• Leviathan@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    I’ve always said the difference between a true conspiracy theorist and a fucking loon is proof.

    There’s tons of stuff we know happened and have almost overwhelming proof of but the powers that be for some reason will not prosecute, that’s a conspiracy and they might even be part of it.

    If you believe that a myriad aliens are pretending to be human and secretly controlling the world and the only immediate proof is that we are becoming more inclusive, you’re a fucking loon.

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      I disagree. Once there’s proof you aren’t a conspiracy theorist, you’re just someone who believes in evidence based reality. I’d argue that it’s evidence and a believable narrative.

      At one point you were a complete loon for believing the us government was attempting to do mind control using lsd. Then after the evidence was leaked you were a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Now after it’s been admitted to by the us government you’re a loon if you insist it didn’t happen.

      • s_s@lemm.ee
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        5 hours ago

        “Conspiracy” assumes the government is functioning in a fundamentally honest manner.

        In the 70s, the public was frankly shocked to learn about the Watergate Scandal, because they assumed America operated in a fundamentally honest manner.

        After Watergate, the “conspiracy theorist” developed. Because if Watergate is true, what else is going on?

        Around that time, AM radio was looking for new programming after the public’s music listening transitioned to FM and we got a steady diet of extremist religious programming and Conspiracy-laden talk radio. Shortly after the Fairness Doctrine ended and things really took.off. One of the biggest TV series of the 90s was the X-files.

        Anyways, if you have a conspiratorial government (e.g.China), you’re not a “conspiracy theorist” to believe in conspiracy. There are very obvious conspiracies at work.

        The corruption epidemic the US is now facing (post Citizens United) means we no longer assume we have a fundamentally honest government.

        “Conspiracy theorist” is dead. Our government is fundamentally conspiring.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    20 hours ago

    It’s almost as if the Right was playing the game of “Accuse the other side of that which you are guilty”

    Ya know, like Gobbels told Hitler to do.

  • omarfw@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    Conspiracy theorists aren’t actually truth seekers. They’re not out to discover the truth. They want to proclaim the truth and feel like special people who have hidden knowledge so they can feel superior. It’s all about their ego, their sense of security, and nothing else.

    All of this stuff is out in the open for all to see so the theorist nut jobs don’t get to feel special by trying to expose it.

      • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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        12 hours ago

        If they were any good at it they’d be employed as journalists and win Pullitzer Prizes for their work. Nixon having his goons break into a hotel to steal information from his opposition is a hell of a “conspiracy theory”. But we don’t consider it that because Woodward and Bernstein put in the work to find the evidence.

        Your typical internet conspiracy theorists are just plain lazy and very susceptible to selection bias. They make up things to fill in the gaps of their theories and refuse to change the made up bits even when they find evidence to the contrary. The general contrarianism of the internet pushes people to think the opposite of establish facts.

        In the end it’s just a mess of made up shit that conforms to the emotions of the person that made it up. These conspiracy theories are promoted among those with similar feelings. They push way more lies than anyone else.

        • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          Your typical internet conspiracy theorists

          I don’t think this exists as a group.

          They make up things to fill in the gaps of their theories

          Yes. The big difference between conspiracy theories and (good) journalism. Sometimes these gaps are highlighted as speculation, but often they are not. The more evidence a conspiracy theory has backing it, the closer it gets to journalism.

          refuse to change the made up bits even when they find evidence to the contrary.

          People like this are super easy to argue against because you can provide the supporting evidence and they shut up.

          The general contrarianism of the internet pushes people to think the opposite of establish facts.

          I don’t think it is contrarianism. In previous decades traditional media had a monopoly on one to many communication. Now anyone can broadcast any information, true and false, to a worldwide audience.

          In the end it’s just a mess of made up shit that conforms to the emotions of the person that made it up.

          Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

          These conspiracy theories are promoted among those with similar feelings. They push way more lies than anyone else.

          Easy to do. For example, you are now expressing a feeling, not stating a fact.

      • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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        12 hours ago

        The good ones are lie finders… The shitty, usually conservative, ones like the post is talking about love to spew their own garbage “truths”… Definitely not truth seekers, just “truth” spewers

        Edit: like=lie

            • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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              12 hours ago

              I’ve never met one, but I have seen them on TV (documentary). They seem very keen to follow random posts on 4chan, but they question absolutely nothing.

              People that I’ve discussed conspiracy theories with usually don’t believe anything, even other conspiracies.

  • AlexisFR@jlai.lu
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    17 hours ago

    But that’s boring stuff, you can’t make yourself superior to others if you believe in this stuff…

  • jmsy@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    the more concerning conspiracy for the right is that a black person might be president, again

    • Johanno@feddit.org
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      18 hours ago

      Even worse! It’s going to be a women. A black woman.

      The right will fill with anger if that happens.

  • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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    1 day ago

    Real conspiracies don’t even bother hiding. They have the power to do whatever they want, so they just tell us this is what’s happening now.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      12 hours ago

      On the internet, the first to make an accusation wins. If if the accusation is false, they still win. So even when they actually do the things they falsely accuse others of doing, they’ve already won the argument on the internet.

      “You’re just accusing us of doing what you did” is stronger than “You’re now doing what you accused us of in the past” when the rhetoric is more important than the facts.

  • Rookwood@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I mean it’s classic Orwellianism to make up wild claims so that they seem normal when you do it. It’s also called hypernormalization. Say crazy outlandish thing that doesn’t exist. Then when it happens no one is surprised. The Big Lie. Etc.

    • Teppichbrand@feddit.org
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      12 hours ago

      Not sure if you got hypernormalisation right.
      It’s when state, population and even opposition play along by their known roles in a common, simplified fake-reality, ignoring a looming collapse, pretending everything is fine because noone can imagine a life outside the predominant system.
      Haha, how crazy would that be, right?

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    “Conspiracy theories” aren’t about conspirators, they’re about feeling smarter than everyone else.

    Noticing when powerful morons commit crimes in plain sight doesn’t make your brain do the happy juice.

  • Paradachshund@lemmy.today
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    1 day ago

    They’re tribalists, not idealists. In other words, it’s on their side now so they don’t mind. I see a lot of people always attacking the double standard aspect, but its not the point. They don’t mind double standards, they just want their tribe to win.

  • jabathekek@sopuli.xyz
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    1 day ago

    It’s not about the thought process or logic. Many of these people have been taught to only use their emotions for decision making.