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Original poster

My dad is a massive conspiracy theorist and it's so frustrating

164 replies

patrilla · 20/10/2024 09:37

Can anyone relate and how do you not make it drive you insane ??

He's visiting at the moment and it's just all doom and gloom constantly.

He's so extremely negative about literally everything and everything is proof that we are controlled by this elite group of people who just want to make sure we are controlled and destroyed.

Everything is a rip off and we have no liberties. We are all just sheep being ripped off and we are all really dumb apparently.

Say we need to pay for parking or we need to be careful not to drive in yellow boxes, as we can get fined- he takes all of it as a sign of control. If a place doesn't take cash, it's also a control thing and we are so dumb for going along with it all.

It's literally every little thing. Everything is so shit now and the world is ending. Don't even get me started on a nuclear war being absolutely imminent.

It's exhausting to be around.

Does anyone else know someone like this ? How do you deal with it ?

Don't even get me started on Covid. It's just everything. Everything is questioned, everyone is corrupt. Apart from the people spouting this stuff. They're the only ones telling the truth.

OP posts:
BalletCat · 20/10/2024 09:43

My Dad is exactly the same. Lockdown sent him funny, he wasn't like this before but he spend 2 years on his own with nothing to do and spent too long on the internet.

No advice just solidarity it's infuriating.

SophiaJ8 · 20/10/2024 09:45

SIL is like this. We’ve all basically phased her out. We see her on birthdays etc, but we’ve set up different group chats so she can’t spam us with her latest nonsense.

She gets most of her classified information from Facebook, she’s a middle aged housewife who really needs to get a job.

Occitane · 20/10/2024 09:47

I have a Facebook friend who is like this, and it all started around covid time. She was a lovely person before, but now seems very angry and aggressive.

Jewel1968 · 20/10/2024 09:55

Isn't the issue the fervour with which they express themselves? I know a couple of people like this and they can hardly pause for breath. Thing is there might be nuggets that are true within their rant but they lose all credibility with the panic ranting way of speaking.

I listened to podcasts and read stuff looking for tips in how to deal with them. The suggestion I tried was to calmly engage with the rant and ask calm questions about their beliefs. Gently pull it apart. I tried that and it kinda helped but not really. I would simply say things like - what evidence do you have that supports what you say about the loss of cash being a control issue? Who is trying to control us? Can you name those that are trying to control us? Why are they trying to control us? What is the overall point of the control? And so on. But I warn you it's exhausting and not sure it makes much difference.

OldTinHat · 20/10/2024 09:56

Get him to watch The Why Files on YouTube.

They delve into absolutely every conspiracy theory there is - and debunks them at the end. The co-host is a goldfish called Hecklefish and he wears a tinfoil hat 😆

maudelovesharold · 20/10/2024 09:57

she’s a middle aged housewife who really needs to get a job.

Would she need to get a job, if she was content to stay in her box and not have opinions you disagree with? Or perhaps all middle- aged ‘housewives’ need to get a (proper) job, rather than having too much time on their hands to think! How patronising!

BalletCat · 20/10/2024 09:58

OldTinHat · 20/10/2024 09:56

Get him to watch The Why Files on YouTube.

They delve into absolutely every conspiracy theory there is - and debunks them at the end. The co-host is a goldfish called Hecklefish and he wears a tinfoil hat 😆

This sounds hilarious 😂

Twofurrycats · 20/10/2024 09:58

Oh I can relate and sympathise. It sucks the joy out of everything. My ex never met a conspiracy theory he didn't like.
I have no solution. If you reckon to agree with them it gets worse, if you disagree you get phrases like sheeple and wake up.
My usual response was 'that's beyond my sphere of influence' and attempt to change the subject.

Bellatrixpure · 20/10/2024 10:00

My MIL is the same. I have gone very low contact with her. I do worry what shit she is feeding my husband though as he thinks a lot of what she is saying makes sense.

Spinet · 20/10/2024 10:02

My dad is a bit similar and I just told him he needed to stop because I was on the edge of insanity about it all already and I can only cope if I buy into it all since we can't change it - as if I kind of agreed with him but couldn't talk about it. It was fairly effective tbh.

PortiasBiscuit · 20/10/2024 10:03

You can’t reason someone out of a believe that they haven’t reasoned themselves into..

