The Boston Bombs and the Evolution of a Conspiracy.

Unless you have been living under rock the for the past week then you will know that on April 15th two brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev planted bombs at the Boston Marathon which exploded killing 3 people at the scene and injuring almost 200 others. Following on from this there was massive man hunt for the bombers in the end Tamerland died and his brother Dzhokhar was captured by police.



In the days that have followed the internet in general has become awash with conspiracies claiming that these two men were not responsible for the bombing or that they had been set up in some way. For me as someone who is very sceptical of what many would describe as a “conspiracy theory” I have found this very interesting from the perspective of observing how a conspiracy theory is formed. Now the aim of this thread is to demonstrate how this conspiracy theory has been formed.

The conspiracy.

The best place to start is with looking at the actual conspiracy which is still evolving even as I write but If I spend any longer waiting for to write this I am going to miss the opportunity to demonstrate its evaluation.

As far as I can see the conspiracy theorists are still unable to reach a consensus about what happened but in general the sceptics of the official version of events claim that the two Tsarnaev brothers are innocent or that they have been duped. They claim that the real culprits are a couple of dudes who were lingering about at the time of the explosion wearing backpacks and were “military looking”. They claim that these men are actually the guilty parties and that the Tsarnaev brothers were set up to take the fall for a false flag.

Now to be clear there are other adjuncts to this conspiracy, they claim that there was actually a Saudi connection to the bombings or that Brothers were actually CIA or FBI agents/informers and that there family has come out and confirmed this. However for now let’s stick with the core conspiracy and its evolution.

The Conspiracy Evolves.

I took part in a lot of the online discussion when these events were breaking and for the most part it was a running commentary of what was happening with many members contributing some very interesting news stories as the broke. Then slowly I started to notice “something doesn’t seem right about this” posts, this obviously and quite righty spurs people on to investigate further.

Now to digress for a moment, an interesting trade in the psychology of conspiracy theorists is that once they believe one it becomes easier to believe another and eventually a world view is formed. So if you believe that JFK was assassinated by the CIA then it becomes easier to believe that they if they could do that than they could also do 9/11 and if they could do that they (whoever “they” really are) could also have been responsible for the Boston bombings. It creates a world view that seeks to find a deeper darker conspiracy behind all major world events and to enforce this conformation bias that creep’s into their psyche that seeks out the evidence that the Boston bombings were another of their conspiracies. (Link )

So this confirmation bias starts a search for evidence that the Boston bombings were a false flag that fits in with a conspiracy focused view of the world. First the conspiracy guys find a picture that shows a couple of guys standing with backpacks, one of whom has a hat with a punisher logo on it that is also used by CRAFT and SEALs amongst others, they look "millitary".



This hat is scrutinised first because it looks like something on a SEAL cap badge and then because it is very similar to the CRAFT logo. However it has since transpired that these men were actually part of a National Guard Civil Support Team, just ask Alex Jones

After days of speculation and calls for officials to provide an explanation, it has emerged that the unidentified military style group pictured at the scene of the Boston bombing both before and after the explosions could be National Guard Civil Support Teams (CSTs) that were pre-scheduled to be at the event.

Link

Now despite these men having to have turned out to actually be National Guard people stick with the CRAFT angle. This is because PMCs are not to be trusted and because National Guard can be explained as being normal for such an event. As such the conspiracy theorists confirmation bias dictates that these two men were CRAFT.


Next I see this video on YouTube



In this video it is claimed that these two CRAFT guys (actually National Guard) were responsible for the bombing. The video shows them before the bombing with backpacks and then shows a picture of them after the bombing saying they don’t have their backpacks on despite the fact that they do. Furthermore the video shows a picture of the accused bomber running from the scene and the narrator of the video says that it shows he has a backpack on. Further and more in-depth analysis of the photo shows that he didn’t actually have the backpack on and as this picture clearly shows our two friends form the national guard still had there’s after the explosion


.
Now one would think that that would be it done and dusted, debunked, these two guys didn’t do it. Our national guard friends still have their backpacks and they don’t look like they’ve been blown up yet it’s quite clear that our bomber doesn’t have his because it’s been blown to shreds.

