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Why People Believe In Conspiracy Theories


olympic1

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I believe Lotty money is being used, in covert government conspiracy funding, web sites thru universities to foundation funding.God knows what else,I am in debt to the tune of £30,000.Every man woman and child in England as well,What a conspiracy, who the hell as got my money.

...what?

funding on What?

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The problem with connecting the dots usually is the tenuous 'connections' that most conspiracy theories have in the first place. It's very easy, for instance, for some to believe that the oil spill was created by Obama to force the shut down of off shore drilling completely which would lead to an even worsening economy which would lead to eventual martial law...on and on and on. With rare exception most conspiracies remain just that conspiracies. The world is a very complex place. Lots of 'stuff' happens, some good and some bad. If you look hard enough you will always find a string of things that seem connected but they are only connected out of coincidence. 50 years from now what seems important now will only be a small foot note in history.

Personally my experience with conspiracy theorists has shown me that they are 1) People who seem to have very little (obvious) problems in their lives and need to create something to fret over. 2) People who have really dysfunctional lives and thrive on the conspiracy theories to distract them from their messed up lives. 3) People who enjoy making others worry even more than they already do over whatever the current state of the world is. 4)People who have little control over their lives who use conspiracy theories to justify their lack of control over their situation.

Just my opinions.

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The problem with connecting the dots usually is the tenuous 'connections' that most conspiracy theories have in the first place. It's very easy, for instance, for some to believe that the oil spill was created by Obama to force the shut down of off shore drilling completely which would lead to an even worsening economy which would lead to eventual martial law...on and on and on. With rare exception most conspiracies remain just that conspiracies. The world is a very complex place. Lots of 'stuff' happens, some good and some bad. If you look hard enough you will always find a string of things that seem connected but they are only connected out of coincidence. 50 years from now what seems important now will only be a small foot note in history.

I agree. When it comes to conspiracy theories you have go out on a limb, some more than others. But it surprises me just how unwilling people are to accept even the simple things because they have been branded as part of a conspiracy theory. The Martial Law you mentioned for example. The main thing I've heard people who support that theory say is that people need to get prepared. They need to buy food and medicine reserves and possibly have some way to protect themselves and their family. These are things that everyone should have in case of any major emergency. But there are people who won't do it because they feel that if they do then they are buying into the conspiracy theory. They are reminded of Y2K and think they will be seen as a nut if they store food for a possible disaster.

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I agree. When it comes to conspiracy theories you have go out on a limb, some more than others. But it surprises me just how unwilling people are to accept even the simple things because they have been branded as part of a conspiracy theory. The Martial Law you mentioned for example. The main thing I've heard people who support that theory say is that people need to get prepared. They need to buy food and medicine reserves and possibly have some way to protect themselves and their family. These are things that everyone should have in case of any major emergency. But there are people who won't do it because they feel that if they do then they are buying into the conspiracy theory. They are reminded of Y2K and think they will be seen as a nut if they store food for a possible disaster.

I would agree with a family being prepared, but to what extent? I started listening to AM radio after 9/11 to get news updates. I work 2nd shift and discovered on the drive home the 'interesting' radio program, coast2coast am. I've since been listening in a similiar way some people cannot help themselves looking at a dreadful car accident. I've heard every conspiracy theorist imaginiable. Every single one of them, in general, peddles absolute doom and gloom. Those that push end of the world senarios do not just suggest people should stock up on supplies, they actually suggest moving into the mountains! There are people, relatively normal people, that can be persuaded by these maniacs. This mentality is similiar to cult leaders and wack job malitia types. They can be very dangerous and damage societies in the subtlist of ways (wow, kind of sounds like a conspiracy :lol: ). A good example is the 'did we land on the moon' conspiracy. I work in the aerospace field (with the space shuttle). We have a local FM radio program that has one of the personalities that says he does not believe we landed on the moon. I am fairly confident it's just part of his lame act but he has listeners, lots of them. Some of these people vote. They could, conceivably, sway an election that could end further funding for manned flight (which as it is is in deep trouble). Some would say that is a rediculous example, but truly people are that impressionable. They cannot be bothered to find out whether something is real or not if the speaker is convincing.

One more example of how impressionable people are. Some years ago a child was attacked by a bull shark near Panama City Florida. His arm was ripped off and he very nearly died. I believe he sustained permanent brain damage due to massive blood loss. It was a big story here in Florida because while peope do get bit by sharks here it is usually minor bites.

