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Why Rational People Buy Into Conspiracy Theories
NY Times ^ | May 21, 2013 | MAGGIE KOERTH-BAKER

Posted on 05/29/2013 10:37:07 PM PDT by neverdem

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To: neverdem

Birthers are a good example of conspiracy theorists whose cynicism causes them to turn away. While there is certainly a conspiracy by the Obama regime to scrub details about Obama’s past, some of the eligibility conspiracy theories are so far-fetched that they seem to defy physics. Other aspects of the eligibility conspiracy theories are quite reasonable.


41 posted on 05/30/2013 7:09:36 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: neverdem

It is hard to tell the difference between a plan and a conspiracy. If I plan to get lunch at Luther’s it is a plan. If I meet someone else it is an conspiracy. Conspiracies take two or more people conspiring together.

Conspiracies are always more sinister than a plan. And have lots of details.

The reasons people believe conspiracy theories are:

It fits their agenda.
It is true.
They watch too much Jessica Fletcher.
There is absolutely no evidence. (Thus it must be hidden.)
Because the reporter is cute.

I have a conspiracy theory myself.

When a conspiracy theory is saying someone did something wrong instead of denying it, some people will add to it. Leak more information that is not true. Make it so crazy a reasonable person will question it. Leak information that if people start touting as proof you can prove it is false.

I believe some of the crazies birther theories out there are from Obama supporters.


42 posted on 05/30/2013 9:40:41 AM PDT by ThomasThomas (A bad hair day is not a mental issue, or is it?)
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To: generally
>"Do you suppose that the Zippy myth is about to unravel?"

Did anyone watch the last episode of the Simpsons?


Homer and his barfly buddies won the lotto. The popular black guy (Carl Carlson) went to cash the ticket, and skipped town, stealing 50,000 from each of his buddies. Sounds a little like art imitating life.

So they try to track down their previous friend Carl, and find out he's not even an American citizen!!

He was adopted by an Icelandic couple, that were traitors to their homeland. Is this getting a little too parallel?

Carl stole their money to take back to his homeland, attempting to clear his family name only to discover it was even worse than history had recorded.

The unbelievable ending was they forgave Carl because, he had helped them move, and bought Homer a beer once.


The tinfoil hat on my head says they are foreshadowing.

43 posted on 05/30/2013 12:35:34 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (Jeremiah 50:32 "The arrogant one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will set)
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To: neverdem

Oh, the title was all screwed up at first. The mods must have fixed it.


44 posted on 05/30/2013 5:12:11 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by Nature, not Nurture™)
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To: rawcatslyentist

My tinfoil hat is noticing similar things. I can’t believe that all the Hollywood writers are in on the conspiracy!!

Seriously, I think most of us - even liberals - know that Zippy is a fraud. I think those of his supporters who have been fully aware of the fraud are starting to realize his days are numbered, so they are laying the groundwork for post-Zippy survivability. I think some who were not fully aware are beginning to catch on. And I think even some of the Kool-Aid drinkers are subconsciously aware that there are chinks in the armor and inconsistencies in the stories.

The opportunists are just keeping track of which way the wind is blowing and positioning themselves accordingly.


45 posted on 05/30/2013 8:09:08 PM PDT by generally (Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that.)
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To: neverdem

It’s a conspiracy theory if a citizen’s research, opinion or personal experience conflicts with a story or determination given by our goverment and repeated by the media. Tea Party members were denounced as loony conspiracy theorists because they predicted danger to freedom in the Obamacare bill in a varity of ways. That is the bill that gave the IRS so much more power. They quickly abused that power as theorized by the “extremists.”

People concerned about Congress giving t he Feds new KGBish spy powers and concerned about DHS naming Obama’s political and social enemies as the real terrorists, were called conspiracy theory nuts when they objected to how the government could abuse all that power. The government is abusing that power and denying the constitutional rights of people now.

People who observe cheating in the elections are called conspiracy theorists who are imagining things. They are not imaging their documented observations!

Any time you make a personal judgement that conflicts with the ruling class (the annointed), you are a nutty conspiracy theorist who is insane (a wacko bird) a hater and/or a liar. If you disagree with Obammy, you are a terrorist.


46 posted on 05/30/2013 9:46:58 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
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To: neverdem; a fool in paradise

LBJ murdered JFK and we faked the moon landing in a historic Burbank studio where Mary Pickford and Fatty Arbuckle once acted. Paul is dead, too.


47 posted on 05/30/2013 9:54:45 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: neverdem
Never mind the Global Socialists at work behind the Man Made Global Warming "Climate Change" trillion dollar fraud. You are a "denier" if you don't buy their bullstalin and pay your sin taxes for using the toilet and turning on the light bulbs and driving your own car.
48 posted on 05/31/2013 5:49:17 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: Irenic
a turning away from politics and traditional media

Umpteen stories that the media never wanted to touch (whether it was the abortionist murder trial or lies told to Congress about Fast & Furious, Benghazi, the IRSS, etc. MAJOR news items that those in the ivory tower refuse to acknowledge until they are summoned to the White House for off the record talking points sessions.

F The MSM lapdog media.

Journolist was evidence of liberal collusion in the media. A conspiracy if you will (to defraud and influence the public and tarnish certain individuals).

49 posted on 05/31/2013 5:52:17 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: ScottinVA
The most laughable are the goofy “Bush blew up the Twin Towers” claims. Somehow, in the first eight months of his administration, GWB spearheaded the emplacement of explosives throughout both buildings of the World Trade Center and one section of the Pentagon without detection.

