Are conspiracy theories more popular now than ever?

[Dumple Stilzkin]

It seems the last few years it’s not just certain people that believe them. In my day to day life I interact with many different people due to the job I have. I’ve noticed that more and more people will just cut right to it and tell you whatever bullshit conspiracy theory they believe.
The most common ones related to vaccines and COVID-19, but I’ve also been hearing more about the idea that all of Hollywood, various sports figures and of course politicians are involved in an elaborate well orchestrated plot to slowly erode our morals and ethics. Getting us used to pedophilia and extreme violence in order to lull us into complacency over the slow evolution of Satanism being the new norm.
I really think that in school we need to teach classes that help people sort through fact and fiction better, giving them skills to think more critically and objectively when it comes to receiving new information.
Am I the only one who thinks this crap is on the rise? The people who I’ve spoke with are so convinced there’s no having a rational conversation with them. They seem like they themselves are leaning toward being mentally unhealthy. What can we do about this?

 

[JSanta]

I think they are symptomatic of the wider disregard of fact and anti-intellectualism in favor of opinion and group-think. I can't speak for other countries, but in the States, we do a pretty shitty job of teaching our kids how to be critical thinkers. I adjunct teach at a university, and I've just started including guides on discerning between fact and opinion as de-facto parts of the syllabus because I got tired of having to explain it. I'll talk the students through the differences, but my hope is that they quickly learn that they need to analyze and critically address information for bias and falsehoods.

 

[c7spheres]

- I wonder if more people believe in them or if less people care about expressing their opinions about them.
- It seems like the increase would also be due to what I assume is an increase in distrust for government, police, employers and people in general. People are getting lied to and slighted more than ever nowadays.
- Possibly more often than not maybe peoples bad vibes or thoughts are coming true.
- I believe not in a consipiracy or plot amongst people to "slowly erode our morals and ethics. Getting us used to pedophilia and extreme violence in order to lull us into complacency over the slow evolution of Satanism being the new norm." as your post says, but I do believe this is happening and it's more of a natural prgression of events. Satans involvement is probably not true. Satans on vacation. He's no longer buying souls and he already lit the fire.

 

[nightflameauto]

For the most part, the politicians who decide on education in the states don't want people to be able to think critically and analyze information to sort out fact from fiction. If people are able to see through their bullshit, they won't get (re)elected.

Beyond the problems with our education system though, people in general tend to just go with whatever flow they happen to find themselves in. And it doesn't take many people online spinning yarns for it to get picked up by the lurkers and run with it. In a way it's not that different from what I used to see as a dairy farmer. One cow looks in a certain direction and perks her ears and within seconds you see the entire herd running that direction whether there's anything of interest there or not. Most folks aren't stopping to think about what they hear. They just absorb it and regurgitate it as fact.

Add to that our mainstream media desperately clinging to social media as if it's the absolute pinnacle of truth and facts just to keep their ratings up and it spreads the misinformation even further and wider. "They wouldn't lie on the TV news! They'd get in trouble for it!" I've heard that argument way too many times, even in the face of proven bullshit where channels have been taken to court for false stories.

I don't know if we'll ever escape the seeming endless conspiracy whack-job stories, but right now the prospects aren't looking too good.

 

[StevenC]

The increase is for the same reason as every increase in belief of disinformation: widespread internet access and usage.

Every conspiracy hypothesis believer is fabricating a whole lot of extra fluff onto reality because they're not capable of understanding the actual nuance in our world.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

- I wonder if more people believe in them or if less people care about expressing their opinions about them.
- It seems like the increase would also be due to what I assume is an increase in distrust for government, police, employers and people in general. People are getting lied to and slighted more than ever nowadays.
- Possibly more often than not maybe peoples bad vibes or thoughts are coming true.
- I believe not in a consipiracy or plot amongst people to "slowly erode our morals and ethics. Getting us used to pedophilia and extreme violence in order to lull us into complacency over the slow evolution of Satanism being the new norm." as your post says, but I do believe this is happening and it's more of a natural prgression of events. Satans involvement is probably not true. Satans on vacation. He's no longer buying souls and he already lit the fire.