I was working at Kennedy Space Center at LC39A. I was having a smoke, at the time you could still smoke within the perimeter fence of the pad. I overheard some other techs sitting at a picnic bench they had set up at the break area (this is outdoors). An email had been circulating about the shark attack. The jist of the email was that the father of the child had been chumming the waters for sharks when his son was attacked in the shallow water on the beach. These techs, bright folks, were going on about the violence they would unleash on the father. All of that from an email. Not a person. No one bothered to check out whether the email was valid or not. Of course the email was a complete bunch of poo. Something dreadful would have happened to that childs father had he been there at the time I do not doubt.

A certain percentage of people will believe almost anything if the right person says it. Whether a conspiracy or not, THAT is frightening.

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Did you not hear about the US Government wanting to provide everyone with free Wi-Fi (either wi-fi or just internet in general, can't remember) like they did with digital TV? And when the government controls your internet access it can only lead to good things, right China?

What most people misunderstand about conspiracy theories (and religion for that matter) is that people who believe it, aren't trying to hold it over anyone. You say that believing it makes them feel special because they have secret knowledge that no one else has. If you have a secret it would only make you feel special if you kept it a secret. But instead of keeping it to themselves they try to get it out there to as many people as they can. Knowledge is power. If I know something you don't that makes me feel like I'm better than you. But if I let you know the same things I do, suddenly that feeling of superiority is gone.

What type of action are conspiracy theorists supposed to take? I think that the BP oil spill was planned as the first step towards worse things that are to come, but what am I supposed to do about it? Should I swim down there and try to plug it up myself? There is really nothing most people can do but try and get as many people as they can to see what they see. In this game, numbers count. Hopefully they will eventually convince someone who is in a better position than they are to make a difference.

As for the evidence, it's really like a game of connect the dots. Each dot represents an individual event, but you need to draw the lines connecting them. If done right each dot is shown to be part a coherent whole which is the overall conspiracy. If done wrong it just looks like a random mess. The problem is that I can't show you the lines I've drawn. I can only tell you which dots connect to each other and hope that you are able to draw the lines connecting them and get the same result I did.

Also, most people won't believe a conspiracy until it's too late. Take the radiation experiments for example. If someone were to tell people about the experiments as they were being conducted, no one would have believed it. The government would have run damage control and denied it while trying to sweep it under the rug. The same thing is happening now. People won't believe what is going on until the **** hits the fan, and by then they will be covered in it.

The thing I can't stand is when people will admit that conspiracies have and do happen. But when faced with the possibility that one is happening now, the idea is preposterous.

But we do believe everything we are told. The only difference is that the people telling you what to believe aren't the same as the people telling me what to believe.

I do believe people want to hold it over others, ever hear the term sheeple? I've had many experiences discussing conspiracy theories with different people, and the one thing that I get over and over is "You don't want to see, its there I can see it, you have to connect the dots" and if I don't see it for lack of evidence I'm suddenly on the side of the conspirators or a sheeple or one of the idiot masses who can't grasp that everyone and everything is out to get "us". Although never have I seen what us or who is going to get us.

Look at your own post you think the BP spill is a conspiracy... its an oil spill. They had over 700 violations, because the government agencies which watch dog them got swiss cheesed because guess what an oil man was in the White House at the time. I don't see that as a conspiracy I see that as politics as usual, someone scratching someone else's back.

As for doing something conspiracy folk as far as I have seen (will qualify it with that) haven't done anything to stop any of the so called conspiracies. I've seen some people protesting but again no evidence just looks like people yelling over crazy theories. I've seen people like Alex Jones warn of Fema camps and oh they're coming to get us, and again no evidence. I've seen people try to infiltrate and get information on the Bilderberg Group and they keep saying these people rule the world, well if they do I seem to have a lot of freedom under their supposed rule. If I want to quit my job and go live in the woods, gee guess what I can. If I want to work hard at a job, save money and buy a house, gee guess what I can do that too. What then are they controlling? It goes on and on, and what it comes down to is people seeking attention and wanting to be seen as "knowing its all going to Sh**" before everyone else just so what they can say I told you so? It changes nothing.

Even if every conspiracy were true, and will happen it seems like a few people ranting about it and crying the sky is falling constantly aren't going to stop anything...

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I would agree with a family being prepared, but to what extent? I started listening to AM radio after 9/11 to get news updates. I work 2nd shift and discovered on the drive home the 'interesting' radio program, coast2coast am. I've since been listening in a similiar way some people cannot help themselves looking at a dreadful car accident. I've heard every conspiracy theorist imaginiable. Every single one of them, in general, peddles absolute doom and gloom. Those that push end of the world senarios do not just suggest people should stock up on supplies, they actually suggest moving into the mountains! There are people, relatively normal people, that can be persuaded by these maniacs. This mentality is similiar to cult leaders and wack job malitia types. They can be very dangerous and damage societies in the subtlist of ways (wow, kind of sounds like a conspiracy :lol: ). A good example is the 'did we land on the moon' conspiracy. I work in the aerospace field (with the space shuttle). We have a local FM radio program that has one of the personalities that says he does not believe we landed on the moon. I am fairly confident it's just part of his lame act but he has listeners, lots of them. Some of these people vote. They could, conceivably, sway an election that could end further funding for manned flight (which as it is is in deep trouble). Some would say that is a rediculous example, but truly people are that impressionable. They cannot be bothered to find out whether something is real or not if the speaker is convincing.

