Originally shared by NewsThump
An Internet conspiracy theorist has insisted people should think for themselves and agree with him without the slightest trace of irony this morning.
http://newsthump.com/2016/02/03/you-should-think-for-yourself-and-agree-with-me-says-conspiracy-theorist-without-slightest-trace-of-irony/
Conspiracy theorists and irony don't fit together well as they have little grasp of it.
ReplyDelete“If women weren’t brainwashed dupes of the Illuminati they’d all totally fancy me,” he said.
ReplyDeleteThis may be one of the most illuminating comments I've ever read from a conspiracy theorist.
Believers in conspiracies I refuse to legitimize their neurotic world-views by calling such contentions theories buttress their argument with one unassailable, inarguable assertion. To whit: ...But what aren't they showing us? In effect, their belief is based on the absence of evidence. They point at the accepted facts and data, calling such evidence "misinformation" promulgated by the powers-that-be, in order to hide "The Truth"
ReplyDeleteIf someone is determined to believe that vast conspiracies exist, it's next to impossible to dissuade them, as a great deal of their self-image is wrapped up in their beliefs. Their "ability" to "pierce the veil" as it were, to see what is going on "behind the scenes" allows them to maintain a sense of grandiosity. They are special, they know what others do not, the sky is falling, and they are the only ones who feel it landing on their head. It gives them a sense of purpose, a sense of purpose which is sadly lacking in other areas of their lives.
Keith The Tormented One Well said.
ReplyDeleteDavid Grigg Thanks. I've had a long time to study the phenomenon of conspiracy beliefs, and the people who sound off about them ad infinitum. It's been my experience that many of these people are, for the most part, intelligent, well educated, imaginative individuals who have turned their story-telling abilities toward the crafting of a narrative, a chronicle of nefarious forces engaged in dark deeds. These are people who, for whatever reason, feel that something is lacking in their lives, that their accomplishments, thus far, have failed to attain some benchmark that they set for themselves. They are unfulfilled, dissatisfied, and beset by an inescapable suspicion that they have been overlooked, unnoticed by a society which should recognize their brilliance. So, in order to compensate for this failure, they develop this little docudrama, in which they can indulge their fantasy of being a person of consequence. At the same time, they can explain to themselves, at any rate why other people fail to see how exceptional they, the conspiracy believer, really are. It's a world-view that satisfies the disappointed psyche on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteThere's the trend in the social media and pro-establishment media to echo and give the spotlight to all sorts of far-fetched conspiracies with one intention, to fill a cesspool in the public opinion in which submerge and muddle other more plausible suspicions and dissident nonconformist narratives.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this same strategy applied to other situations to smear the reputation of rival groups, religious, political, cultural, ethnic, professional, you name it.
Is this a conspiracy theory? By no means. First, it doesn't involve illegal activities, second, it isn't done in secret, and third, it isn't performed according to a coordinated plan, but rather, the result of the invisible hand of many individual vested interests acting at the same time.