What to do about the conspiracy theory problem?

[shad]

I have an example of a conspiracy theory that i believe is true.

I reckon Princess Di was murdered.

My reasoning is as follows. Her bodyguard was an ex-SAS soldier. It just so happens that I worked for a bit as a high level corporate bodyguard with a company that was mainly made up of retired British SAS soldiers. Bodyguarding rests on one very simple idea. At any given moment do whatever is the safest for the principal-the person you are guarding. In the Princess Di case the story went that they drove the armourded merc at high speed through central Paris to get away from the paparazzi. It just doesn't come close to sounding correct. What's more dangerous for Di-getting her photo taken for the millionth (literally) time, or driving at that speed in an urban area. I think that they drove like that to avoid a serious threat, most probably an assination attempt. I have worked extensively with British SAS people and they have all been genuinely serious and professional operaters. The official story just doesn't add up.

The next part of my thinking is pure wacky theorising so please don't let it detract from the first arguement. I believe that the royal family wanted to have her killed because she was going to marry a Moslem which would have meant her becoming a Moslem too. The didn't want the mother of the heir to the throne to be a follower of Islam. Given what we know about the Royal family now I don't think this is too much of a stretch.

 

[Midsy]

It was shot down because it was typical consp theory stuff. Inaccurate & selective.

It’s a conspiracy theory to say there’s questions being asked about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines?

 

[Redford]

Did I read in this thread that a lot of argy bargy went on over 9/11 conspiracy theories at some time or another ?

Presume it’s on the actual 9/11 thread that exists ? Or is it somewhere else ?

 

[Baloo]

Did I read in this thread that a lot of argy bargy went on over 9/11 conspiracy theories at some time or another ?

Presume it’s on the actual 9/11 thread that exists ? Or is it somewhere else ?

911 Truth Movement

Some interesting questions being raised http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FL_RLSjGKM

www.puntroadend.com

Disco08 left PRE as a result of that thread. He was King Troofer ably supported by a few well known PREers

 

[Redford]

911 Truth Movement

Some interesting questions being raised http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FL_RLSjGKM

www.puntroadend.com

Disco08 left PRE as a result of that thread. He was King Troofer ably supported by a few well known PREers

Thank you. Will have a read. I have a special interest in 9/11. Know the area, buildings etc very well and people involved first hand on the day. Thanks.

 

[tigersnake]

I have an example of a conspiracy theory that i believe is true.

Shad, I do not care. Maybe start a conspiracy theories I believe are true thread and people can discuss them until the cows come home?

This thread is to discuss why people believe conspiracy theories. If info about a given conspiracy can provide insight into the question in the thread title, fine, Yours doesn't, its just inference, speculation, a vibe, a long bow.

Anyway I gave it a crack, maybe staying on topic is too much to ask.

 

[Midsy]

911 Truth Movement

Some interesting questions being raised http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FL_RLSjGKM

www.puntroadend.com

Disco08 left PRE as a result of that thread. He was King Troofer ably supported by a few well known PREers

Not surprising he left. The bully boys were out in force in that thread.

 

[tigersnake]

Not surprising he left. The bully boys were out in force in that thread.

Bully boys, geez. Conspiracy theorists are so precious, but I suppose they have to be. Otherwise how would they deal with all that logic and evidence?.

 

[DavidSSS]

Bully boys, geez. Conspiracy theorists are so precious, but I suppose they have to be. Otherwise how would they deal with all that logic and evidence?.

They dish it out, claim we are sheeple, spout the most ridiculous garbage and shrink when a logical response heads back in their direction.

Very precious.

DS

 

[mrposhman]

911 Truth Movement

Some interesting questions being raised http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FL_RLSjGKM

www.puntroadend.com

Disco08 left PRE as a result of that thread. He was King Troofer ably supported by a few well known PREers

Interesting reading through some of those pages, not for the content, we've all seen that countless times and its been debunked, but the same names on there on the pro-conspiracy side, were also high on the conspiracy thought pattern around Covid, which just shows that these sort of things attract the same people. Mindset is the same, regardless of what the alleged conspiracy is.

 

[TigerMasochist]

This thread is to discuss why people believe conspiracy theories.

Maybe people believe conspiracy theories because they don't trust the bastards in charge, or the people providing the information.


Classic case being one that was discussed just a little earlier in the JFK saga. Was reported on the news just a couple of days ago that a whole lot of official information regarding his assassination has just been released. Yet there is of course some critical information still being with held. Great way to shut down the conspiracy theories n prove exactly what happened. The bastards been dead for almost 60 years but there's still secrets that nobody is allowed to know, WTF, keep the conspiracy going it makes money n keeps the numpties occupied.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Maybe people believe conspiracy theories because they don't trust the bastards in charge, or the people providing the information.

The War on Terror & invasion of Iraq (WMDs) is a good example.

 

[DavidSSS]

I don't trust the bastards who lord it over us, but that doesn't mean I am willing to entertain complete bullsh1t like the Q-Anon style fictions.