A certain percentage of people will believe almost anything if the right person says it. Whether a conspiracy or not, THAT is frightening.

Again I agree. People are very impressionable and people exploit that fact. I remember reading somewhere that 99% of people need to be told what to do. If they aren't then they won't know what to do themselves. Only 1% of people are capable of telling other people what to do. These are our bosses, government officials, etc. And only 1% of 1% of people are actually capable of thinking for themselves. The people who are capable of telling others what to do usually occupy high positions in society because of their talents for controlling others. The only thing you can do is try to become part of the percentage of people who can think for themselves.

I do believe people want to hold it over others, ever hear the term sheeple? I've had many experiences discussing conspiracy theories with different people, and the one thing that I get over and over is "You don't want to see, its there I can see it, you have to connect the dots" and if I don't see it for lack of evidence I'm suddenly on the side of the conspirators or a sheeple or one of the idiot masses who can't grasp that everyone and everything is out to get "us". Although never have I seen what us or who is going to get us.

I've heard the term sheeple is used by both sides. We are sheeple for believing in something crazy, they are sheeple for not believing us.

Look at your own post you think the BP spill is a conspiracy... its an oil spill. They had over 700 violations, because the government agencies which watch dog them got swiss cheesed because guess what an oil man was in the White House at the time. I don't see that as a conspiracy I see that as politics as usual, someone scratching someone else's back.

It seems to me that that could qualify as a conspiracy. The government knew about the violations and let them continue operating even though they knew what could potentially happen if something went wrong.

As for doing something conspiracy folk as far as I have seen (will qualify it with that) haven't done anything to stop any of the so called conspiracies. I've seen some people protesting but again no evidence just looks like people yelling over crazy theories. I've seen people like Alex Jones warn of Fema camps and oh they're coming to get us, and again no evidence. I've seen people try to infiltrate and get information on the Bilderberg Group and they keep saying these people rule the world, well if they do I seem to have a lot of freedom under their supposed rule. If I want to quit my job and go live in the woods, gee guess what I can. If I want to work hard at a job, save money and buy a house, gee guess what I can do that too. What then are they controlling? It goes on and on, and what it comes down to is people seeking attention and wanting to be seen as "knowing its all going to Sh**" before everyone else just so what they can say I told you so? It changes nothing.

Even if every conspiracy were true, and will happen it seems like a few people ranting about it and crying the sky is falling constantly aren't going to stop anything...

I wish I could remember the bible verse about the watchman on the wall. It was something like, "If the watchman on the wall were to see an army approaching and not raise an alarm and the city were to fall, the blood of every man slain would be on his hands as if he had slain them himself."

So if I were to see something and say nothing and people got hurt because of it, it would be my fault they were hurt. If I tell others what I see and they choose to ignore me it would be their own fault if they get hurt.

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I wish I could remember the bible verse about the watchman on the wall. It was something like, "If the watchman on the wall were to see an army approaching and not raise an alarm and the city were to fall, the blood of every man slain would be on his hands as if he had slain them himself."

So if I were to see something and say nothing and people got hurt because of it, it would be my fault they were hurt. If I tell others what I see and they choose to ignore me it would be their own fault if they get hurt.

Crying wolf at every little thing isn't going to help either and that is my point. If you have evidence, if you know something is going on, then by all means shout it from the rooftops. If you don't and it is speculation built on rumor then no you don't serve anyone's interests but your own in declaring something a conspiracy (other than your own interest in attention seeking).

As I stated in my original post I do believe in SOME conspiracies, I don't doubt people get up to doing bad things in secret. Thinking and believing that EVERY situation has some darker more sinister plot behind it is just plain insanity.

Edited by darkmoonlady
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I think the two main reasons for conspiracy theories are

1. We want to believe that the universe is fair. It isn't fair that one low grade crackpot could have ended the life of JFK. So we imagine it was a huge global conspiracy with enormous consequences.

2. We want life to be more interesting than it is. If men landed on the moon that's simply a dry, historical fact. It's much more exciting to think that the event isn't over because there's a huge, underlying scandal attached to it which has yet to be revealed.