Jewel1968 · 20/10/2024 10:04

The thing I don't understand is why don't they try and do something about whatever rather than rant about it. It's something about a sense of powerlessness I think. If you don't like the loss of cash, get involved in a campaign group (there must be one) or write to your MP or something. Don't rant at your loved one who can't change anything.

wastingtimeonhere · 20/10/2024 10:06

Colleague is fully into everything vaguely CT. He says they aren't conspiracy, as they are the truth. If it comes from 'authority' it's a lie.
He spends every available minute researching his 'truths'.
I usually just say 'so what do you intend to do about it?'

JubilantTurquoiseGerbil · 20/10/2024 10:06

Yes same…I used to argue back but I realised he will never change. He’s nearly 80 and I just humour him now as the conspiracies are harmless ones, just infuriating they he actually believes them.

offyoujollywelltrot · 20/10/2024 10:06

I genuinely believe that COVID fried some people's brains, created more incredibly paranoid people, especially when people were already mentally vulnerable.

LeopardPrintIsANeutraI · 20/10/2024 10:10

Oh I know a few of these.

They spent lockdown berating the rest of us for "living in fear" whilst simultaneously spending a lot of time trying to convince everyone that we are all going to die of the vaccine, microchips are secretly being inserted into our children, the elites are trying to depopulate the world, the great collapse is on the way, and martial law is coming to the streets any day now.

I know who I think is "living in fear" 😂

PermanentTemporary · 20/10/2024 10:11

God I wouldn't encourage getting involved with campaign groups. We had a march locally to do with a conspiracy theory. They just encourage each other.

I'd encourage engagement with something small scale and real - a gardening volunteer group, reading to young children, delivering for a food bank, helping out at Cubs. And I think just saying 'oh well I don't believe all that Dad. Anyway, the local have got a guest beer on, shall we go?'

newnamethanks · 20/10/2024 10:11

It's a cult like all other cults. I swear if Trump or Russell Brand suggested they all drink the Kool Aid, they would do it. Even if it were true, and we are 'all being controlled' for some unknown nefarious purpose, so what? What are 'they' going to do to us? Apart from 'controlling' us. Presumably there's a greater purpose yet to be revealed.

Victoriancat · 20/10/2024 10:13

My mam and her friends are a lot like it, sharing videos of what's really in our food and water, everything is a conspiracy to get us to vote a certain way (though this is every election so I never understand WHO is meant to be setting this up 😂)

Createausername1970 · 20/10/2024 10:13

My sister is bordering on this, but hasn't quite got to this stage. She is still in what I call "Daily Mail" mode.

If she starts on a rant I have started saying "is this from the daily mail or is there any actual truth in it". It did take the wind out of her sails the first time I said it 😁

Original poster
patrilla · 20/10/2024 10:21

It's quite cult like too. I've heard him watching videos about ' non believers ' and making us all out as ' sheep '. It's extremely frustrating to deal with him.

OP posts:
Toomanywars · 20/10/2024 10:23

Sadly some people are more prone to this. A tiny grain of truth and some will then believe absorbs of things. I mean who in 2024 thinks the earth is flat. It feels like intelligence is failing some who watch YouTube and twitter

TeenLifeMum · 20/10/2024 10:23

Oh god yes! My sensible, intelligent father has gone down a rabbit warren of social media nonsense and can’t tell fact from fiction. He thinks Trump is a great guy and conversations are impossible. I miss being able to talk to him.

Original poster
patrilla · 20/10/2024 10:24

Apparently ' they ' want to cause unrest and they want us to have basically no rights.

' they ' is everyone. Apparently trump doesn't belong to 'them'. I asked how come trump won the election then, if all the other politicians belong to ' them '. Apparently because trump has money.

But other than trump, all other politicians belong to the group.

It's really neo nazi stuff - hugely anti Semitic. As these theories pretty much all blame wealthy Jewish families on everything. There's a lot of talk about them owning the federal reserve banks etc etc etc. and therefore controlling everything.

OP posts:
Toomanywars · 20/10/2024 10:24

patrilla · 20/10/2024 10:21

It's quite cult like too. I've heard him watching videos about ' non believers ' and making us all out as ' sheep '. It's extremely frustrating to deal with him.

You can spot them a mile off. They have stock phrases and 'sheep' or 'sheeple' and 'non believers' or the 'unawake'.... it feels very cult like

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