to be utterly shocked and heartbroken at how many intelligent, lovely friends and acquaintances have totally bought in to the radical global conspiracy theories...

[fuschia2000]

Seeing so much conspiracy stuff on Facebook threads, its totally alarming.... the folks can really make a good argument, with pseudo science, lots of data etc but we are looking at radical q'anon right wing conspiracy theories breaking through into the normal discussion groups and online groups.....

@HitchFlix

Really? Most of the people I know who've bought into this stuff have been fairly predictable. Definitely not anyone I'd have considered particularly intelligent to begin with. It's generally the preserve of the not very bright, no?

Totally this - I don't know a single person who buys into any old this conspiracy stuff, much less posts about it on SM. I know one person who is anti western medicine including vax but it's not a new thing and I wouldn't really class them as intelligent!

I also don't think I know anyone like this, but then I don't use FB, so I may be wrong.

@lunar1

It's school mums on my social media, they've utilised their 3 GCSE's, conducted research (mostly via YouTube videos of Katie Hopkins and a daytime tv random) and decided they are making an informed decision to say fuckit to restrictions.

Then encouraging each other 'you do you hun' 🤮

How the hell did they make it through natural selection.

What exactly is a school mum, Lunar1?

I know my grammar/punctuation etc isn't always great, but at least I don't make sweeping statements about school mums and their '3 GCSE's' ...

I think a school Mum is someone who is a fellow parent at you children's school rather than someone who you are friends with.

your!

Probably the worst thing about QAnon is that it's making it harder for organizations, who actually fight child-tracking, to do their jobs. So depressing seeing it so widely embraced, even on this site at times.

@Kendodd

The great reset is just a catch phrase though, it's like build back better.

You know it's not just a catch phrase right? It's not even a conspiracy, surely? www.weforum.org/great-reset greatreset.com www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/

@RedPaperLantern

Sign up for TIkTok if you haven’t already.

Facebook is the platform that makes you hate the people you know. TikTok is the platform that makes you love the strangers you will never meet.

Hilarious!

Yanbu, I see so many fb comments along the lines of ‘educate yourself, don’t believe the media’ which then link to a website written by an unqualified weirdo who’s clearly got major mental health issues and often has been already proved as a liar, yet somehow has a load of adoring followers.

I think it’s a side effect of the internet?

But very upsetting. I have family members repeating some very weird stuff.

I also think it’s a sign that education as currently done has failed. I mean the whole adult population in the West has all had formal education often from age 4-21, yet so many people are incapable of basic critical thinking / assessing source material. So what was the point of all those years at school?!

OP I bet you still think Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK and Iraq had WMD.

Why do people think "the great reset" is s conspiracy, it's out there in the open. I find it very scary.

I didnt think "the great reset" was a definite real thing, until this thread.

@lightand

I didnt think "the great reset" was a definite real thing, until this thread.

Well, that's kind of the point. It was well documented (by the people that are pushing it) by at least mid-last year and yet anyone talking about it was being accused of 'being a conspiracy theorist'. There is a lot of misinformation out there but there is also a lot of stuff which is based on truth.

I wish people were a bit more tolerant and less prone to jumping on finger-wagging bandwagons. I suspect in real life, people are. I think a lot of angst is stirred up on social media by paid bots, 77th brigade, virtue signallers and finger pointers. But most people are well balanced. I hope!

Surely the great reset is think tank talk, a label to make it sound like the group chatting about it can control future developments. Or at least sell businesses a seminar and some management consultancy.

I suppose them to be as deluded as anyone else😂.

The Great Reset is an actual thing. Check out the website of the World Economic Forum if you're in doubt.

They have changed their narrative about it recently as their proposals were unpalatable to pretty much everyone who took the time to watch their little infomercial.

'You will own nothing and you will be happy'

That's an actual quote from the orignal.

Not a theory-simply a fact.

The websites on flat earth theory are oddly plausible.

It's easier to make an online message look credible than convince in real life unless you have good charisma.

It's like our defences to it haven't been built up yet.

Owning nothing and being mysteriously enthused about it..this is what I tell the kids about their Spotify and Netflix. It's already happened.

Spotify and Netflix kind of make sense though. Why buy a box set when you're only going to watch it once?

@doublehalo

Spotify and Netflix kind of make sense though. Why buy a box set when you're only going to watch it once?

I thought that. And then changed my mind. I've gone back to buying second hand CDs, DVDs and books. It's ace. I'm relieving the 90s. And none require wifi or online storage - bonus!

For anyone interested in the psychology of 'arguments' on certain threads, this is an interesting quote from someone who earned money from the Chinese 50-cent army. The person describes how they interact on forums and other social media:

"In a forum, there are three roles for you to play: the leader, the follower, the onlooker or unsuspecting member of the public. The leader is the relatively authoritative speaker, who usually appears after a controversy and speaks with powerful evidence. The public usually finds such users very convincing. There are two opposing groups of followers. The role they play is to continuously debate, argue, or even swear on the forum. This will attract attention from observers. At the end of the argument, the leader appears, brings out some powerful evidence, makes public opinion align with him and the objective is achieved. The third type is the onlookers, the netizens. They are our true target “clients”. We influence the third group mainly through role-playing between the other two kinds of identity. You could say we’re like directors, influencing the audience through our own writing, directing and acting. Sometimes I feel like I have a split personality." (2012)

www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/10/china’s-paid-trolls-meet-50-cent-party

I definitely fell for all the posts that were v pro mask (remember the Czech video - I think it was posted on mumsnet too). Well, a lot of those pro mask tweets were all sent out at once. Same with a lot of the ones with the hashtags such as 'Boristhebutcher' etc. And with ill feeling towards the government (not hard) you can see how easy it is to manipulate readers. I'm suspicious of most hostages now - if they aren't sport and are around for longer than a few minutes, then they are political in some way. (Just my humble opinion.)

Sorry about the link above, there is plenty of other info on the 50 cent army but that just had an interesting interview.

TravellingTilbury, absolutely with you on buying secondhand.

Someone near me has set up a tiny 'library' on the street, in an old kitchen wall cabinet they've made waterproof. I swing by every couple of days now to get a new book, and leave my own which would normally go to the charity shop. The sense of community is really nice.

@doublehalo

The Great Reset is an actual thing. Check out the website of the World Economic Forum if you're in doubt.

They have changed their narrative about it recently as their proposals were unpalatable to pretty much everyone who took the time to watch their little infomercial.

'You will own nothing and you will be happy'

That's an actual quote from the orignal.

Not a theory-simply a fact.

Didn't 4th Industrial Revolution get published in 2016?

I started reading it but was simultaneously horrified and laughing at the incredulity of it so never finished it. The infomercial is from 2018 I think.

i think trying put everyone into one box is very unhelpful. It's entirely possible to be worried about "owning nothing" and not to even know about bleeping QAnon!

If anyone has seen today's Tweet from UN Women, when allegedly reputable organisations are in that headspace, it can be hard to sort the credible from the batshit.

@LunaHeather

Elephant "I had one so called friend tell me to my face (despite knowing all I had been through), that the virus was not real,"

So what does she think your loved one was ill with?

I honestly have no idea, we haven’t spoken since. I just stood there barely able to believe my ears.

What's the tweet LunaHeather?