Raps in 4 wrote:mdenny wrote:CPT wrote:
This is more like if you thought WWE was real. It doesn't make you bad, but it might make you... something.
Enjoy the entertainment of it, I guess.
Not ti say anything about any individual person....
But I am kinda fascinated by the psychology of conspiracy theories. What is the allure?
One might say it's the allure to a more simplified world.
Consider every conspiracy theory we typically think of....the one common feature is that undertaking the belief creates for a SIMPLER world. A world where circumstances have an explanation
There's nothing harder to wrap our hands around than randomness, ambiguity, and meaninglessness. Such circumstances might be described as discomforting. For example....tragic random occurrences provide no insight as to how behaviors can be adjusted to prevent them from re-occuring.
I also wonder if the frequency and prominence of conspiracy theories in our society is correlated with declining religious faith.
I'm going way off track here but who cares. Believing in a rigged draft is morally ambiguous so I'm definitely not drawing a connection here: but I just watched a doc about Alex Jones and his alleged sandy hook hoax. The movie broke my effing heart.
I'm not a particularly religious man myself....but now that I'm 50....I'm starting to become more sympathetic to the role that faith has on people and society. I can't help but think Alex Jones' disgusting conspiracy theory about sandy hook would be less likely to gain traction if our society maintained more of it's faith based traditions and community relations/practices.
Can't help but think to myself... "people need to believe in narratives. So we might as well try to direct that need to the narratives that are tried and tested."
Rejecting the word of a billion dollar business with profit-maximizing motives is not a conspiracy theory.
A conspiracy theory involves the rejection of objective facts.
Saying "I don't believe the NBA when they tell me the draft isn't rigged" is like saying "I didn't believe OJ Simpson when he told me he was innocent". There is no objective truth in this scenario (from the perspective of an outside observer). It's conjecture on both sides of the debate. You either take the word of the NBA or you don't.
There is actually a scientific explanation on what a conspiracy theoriy is. But i wont get too much in the scientific specifics as to not make unnecessary confusing. Thats why i try to simplifiy it.
A Conspiracy Theory at first is just a normal Theory by making a claim that certain events or Situations are manipulated to reach a specific result. It becomes a Conspiracy Theory, in a negative sense, when despite Evidence that clearly debunk that theory are simply dismissed and the own opinion and those that think similar is given more value than actual facts and the comments of People that are actually involved and contradict the Conspiracy. The arguments for the Conspiracy dont have to be true and can be made up as long as it fits the Theory. (for example saying that a former president claimed the moonlanding was false, even though that never was said). Those Arguments are beeing represented as if they were facts, despite it not fulfilling that criteria. Essentially, Opinions, Made-Up Stories, the wrong interpretation of comments from people involved to fit their own narrative.
It doesnt mean, that all Conspiracies are wrong, but those that are true are supported by real evidence that can be actually classified as such (watergate is a good example for it). That evidence usually comes before the claim of a Conspiracy is even made, not the other way round, which is usually the case for Conspiracy Theories that are wrong. The consensus for a Conspiracy to actually exist, is that secrecy is the most important part. And the more people have knowledge about it, the less likely it stays a secret. At some point it wouldnt be a secret anymore, but information and thus render the conspiracy ineffective as the truth is public knowledge by that point.
But for those that believe in Conspiracy Theories, it is completly irrelevant how improbable or even impossible it is for the Conspiracy to actually have happened. The longer someone believes that kind of Theories, the harder is it for that person to acknoledge the truth, cause it also implies to admit to have been wrong. And admitting that you are wrong is one of the hardest things to do for an individual as our society perceives admitting fault or beeing wrong as a weakness (which it is not).
Essentially, we see it happen right in this thread, were people like you are simply not willing to accept Evidence against your claims and just increase the volume of disinformation to murky the discussion.