Can you elaborate more on what you mean by the last few sentences?

 

[c7spheres]

Can you elaborate more on what you mean by the last few sentences?

- I think that with everyone being not just exposed, but saturated, with debauchery, that it's like a fire has been lit. - - It's different than the past because of the wide and fast spread due to the internet which compounds it exponentially.
- We're essentially facing a moral/ethical epidemic. It's not so much what people are doing. That stuff's always been going on. It's more about the acceptance of basically everything and anything no matter how disgusting it is.

- I think it's only a matter of time before the pedofiles and groups like NAMBLA get their way. LGBT paved the way for them socially and in the courts so it's only a matter of time for the processes to work themselves out (in a general way).
- And no I'm not comparing LGBT to pedofiles in any way. What I'm saying is groups like NAMBLA can use all the court battles and tactics that LGBT had to go through to it's own advantage. For example right now NAMBLA has been trying to get itself removed from the DSM manual which is something LGBT took years to achieve. Now that they've achieved that it will be much easier for NAMBLA to do the same, just because a lot of the same arguments and ground/leg work won't have to be made again. If they keep filing lawsuits, appealing decisions etc they will eventually get their way, and that likeliehood goes up the more time that passes. Most people said it could never happen with LGBT and it did after several decades of slowly changing people views and filing lawsuits. It also is happening with medical and recreational marijuana etc.
- I'm not saying anything is wrong with LGBT or pot smokeres etc. I do have a problem with pedofiles commiting sexual acts or even mental manipulation with children. I also think all of this mental fuckery should be kept out of the schools. To fuck with a pubescent childs mind regarding sexuality and orientation etc, imo, is a crime. This also goes for religion and other things I think should be considered personal too. Leave the kids alone. If they figure themselves to be whatever religion or sexual identity etc then that's something they should come to on their own.

 

[JSanta]

The increase is for the same reason as every increase in belief of disinformation: widespread internet access and usage.

Every conspiracy hypothesis believer is fabricating a whole lot of extra fluff onto reality because they're not capable of understanding the actual nuance in our world.

I disagree. The internet may be a symptom of the problem, but it's not the problem. If people cannot or refuse to think critically and to seek fact, the internet acts as a way to amplify their beliefs and engage in confirmation bias in an easily accessible way.

 

[JSanta]

- I think that with everyone being not just exposed, but saturated, with debauchery, that it's like a fire has been lit. - - It's different than the past because of the wide and fast spread due to the internet which compounds it exponentially.
- We're essentially facing a moral/ethical epidemic. It's not so much what people are doing. That stuff's always been going on. It's more about the acceptance of basically everything and anything no matter how disgusting it is.

- I think it's only a matter of time before the pedofiles and groups like NAMBLA get their way. LGBT paved the way for them socially and in the courts so it's only a matter of time for the processes to work themselves out (in a general way).
- And no I'm not comparing LGBT to pedofiles in any way. What I'm saying is groups like NAMBLA can use all the court battles and tactics that LGBT had to go through to it's own advantage. For example right now NAMBLA has been trying to get itself removed from the DSM manual which is something LGBT took years to achieve. Now that they've achieved that it will be much easier for NAMBLA to do the same, just because a lot of the same arguments and ground/leg work won't have to be made again. If they keep filing lawsuits, appealing decisions etc they will eventually get their way, and that likeliehood goes up the more time that passes. Most people said it could never happen with LGBT and it did after several decades of slowly changing people views and filing lawsuits. It also is happening with medical and recreational marijuana etc.
- I'm not saying anything is wrong with LGBT or pot smokeres etc. I do have a problem with pedofiles commiting sexual acts or even mental manipulation with children. I also think all of this mental fuckery should be kept out of the schools. To fuck with a pubescent childs mind regarding sexuality and orientation etc, imo, is a crime. This also goes for religion and other things I think should be considered personal too. Leave the kids alone. If they figure themselves to be whatever religion or sexual identity etc then that's something they should come to on their own.

I don't understand how you're conflating the abuse of children with sexual orientation and cannabis use. I think it's also extremely disingenuous to frame LGBTQ and morals/ethics as one in the same, as they are not at all related in any tangible sense.

