Why I'm No Longer A Conspiracy Theorist

During my teens and early twenties, I was very much into conspiracy theories. I
believed that the "New World Order" was just around the corner, that the government
was hiding evidence of alien presence on Earth, and that "good" aliens were coming to
save us from ourselves. All the typical crap you know.

Before I make this thesis I should make a disclaimer. It's just as irrational to
categorically reject all conspiracy theories as false as it is to believe they're all true
and interconnected. Some conspiracies turn out to be real. Crystal Night, Watergate and
the claim that Saddam had WMD's were genuine government conspiracies. I don't think
it's impossible that 9/11 and the JFK assassination had some element of conspiracy to
them. I just reject the idea that there is any kind of well-organized plan for world
domination agreed on by the majority of power people in business and government.

I used to be a hardcore conspiracy believer and even believed I was an alien
contactee. Now I think I was delusional on both fronts and that the shadowy conspiracy
world simply doesn't exist.

Around the time I turned 23 I started to embrace scepticism. I realized the
evidence for many things I believed in was simply lacking. For example there's millions
of photos and videos online of UFOs and alleged aliens now yet none of them have
proven to be a smoking gun. This highly suggests to me that aliens either don't exist
at all or if they do they are of such an ethereal nature that we probably won't ever be
able to have "disclosure". I doubt if aliens on Earth exist that the government even
knows much about them.

I also see no evidence that a "new world order" is trying to be imposed on us in
any organized sort of way. Conspiracy theorists say it's been in the making for centuries.
What's taking so long then? They also ignore the fact that many of the world's
governments and corporations are competitors and have completely different goals. I'm
not saying Bilderberg and Bohemian Grove don't exist but I don't think they're nearly
as powerful as conspiracy theory fans (yes I said "fans") believe.

Conspiracy theorists also believe that the United States and eventually the entire
world are either on their way to Hitlerian fascism or that they already are fascist. This is
downright delusional. I'm not saying that I'm naive enough to think America doesn't
have any serious problems. Poverty and homelessness are growing, the social safefy net
is shrinking and education levels are frightening. On the whole though it's really not that
bad at all. There's no evidence of FEMA concentration camps, there's no way they could
take away guns from over 100 million people and martial law is not coming or imminent.
There also aren't any laws that discriminate against any specific groups, quite the law
predatory groups like Westboro and Scientology are reluctantly protected by our process
of law

What really has turned me off from conspiracy theory more than anything is the
libertarian and anti-intellectual agenda theorists push. Conspiracy theorists are punks
who hate authority simply for being authority, no matter how well deserved that
authority may or may not be. While it's always healthy to question authority conspiracy
theorists take it to a whole other level.

They also ignore the fact that the main threat comes from from the government
and democratic process but from corporate entities projecting their power on the
government. The "constitutional" minarchy libertarian conspiracy theorists wish for
would be far more totalitarian and married with corporate power than the current
government.

Chew on this. Not only does the government not silence dissent, even if you are
a terrorist like the Boston bomber they will still give you a fair trial. Some GOPers
thought Tsarnaev should have been given a military tribunal as an enemy combatant
but thanks to our democratic process even someone who attacked the United States
is being given a fair hearing and will more than likely not be put to death. If this really
was a fascist country Tsarnaev would have just been shot in the head the moment
he was caught with no questions asked later.

Conspiracy theories can be outright dangerous. The Holocaust was perpetrated
largely because of conspiratorial beliefs about Jews wanting to take over the world. The
anti-vaccine movement in the US has caused diseases like measles to make a
comeback. If Jim Henson wasn't skeptical of modern medicine he probably wouldn't
have died of pneumonia at a young age.

I'm not saying we should just suck up to our leaders and accept anything they tell
us. We should always have an open mind and ask questions. I'm just saying we
shouldn't hate things just because they're academically supported and popular.

That's ok.

No one really has to be a Conspiracy Theorist these days as so many of the conspiracies past and present are becoming Conspiracy Fact.