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I have 30,000 reasons for believing in conspiracy.And got £30 for being involved with a Government + local council conspiracy, over a secret building plan involving 15000 new homes, in a green belt area of the M61 corridor in lancashire.The strange name for the project was called CORE strategy.Covert ground work started.Now it is OUT so there will be some fun. I wonder what the cavlry will say.

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Crying wolf at every little thing isn't going to help either and that is my point. If you have evidence, if you know something is going on, then by all means shout it from the rooftops. If you don't and it is speculation built on rumor then no you don't serve anyone's interests but your own in declaring something a conspiracy (other than your own interest in attention seeking).

As I stated in my original post I do believe in SOME conspiracies, I don't doubt people get up to doing bad things in secret. Thinking and believing that EVERY situation has some darker more sinister plot behind it is just plain insanity.

I never said anything about believing every conspiracy theory. Different people believe different things. So just because someone might believe that Reptilians have infiltrated our government that doesn't mean that they believe that the Illuminati are secretly running the world. Just because you believe in one conspiracy theory doesn't mean you are obligated to believe any of the others as you yourself have attested to.

I have 30,000 reasons for believing in conspiracy.And got £30 for being involved with a Government + local council conspiracy, over a secret building plan involving 15000 new homes, in a green belt area of the M61 corridor in lancashire.The strange name for the project was called CORE strategy.Covert ground work started.Now it is OUT so there will be some fun. I wonder what the cavlry will say.

Wow! An inside man. Nice. :tu:

Edited by Furnacewhelp
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There is a massive conspiracy and cover-up that no one ever talks about every four years. It's called the presidential election. This is where the competing secret societies and foreign governments anonymously donate massive quantities of money in order to buy the results. If it ever came out who donated what and what they got in return for it the whole system would start to unravel. The idea that a lot of money is coming from the small donaters has been proven false time and time again. It's all coming secretly from these big groups who then feel free to dictate to the elected officials how its going to be. The idea that the individual has representation is a myth.

Well put

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I for one don't see the New World Order as a conspiracy. It is an inevitability that there will be a one world government in about 100 years when we are a Type 1 civilization. Albeit any such attempt as a Type 0 civilization would result in a world filled with Orwellian horrors and a continuation of the current dystopia the Christian right wants to maintain indefinitely. That is why the NWO conspiracy theorists are Christian right wing nutjobs for the most part, with a few liberals agreeing with them here and there; they want to continue doing things the way Type 0 civilization cavemen do them indefinitely politically and religiously. Chances are that neither their Type 0 civilization caveman religions, traditions or politics will be practiced in about 100 years when we are a Type 1 civilization. The closest thing to religion we will practice is science. There is nothing they can do to stop the transition from Type 0 to Type 1 aside from destroying the planet or killing everyone that lives on it; which is why the Christian right has an Armageddon fetish. Before there is no more Christianity, they want their end to be everyone else's.

edit

There are also other people from other religions that do not want a Type 1 civilization one world government. Muslims and Jews included, they also have traditions that are in their death throes and are witnessing the beginning of their end. Type 1 civilization people will not practice the traditions of Type 0 civilization prehistoric Bronze Age cavemen. Christians are just the majority and have the most power in their numbers, unless they can manage to kill everyone or destroy the planet they won't be here in 100 years. For the same reason there are no more Neanderthals practicing their traditions now.

The damage done by the current Type 0 civilization cavemen in the dystopian Piscean Age will be undone in about 100 years when we are a Type 1 civilization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

That's if we make it, we may destroy our planet before we make the transition. If our planet is still here and there are scientists left alive in about 100 years, all the damage done will be undone. All the problems we face now will not last forever.

The person speaking in that video is Dr. Michio Kaku, co-founder of unified string field theory and theoretical physicist.

A one world government is an inevitability not a conspiracy. No one is conspiring to belong to a Type 1 civilization, it is what will happen if we still exist in about 100 years. Of course, those that oppose that transition will persecute the people who are evolving as a civilization as if it is a conspiracy. Edited by Fernand0
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I for one don't see the New World Order as a conspiracy. It is an inevitability that there will be a one world government in about 100 years when we are a Type 1 civilization. Albeit any such attempt as a Type 0 civilization would result in a world filled with Orwellian horrors and a continuation of the current dystopia the Christian right wants to maintain indefinitely.

You mean like the attempt that Obama is making at a one world government? If Obama is part of the "Christian right" I will give birth to your child sir.

That is why the NWO conspiracy theorists are Christian right wing nutjobs for the most part, with a few liberals agreeing with them here and there; they want to continue doing things the way Type 0 civilization cavemen do them indefinitely politically and religiously. Chances are that neither their Type 0 civilization caveman religions, traditions or politics will be practiced in about 100 years when we are a Type 1 civilization. The closest thing to religion we will practice is science. There is nothing they can do to stop the transition from Type 0 to Type 1 aside from destroying the planet or killing everyone that lives on it; which is why the Christian right has an Armageddon fetish. Before there is no more Christianity, they want their end to be everyone else's.