But no LOOK AT THIS!



Now we have a youtube video about how they photoshoped the video, there is actually zero proof in the video it is photoshoped but it fits in whit the original conspiracy so what the hell, let’s all say its photoshopped with zero evidence.

And to Finish….

I think you guys can see where am going with this, it starts off with some reasonable question and speculation then the confirmation bias leads people to seek out information with enforces that speculation. Then we have photos of a couple of bystanders who are now the bad guys and to prove it a bunch of really wired evidence is used “look he still has his back pack and they don’t have their”…. “no he doesn’t have his backpack and the other two guys your accusing do have their backpacks”…. “IT WAS PHOTOSHOP!!!”.

I realise this does not “debunk” the whole thing but it does demonstrate how wired and bias the arguments form the conspiracy theorists have become.

People really need to stop hunting for conspiracies and start hunting for truth!

I couldve sworn there was another thread here

I guess it got deleted



Heres a link that the thread i was reading before it got deleted

imgur.com...

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


Welcome to the new world of conspiracy theorists. Its no longer about truth. its about being the one to find a smoking gun, and gaining the notoriety that comes with it. In short, for most people, its about attention, not truth.

S&F. Great thread.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


nevermind ... Im an idiot.

Carry on.

Originally posted by Casualboy100
I couldve sworn there was another thread here

I guess it got deleted

edit on 23-4-2013 by Casualboy100 because: (no reason given)

Heres a link that the thread i was reading before it got deleted

imgur.com...

edit on 23-4-2013 by Casualboy100 because: (no reason given)

Yeah I saw that thread and starred and flagged it.

Was it deleted and if so why

reply to post by underduck

. I just cant take anymore of this. I like you and I like your posts (mostly) but we need to centralize this stuff or at least just wait for all the facts to come in.

I agree we need to wait until we know what’s actually going on, we need all the facts before we can start making accusations and formulating a alternative version of events.

This thread is demonstrating the way in which the embryos of this alternative version of events has been unfolding with some pretty week arguments and really weird claims that are being used to twist the facts to establish a conspiracy.

EDIT

Just saw your edit and I can understand your original post, I know it’s one of those threads you need to get to the end of before you can really get my point.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


Youre right. I reacted a little too quickly to another post about there being too many posts concerning this event that we have so little information on.

Im with you. These waves of Boston Bombing conspiracy threads are the worst I have seen on ATS as far as amount:substance.

reply to post by underduck

Im with you. These waves of Boston Bombing conspiracy threads are the worst I have seen on ATS as far as amount:substance.

Agreed, I am just wondering how m any people will look at this thread and just hope it will go away.

The BOMBERS ARE A RED HERRING...

It doesn't matter who did it or why, what matters is the "Official" response afterwards all while chanting USA!, USA!, USA! While the Freedom is eroded away even further under the guise of Security!

Originally posted by abeverage
The BOMBERS ARE A RED HERRING...

It doesn't matter who did it or why, what matters is the "Official" response afterwards all while chanting USA!, USA!, USA! While the Freedom is eroded away even further under the guise of Security!

edit on 23-4-2013 by abeverage because: (no reason given)

I can see what you’re saying but I do believe that understanding the bombings themselves is important.

That said I would also highlight that this thread is more to do with the way the conspiracy theory seems to be evolving and its very shaky foundations rather than a “who did it” thread

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


At this point I cannot believe anything I see, hear or read about Boston. Therefore I must tune out what the distractions might be and focus on the reason or the implications.

It matters not who did the bombing but who will profit or benefit most from it...

reply to post by abeverage

At this point I cannot believe anything I see, hear or read about Boston. Therefore I must tune out what the distractions might be and focus on the reason or the implications

then you migth wana get off ATS for a while dude

Seriously though i can understand what you mean

Originally posted by OtherSideOfTheCoin
reply to post by abeverage

 

At this point I cannot believe anything I see, hear or read about Boston. Therefore I must tune out what the distractions might be and focus on the reason or the implications

then you migth wana get off ATS for a while dude

Seriously though i can understand what you mean

Oh yeah I need a break from ATS no doubt but this world is getting weirder by the second!

