Want to Protect the Conspiracy Theorist Community? Start (Loudly) Denying Ignorance and Lunacy.

a reply to: JUhrman

you should know it's not normal if you seriously believe most things on MSM are biased or plain lies.

Really? Not Normal?

a reply to: boymonkey74

many threads become just opinion

Ah no place for OPINION...not even The Gray Area I guess.

It is interesting that some in this thread are calling for zero censorship, but then in the same breath advocating for censoring of ridicule directed at these fringe topics.

There is a strong reason why the First Amendment is worded "Congress shall make no laws..." It is impossible for any individual to support freedom of speech fully while simultaneously complaining about opinions that disagree with, or even marginalize and discredit, their own positions.

originally posted by: nerbot
The saddest thing here is the loss of the site motto, only whispered occasionally by those who really understand that it's about attitude, not advertising.

(see signature)

Whispered? No I see it over and over, usually used to push someone's personal agenda and to shut everyone else up, and mostly the term is used completely wrong.

a reply to: HumansEh

Simply ignore those who post unsubstantiated rubbish and they will soon learn that screaming one liners doesn't get you listened to, but a theory/viewpoint (no matter how crazy) will be given space if put forward in a calm well thought out post with facts/hypotheses to back it up.

No they are saying that those "crazy ideas" stay quet as it embarrases them in public

a reply to: Char-Lee

But then it snowballs and those opinions which can be false become true to some.
The people pushing those opinions push them as facts.

originally posted by: JUhrman
Maybe none of this is real and you are just actors and I'm on TV right now. All these movies like Truman Show and The Game are hints left for me to find out about the truth.

No there is the thing, finally you have a great thought to put out there, it does not embarrass me in the least that you should think so wildly!

The idea could very well be true. Certainly you should not write it off as even scientists have not.

ARE YOU LIVING IN A COMPUTER SIMULATION?

BY NICK BOSTROM
Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University

www.simulation-argument.com...

a reply to: JUhrman

Automatically assuming everything is lies is a sign of a unhealthy mind. I personally experienced where such thinking leads to in the end.

Automatically assuming everything to be truth is far more unhealthy and dangerous to boot! You mentioned several times you have experienced mental illness and you think this makes you qualified to judge it in others...this is not how it works.

a reply to: rockpaperhammock

I totally agree...there has to be some facts there...

Why? There are areas that specify subjects can be something from someone's own thoughts, intuition, whatever. These things have a place and are interesting, if people only want known and provable facts they can read other forums.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
a reply to: JUhrman

I think you've touched on a core issue.

People should question with an open mind in their search for truth, no matter how dull or disturbing the answers may be.

We should not cherry pick information, jump to conclusions or make stuff up to support preconceived notions. Confirmation bias has no place in the quest for truth and should be discouraged within the CT community. Otherwise, we're just an echo chamber of paranoia.

By nature, The Gray Area tends to involve unproven claims and anecdotal testimony that may arouse skepticism in some members.

Then maybe a number of forums needs to be culled?

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: Char-Lee

But then it snowballs and those opinions which can be false become true to some.
The people pushing those opinions push them as facts.

Now isn't that what discussion is for? We each read all and conclude as we will...are you saying you wish to control peoples conclusions? You cannot "push" an opinion down a reader...

a reply to: Char-Lee

I don't see why. It's good to have place to speculate freely and let imagination roam, and places to use logic and critical mind.

The only time there is confusion is when people forget where they are posting.

a reply to: Char-Lee

Actually I believe it does. Ex alcoholics can help people facing similar problems. Same with people with other addictions, with people who faced loss, illness or discrimination. Same with people who faced mental illness.

The story of mankind is based around sharing experience and learning from it. Up to you to accept my experience as relevant or not.

Also automatically assuming anything is true is not healthier. I specifically stated automatically assuming anything is a mistake. And that means that assuming everything from the media is a lie is also a bad approach.

a reply to: JUhrman

The story of mankind is based around sharing experience and learning from it. Up to you to accepted my experience as relevant or not.

I accept your experience as relevant to you personally and to your forming opinions, but not as making you a better judge of others and their mental health status persons whom you know nothing about except their written interests on a forum.

Our choices are...

1) Ignore the thread

2) Try use logic and evidence to dispute it.. letting people voice their individual opinions - open to debate and conversation

3)Or censor it and make sure nobody sees it...

Deny ignorance... sorry, I mean delete ignorance.

a reply to: Char-Lee

It's your opinion.
I personally believe people like ex-addicts are better suited to recognize other addicts (and same with mental illness) but maybe I'm just wrong.

originally posted by: Char-Lee
a reply to: rockpaperhammock

I totally agree...there has to be some facts there...

Why? There are areas that specify subjects can be something from someone's own thoughts, intuition, whatever. These things have a place and are interesting, if people only want known and provable facts they can read other forums.

What I mean is the incident they are referencing would be the fact...and the link they are trying to make would be the theory...for example... if I said I think dragons ruled the world 200 years ago.....that wouldnt work...there is no evidence of dragons in the fantasy sense and certainly not 200 years ago. Unless of course you provided me some evidence..but my point it a completely made up theory with no facts at all isnt even a theory...its a story.