You're a Democrat aren't you? How are you so sure that the way Republicans and Christians do things will be gone in the future? How do you know that the Democrats and scientists won't fail? Technology is progressing faster and faster. It's getting to the point new technology is practically out of date the moment it is put into use. How do you know that we won't hit a barrier, think of it as the speed of technology, that is impossible to surpass that causes us to focus more on spirituality than technology?

There are also other people from other religions that do not want a Type 1 civilization one world government. Muslims and Jews included, they also have traditions that are in their death throes and are witnessing the beginning of their end. Type 1 civilization people will not practice the traditions of Type 0 civilization prehistoric Bronze Age cavemen. Christians are just the majority and have the most power in their numbers, unless they can manage to kill everyone or destroy the planet they won't be here in 100 years. For the same reason there are no more Neanderthals practicing their traditions now.

So is there going to be a drastic climate change that kills off only religious people? Or will religious people interbreed with atheists until there are no more religious people in the world? Or maybe the atheists will rise up and commit mass genocide of religious people. Or will those who make our scientific advances simply hoard them for only those who they deem "qualified" to survive?

We don't know why Neanderthals went extinct, but we do know that it wasn't because they wouldn't let go of their "primitive" belief systems.

A one world government is an inevitability not a conspiracy. No one is conspiring to belong to a Type 1 civilization, it is what will happen if we still exist in about 100 years. Of course, those that oppose that transition will persecute the people who are evolving as a civilization as if it is a conspiracy.

Again, how do you know that the opposite isn't true. That those who chose to "evolve" won't persecute those who don't want to move on.

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You're a Democrat aren't you?

I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I'm a moderate Libertarian according to a political compass test I took.
Why must everyone be labeled as right or left politically? I'm neither and see most people as extremists on both sides.

I took the Political Compass test, I am somewhere in the middle.

5543sy.png

http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

FYI, I have referred to Obama as a "human dreg that feeds by felching from the bottom of the food chain", does that seem to be a liberal bias to you?

Your arguments are 98% assumption, don't put words in my mouth.

So is there going to be a drastic climate change that kills off only religious people? Or will religious people interbreed with atheists until there are no more religious people in the world? Or maybe the atheists will rise up and commit mass genocide of religious people. Or will those who make our scientific advances simply hoard them for only those who they deem "qualified" to survive?

We don't know why Neanderthals went extinct, but we do know that it wasn't because they wouldn't let go of their "primitive" belief systems.

Anything can occur within the next 100 years, that we will be a Type 1 civilization if the planet and the people living in it are still here is inevitable. Do you honestly think that the people of that age will look back on religion and the problems it has caused favorably when they have dominion of the planet which was considered to be under the dominion of an imaginary deity? Our current politics are also not going to be looked back on favorably because the currently existing ones are dystopian.
Again, how do you know that the opposite isn't true. That those who chose to "evolve" won't persecute those who don't want to move on.
Because the ones with all the power belong to the religious majority. That's like saying the Inquisitioned are the Inquisitors. I have nothing further to discuss with you. Edited by Fernand0
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There is a massive conspiracy and cover-up that no one ever talks about every four years. It's called the presidential election. This is where the competing secret societies and foreign governments anonymously donate massive quantities of money in order to buy the results. If it ever came out who donated what and what they got in return for it the whole system would start to unravel. The idea that a lot of money is coming from the small donaters has been proven false time and time again. It's all coming secretly from these big groups who then feel free to dictate to the elected officials how its going to be. The idea that the individual has representation is a myth.

I agree to nearly all the replys to this thread. I cannot see how anybody that has been around the last 20 years and saw what the Republican party has done to the country could deny that there was a monstrous conspiracy, plus treason, vote fixing, sending American jobs overseas, phony wars, enoromus thefts. Of course, when they say 'prove it', they really mean 'beyond ANY doubt, knowing that's impossible. Sometimes, it does involve large numbers of people, somtimes, only a few individuals. If you don't believe in conspiracies, tell me how the Patriot Act got passed,or the 9-11 debacle was pulled off, for another. It makes little difference even if you're a Democrat. You signed off on everything that was done. All of you knew what was happening and never stood up and told the people. You are right about one thing, tho. I believe in Sitchin. Nothing I've read about him can remotely compare with 9-11. KennyB

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I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I'm a moderate Libertarian according to a political compass test I took. FYI, I have referred to Obama as a "human dreg that feeds by felching from the bottom of the food chain", does that seem to be a liberal bias to you?

