown darker areas of life. I also like mystery type documentaries about what could have happened to people who just vanished without a trace. Unexplained phenomena etc.

I definitely don't believe that conspiracy theories are for the uneducated.

Honestly, it's more far-fetched to believe that we are the only planet in the entire Universe that supports life/beings. Ridiculous and self-centred.

Someone up thread mentioned the existence of extra terrestrials being very far fetched, but I feel it is almost a certainty that there is life on another planet somewhere

Ok, so this has nothing to do with conspiracy theories, we agree.

My mistake, I thought you said you know a lot of theories- you actually said theorists.

A lot of theories are anti-Semitic though - and a lot of the people who believe and spread them are too thick to even realise it.

I definitely don't believe that conspiracy theories are for the uneducated

There aren't many stats on conspiracy theorists yet, but yes, those that there are, consistently show level of education is a factor.

My favourite thing to do is ask Flat Earthers the "Why?" question.

But why, who benefits from pretending the world is a globe.

Usually flummoxed them

Humps

Overall perhaps, but plenty of people I know who go in for conspiracies have had a very good education, Uni etc. Maybe that's not the norm, but I don't make any link personally.

Op it sounds like your friend has just finished watching the Person of Interest box set! Worth watching by the way, but totally non believable.

Not all people who are intetested in consipiracy theorists are Holocaust deniers.

I don't think its that to be fair, a lot of the more extreme conspiracy theories regarding new world order and such do descend into Jew territory.

As I and others have said there is sliding scale on conspiracy theories, pretty much everyone is skeptical of something whether that be governments or say something like the manchester "pusher".

I definitely don't believe that conspiracy theories are for the uneducated.

I keep going back to to the snowden type whistleblowers, but anyone mentioning this stuff before the revelations would be firmly put into the tin foil hat category, when they came out the same people who called others tin foil hatters just shrugged their shoulders in a nonchalant way and brush it off as well i have nothing to hide of course they can do this stuff.

Some of the most intelligent people I have ever met have held some CT belief

Humpsfor20yards

I just thought it was an odd thing to add to a conpriacy convo and (probably poorly) said that it is not really a theory, more a fact lol.

My experience with conspiracy theorists is that many of them (literally just talking about my experiences) more go for the 9/11 stuff or mk ultra/Hollywood areas. As I said I am shocked that people associate ct’s with anti semetism as I find it all quite interesting and would be horrified if people thought that of me!

I personally wouldn’t perclaim to be an expert at all but I do enjoy watching the odd you tube vid showing ‘them’ in a cult ritual or something. Plus I love watching the illuminati explainations to music videos

Critical thinking is dead and buried 🙄

I was briefly quite concerned about the MK conspiracy, wondering what on earth was wrong with Milton Keynes, apart from the obvious new town grid stuff, that warranted a conspiracy.

it's a bunch of hardcore MK dons fans that secretly rule the world

To be fair though, it is this type of thing that has led to the whole conspiracy theory taking off and seen as a joke at the same time, although that could be another conspiracy theory and I may have too much wine

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra

One I read recently is that Hollywood is full of shape shifters. That provided hours of entertainment.

There are govt cover ups, there are big business cover ups. This is different from saying the moon landings didn't happen, sandy hook didn't happen, terrorist attacks are all Mossad.

People with a v good education and strong analytical/critical thinking tend to check their sources, and don't rely on dodgy YouTube videos.

I find most conspiracy theorists thick- maybe it's just the ones I've met.

Critical thinking is dead and buried

Really, so you believed that Governments where dragnetting internet data before snowden?

You believe that David Kelly committed suicide, or Gareth Williams was an accidental death?

They fall into the conspiracy theory umbrella