To worry there is a serious mental health crisis amongst conspiracy theorists?

[BlooperReel]

Maybe it's because I've been online more now due to lockdown, but conspiracy theories seem to have really ramped up, people I know are now peddling some of this nonsense. Adrenochrome, pizzagate, 5G etc all seem to have sucked in people I'd assumed were rational people, and they are almost rabid about it and wil not hear any other viewpoint.

A bbc documentary called Viral - the 5g conspiracy theory interviewed some individuals who quite clearly need help.

I've seen the likes of Bill Gates, Chrissy teigen, Ellen DeGeneres and others get so much appalling abuse on social media over these theories and I can only think that the people who wholeheartedly believe this stuff must have psychological issues, the levels of paranoia are truly astounding. Is this an emerging mental health crisis?

Wow I guess I am a conspiracy theory then lol as it seems corruption and cover ups are allowed to go on yet meanwhile if it’s questioned then you are a conspiracy theorists (on mumsnet only I may add) Lol

He wasn’t found guilty? Chilcot report plenty of evidence it was a an illegal war based on lies but yeah anyway .. yes you are absolutely right I am one of them

Meanwhile it’s about having freedom as long as it’s healthy, balanced , not inciting hatred which I’ve said it’s best left to FBI to investigate anything to do with Epstein..as for what I said about Harry I was just saying my opinion that he was right about that, it may wrong but you are not right either as you have no idea what he meant either LOL the irony.

Seriously? I wasn't the one suggesting anything about Prince Harry ffs 🤦‍♀️😂

@GertyTheGert

Agree with squeekums and midsummar - I think everyone should be free to express an opinion. I notice folk who want to make out they "know the truth" like to say anyone with a differing opinion has a "Conspiracy theory" about a subject. Its emotive language used to down-grade that differing opinion. Free speech and all that is what I say.

And what if the opinion is someone giving out your home address and telling the world that you and that 'they' are covering it up.

I won't even make an example because someone, somewhere might screenshot it and call it evidence that you are guilty. That is all it takes.

I don't actually think we should silence people, but I am all for making sure that everyone knows they are talking nonsense.

Different opinions on whether global warming is a big or small problem or whether Labour are better than Conservatives are fine. The opinion that the earth is flat and the Queen is a lizard who eats babies is something else.

In my view you can have your own opinions and beliefs; whether it's conspiracy theories or otherwise. Where it crosses the line for me is when people use their beliefs to justify threats and violence on other people.

The pizza Gate conspiracy led to a man shooting innocent people in a pizza shop.

Sandy Hook ct led to bereaved parents having death threats and having to flee their homes.

5g led to innocent engineers and phone retailers being attacked and threatened whilst doing their jobs.

The china/covid 19 theories have led to Asian people being physically attacked in the street.

It goes on and on and on. I am all for people believing what they want or questioning things. I even think people believing batshit theories have the right to do so but not at the expense of other peoples safety. That includes their families.

I got rid of my fb friends with lower intelligence over Brexit so I’ve luckily avoided the crazy and was blissfully unaware until dh mentioned all the sheeple comments on his fb feed. It’s all the pot smoking friends who still live in a house like they’re in their 20s... they’re 40. They were twats in 2000 and they’re still twats now. Anti vaxers who smoke pot is not someone I have the energy to argue with and Darwinism has to come in to play.

Because they have different opinions to you, there are mentally ill.

You also insult anyone who doesn't follow your religious beliefs?

@Wagsandclaws

Pizzagate emails ARE odd, would it be too much to believe that there is a high ranking peodophile ring in government? I don't think so nor do a lot of credible people.

Leon Britton and Cyril Smith liked little boys so why not in the upper echelons if the US government?

Like it or not, peodophiles do exist, it's not just some guy in a dirty Mac in a children's playground you know.

If you were part of such a ring would you place orders using insecure email (leaving copies on the server)

I could off the top of my head think of half a dozen better ways than that to discuss criminal activity. This came up before when the gov wanted to read everyone's emails in case terrorists were sending their entire plan using gmail.

They'd have to be pretty stupid terrorists.

Did you know data can be hidden in images? It's called Steganography and you could have an app that posted innocuous messages on an obscure forum somewhere (or even on MN) and hide the actual message in the 3rd emoji down. Even if someone could examine every image in the world and somehow identify that it was a message they'd still have to decrypt it and they wouldn't know who put it there or who read it.

Because the terrorists (or whomever) could check the site using the Tor Network over a VPN while parked in a car somewhere that had public wifi. Not even god could trace that back.

Recently Law enforcement took down a secret encrypted communication network used by criminals after what was probably years of work (and inside help) If some guy on Youtube with no resources claims to have uncovered a conspiracy these days you can be pretty sure he is wrong.