A person either accepts 100% of what they are being told or they don't. And what's more dangerous than Conspiracies? Acceptance.

I have seen too much, heard too much, experienced too much to not question everything I am being told as fact by those that would gain from me believing everything. I will always choose to read between the lines, ask who benefits and....why.

If that makes me a Conspiracy Theorist Punk (your word)...I'll take it and wear it proudly.

Peace

reply to post by lampsalot

No WMD in iraq. $2 trillion lost in 2 illegal wars. NDAA and patriot act.

Multiple documented political assassinations(like Julius Caesar) and coups are conspiracies.
Organized crime is a conspiracy.
Watergate was a conspiracy.
Enron corruption was a conspiracy.
LIBOR scandal was a conspiracy.
Most espionage(like in the cold war) is conspiracy.
Bolshevik revolution was a conspiracy.
The french revolution was a conspiracy.
The American revolution was a conspiracy.

Conspiracies happen all the time. Like a street gang selling dope is a conspiracy.

Originally posted by jude11
That's ok.

No one really has to be a Conspiracy Theorist these days as so many of the conspiracies past and present are becoming Conspiracy Fact.

A person either accepts 100% of what they are being told or they don't. And what's more dangerous than Conspiracies? Acceptance.

I have seen too much, heard too much, experienced too much to not question everything I am being told is fact by those that would gain from me believing everything. I will always choose to read between the lines, ask who benefits and....why.

If that makes me a Conspiracy Theorist Punk (your word)...I'll take it and wear it proudly.

Peace

I didn't mean punk as an ad hominem, I meant it quite in the literal sense, btw. A punk to me is someone who is rebellious merely for the sake of it.

I don't accept 100% of what I'm told either. I think the government is right that we should vaccinate our children, but wrong about fluoride for example.

Originally posted by John_Rodger_Cornman
reply to post by lampsalot

 

No WMD in iraq. $2 trillion lost in 2 illegal wars. NDAA and patriot act.

I don't agree with the Patriot Act or the wars. But the military is still voluntary and while the government in theory can tap our wires, there's no reason to be too worried about it because they simply don't have the power to listen to what everyone is saying. You should never be worried about what you're saying on your cell phone. Trust me, they're not gonna come after you.

reply to post by lampsalot



The thing about conspracy theorists is
1) you can believe them outright
2) you can dismiss them outright or
3) you can do your own research and whilst you are at it grow a brain as well.

Looks like you have found yours

However some conspiracies are true. New world Order is in fact very true. They are called the banking elite and other very influential people. The idea is for them is to have a working labour force to make up for the made up debt ridden economy that is thrust upon us.

The American Government may not silent dissent as you put it but they do have a very effective system that who ever has the most cash to offer the other politicians, normally gets their way. So basically sane decisions are put away, assigned to the scrap heap. Whilst insane decisions put forward by mad people can be made law because they paid enough politicians to make it so.

There are true conspiracies out there you just need to learn which ones they are

Originally posted by lampsalot
I don't accept 100% of what I'm told either. I think the government is right that we should vaccinate our children, but wrong about flouride for example.

The question then becomes why believe one and not the other? The same issues apply, putting something into our bodies that the Govt sez is ok and beneficial to our health.

So the Fluoride issue has been on the table for decades and has been proven to be a lie. Vaccinations are only now raising questions in more and more people. That's what it took for fluoride to be found it. More and more people questioning the official story.

Fool us once, shame on us....but fool us twice and it won't be pretty.

Peace

Originally posted by jude11
The question then becomes why believe one and not the other? The same issues apply, putting something into our bodies that the Govt sez is ok and beneficial to our health.

Simple - I've looked into the evidence.

In my city, there is currently a debate about whether to fluoridate our water or not. Personally I'm against it because there's no evidence that people's teeth are worse here than in nearby areas where the water is fluoridated. Not only that but the evidence fluoride is good for our health is contested by many in academia. There's really no good evidence it is and there's some decent evidence that it's actually bad for us.

