to think that far more people than we realise subscribe to conspiracy theories?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole after reading the comments on an online video of the dreadful ship accident in Baltimore.

Thousands of comments and the vast majority believe that this wasn't an accident but a deliberate act to destroy the infrastructure and economy of one of the USAs biggest ports.

Los of comments about the black smoke showing that the ship had explosives. Even when the odd sane person chips in to explain that was almost certainly due to the ship being put in hard reverse to try not to hit the bridge. Other people claiming that they've slowed down the video and it shows explosives on the bridge, even though these are clearly powerlines with electricity arcing as the bridge collapses.

And then lots of people commenting that they need Trump back in power because Biden is too feeble/?senile/left wing to realise that America is under attack.

I appreciate that most of the comments were from Americans, but I suspect the same thing might be true here. They all seem to be buying into a conspiracy with no acknowledgement that, sometimes, dreadful accidents do happen.

There's also a clip of Trump from decades back stating that if he decided to run for President, he'd do so as a Republican nominee because he regards Republican voters as gullible idiots. 😝

it's interesting that conspiracy theories predate the Internet. The moon Landings were faked and Princess Diana was murdered are two that spring to mind. But the Internet has ratcheted up a notch or two. It's an echo chamber.

Yes, lots of intelligent and well informed people, and a whole load more unintelligent and ill-informed.

It's not a phenomenon exclusive to the stupid, and I have never claimed it to be such.

I read something on Twitter today about the Princess of Wales video being AI. People are bonkers.

Reflecting back, is it the intelligent thing to believe everything reported by mainstream media is entirely truthful and not twisted to fit agendas of wealthy and powerful people or corporate interests? Corruption is everywhere. Of course some people believe nonsensical things but it is too easy to lazily dismiss any critique of mainstream consensus as “conspiracy theory”.

It's worth remembering that statistically half the people you share planet Earth with are of below average intelligence.
The internet gave everyone the opportunity to have a voice, so it makes sense that half of the stuff posted has been written by a bit of a thicko.

This chap used to be a cartoonist for The Times or Telegraph, so presumably intelligent, yet he now buys into every conspiracy theory going.

x.com/bobscartoons/status/1772185340326862891?s=20

The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the problems inherent in the Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone person responsible spring to mind, and also the farce that the UK government maintains that Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi was solely responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and since he was nicked and convicted the entire thing is a closed book.

Both predate the internet. Neither are the type of thing I have an issue with people claiming conspiracy over, it's the "Trump spends his spare time battling paedophiles in hand-to-hand combat" stuff. The only thing Trump engages in a hand-to-hand struggle with is fast food.

I belong to a knitting and stitching group.
I'm secretly appalled at what some of the members say. Really right wing or conspiracy stuff.
I love the group as a whole but some of the comments are so far out.
The roayalty comments left me dumbfounded.

Conspiracy theories go back as far as humanity itself. The Medieval and early modern periods were replete with conspiracies, more often than not aimed at blaming and persecuting the Jewish minority in Christendom. The invention of the printing press was a watershed for the spread of conspiracism.

but this could explain it. As you say, there's only so much you can say to an event like this - it's not one with a real political element, there aren't loads of people missing so details need to be shared, there isn't a need for immediate help from the general public etc - the only thing a (normal) person would say is 'oh that's sad' (for the 6 people missing/dead) or similar. So your average person wouldn't bother commenting at all if there's no reason to. Therefore the number of crazy conspiracy theorists seem like a huge majority because there's nothing to counteract them, however if you asked say 100 random people 'what are your thoughts on this incident' probably the vast majority would be something anodyne like 'it's sad' 'um what a pity,' 'how could that happen,' etc and only a few would be 'conspiracy!'

So while I agree there are more people than you'd think who believe in ridiculous things it's not as large a proportion as the comment section of one particular article might make you think.

Saying that, people assume that conspiracy theorists are crazy basement dwelling loners whereas actually many of them are our co-workers, friends and family - my parents whom I'd always thought were quite sensible were urging me to read one of those ridiculous princess diana murdered by the royal family books the other day, which surprised me because I never thought they'd believe crap like that, so who knows!

I try to keep an open mind because there have been some conspiracy theories everyone dismissed that have since been proven to be true - but the majority of people who just comment on facebook etc have only put the bare minimum, if that, of research in, and once they've convinced themselves of the facts refuse to consider anything else.

Nope I prefer fact and proof not theories 😆

I think if KP hadn't been exposed as less than 100% truthful and transparent with their output, there would be a lot less scepticism about that video.

As it is, it's clear the clip itself has undergone a heap of post-processing, and because of that combined with the fact KP have recent previous for being less than transparent, you can see why that has grown arms and legs and some folk are now claiming the entire video is an AI construct.

YANBU. People are generally thick and susceptible to explanations for events or ideas that confirm their pre-existing beliefs. We spot it in others who we see as crazy, but are less able to see it happening in our own brains, or those of people with whom we agree. But happen it does!

I heard the Baltimore theory yesterday, I walked away!

They still are blaming Jews. 🙄

Yes, that is still so often at the root of conspiracy theories.

I don't think most of the people actually BELIEVE the conspiracy theories they spout. I think it's more that they are desperate to big themselves up, in a 'I know something that you don't know' kind of way. Desperate to be 'important', to be listened to, to be respected.

Sad, really.

Indeed. In fact QAnon is simply a rehash of that insidious Russian hoax document, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’, a supposedly secret plan by Jews to take over the world and which played a role in what would eventually become the Holocaust. That’s why I have a deep and abiding aversion to conspiracism as a whole.

Higher than average intelligence is no protection against believing nonsense. I think this video says that people who are good at reasoning are also good at rationalising.

My DP is a conspiracy theorist. He does make some very compelling arguments! Not as far as being a flat earther thankfully! 9-11 for example yes I believe there was something strange about it. As per another poster said - we would be very naïve to not question things - just depends how far people take it.

God....and all the comments support him ! Including that ghastly Andrew Bridgen MP. But I console myself with the knowledge only 8% of ppl in this world are on Twitter....

I do find it interesting the amount of times people who are CT have been called thick/accused of being lower intelligence on this thread. A CT is at least asking questions rather than believing of whiter than white governments who never do things for their own agenda.

It's a fascinating and depressing area - I would recommend Jon Ronson's book Them: Adventures with Fundamentalists. It's not technically just conspiracy theories but there's quite a lot of overlap with CTers and fundamentalists...

I remember working with a lovely bloke for years - we were fairly close really - and then one day I read, for the first time, something about David Icke's lunatic ideas and happened to mention them, and he basically said yep he's got it worked out, thank God someone knows what's going on. I nearly fell off my chair. I used to have another friend who told me she believed that the reason Africa had famines, natural disasters and wars was because it wasn't meant to be inhabited and "we should just leave them to it, and they'd all die put eventually". Sort of mind-blowing really, when people say things like that. Having said that I don't know if it's technically classed as a CT or just racism 😳 is it an accepted CT, does anyone know? Can't bring myself to Google it!

I don't really disagree with your premise but I guess the thing goes that people who believe the wilder CTs aren't capable of critical thinking/rational thought....and I guess they'd use the same argument about the other side! (Only with more use of the word "sheeple".)