While I don't think the government engineered the 11 Sep Attacks, I do believe that they were taken advantage of. I remember seeing a video [youtube?] which aired several days before about some huge sum of money that was missing (IIRC it was something in the Billions, back when 'Billion' was the big-number) -- one of the buildings that was damaged in the collapse of the WTC housed the financial info from that and I would be utterly unsurprised if, in the chaos of the aftermath, incriminating documentation disappeared/"went up in smoke".

What many people don't realize is how much of the government remains in-tact administration to administration, it is therefore quite possible that some agency acted [independently?] to remove the incriminating evidence. -- Also, note the IRS, EPA, ATF scandals, these are not something that "just happened" this is the facade falling off and showing the true nature of these organizations which have been corrupt for a long time.

50 posted on 05/31/2013 9:32:06 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: LibLieSlayer

There may indeed be more lies out of this administration than anything else but that does not make conspiracy any substitute for facts. The truth does eventually out itself -see IRS scandal etc.


51 posted on 05/31/2013 7:00:40 PM PDT by melsec (Once a Jolly Swagman camped by a Billabong.)
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To: melsec

Where there is smoke there is fire and not one conspiracy around obama has been proved to be false.

LLS


52 posted on 06/01/2013 4:13:49 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: LibLieSlayer

That’s the wonderful thing about conspiracies they are almost impossible to prove false. It is up to those who promote them to prove their truth and to do it with facts not conjecture not with “if this then this” meandering little stories that take their listener up and down the garden path with half truths and wishful thinking. Just because they may indeed cover things up really well does not remove the accuser from the burden of proof. Lazy journalists cannot be bothered and they seem to love the guy so the burden is on any interested parties to provide the truth. As we have seen conjecture and assertion will not sway the American public against him.

Take the IRS scandal - now you and I may wish to believe that he knew and even ordered it - only proof will get him impeached - the same with Benghazi - some patriots have indeed tried and continue to seek the full truth in that area. No mater what we think or wish to believe until proof is presented - facts not assertions - nothing will happen to him.

People throw up their arms when confronted with a seeming never ending amount of differing conspiracy theories - “what can we do?”

The truth will set us free.

Never ending conspiracy theories bind people up in bitterness, confusion and impotency!


53 posted on 06/01/2013 4:45:55 AM PDT by melsec (Once a Jolly Swagman camped by a Billabong.)
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To: melsec

Every conspiracy tainting obama will become fact and the real disgrace is that he will serve out his term. satan exists and he is controlling obama and this government... but a higher power exists and that is why you see the movement against obama today. I do not need to prove that if I stick my hand in a boiling pot it will burn... I do not have to believe obama is innocent because like past experience with the pot... his life is filled with evil deceit and deeds.

LLS


54 posted on 06/01/2013 5:09:54 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: LibLieSlayer

Your boiling water analogy is not a great one as it depends on the context again. i.e. water at different altitudes will boil at different temperatures and may not even burn you depending on that altitude.

“By their fruits you shall know them” is a far better way to look at it which allows us to judge that a person is evil by what they do and by that test he certainly looks evil. He may just be an incompetent boob who is being run by others though - I doubt that. That however is not proof it may makes us very wary of an individual but it does not make them guilty of anything.

The left wanted to hang GWB for war crimes with similar reasoning. The War for Oil conspiracy was a weak one though but there are those on the left who believe it with all their heart. He started a war so they reason he is evil and, as far as they can see (not very far), he did it for money which confirms it - in their minds. Their are many who believe that the USA bombed the WTC and are really passionate about that belief. I for one do not want to fall into their way of thinking!

I hope they prove the cases against him - it seems at best he is incompetent or a poor manager of his people, and, at worst something is extremely wrong with him.


55 posted on 06/01/2013 8:26:14 PM PDT by melsec (Once a Jolly Swagman camped by a Billabong.)
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To: melsec
“By their fruits” is how I live my life. The only difference in our positions is that you suspect obama is guilty and I know that he is guilty. I just do not know exactly what he is guilty of yet... but we will know the truth one day. I have studied obama... knew who and what he was in early 2007. I had my eye on his movements starting in Boston with kerry in 2004. I knew that when I saw sharpton and jackson with flames shooting from their eyes as obama gave his speech at the rat convention... that this guy was dangerous and marked by the left for power. He was born of evil and he is evil and “By their fruits”... well I know his fruit is bad. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. obama is evil... his deeds are evil... therefore by his deeds he is guilty. Of what we do not know specifically... but like I said... one day we will know the truth. Bush did some liberal things and some boneheaded things and much good also... but he was not inherently evil and obama is. That is the difference.

LLS

56 posted on 06/02/2013 6:11:28 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: LibLieSlayer

I suspect you are right my friend and we will find out soon enough hopefully. The possibilities are endless with this man as to what he might get up to if it is not proven that he committed any crimes - that is what I am so particular about facts.

If he doesn’t go down for something he may end up at the UN and undermine the USA and the rest of the West from there. I’ll never forget Oprah saying “He is the one we have been waiting for” - he ain’t the one I am waiting for. Now whether that just ends up being hyperbole or something far greater and far more evil than anyone could have imagined only time will tell.
Blessings and thanks for the good spirit you exude in our little to and fro. It is a real blessing to sharpen swords with you!

Mel


57 posted on 06/04/2013 6:54:02 AM PDT by melsec (Once a Jolly Swagman camped by a Billabong.)
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To: melsec

Why thank you Mel... we are all allies here... we have enough enemies without creating new ones within our own team! :-)

LLS


58 posted on 06/04/2013 7:43:38 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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