Dealing with Conspiracy Theorists

Brid Hegarty

I'll try and make sense with them if I can sus out first that they'll argue fairly. I know it's best not to mock them, but if they get to aggressive then it's fair game.

I was once amongst a group of people on holidays, and one of them began ranting about "the real reason" why U.S government want to introduce gun restrictions. I asked him how he knew this, and what the motive for it would be. He tried to deflect from my questions by spouting yet more far fetched claims. After he told me this I said "oh right and if someone ever asks me how I know that I can tell them that I heard it from the guy who smoked too much weed at a hostel I once stayed in". The rest in the crowd laughed like mad when I said this and that was the end of him.

Another time I saw a cop on a TV show make fun of a conspiracy theorist. They'd just made an arrest and when they were taking the fella off in cuffs he began ranting "do you have any idea who you are working for?". One of the cops taunted him by answering "oh ya we know! they told us last June... laid it all out... there was a change of policy so we had a big secretive meeting and they told us exactly who we're working for... that my friend was an eye opener". Priceless!

Parachutes

Do you think it's possible any "Conspiracy Theory's" are true? Or is the official narrative about things always true, and governments, corporations etc never have any reason to lie about something?

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839073#Comment_117839073

Yup , sure hasn't the flat earth theory gone global.

Carfacemandog

Hugh Shovlin.

That is all.

Riddle101

I dislike conspiracy theories discussions so I tend to avoid them. Ever notice how a lot conspiracies gain foot because someone read an article or an internet blog about it. They didn't get their information from doing extensive research about the subject, they got their information from a second-hand source who claimed there was a conspiracy. Then they start looking for information that they think will confirm their suspicions correctly, but information can easily be distorted and misinterpreted that a lot of times we get a lot of misinformation.

Duff Man Jr.

So the official statement should be believed and to question it means you're a unhinged nutjob? A year ago if you said covid came from a lab you'd be labeled as such, same if a few years ago you said there was an island where thee super rich go to fcuk underaged kids, same if a 20 years ago you said the US government was lying about Iraqi wmds to start a lie.

Parachutes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839177#Comment_117839177

All you're missing is tin foil hat. People who believe official narratives without question are just as stupid as people who believe everything is a conspiracy.

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839343#Comment_117839343

I have no problem with someone putting forward a possibility, but what I don't like is the over confidence in it, or the attention seeking. Some of many immediate red flags suggesting an ulterior motive. And when you discover that person also believes in all the other conspiracy theories you know what you're dealing with!

Brid Hegarty

Alright people, the thread is meant to be about dealing with conspiracy theorists... not just another thread about conspiracy theories in general.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839356#Comment_117839356

I'd like to highlight "flat earth" and "global" in my post ,flat as in flat and global as in roundy.

I met a guy once who believed the president of the US was run from Russia.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839390#Comment_117839390

It depends on the conspiracy then, doesn't it? Deal with each one as they come. If someone says that the US was planning to launch a false flag operation to kill its own citizens and then blame Cuba, then you would be wrong to dispute that.

ohnohedidnt

You can't instantly dismiss everything that sounds like a conspiracy theory. I used to just laugh them off, then I looked into some and not only are the now confirmed, and documented facts, but they're outrageous and ones I would have instantly dismissed before.

MK Ultra - CIA mind control experiments involving drugging, sometimes fatally knowing and unknowing subjects with drugs, and mentally torturing people is 100% legit and may be be the reason for the Unibomber, not even a conspiracy theory anymore.

And operation Northwoods, is probably the single most outrageous of all.

I tend to listen to conspiracy theorists more now, but most take a little bit a of truth and go way way overboard with it. Finding the cutoff point is the challenge. Alex Jones is a prime example of this, usually a small element of truth, then he goes off the reservation, with clockwork elves and crazy nonsense.

pjohnson

Theres levels to it.

Like some are just a bit dense and scream about Bill Gates using 5G to ressurect Steve Jobs so that George Soros can then sacrifice all sheeple to the Illuminati. They can be entertaining.

Then theres the pond scum who scream about Sandy Hook being all staged and crisis actors and so on. They deserve nothing but contempt.

buried

They for the most part make for great entertainment. And some of them when in full flow utilize really fascinating and sophisticated ways of modern storytelling. Far better storytelling than 98% of the crap you will see on TV. That's the way to deal with them. Just hear them out and either disagree, agree but always get a bit of entertainment out of it for yourself. And some are true, MK ultra experiments, Operation Paperclip, immunity for the monsters that were in Unit 731...

