Is the Mind Tricking You?

I've been thinking about this a bit, and I apologize if someone has brought something like it up before, but has anyone done any serious thinking about how real their beliefs in a conspiracy are?

A little background idea of what I'm talking about...
When you see someone post something crazy, the first time you see it, it certainly sounds crazy. For example, someone posts a thread called "The Sky is Filled with Invisible Spaceships!" At first, everyone is skeptical and there are only a couple people who believe practically everything they read. A few people bring up how birds would not be able to fly through them, and then another says that maybe the ships are in another dimension, but then everyone is kind of confused and at an impasse. The thread dies off and people stop caring since it has no effect on their lives. Then, a few weeks later, someone else who believed it or just found it brings it up again in a new thread titled "Spaceships We Can't See?" and people remember, going "oooh, new info." Then the same argument happens. It gets forgotten and a month later it's posted again, and again.

Imagine that this has been posted repeatedly for 10 years, all started by one guy's (let's say) hoax of a thread. Someone who has seen a great deal of them begins to place credence on it just from having seen it so many times. It practically becomes a fact that there are spaceships invisible in the sky, even though there was no evidence ever brought up to explain how that person even came to the conclusion.

(disclaimer: I am not claiming that a legitimate conspiracy claim of invisible spaceships, if it exists, is false. This is just a hypothetical not meant to be related to an actual thread or series of threads)

What I'd like to do is just make everyone aware of this psychological effect, and I would ask you to think about why you believe some of the conspiracies that you do. Is it because you are genuinely convinced of the possibility or is it because you have seen it so many times?

(mods can move this to the appropriate forum if necessary. I don't know for sure if medical is the right place for a psychological conspiracy subject.)

For those who are interested in seeing a conspiracy, the repetitive posting of bad conspiracies is a disinformation tactic that would be easily utilized by a group of people who want people to believe in things that are genuinely crazy and would cause an immediate credibility loss of a genuine person.

hi,
i do agree with you a lot of things are beaing repeated and the effect it has on driving it in to you,but i still say its still polite to debunk and point out to them that this has already been posted,after all there is still noobs and the younger gen whom havenot heard of some things and i like to think that constructive criticism is good maybe the op will think more in the future....dave

Originally posted by Varemia
I've been thinking about this a bit, and I apologize if someone has brought something like it up before, but has anyone done any serious thinking about how real their beliefs in a conspiracy are?

A little background idea of what I'm talking about...
When you see someone post something crazy, the first time you see it, it certainly sounds crazy. For example, someone posts a thread called "The Sky is Filled with Invisible Spaceships!" At first, everyone is skeptical and there are only a couple people who believe practically everything they read. A few people bring up how birds would not be able to fly through them, and then another says that maybe the ships are in another dimension, but then everyone is kind of confused and at an impasse. The thread dies off and people stop caring since it has no effect on their lives. Then, a few weeks later, someone else who believed it or just found it brings it up again in a new thread titled "Spaceships We Can't See?" and people remember, going "oooh, new info." Then the same argument happens. It gets forgotten and a month later it's posted again, and again.

Imagine that this has been posted repeatedly for 10 years, all started by one guy's (let's say) hoax of a thread. Someone who has seen a great deal of them begins to place credence on it just from having seen it so many times. It practically becomes a fact that there are spaceships invisible in the sky, even though there was no evidence ever brought up to explain how that person even came to the conclusion.

(disclaimer: I am not claiming that a legitimate conspiracy claim of invisible spaceships, if it exists, is false. This is just a hypothetical not meant to be related to an actual thread or series of threads)

What I'd like to do is just make everyone aware of this psychological effect, and I would ask you to think about why you believe some of the conspiracies that you do. Is it because you are genuinely convinced of the possibility or is it because you have seen it so many times?

(mods can move this to the appropriate forum if necessary. I don't know for sure if medical is the right place for a psychological conspiracy subject.)

For those who are interested in seeing a conspiracy, the repetitive posting of bad conspiracies is a disinformation tactic that would be easily utilized by a group of people who want people to believe in things that are genuinely crazy and would cause an immediate credibility loss of a genuine person.

as for myself and the conspiracies i put stock in, i didn't learn about them from ATS, i learned by leading a perceptive life, asking why, and thinking in terms of cause and effect. some people do get all their info from here though, and some people are gullible, so much that they believe everything they read. so i'm sure this has happened with some people but i don't think the reposting of 'bad' conspiracies is necessarily a misinformation 'tactic' because i think there are better and more effective ways of spreading misinformation. but maybe

reply to post by Varemia


Varemia i think its safe to say the phenomenon you are writing about has been employed for a very long time. I've noticed many old wise sayings to be true, and it makes sense that those phrases continue to be used: brevity and logic. But I've also noticed there are sayings that should be questioned because it seems like they are designed to keep people apart.

For example, there is an old saying about not discussing politics or religion. I don't remember if its 'at the dinner table' or 'when company visits' - I don't remember the exact phrase, just the gist of it. While it may appear to be a gentle reminder to not start a fist-fight at Sunday supper, it's also condescending to assume normal adults are unable to exchange their point of view without calm and respect.

I think that old saying was tossed around a long time ago until it stuck. IMHO it is a social blocker designed to keep people from seeing things as they may be. TPTB puts great effort into retarding the natural path of the common people.

What I've found interesting is the history of how some conspiracy or highly unusual stories have an introduction then in short time many people come forward with similar claims. I saw a TV documentary about a couple from CT (i think) in the 1960's who were amongst the first people to come forward to the press and tell their story of being accosted by aliens. Within two months there was something like 27 more people across America who suddenly found the courage to come forward with their own stories. Makes me wonder how many of those claims were from people who truly believe they too were visited by aliens, and how many of them were pathological liars, fame seekers, mentally ill, etcetera.

In 1959 the New York Times ran a short article about the horrible murders of a wealthy farmer from Kansas, his wife and their two children. This piece was buried deep in the issue it appeared in. The 300 word count article later served as inspiration for Truman Capote to visit Kansas and do extensive research. Capote's "In Cold Blood" was a popular read that was adapted for the big screen, hitting theaters in 1967. Many times I've wondered if this movie and others like it have served as the final straw for weak or twisted minds to venture onto their own sick crime journey. Many people in America seem easily led by TV, movies and other entertainment content.

Overall I think its a good idea to question things. I think most people are lied to almost every day of the week. And the higher up you go on the food chain, seems more likely things are layered in lies.