Conspiracy theorists - mental illness or stupidity?

[Notcontent]

I know people who believe if really crazy conspiracies have always been around, but this pandemic has really brought them out of the woodwork... I mean, how could you realistically believe that Covid-19 does not exist, or that the vaccines contain microchips??

Some people who believe those things might have a low IQ and/ or poor education and so lack any “critical thinking” skills - and so might not be able to see why this is really illogical. But what about people who are clearly reasonably intelligent and well educated - like Jeremy Corbyn’s brother. Is it almost like a mental illness? Do they become so obsessed with being anti-establishment that they lose the plot?

They cannot imagine a situation of services, especially health, completely collapsing
Exactly, people have had their Urgent Cancer operations postponed in some areas because the NHS just cannot cope. If that isn't health services collapsing then I don't know what is.

Is the town Hebden by any chance?!
I’ve lost a few good friends down the rabbit hole - the things they have in common is a lack of critical thinking and loads of weed smoking

It’s meant to be linked to education levels. Generally the higher the level of education, the less likely you are to believe them. Not sure where that leaves Piers Corbyn.....😬

Let me try and find a link.

The problem is that anyone who questions the government’s narrative or who believes that the toll of lockdown is horrendous without actually saving a huge number of lives, is instantly labelled a Q Anon or flat earth we. The scientists who disagree with the government, those Professors of Evvidence Based medicine and ex Chief scientific Officers of Pfizer, yep they must definitely be discredited conspiracy theorists.

Of course this method works rll in the dumbed down population that we have. Anyone over 40 will recall the wealth of science TV we used to have Tomorrow’s World, Horizon etc. And now we have dumbed down TV for the masses in an effort to get ratings. We have media full of click bait.

The level of social control exerted over us is immense. Anyone who thinks otherwise is the uneducated person. Not those who know that we are all experiencing massive amounts of social control and nudge theory every single day.

From the start, I have used ONS published figures and stayed away from Mainstream news. The disparity between the media messages of doom and what was being told by the figures was obvious by late April last year.

If science was less advanced this year would just have been regarded as a very bad flu year. As it is, we have the science to see the difference in viruses.

None of that makes me a covid denier (the naming as a denier is an interesting nudge in itself). I’d say I’m more of a Pandemic response sceptic.

One of many many articles about it. Try Googling conspiracy theory and education level.

www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/12/05/504388777/educations-tie-to-conspiracy-theory-belief

@starcat2020 and @scrumpybetty
I have a close relative in possibly the same town - let's call it 'T', and it's near nigh our 'B'. He is totally on board the woo train and always has been but I can't speak to him now because it's incredible.

I'm told there were meet up sin playgrounds during lockdown #1 to pass COVID on (as in the manner of chickenpox parties pre pandemic)

At the start of lockdown #1 he told my DM to spend and get rid of all her money because the whole thing was part of a drive to break down all systems of money in the world. She was really worried/upset even though she didn't believe it. It's so so damaging. He's a very clever person indeed, he has undiagnosed autism and very rigid thinking though

Or, people could just think differently to you OP without you trying to insult them

I find this subject fascinating, i think it is similar to the question, why do people join and stay in cults. And does a person in a cult have a mental illness well i would say the answer is no we dont class people in cults with having mental illnesses , i think its a disposition of wanting to join something and not feeling in control and a conspiracy theories community allows them that. Like a cult would.

I mean conspiracy theories gives the person a sense of false sense understanding the unknown. I think they are more vulnerable people

@StarCat2020

I live in a town where there are a lot of 'hippies' and alternative thinkers Is that town in the SW region?

@StarCat2020 yes in SW 😊

I do wonder sometimes if the originators and/or main propagators of these theories are unwell in some way, mainly because some of them explain it all in a way that sounds similar to work I’ve read by people in a delusional phase of paranoid schizophrenia. But the vast majority of followers aren’t unwell. Maybe they have a simplistic view of the world, or maybe they get a kick out of imagining a conspiracy because it’s exciting to think there’s a shadow reality behind the boring old normal world.

Yes. I think it’s undiagnosed mental illness in many. I have a relative who fits this description. Behaviour has always been weird although gets by in life with being ‘unconventional’. Believes every conspiracy going and has become much, much worse in the last few years to the point they are now a flat earther. Obviously Covid has sent them into overdrive. This is an intelligent well educated person who worked as a college lecturer at one point! Severe Mental illness runs in the family but as they’ve never engaged in any risky or particularly damaging behaviours (apart from refusing to minimise Covid risks and have the vaccine) and they are perfectly happy in their mad world I suppose they don’t meet criteria for being diagnosed? They do have a family so I worry very much about their kids becoming radicalised.

I think the issue now is that anyone that has any doubts about the government , the reaction to Covid etc is branded a conspiracy theorist. Either thick, or crazy.

Anyone that has any reservations about the vaccine is now an anti vaxxer . Either thick, or crazy.

That marginalises people,gets their backs up so they look for like minded people to talk things through without being insulted or dismissed. It's a slippery slope from there.

@user686233

Actually people who believe in conspiracies and faux science are more often educated and intelligent. They have a tendancy to over research and distrust everything, which is where they fall down. If everyone researched for eg vaccines intensely before they vaccinate their children there would be a lot more anti vaxxers and I say that as someone who is pro vax. Most anti vaxxers read realms and realms of scientific essays and research but they aren't scientists, and they have a huge amount of distrust and paranoia so their research is biased. I don't think it is that they are gullible, more the opposite. They won't blindly do what everyone else does and this ultimately becomes their down fall.