 

[c7spheres]

I don't understand how you're conflating the abuse of children with sexual orientation and cannabis use. I think it's also extremely disingenuous to frame LGBTQ and morals/ethics as one in the same, as they are not at all related in any tangible sense.

I'm not doiing that. I thought I went out of my way to emphasize I'm not doing that. I also never equated it to abuse or used the word abuse. Apparently I need to work on my writing skills because I'm coming from a totally different place then I think you think I am.

 

[JSanta]

- I think that with everyone being not just exposed, but saturated, with debauchery, that it's like a fire has been lit. - - It's different than the past because of the wide and fast spread due to the internet which compounds it exponentially.
- We're essentially facing a moral/ethical epidemic. It's not so much what people are doing. That stuff's always been going on. It's more about the acceptance of basically everything and anything no matter how disgusting it is.

- I think it's only a matter of time before the pedofiles and groups like NAMBLA get their way. LGBT paved the way for them socially and in the courts so it's only a matter of time for the processes to work themselves out (in a general way).
- And no I'm not comparing LGBT to pedofiles in any way. What I'm saying is groups like NAMBLA can use all the court battles and tactics that LGBT had to go through to it's own advantage. For example right now NAMBLA has been trying to get itself removed from the DSM manual which is something LGBT took years to achieve. Now that they've achieved that it will be much easier for NAMBLA to do the same, just because a lot of the same arguments and ground/leg work won't have to be made again. If they keep filing lawsuits, appealing decisions etc they will eventually get their way, and that likeliehood goes up the more time that passes. Most people said it could never happen with LGBT and it did after several decades of slowly changing people views and filing lawsuits. It also is happening with medical and recreational marijuana etc.
- I'm not saying anything is wrong with LGBT or pot smokeres etc. I do have a problem with pedofiles commiting sexual acts or even mental manipulation with children. I also think all of this mental fuckery should be kept out of the schools. To fuck with a pubescent childs mind regarding sexuality and orientation etc, imo, is a crime. This also goes for religion and other things I think should be considered personal too. Leave the kids alone. If they figure themselves to be whatever religion or sexual identity etc then that's something they should come to on their own.

I'm not doiing that. I thought I went out of my way to emphasize I'm not doing that. I also never equated it to abuse or used the word abuse. Apparently I need to work on my writing skills because I'm comgin from a totally different place then I think you think I am.

I bolded the text I am specifically referring to. I see what you're trying to say, but you're using examples to build a case in which the two items are completely unrelated. You tossed in recreational cannabis use, which is also not related to your discussion. The history of cannabis legalization in this country is racial in nature.

 

[StevenC]

I disagree. The internet may be a symptom of the problem, but it's not the problem. If people cannot or refuse to think critically and to seek fact, the internet acts as a way to amplify their beliefs and engage in confirmation bias in an easily accessible way.

Totally agree. It's not the fault of the internet, but I know plenty of previously sane people who have gone off the deep end in their 40s and 50s once they got a smartphone and Facebook. The internet is more responsible in my opinion for the rampancy, at least outside of America where we don't have as much of an education issue.

There's 60+ years worth of people who grew up before the internet and just assume that if something has been published it has an amount of legitimacy and can't tell one URL from another.

 

[Demiurge]

Conspiracy theories satisfy a desire to "customize belief" which is probably at its highest demand in history, and they have a the means of dissemination in history, the 'net. So it might be a fair assessment.

BUT, I also don't exactly remember a world without conspiracy theories. Maybe it was just me, being into paranormal stuff as a kid, so I always keen to shit held beyond traditional belief- like a little Fox Mulder. Raised religious, there was always the fear of the evil outside world looking to devour us. History in school, a network of conspiracy real or imagined. IMO, we're still decades from assessing how much 9/11 has fucked-up America in how the following cultural divide virtually split reality in two between the two sides. Maybe it's just always been, this tenuousness in how society perceives things.