That graph shows that you lean more to the left than the right though. Even though you may not agree with Obama you are more likely to agree with democrats than republicans.

Your arguments are 98% assumption, don't put words in my mouth.

I wasn't putting any words in your mouth, I was simply asking you questions. You seem to have a deep contempt for the "Christian right" and are blaming all of these possible problems on them.

Anything can occur within the next 100 years, that we will be a Type 1 civilization if the planet and the people living in it are still here is inevitable. Do you honestly think that the people of that age will look back on religion and the problems it has caused favorably when they have dominion of the planet which was considered to be under the dominion of an imaginary deity? Our current politics are also not going to be looked back on favorably because the currently existing ones are dystopian.

Because the ones with all the power belong to the religious majority. That's like saying the Inquisitioned are the Inquisitors. I have nothing further to discuss with you.

How is it inevitable that we will become a type 1 civilization? Quoting the second sentence of your own link:

"The scale is only theoretical and in terms of an actual civilization"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

As you said, "Anything can occur within the next 100 years" why is it that once those hundred years are up we have to become a type 1 civilization? Why is it that the randomness of the next 100 years can't effect our "ascension" to type 1 without resulting in the destruction of the planet or its people?

And if "all of the power belongs to the religious majority" why would those in power suddenly drop their religious tendencies to support your vision of the future?

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Interesting topic.. I'm glad I caught the first page of this topic or else I would think it was about politics. I think it interesting that a topic entitled "Why People Believe In Conspiracy Theories" exists while I haven't seen one called "Why People Believe The Official Story". Each is worthy of analysis in my opinion, because both say a lot about the person it refers to. So, I'm going to give my analysis of why people believe the official story and why people believe conspiracy theories, then I'm going to pick apart a few points made in the OP.

Why people believe in the official story?

With every person it is different because we all live different lives, have different aspirations and had different upbringings. However, if those who believe in the official story have the ability to see in objectivity why it is they do what they do, they may find that one or more of the following is true of themselves.

- Feels unaffected by the news story to begin with, therefore makes no efforts to be sure it is truthful or accurate.

- Sees no reason why the government and media would lie to us for alternative purposes even though they have on several occasions*)* = At the bottom I will list several lies.

- Thinks that logically the simplest explanation is the one that is more likely true(Occam's Razor according to interpretations), even though the official story is often more complicated than the alternative versions.

- Thinks of conspiracy theorists or those who make 'wild' accusations as nutty or sensationalists who are either paranoid or trying to make a buck off of their claims through books and newsletters and so forth.

- Thinks "if this was true and the government wanted to shut them up, why haven't they killed them", despite the obvious flaw in that logic.** = I will explain the flaw at the bottom of the post.

- Sheep mentality. They take the official story as truth because they assume/believe that those 'taking care of them' are out for their safety and betterment and would not conspire against their own people. *** = Another flaw in logic I will explain at the bottom of the page.

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?

Again, like with the last group, things vary as do people and therefore each reason will not apply to each person, but I ask conspiracy theorists to take an objective look at themselves. All of us have a reason for doing what we do, so there is no harm in identifying that reason, in fact it helps you understand how you ended up at the conclusions you have. Have a motive does not make you wrong, it makes you human.

- Under-belief in coincidence. They believe that if two dots connect, it isn't a matter of mistake or coincidence, but of actual connection, which then leads to believing that something or someone is orchestrating it.

- Generalizing. They believe that if something told by the source was incorrect or lied about, then all other things from that source must also be lies and/or the source cannot be trusted.

- Over-rebellion against authority. They not only act with distension(which I encourage, but they act with assumption. Dissension is the act of questioning authority and criticizing authority, which is fine. However, conspiracy theorists sometimes assume that becauseit's coming from authority, it must be un-true, a lie or a conspiracy. **** = Flaw in logic I will explain.

- Finding of a flaw in the official story. They often believe that if something isn't right about the official story and the story is coming from a 'fishy' source, then it is likely a lie, conspiracy or what-have-you. ***** = Flaw in logic I will explain.

Now of course, there are more reasons, there are always more reasons because there are always different people and with them are different sorts of motives. Obviously, a big thing for both sides is how they were brought up, what their belief system is and how they view life, those affect this aspect of them.

Criticizing the official post...

There is a strong association between income and belief levels: the better-off are less likely to believe in conspiracy theories. (Perhaps this can be chalked up to education or at least the fact that they don't feel as victimized by society and angry about their situation in life.)

Instability makes most of us uncomfortable; people prefer to imagine living in a predictable, safe world. Some conspiracy theories offer accounts that feel “safe” or “predictable.”

Conspiracy theories often mutate over time in light of new or contradicting evidence.