DS

 

[Honest John]

This has been an interesting thread; an Australian professor has listed in detail the techniques used by denialists that are anti-science. Climate change deniers often cherry pick the data. It's like saying the sun doesn't exist when it's night time. Link to the techniques here - FLICC
Most people cannot do "proper" research - that is the domain of scientists , PhDs and the like. When you or I do "research" we are pretty much looking for arguments to support our own position.
When someone says to me something which is not scientific and along the lines of a conspiracy theory, I usually retort, "So next you are going to tell me the earth is flat, we live under a dome, and the sun goes around the earth. I know that's what it looks like...."

 

[TigerMasochist]

I don't trust the bastards who lord it over us, but that doesn't mean I am willing to entertain complete bullsh1t like the Q-Anon style fictions.

DS

True, but the world is full of people who get " their truth " from the internet. Guess it all depends on who's truth best aligns with your own half baked theories, then you get the privilege of running amok with the crowd that best fits your views n needs.

 

[DavidSSS]

True, but the world is full of people who get " their truth " from the internet. Guess it all depends on who's truth best aligns with your own half baked theories, then you get the privilege of running amok with the crowd that best fits your views n needs.

I reckon it is more than that though. There is the factor that people are fed news by an algorithm which feeds them news on the basis of previous pages viewed, on sites like facebook, and therefore the only explanations they are exposed to are outlandish. People will believe BS if it is the only thing they are accessing.

The whole thing of social media only feeding pages which are from one point of view, because it keeps people on the site for longer, has a fair bit to do with what the world looks like to those who rely on social media as a source of information. At least in the mainstream media, and more so newspapers which have more space for opinion, there is a small amount of debate, although that too is shrinking especially with some of the papers who will only print one side of any issue.

The limiting of debate is a serious issue and not just in social media. There used to be some notion of balance in media coverage, but that is gone for a lot of outlets. Imagine if your only source of news is Fox after Dark or whatever it is called. How would you know where to position the stories you see? If you have no point of comparison, no alternative narrative or opinion, what you can conclude is limited.

DS

 

[mrposhman]

The other thing I find interesting about conspiracy theories are why people jump on specific theories.

People like to believe the extreme, that something major has happened and we all need to know. The 5 biggest conspiracy theories of all time are the JFK assassination, Area 51, the Moon landing, 911 and Covid. There all have massive impacts on society but would have needed seriously large networks to explain them.

The more likely conspiracy theories that could have occurred are far less engaging and aren't jumped on. Things like Lockerbie and Princess Dianas death have far more likelihood to have some sort of cover up, but are not spoken about as they generally do not have far reaching consequences.

 

[AngryAnt]

From memory that Ivermectin "trials" that should have continued according to the pro-Ivermectin groups, fell into a conspiracy grouping that I gave before.

The reason they gave for lack of investment was because THEY (in this case big Pharma) didn't want to spend the money on the studies as they wouldn't then be able to spend money on research and on higher price drugs, yet it was THEY (in this instance the scientists) that didn't really push for it, you'd suspect because they knew that Ivermectin wasn't going to have the desired effect, but it all still falls into the THET camp, than someone out there was trying to control you for their own seedy benefits.

There were a number of big well-conducted clinical trials that showed no benefit.

These were all part of the global pro-vaxx conspiracy of course.

 

[DavidSSS]

I reckon the COVID vaccine conspiracies are a pretty good example of what constitutes a conspiracy theory and what doesn't and also some of the nuances.

It is right to question the speed at which the vaccines were developed and whether they were tested sufficiently before people were getting jabs, it is also right to seek information about the testing of recently developed vaccines to work out whether there is an issue. This is skepticism, not conspiracy.

It is also right to question how much the pharmaceutical companies stood to profit from developing vaccines and whether that meant they were cutting corners or pushing ethical boundaries. Again, one would seek information on this and whether there was profiteering beyond what would be justified under the current economic system and how the vaccines were developed.

These are reasonable concerns.

Where it gets to the crackpot level is when people start claiming that the vaccines are deliberately dangerous and designed to reduce the population, or certain parts of the population. It goes well beyond the crackpot level when the claims about microchips in vaccines start circulating.

Part of the point is that we need to distinguish between reasonable questioning and the conclusions which arise from evidence, as opposed to ideas that are simply made up and rely on no evidence or on interpretations which are tenuous and/or circumstantial, or simply illogical.

DS

 

[tigersnake]

Maybe people believe conspiracy theories because they don't trust the bastards in charge, or the people providing the information.

But that doesn't follow. I have a healthy distrust of authority, and I wouldn't wipe my arse with anything put out my news ltd, but I don't believe conspiracy theories.

People who believe the really whacky stuff are extremely conservative. They don't believe the 'msm info' because they don't like it. Guns kill people, the environment is in trouble because of us, racism happens etc etc. They don't want to hear truths like these that are self evident to the rational mind, so they do their damndest to believe whacky conspiracies that explain it away.