Arne_Saknussem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839417#Comment_117839417

The earth is roundy was once the conspiracy theory!

I get the feeling the medieval corner of hells would have been eagerly spreading kindling about the bottom of the stake.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839356#Comment_117839356

Tin foil hats act as parabolic reflectors at government controlled frequencies. They increase the gain considerably.

Also

https://xkcd.com/966/

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839619#Comment_117839619

You're either with me or against me.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117840853#Comment_117840853

I'll file your post away to read later

Mad_maxx

A very reasonable person I know is seriously anti covid vax , claims " it changes your DNA "

I respect his right not to get the vaccination but conversations about the virus are a bit of a chore and getting worse

OneLungDavy

It really all boils down to tribalism.

Any sort of theory that goes remotely against the establishment gets the usual smear labels about being "far right" or whatever. While some of the stuff coming from some on the left is seen as progressive. Imagine if the right started talking about how there's no such thing as gender, it's all made up and socially constructed, then started to name all the ~100 pronouns, you wouldn't give it a second thought. The difference is these theories cruise into your university or corporate inbox in the form of emails and meeting invites.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117841336#Comment_117841336

It doesn’t really. The vast majority of conspiracy theories are speculative fantasy at best spread because of a psychological need of people to think that they are the special ones who know something everyone else doesn’t.

jill_valentine

Honestly it's like talking to someone from a cult. You can't really break through to them. Even if the whole thing is based on why the government did x, and you can show for a fact x didn't even happen, they either get angry and panicky or they move the goalposts. The government was to keep us in lockdown forever for something something mind control. Now lockdown is ending, well that just means They realised they wouldn't get away with it!!1! The vaccine wasn't even FDA approved! But now it is that just proves the FDA is in on it. Etc etc etc. I honestly think writing new "patches" to the existing theory is half the thrill.

I used to engage with them because I am fairly cynical of institutions, but it's like talking to a wall. A relative of a relative nearly died of Covid and is still suffering very serious aftereffects a year later. First relative still thinks the whole thing is a sham and has never once altered their behaviour in light of the virus they saw nearly kill a loved one with their own two eyes. There's an incredible level of cognitive dissonance that I don't think can be unpicked. Facebook in particular has just completely broken some people's brains.

At this point I've started to accept a lot of them are just a lost cause and you've to leave them where they are. The Shovlin method, as somebody above suggested.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839183#Comment_117839183

Even sounds like a fake name. I spent five minutes reading it for a punchline

greenspurs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058207070/dealing-with-conspiracy-theorists

You started a thread in AH about Con Theories ?? Why not go in the Con Theory threads ?

So you dismiss out of hand, that con theories are bunkum? rubbish? deluded? Governments and Media tell the whole truthful story about everything?

"them" "they" ..... as if someone that looks at something differently should be labelled ?

Similar to cyclists ?

Why did i take the bait !?!? 😤

breezy1985

There is a difference between government and media lies/corruption/cover ups and what is now termed "conspiracy theories".

I think governments lie when they say they will tackle the housing crisis or certain Taoiseach who won on the bookies and had no bank account.

I don't believe what is termed a conspiracy theory like " governments are actually lizards" or "I can watch Netflix out my a*$* because the Covid vaccine gave me 5G"

growleaves

Has anyone ever met someone in the flesh who believes the earth is flat? I suspect this 'theory' hardly exists. Seems to be believed by only a handful and who can prove that they are genuine.

ohnohedidnt

When I first stumbled upon flat earth I thought it was a joke, and actually found the YouTube videos funny, like a guy with a spirit level on a plane, to prove the earth, which he wasn't even on was flat. I watched loads before I realised they were serious, now the YouTube algo thinks I'm a f**king idiot.

Carfacemandog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117842045#Comment_117842045

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uZvSKauPU1o

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3JRd3tMmn6k

Garda Hugh Shovlin on how to deal with a conspiracy theorist.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117842900#Comment_117842900

Ya I actually knew a guy who believed in it. All he would ever say is that I wasn't questioning things enough when I said it was BS.

Weirdest thing is this man had traveled the globe been to Africa, Europe, Aus and S. America and he even stood on the equator

Deiselurker

Two of my friends( married couple) are big into Covid vaccine conspiracy theories. At this stage I don't even try to argue with them as they are too far gone so I just tend to let them at it and then change the subject. I have a quiet personality so don't like arguing anyway. Too much time spent on internet and social media is the main cause of people believing these theories. The social media algorithms keep feeding back more information to back up your views and you go further down the rabbithole of mad conspiracy.