1. JFK conspiracy theory, as you said in 1990 "nine in ten" believed it was true. So, are we to assume that 9 in 10 people are poor or uneducated? The 9/11 truther movement is only growing as time goes on, surely they can't all be poor, working class, uneducated rednecks then?

2. The belief in conspiracy theories in no way makes the world feel more safe, I'm not sure how that was concluded. In some peoples worlds Obama is the anti-christ trying to form a one world government that will wipe out 90% of the population and was responsible for 9/11 and orchestrates wars in order to cause hidden global change. Would you like to tell me exactly how that makes things safer than someone who believes that the U.S.A is an independent country trying to resolve foreign affairs and Obama is just a Democratic President elected by us who will work to preserve life? I can possibly understand "predictable" when applying conspiracy theories, but safe? I don't think so.

3. Some of them do, that is correct, but many of them do not. The conspiracy theories which aren't addressed tend to remain the same while those who are addressed are easily destroyed, therefore mutations occur. It's simply that some conspiracy theories are stronger than others, people are willing to step up to the plate and hit a home run against the opponent when the pitcher isn't on his game, if a conspiracy theory is utterly ridiculous, it is easily thwarted while the tougher ones aren't. The reason conspiracy theories keep on going isn't because everyone is a nut or is high, but because there are some legitimately hard questions for the skeptics to explain and therefore people assume that other conspiracies are just as strong.

* --- Sources: http://www.alternet.org/story/16274/, http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics and History/Gulf-of-Tonkin.htm

1. "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." -- President Bush, Jan.28, 2003, in the State of the Union address.

"FACT: This whopper was based on a document that the White House already knew to be a forgery thanks to the CIA. Sold to Italian intelligence by some hustler, the document carried the signature of an official who had been out of office for 10 years and referenced a constitution that was no longer in effect. The ex-ambassador who the CIA sent to check out the story is p***ed: "They knew the Niger story was a flat-out lie," he told the New Republic, anonymously. "They [the White House] were unpersuasive about aluminum tubes and added this to make their case more strongly." - Alternet.org

2. "Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets." -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5 2003, in remarks to the UN Security Council.

"FACT: Putting aside the glaring fact that not one drop of this massive stockpile has been found, the United States' own intelligence reports show that these stocks -- if they existed -- were well past their use-by date and therefore useless as weapon fodder." - Alternet.org

3. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The government told us that our "boys" were floating in the water, which inevitably lead to the Vietnam war. But, this incident never occurred, so admits the government now after thousands are dead. - http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics and History/Gulf-of-Tonkin.htm

Of course there are many more lies, but that's just a sampling. The sources I provided do not reflect me as I have heard this information from many sources, but those are the ones I will give to you so you may go off and do the research yourselves.

** --- The conspiracy theorists believe in a shadow government, Illuminati, or various secret societies which are at the forefront above the governments we see day to day. They believe that these groups are attempting to control the world, but the people would be rebellious and very rowdy if they knew and had proof of this. Therefore, they believe that the shadow elite work to get rid of their opposition which threatens their status, but through careful means you see. If you wanted to control the world and riding on that was your secrecy and slow progression, you would not want to attract attention and give credit to the opponent by killing them off, rather you would work to discredit them by attacking their sanity or their personal life. Therefore, the belief that such a government if it existed would kill off their opposition is illogical and does not make any point other than the ignorance of the one making it.

*** --- History shows us(open a History book)that world leaders tend to go overboard with power, there are countless examples of this. To think that America is different is like standing out in a lightning storm after being struck several times before. Governments do lie, they are out just as much for themselves as they are you, if not more. This isn't conspiracy, it's backed by history. The only thing that is different is names and geography.

**** --- If your a conspiracy theorist, then think of this. If your a shadowy government figure which is looking to have their people believe their lies, would you blatantly serve the lies on a plate for dinner or do you think they would space it out, maybe mix it in with a little truth? Of course the second one seems more effective, because if you mix truth and lies, it's harder to weed out the garden of truth of the lies sprouting out of it. To think authority is lying because it's authority is foolish because if they are truly sneaky, surely they are more sneaky than that.

***** --- Every story has it's strong points and weak points, conspiracy or official story or the other alternatives. That is what makes them theories and not facts. So, to believe that a flaw in a story makes it wrong or makes it a conspiracy is to believe that your conspiracy theory is wrong or is a conspiracy simply because all of the things aren't as they should seem in your, or another's mind.

I hope this hasn't been too boring of a read by those who have read it, but I figured I would put in my part.