This paranoia usually comes from deep seated trust issues, from upbringing, family issues, previous history of being heavily controlled, being let down by our government and policies, a tendancy to anxiety and or being a heavy cannabis user. Usually all those reasons. Saying it's because they are stupid doesn't help anyone.

This post nailed it. I know a very intelligent flat Earther.

Tbh I wonder about the posters who feel the need to start threads about this. Why do you care?

The problem is that it's almost impossible to have a discussion with a conspiracy theorist because they genuinely believe they have some higher level insider knowledge that nobody else has, or that they are simply so much more free thinking than everyone else. That's why you get silly claims like "but nobody can even criticise or question the government without being called a QAnon quack" and "even asking a question about covid is enough to be called a conspiracy theorist", when in reality there's lots of people questioning the government, lots of people questioning the numbers, lots of people criticising the government response and they're managing not to be branded conspiracy theorists.
Same for the vaccine. Apparently nobody can even ask a question about the vaccine without being called an antivaxxer, and yet there's lots of discussion about the vaccine and lots of people discussing concerns. What 'nobody can ask a question without being called an antivaxxer' probably means is 'people challenge me when I claim it isn't safe, that people who have it are being guinea pigs, that it's all a plot from big pharma'.

@Dinocan

Yes. I think it’s undiagnosed mental illness in many. I have a relative who fits this description. Behaviour has always been weird although gets by in life with being ‘unconventional’. Believes every conspiracy going and has become much, much worse in the last few years to the point they are now a flat earther. Obviously Covid has sent them into overdrive. This is an intelligent well educated person who worked as a college lecturer at one point! Severe Mental illness runs in the family but as they’ve never engaged in any risky or particularly damaging behaviours (apart from refusing to minimise Covid risks and have the vaccine) and they are perfectly happy in their mad world I suppose they don’t meet criteria for being diagnosed? They do have a family so I worry very much about their kids becoming radicalised.

Believing theories is NOT undiagnosed mental illness in many.

How fucking offensive can you be --- "perfectly happy in their mad world" - you should be beyond ashamed of yourself how fucking dare you

I'm sorry this is getting ridiculous

Can people not see how offensive and derogatory they're being.

Now I am going to start reporting stuff because this is getting abusive quite frankly.

Some of you should be hanging your heads in shame you're disgusting

As someone who's job it is to reduce the stigma surrounding MH, I despair at the sweeping statement in this thread question; it's both unhelpful and slightly offensive.

I'm also the parent of a teen (above average intelligence and highly critical thinker) who has spouted some of the popular conspiracy theories floating around at the moment. I believe that boredom has sucked him into a YouTube black hole where believing some of these things is easier than dealing with the reality of life right now which is a bit scary.

@LolaSmiles

The problem is that it's almost impossible to have a discussion with a conspiracy theorist because they genuinely believe they have some higher level insider knowledge that nobody else has, or that they are simply so much more free thinking than everyone else. That's why you get silly claims like "but nobody can even criticise or question the government without being called a QAnon quack" and "even asking a question about covid is enough to be called a conspiracy theorist", when in reality there's lots of people questioning the government, lots of people questioning the numbers, lots of people criticising the government response and they're managing not to be branded conspiracy theorists. Same for the vaccine. Apparently nobody can even ask a question about the vaccine without being called an antivaxxer, and yet there's lots of discussion about the vaccine and lots of people discussing concerns. What 'nobody can ask a question without being called an antivaxxer' probably means is 'people challenge me when I claim it isn't safe, that people who have it are being guinea pigs, that it's all a plot from big pharma'.

I agree with this

I'm sure that smoking being bad for you and the earth being spherical were classed as conspiracy theories to start with. I think anybody who thinks you need to be stupid or mentally ill to think differently from the majority is either stupid or mentally ill.

New, weird, and wonderful ideas are what allows us to progress. It's a sign of the human ability to progress. That's not to say that some people who believe conspiracy theories aren't stupid, but it's a bit like saying 'people who wear jeans don't wash'. Just because it's true for some people, doesn't mean you can generalise.

Already reported. Disgusting thread

@mouldyhouse101

Already reported. Disgusting thread

More people the better. I tried not to but this has just got awful . It upsets me as someone with serious MH issues but it upsets me more that people like this both exist and are so blind to how vile they're being to other humans

I have a family history of mental health issues with both sides of family, my bio dad has mental health issues and has been down the conspiracy theories rabbit hole for years, to the point i am unable to have relationship with him amongst other reasons. my step dad also has mental health issues and he started to go down it but thankfully his youtube use was stoped due to broadband issues proventing him from watching. And he came to his senses. Of couse just because you have mental health issue then you will not automatically believe conspiracy theories thats not what i think, i just know they are more vulnerable and vulnerable people are at risk of going down the rabbit hole. Its not abusive to come to that conclusion

I also suffer from depression and anxiety

Possible reasons:
Thick.
Lack thinking skills.
Think they are going against the mass by having different views (use of the word sheeple )
Too much pot
Easily conned....woman across road kept going on about dead foetuses in the vaccine, she heard about in on YouTube
Scared
Low IQ
Stuck in the teen go against everything stage