 

[c7spheres]

I bolded the text I am specifically referring to. I see what you're trying to say, but you're using examples to build a case in which the two items are completely unrelated. You tossed in recreational cannabis use, which is also not related to your discussion. The history of cannabis legalization in this country is racial in nature.

I think they are totally related because the LGBT community did a lot of work to get where they are now with gay marriage, rights etc. This case law can totally be used to argue the same points for any group, which NAMBLA is trying to use. I'm NOT saying gay stoners are conspiring, supporting or wanting to legalize pedophilia in any way.

- My whole point was that by slowly and constantly chipping away one court battle at a time that basically any group of people or acts that were previously thought of as immoral will eventually get what they want. This includes LGBT, weed, interracial marriage, Satanism (now an offical religion) and a lot of other things too.

- Is it evolution or is it the breakdown of the moral fabric of society etc? It's all just multiple points of view, really.

- Both LGBT, Marijuana, NAMBLA and a host of many other things that were once thought of as "immoral" slowly become accepted over time. - This has only changed because of the constant pressure or thought assimilation/mind changing of the population in general. That's not good or bad unto itself.
- But who's doing it? That's a conspiracy theory unto itself. I think everything in the world is just a result of everyone trying to get their way at any particular point in time. Some people push agenda's etc. but I honestly don't think it's needed. I think only time is needed. People are already there on their own.

- I remember when the Simpsons TV show cartoon came out. It was considered offensive and very edgy. I wonder if anyone still thinks that : )

- I'm not saying gay stoners are responsible or to blame or wrong about anything. I'm merely stating that it's a similar thing in the sense that at some point in time these things were considred "taboo", and over time with many concerted efforts the public perception was slowly changed.

- Eventually people will start accepting pedophiles too. Not because they think it's ok, but because it will be drilled into their heads for decades from pre-birth to the grave, and will be pushed in schools which require them to think that way or be chastised etc. - Simialr to how the military breaks down people and reprograms them in boot camp to become soldiers. The human is no longer themselves. They're just a tool at that point or unable to escape the abusive situation. - Before you say that would never happen in the schools remember people said the same things about what schools teach nowadays.
- Basically the way the world is now is that if you don't accept everything and anything the mainstream tells you to believe, accept, or think about about gays, race, religion, politics, the virus, etc.. then you will chastised, given a failing grade, fired from your job, not hired to a job, cast out of society, etc..
-- Essentially, many groups or communities of people seem to extort desired behaviors or beliefs out of people to get their way. - Everyone can claim to stand for justice and the "American way" etc or whatever, but the reality is you just don't see this almost ever in the real world. Most are wolves in sheeps clothing. Liars. - Most people and especially groups or people are liars and hypocrites. At least in my life experience. At the end of the day it's always about money, then power, then resources.

- In short, many people are in a sort of agentic state.
- Ethics, morals, religious beliefs and other debateable issues are just extra curricular activities for people. When the shit hits the fan most people will throw it all away for whatever results they want. The reality is that we are intelligent animals always playing the survival of the fittest game. Since languange and technology happened they've just become another weapon we use on each other.
- All this languange and posturing as civilized creatures is really just a requirement people begrudgingly comply with so they don't suffer the consequences of those that can cause harm to them. It's why suddenly everyone loves LGBT, It's why everyone has to pretend to like the millitary or a certain political party etc. If you say anything agains the grain of what our handlers wnat you to say or believe then you get cut off. At the same time they all claim to supporty freedom of speech, open and civil dialog etc. That's just to get peopel to open up so they can figure out who's getting cut.
- The quickest way to figure out who you are is to ask yourself what you would do if you had all the power, money, resources and labor. If you were a god for lack of a better term what would the universe look like? Does it mean if we stray from that we are no longer who we are? No, it' just means we lost sight, got tricked, extorted etc. We're only different if we decide that on our own and mean it in our heart.

TLDR;
I'm not blaming Satanic gay militant stoners for anything. There is no ill will goin on here.

- This is way to long of a read, and I now believe you've conspired against me to make me type all this These freakin threads.
- Leave me alone. I knew if I came in here I'd get trapped. Damn you @Dumple Stilzkin , I took your bait!

