- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: What makes people more likely to be really into conspiracy theories?
Posted on 12/26/22 at 3:58 pm to SlowFlowPro
Posted on 12/26/22 at 3:58 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
They seek the standard conflict themes: (1) making your side seem not only righteous, but the only possible way out of our current hell and (2) dehumanizing the other. You create a loud enough echo chamber with these 2 concepts and mass murder becomes acceptable.
I attribute part of this to declining church attendance coinciding with the rise of the internet and social media, and an inordinate number of Americans now using politics as their religion and finding religiosity in politics. Social media echo chambers and message board echo chambers are the new church pews. Left-wingers and right-wingers alike. A righteous fight. Good vs. evil. Same as the Bible.
This post was edited on 12/26/22 at 4:03 pm
2
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:00 pm to SlowFlowPro
Which way? The one with “conspiracy theorists” rightly pointing out abuses of power by the government? Or the one with the government using the cudgel in an effort to quiet and discredit the “conspiracy theorists”?
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:01 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
And that's been mostly a one-way street since 2016
Usually "conspiracy theories are for losers" in the neutral sense of political competitors who lose come up with conspiratorial reasons for why they lost (think of Clinton murder CT's or Bush conspiring with the USSC, "Obama was born in Kenya", etc).
The weird thing that happened in '16 was we had an open CT-ist-in-chief who was massively alleging CT's from the oval office right back at the out-party. I can't remember that happening in the US before.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:02 pm to Upperdecker
quote:
Your personal level of cynicism is a big factor. Some people believe there is more than we see at the surface. Your level of cynicism is a big part in determining how much you have interest in or believe in things past surface level, and how far you believe they go
Hard not to grow more cynical as you age. And especially over the past few years. The battle against cynicism is real. I find it harder and harder to not be completely skeptical of almost everything the ruling class spews in our direction these days.
The term “conspiracy theorist” is thrown around way too much by people who don’t want to discuss a specific topic.
The lab leak hypothesis was a huge one that was censored on social media for over a year. And now it’s the leading theory for the origin of Covid-19. Even the biggest boot licker out there had to see how that was total bullshite.
This post was edited on 12/26/22 at 4:04 pm
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:03 pm to Sgt Tuffnuts
I believe it all depends on your level of questioning. It's normal and healthy to question things, we all should. When it becomes an obsessive, life changing thought process, it's likely moved into mental illness territory. Confirmation bias also plays a big part, as people cling to things that make them feel vindicated and a part of a bigger cause. Politics are also intertwined into the same group. It's insane to me that someone could be so consumed by politics, that they outcast their own family members simply for having a different opinion.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:04 pm to Sgt Tuffnuts
quote:
I attribute part of this to declining church attendance coinciding with the rise of the internet and social media, and an inordinate number of Americans now using politics as their religion and finding religiosity in politics. Social media echo chambers and message board echo chambers are the new church pews. Left-wingers and right-wingers alike. A righteous fight. Good vs. evil. Same as the Bible.
Yep. Political tribalism above all. So, you can't buy anything without deciding which companies you have to support or boycott, you can only have friends who share your political beliefs, and you see the other side as not just wrong, but as evil.
We're heading for a time like the Spanish Civil War, when everyone had to choose whether to support the fascists or the communists -- there was no other option.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:05 pm to Sgt Tuffnuts
quote:
I attribute part of this to declining church attendance coinciding with the rise of the internet and social media, and an inordinate number of Americans now using politics as their religion and finding religiosity in politics.
I don't know if I fully agree but, like I told Bunk in another thread on another board earlier, if you let politics become your self identity, then all of this extremism becomes possible. Social media clearly has a part to play in this self-identification. Church could, I suppose, but that's not really my area.
The tech certainly makes the spread easier. Remember the stupid "FTX funneled Ukraine money to pols" meme? One random twitter shite post and it was on Tucker in like 50 hours.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:06 pm to Sgt Tuffnuts
Most conspiracies are grounded in grains of truth.. I've found most people who are conspiracy nuts are reasonably smart people that are just lost in the sauce, they've often connected dots that aren't really connected. Can happen to any of us, really.