Although i agree with much of what you said in there, youre opening post here is built on the premise that conspiracy theorists should care what mainstream society thinks about them.

What was that phrase someone used in page one? Conspiracy Public Relations... Or CPR ...(lol fans of Emergency Room should know what else that means.)
What you or anybody as far as I have read (first few pages before getting bored) haven't adequately answered is why we should have any concern what mainstream society thinks about conspiracy theorists? I swear to lord Buddha this borders on the kind thinking that precedes and inspires cults! At the very least you are advocating (perhaps unintentionally) the kind of religious group think that turns these places into pap warrens in the first place....

I would rather have in all honesty the most asinine (as you call it) conspiracy theories than shallow self reflective diatribes about the state of the community like some many posts in this thread including the op. It should not surprise anyone that those asinine threads come up, if you have any idea what kind of bs people think and say and do on a regular basis ... IN REAL LIFE, it should really not surprise you or anyone on here, especially today when everyone has an opinion. I think you need to clear your head and start over. Try seeing it from a different perspective, and try having a different attitude when these threads come up. My attitude is first of all I never read them I simply read the cues of the reaction the thread is getting on the surface. These threads are so ridiculous, theyre so fringe, and probably represent about ... maybe even less, than 1% of all ats threads (so hey I don't thik were doing too badly as a CT community) and the claims are so unbeleiveable that its very easy to get cues on how credible they are without ever actually reading the tread, simply put they either sink or float. And most of the time they dont float because theyre so ridiculous and easily debunkable. The ones that float are either very complex very funny or very possibly true after a lot of drawn out discussion. But inthink to be honest, even though this IS a rant thread you are doing youself no favours, even though, there are lots of communities built around the discussion of conspiracy related topics, to actually be sociologically self reflective about the conspiracy theory community. No one, I kid you not no one willndosagree with you no matter where yo go or whonyu ask nonmstter what age race gender religion ethnicity culture creed class whatever will say the world is not crazy, and that the world is not crazy enough that some of these conspiracy theories despite what we are all force fed by the mainstream media might actually be true, and that deep down we all know it all the time even when we are nodding thoughtlessly in agreement to the opposite idealistic delusion. The thing is not that we are not crazy enough to not know how crazy we are, the thing is we are crazy enough to not question what we are told to think about what we already know inside. In reality only you can hide the truth from yourself. And you do it with either ideas you make uo or ideas you are given that youve been too lazy to deconstruct.

originally posted by: funkadeliaaaa
What you or anybody as far as I have read (first few pages before getting bored) haven't adequately answered is why we should have any concern what mainstream society thinks about conspiracy theorists? I swear to lord Buddha this borders on the kind thinking that precedes and inspires cults! At the very least you are advocating (perhaps unintentionally) the kind of religious group think that turns these places into pap warrens in the first place....

Do you want to ever see changes to the system responsible for conspiring against the truth or do you want to just absorb information and spend forever in a circle jerk of like-mindedness while no changes occur? Buried in there is the answer you're looking for. We shouldn't be looking for vast mainstream acceptance but, at the same time when was the last time the ranting ass on the street corner screaming "The end is nigh!" and dressed in rags that looked like they were last washed when Reagan was in the White House granted any credence? Is that what you're looking for in CT? I know that's not what I'm looking for. I actually would like to see much of what we collectively bitch about, malfeasance, TPTB covering up truths from the population, clandestine programs funded by tax dollars, etc CHANGED so we don't have to sneak around like thieves in the night to find out vital information all while fearing the almighty "Big Brother."

As far as the cult comment... I find that, uh, interesting. To me, being a closed cadre of wide open minds who say nothing against the blatently grotesque and ridiculous sounds a lot more cultlike than being a group looking to expand the knowledge not only of ourselves, but of everyone around us while also recognizing that not everyone's theory represents a measure of sanity or knowledge.

a reply to: burdman30ott6


Youre seeing it as of were spne sort of tribe, but I don't know of i agree with that. Conspiracies are too broad based to have such groups form, I mean what use are you to individuals effected by conspiracies? And what would mainstream dismissal of your group do tonhamper that effect? Ah now i see where youre coming from. But, paranoia goes part and parcel with the conspiracy world, and therefore so does fear and therefore so does a lack of acceptance by the general population who have enough fear fed to them by the mainstream media. But what use is getting yourselves heard by the mainstream media? It comes down to coverage. You get more exposure through their acceptance than their ridicule. Yes its a circle jerk of likemindedness, but you're rant I'm afraid perpetuates that, and doesn't suggest an alternative to the mainstream media outlets, it suggests we should win their hearts and minds by clamping down on trigger happy conspiracy theorists. You actually think that would work? lol then yo must really have no idea how it works.

Its very naive of you to suggest the mainstream media will ever change to incorporate alternative or conspiratorial news items, if we stop letting the more lunatic fringe ruin our reputation as a community. Its not just naive its actually complete bollox.

And I think most importantly its even more naive to suggest we cant go about enhancing our reputation and increasing our exposure through other means that dont involve the fickle and morally vacant, corrupt sold out and increasingly obsolete mainstream media.