 

[StevenC]

I think they are totally related because the LGBT community did a lot of work to get where they are now with gay marriage, rights etc. This case law can totally be used to argue the same points for any group, which NAMBLA is trying to use.

Except that is not how precedent works at all.

 

[c7spheres]

Except that is not how precedent works at all.

Good thing I'm not in that business then I just assumed that since NAMBLA wants out of the DSM they'd be using similar arguments that LGBT did. I know nothing. I'm glad I'm wrong.

 

[Randy]

Good thing I'm not in that business then I just assumed that since NAMBLA wants out of the DSM they'd be using similar arguments that LGBT did. I know nothing. I'm glad I'm wrong.

Pedophilia is illegal because people below a certain age aren't considered mentally equiped to provide consent. Smoking and drinking underage are illegal because the idea is that they have resounding effects that can be damaging to someone's development or kill them, and a youth isn't believe to have the mental capacity to make decisions that could kill them then or years down the road.

So no, you're not going to erode a law that's going to change that just by saying a man can marry another consenting man. That's bullshit.

 

[StevenC]

Good thing I'm not in that business then I just assumed that since NAMBLA wants out of the DSM they'd be using similar arguments that LGBT did. I know nothing. I'm glad I'm wrong.

The strong argument for LGBTQ rights is "consenting adults". This cannot be argued for paedophiles by definition.

All the major legal cases for LGBTQ rights aren't relevant to paedophilia. None of them having anything to do with legal age, they're about private interactions, marriage, freedom of speech and anti-discrimination. Nobody discriminates against paedophiles until they become rapists anyway.

 

[c7spheres]

Pedophilia is illegal because people below a certain age aren't considered mentally equiped to provide consent. Smoking and drinking underage are illegal because the idea is that they have resounding effects that can be damaging to someone's development or kill them, and a youth isn't believe to have the mental capacity to make decisions that could kill them then or years down the road.

So no, you're not going to erode a law that's going to change that just by saying a man can marry another consenting man. That's bullshit.

The strong argument for LGBTQ rights is "consenting adults". This cannot be argued for paedophiles by definition.

All the major legal cases for LGBTQ rights aren't relevant to paedophilia. None of them having anything to do with legal age, they're about private interactions, marriage, freedom of speech and anti-discrimination. Nobody discriminates against paedophiles until they become rapists anyway.

Pedophiles claim their mental condition is a sexual orientation. That's hard to accept, but I wonder if they are right. I don't believe having sex or a relationship with a child is right under any circumstances but obviously children is what attracts them. Is that a mental disorder or an orientation? Can't it still be an orientation and still be illegal to pursue a relationship/sex with a child simultaneiously? God, just talking about it feels wrong. I'm playing devils advocate atm. I guess what I'm saying is how can they prove this is a mental disorder? Isn't it all just opinion in reality? If I ever meet a pedophile I wil certainly discriminate against them. I just won't accept it.

 

[StevenC]

Pedophiles claim their mental condition is a sexual orientation. That's hard to accept, but I wonder if they are right. I don't believe having sex or a relationship with a child is right under any circumstances but obviously children is what attracts them. Is that a mental disorder or an orientation? Can't it still be an orientation and still be illegal to pursue a relationship/sex with a child simultaneiously? God, just talking about it feels wrong. I'm playing devils advocate atm. I guess what I'm saying is how can they prove this is a mental disorder? Isn't it all just opinion in reality? If I ever meet a pedophile I wil certainly discriminate against them. I just won't accept it.

I mean, I don't know what the value of the distinction between classifying it as a disorder or not is. But it's not an orientation, it's at best a fetish. We're all attracted to certain kinds of people and that's not a problem, regardless. There are plenty of paedophiles living celibate lives because they know they can't act on their urges, and frankly I don't see how they're a problem to anyone.

Much like all things with sexuality, gender, and by extension consciousness, it's incredibly hard to study and verify. But it's a very simple distinction between letting people live their lives on the provision that it isn't hurting anyone. Healthy homosexual relationships aren't anymore harmful to anyone than a healthy heterosexual relationship, and that inherently can't be said about a paedophilic relationship.