With vaccines though the only people who are saying they're bad for us are a small contingent of fringe theorists. Sure she's beautiful but are you really going to trust Jenny McCarthy over pretty much every medical authority there is?

Even if vaccines did cause autism, hell let's say the 1 in 60 or whatever of kids with autism was all caused by vaccines, even though there is no evidence even one cause is caused by them. Isn't that vastly preferable to before vaccines when so many children died from childhood diseases? If that sounds insensitive to people with autism consider that I am on the autistic spectrum.

reply to post by lampsalot


May I ask how old you are now?

reply to post by lampsalot


What made you label yourself a "conspiracy theorist" in the first place?

I think the box you used to think outside of just got smaller...

If you're sincere. I'm glad you found your critical thinking skills, and you make up your own mind after looking at the evidence. Good for you.

On the other hand. There are too many so-called skeptics, and anti-conspiracy nutjobs(yes, you read that right), that just pick what they believe to be the cool side, and jeer at everyone who thinks outside the box, and considers possibilities beyond the current groupthink...

Lumping all conspiracy theorists together, and stereotyping them under one definition, as you have, is no better than CT's running around calling everyone a sheeple that doesn't agreement with them.

Originally posted by lampsalot

Originally posted by jude11
The question then becomes why believe one and not the other? The same issues apply, putting something into our bodies that the Govt sez is ok and beneficial to our health.

Simple - I've looked into the evidence.

Doesn't sound like you have read the inserts that come in the boxes
but thats OK
Bill Gates says there are to many people on the planet and that vaccines will fix that

no conspiracy there

Originally posted by John_Rodger_Cornman
reply to post by lampsalot

 

No WMD in iraq. $2 trillion lost in 2 illegal wars. NDAA and patriot act.

Multiple documented political assassinations(like Julius Caesar) and coups are conspiracies.
Organized crime is a conspiracy.
Watergate was a conspiracy.
Enron corruption was a conspiracy.
LIBOR scandal was a conspiracy.
Most espionage(like in the cold war) is conspiracy.
Bolshevik revolution was a conspiracy.
The french revolution was a conspiracy.
The American revolution was a conspiracy.

Conspiracies happen all the time. Like a street gang selling dope is a conspiracy.

You can add this to the list too.

Conspiracies are nothing more than taking reality too serious. Sure most of them are at least partly true, but that's real life. Most people run aware not even realizing these things are happening and they seem perfectly happy in their ignorance. When you go to sleep, wipe out everything you learned and the next day will still be there.....well unless you die in your sleep of course.

Originally posted by lampsalot

Originally posted by jude11
The question then becomes why believe one and not the other? The same issues apply, putting something into our bodies that the Govt sez is ok and beneficial to our health.

Simple - I've looked into the evidence.

Brought to you by Bill and Melinda Gates

This is why you are here.

This is why you question things that are told to you as truths.

The concept of citizen journalism (also known as "public", "participatory", "democratic", "guerrilla" or "street" journalism) is based upon public citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information." Similarly, Courtney C. Radsch defines citizen journalism "as an alternative and activist form of news-gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions, often as a repose to shortcoming in the professional journalistic field, that uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and ideals and relies on alternative sources of legitimacy than traditional or mainstream journalism." Jay Rosen proposes a simpler definition: "When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another."

Citizen Journalism

Why don't you label yourself THAT. "Conspiracy" is just a stigmatic word but, it is the bedrock for this type of journalism.

It's okay...we will always except your return with open arms when you decide to come back.

Originally posted by Danbones

Originally posted by lampsalot

Originally posted by jude11
The question then becomes why believe one and not the other? The same issues apply, putting something into our bodies that the Govt sez is ok and beneficial to our health.

Simple - I've looked into the evidence.

Doesn't sound like you have read the inserts that come in the boxes
but thats OK
Bill Gates says there are to many people on the planet and that vaccines will fix that

no conspiracy there

Yeah, Bill and Melinda are such sweethearts...

You grow up, and if you're intelligent, you learn how stupid most conspiracy theories are.

Or you don't and keep posting them.

Welcome to the adult world.