This post was edited on 12/26/22 at 4:12 pm
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:08 pm to GOP_Tiger
quote:
Yep. Political tribalism above all.
Right, all sorts of facts get morally entangled and seen through the tribal epistemology. One of the weirdest of these was how hurricane-tracking paths started getting disputed based on Trump's weird personal modification of the projection map. For a little while, you had NOAA storm tracks rejected based on partisanship, although thankfully that doesn't seem to have continued.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:09 pm to TigerDoc
quote:
The weird thing that happened in '16 was we had an open CT-ist-in-chief who was massively alleging CT's from the oval office right back at the out-party. I can't remember that happening in the US before.
But he was largely right
"Fake news"
"They tapped my wires"
Much more true than not
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:09 pm to TigerDoc
quote:
The weird thing that happened in '16 was we had an open CT-ist-in-chief who was massively alleging CT's from the oval office right back at the out-party. I can't remember that happening in the US before.
Eisenhower I’m 1961 made a famous speech warning against rise of Military Industrial Complex. Today he would be roundly ridiculed by those with blue checks and blue hair for suggesting such a conspiracy and that clearly he was a Putin puppet.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:09 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Church could, I suppose, but that's not really my area.
Damn that’s the one non-area for you. Could pose some issues later on down the road.
I kid. I’m just a ole red neck don’t know nothin cept for mama, 4x4 trucks and, well, and tits.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:11 pm to Hulkklogan
quote:
Most conspiracies are grounded in grains of truth.. I've found most people who are conspiracy nuts are reasonably smart people that are just lost in the sauce, they've often connected dots that aren't really connected. Can happen to ant of us, really.
And has!
I've heard it said that it's not CT-ists logic or reasoning that's problematic. It's their premises. I think your baseline levels of mistrust set the stage for interpreting all sorts of data conspiratorially and once it gets past plausibility and into belief it becomes pretty hard to un-pill yourself.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:12 pm to notiger1997
Low IQ and emotional instability
3 people, that I know, who I would call CTs are very smart, which really concerns me. I think they like to think they are way smarter than the sheep. They would rather be right than happy.
3 people, that I know, who I would call CTs are very smart, which really concerns me. I think they like to think they are way smarter than the sheep. They would rather be right than happy.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:12 pm to TigerDoc
quote:
The weird thing that happened in '16
Was a Russian conspiracy half the country ran with to oust a sitting president.
Is that considered a conspiracy theory?
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:12 pm to TigerDoc
quote:
The weird thing that happened in '16 was we had an open CT-ist-in-chief who was massively alleging CT's from the oval office right back at the out-party. I can't remember that happening in the US before.
interesting BlueAnon theory youve got there Doc
This post was edited on 12/26/22 at 4:15 pm
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:15 pm to Robin Masters
quote:
Eisenhower I’m 1961 made a famous speech warning against rise of Military Industrial Complex. Today he would be roundly ridiculed by those with blue checks and blue hair for suggesting such a conspiracy and that clearly he was a Putin puppet.
That's a good point, and I agree, and yet he ALSO tried to minimize the influence of the Birchers who opposed the fluoridation of drinking water on CT grounds and believed a number of other pretty wacky CT's. And he wasn't willing to join in with the excessive Red-baiting of McCarthy.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:15 pm to GeauxOCDP
quote:
I believe it all depends on your level of questioning. It's normal and healthy to question things, we all should. When it becomes an obsessive, life changing thought process, it's likely moved into mental illness territory. Confirmation bias also plays a big part, as people cling to things that make them feel vindicated and a part of a bigger cause. Politics are also intertwined into the same group. It's insane to me that someone could be so consumed by politics, that they outcast their own family members simply for having a different opinion.
Every word of this.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:16 pm to Robin Masters
quote:
Eisenhower I’m 1961 made a famous speech warning against rise of Military Industrial Complex
He made that speech either leaving or after leaving office. Completely different than getting on that train AS he entered office.
Posted on 12/26/22 at 4:28 pm to SlowFlowPro
Mena, Arkansas, Bush, Clinton, cocaine
This post was edited on 12/26/22 at 4:29 pm
Page 8 of 20
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News