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

And it has evolved even father at this point.

Now it is all actors and stage makeup.

Let them keep going and it will turn into holograms and mind control hallucinations beamed into everyones mind's.

This is the problem when people come to a conclusion BEFORE examining the situation. They determine it's a conspiracy, then look for (and in most cases, fabricate) evidence to prove their conclusion.

A real (old-style) conspiracy theorist will look at the evidence with a skeptical but open mind and THEN come to a conclusion or better yet, put forth a hypothesis.

Originally posted by OneisOne
reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

 

And it has evolved even father at this point.

Now it is all actors and stage makeup.

Let them keep going and it will turn into holograms and mind control hallucinations beamed into everyones mind's.

I have noticed how it has evolved further, I might do a part two of this thread looking at how bazar it really has became

I have been wanting to write a thread like this for quite some time about how conspiracies evolve and this recent catastrophe has presented a very sad opportunity to demonstrate this evolution.

Like you say its evolved furthers now we have

• It was an excuse to test out martial law
• There were no bombs (or at the very least the bombs were not as powerful as the media have claimed
• Actors were involved
• It was a act committed by the Saudi’s

There are probably more out there but these are the other themes that I am spotting that have started to emerge

I didn’t want to get to bogged down in all of the other conspiracies as it would have made my thread very complicated so rather I chose to go with this early conspiracy that the two men photographed in my thread were the real culprits conspiracy and show how that evolved.

Thanks for posting.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


And of course your statement is relevant to both sides of an argument. Those who make their mind up one way or another without an examination of all available evidence will seek out and only pay attention to information that backs their original hypothesis.

Skepticism of all possible angles should be employed and a rational elimination of improbable scenarios when necessary. We should be skeptical of so called conspiracy theories as well as the official narrative put forth by the authorities.

I worry about how institutional analysis and investigation is hidered by ludicrous conspiracy theorists as well as those who decry all "conspiracy theories" off hand. I suppose it comes down to bias and ignorance.

People should live their lives based on a pursuit of Truth, no matter where it may lead them. Unfortunately some are afraid of the conclusions they may reach - either their worst fears confirmed or that their worst fears are simply ludicrous.

reply to post by PatriotGames2


Absolutely agreed! I remember when Obama's first birth certificate came under scrutiny. I (an Obama supporter) delved into it fully, looking for indications that it was fake. I listened with an open mind and got pretty excited about finding something wrong with it. I was willing to admit that I had been fooled. But my research led me to a different conclusion.

That's why being open-minded is so important. I find myself withholding judgment far longer than most people here in most situations. I end up being one of the last to form an opinion, but that's OK. I'd rather feel secure in my opinion than be the first.

fands op for effort

After the underwear bomber and the back scatter x ray Machines
( were the FBI tried to coerce the witness who PATRIOTICALLY told the truth consistantly, which is in the COURT records )
if you don't question everything the guv says
well, they say you get the government you deserve
trouble is the rest of us don't deserve it

oh, did I forget to mention the vote fraud CONVICTIONS in ohio that PROVE bush 2 was SELECTED

and then there is ALQAIDA [who the US just gave 102 million dollars to] the world wide conspiracy...
and the TALIBAN created by Carter's national security advisor Zybignyw Bryzynsky (sp?)

Oh well. never let a few facts interfere with a good opinion

Like so many conspiracy theories, you can just rip apart a lot of the evidence of a conspiracy in Boston, like the guy who got stripped for looking like Tamerlan and how so many people are saying it was Tamerlan, when the guy is more muscular and looks hairless where Tamerlan has some pretty decent chest hair. Then you have the crowd who think that conflicting reports are rare and are an indicator of a government conspiracy