The Protector, ShadowOfTheWest, TheLoneWhiteWolf

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It's an interesting subject. I've only just joined but am really interested in this stuff. I tried (unsuccessfully) to get into an event run by a secret society. Until that point, I was convinced they were probably another myth or conspiracy theory, but during that process I definitely found out they exist! I think everyone assumes things are not real, until they personally encounter them. It's like religion, some people will only believe if you show them a miracle first hand. Then we believe the religion because of the report by the people who saw the miracle, and so it goes on. People want proof but until then, everything's a conspiracy theory!

I just read this link (from www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=184476) which is about the masons etc. It suggests the world is like a giant company with workers and managers. And therefore there will be shareholders who might not be seen but have the biggest influence. It's quite relevant to this post: http://secretscults.blogspot.com/2010/06/whos-running-our-world.html

Personally, I think where there's smoke, there's fire!

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Hey Fernando, I fell right on the same horizontal line as you but a few more spaces to the left.

Everyone here also sucks for not taking the quiz regarding how prone you are to believe in conspiracy theories that I posted a link to a few pages back, j/k, but some others should take it so I can compare my score with yours.

As far as conspiracy theories, things like our vote not really counting in Presidential elections is not really CT. Just because most common Americans are unaware of the electoral college does not mean it is a CT and the information regarding how it all works is in the open. What it is is the first part of B&C. Bread and circuses, entertainment, just so others can feel their vote counts and they have participated. Elections are also quite gladitorial.

Same thing goes for companies sending our best jobs overseas, importing immigrants to do their cheap labor here, and schools are not failing but intentionally not teaching because companies also want those who fail there to become cheap labor for them too. Well the last part might be CT about schools not teaching on purpose but the first regarding jobs is pretty much information that is not hidden. Again just because most don't know how it works does not make it CT.

Conspiracy theories work on the same level as religion, making people feel as thought they possess some special knowledge the majority of the rest of the world has no idea about. Conspiracy theories imbue the person with the false idea that they are in on something that is forbidden, secret, esoteric, and the rest of us who don't know are rubes and suckers for not seeing what is supposedly cleary right in our face.

Do I believe that some conspiracies happen, for sure, we know about the US government doing some very bad things like testing radiation on people who did not agree to have it tested on them. Sources here: Human Radiation Experiments

However where conspiracy theorists fail...and fail repeatedly is action. I read and discuss with CT's all the time and they will talk endlessly about whatever theories they think are valid and true. The second you ask them what they personally do about it, suddenly they throw a huge tantrum, or when asked for actual viable, supportive evidence it is met with well it is a secret. If it is such a secret how did you, an ordinary person come to "know" all this information?

Again they want to feel special, and if it takes believing trumped up silly stories and pretending that they are in on some grand secret they'll swallow hook line and sinker just to be percieved as not like the rest of us...

Sounds as if she is the only one wanting to hold things over people's head and somehow make those who believe in CT as inferior.

Not like anyone has to spend time around those going on about CT it is doubtful all that she said.

Also religion is way more than that. In fact in Moorish Spain all religions were allowed to be practiced openly and everyone got along. Christians, Jews, and Muslims. No one held their religion over anyone's head there.

Most likely some still practiced the old ways too. Sounds like someone just has a grudge against religion. Sure they should stay out of politics, especially with divisive issues or when trying to control others through laws, but there is way much more to religion than that. Think about the bigger picture unless that is too CT for you....

Edited by Rosewin
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Well,speaking as a conspiracy theorist,I only believe in conspiracies if they are true. I hate the fact that the government won't tell us the truth.

Yes,some conspiracys are completely ridiculous and some lack the proof needed for it to be taken seriously but there are some,which I will list here that people seriously need to take into consideration.

1.Nasa landing on the moon -That was fake. Here's a sweet doccumentary.

2.JFK- He was shot by more than one shooter- another doccumentary-Beyond Conspiracy:JFK Part 1

3.Big Brother- We ARE being spied on. Nobody can deny that. Another doccumentary from my boy Jesse Ventura-Big Brother:Conspiracy Theory Part 1

4.Global Warming-This one is debatable,because I can even admit that the Earth is getting warmer,and climate change is a ongoing problem,but is there more to it than that?-Global Warming:Conspiracy Theory Part 1

5.Vietnam War- By now it is a known fact that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened. Here's a sweet site with information on that,9/11 and more.Truth Movement.com/Gulf of Tonkin

There is many more I could post but I have to go get some Mountain Dew,and if your interested in this stuff definetly check out 60 Minutes Doccumentarys and the rest of season 1 of Jesse Venturas' "Conspiracy Theory" episodes on YouTube,or on TruTV.Also Jesses' book "American Conspiracies" is fantastic,but there are many other books and movies/TV shows that deal with these subjects. I guess Jesse is just cooler than the rest of them. :lol:

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