The issue is that at this point, the functional definition of a "conspiracy theorist" is the same as "right-wing", "anti-vax," "white supremacist," "contrarian," "misogynist," i.e. anyone who questions or defies liberal orthodoxy. It's a phenomenon that’s become ubiquitous in mainstream press, where “conspiracy-theorist” has become a stand-in for “heterodox” or “dissenting” or even just “open-minded.”
Sure and yer man, the footballer with the cat, probably wouldn’t like the term 'animal abuser' because it has such negative connotations.
Isn't it a bit 'PC gone mad' to call conspiracy theories by an alternative name because it has negative connotations? Maybe you could campaign to call them 'alternative reality theories'? In the meantime, the term conspiracy theories is the understood term so that's probably the best one to use.
Agreed. I think the reason is that the term Conspiracy Theory is quite loaded and conjures images of inbred American farmers claiming they were abducted by aliens in a flying saucer. Most people don't particularly like to be associated with that.
It's like people who were suspicious of the Covid vaccines but would not declare themselves "anti-vaxxers" because it conjures a very specific image. Ditto for women describing themselves as feminists a lot of women shy away from the label.
Can't even agree to call them conspiracy theories in this thread.
"Conspiracy theories should be called Spoiler alerts these days".
Funny quote i saw just now on the internet.
Our regulatory overlords are eyeing up Rogan for existing without their approval
https://www.politico.eu/article/media-regulators-eu-rules-misinformation-spotify/
Fair one.
I think you are reading what you want to read. I don't seriously think the election was stolen, I was making a joke that it's more plausible than the idea that 80 million people thought Biden was up to the job.
Sure, sure. And with that, you're backing the stolen election conspiracy theory?
Do you need to be this susceptible to conspiracy theories to enjoy JR or is this just a skewed sample set?
You know I don't recall Biden or trump being on the podcast at any stage. Perhaps they should be kept out of this thread as well
If you seriously think that Biden is physically and mentally up to the job of being President then you need to open your eyes. Poor guy should be in a home.
I thought so, anyone who thinks Jan 5th was "morons broke into the Capitol building and the wandered around taking selfies".
Ah, you're messing now. You just thought about it now and came up with a line that trump and fox news have been peddling for over a year now.
Now that I think about it again, I find it easier to believe the election was stolen than to believe 80m+ people voted for Joe Biden when it was already clear that he was losing his mental faculties during the campaign.
The lab leak one was a conspiracy theory at the beginning because nobody had any data. As actual eclvidence came out it became more plausible.
The Trump Russia one is the same thing in reverse. It was aco spiral theory which became less plausible as evidence failed to be found to corroborate it. They both started with a claim and that's fine and even interesting, but if they're discussed as if they're true when they're nothing more than an idea, then they're potentially dangerous.
The qanon stuff. big lie stuff, antivax stuff, are all the same. They're fine if they're discussed as an interesting thought experiment and totally without any call to action. But that's generally not how they're discussed. Is that how JR discussed the anti vax stuff?
Conspiracy theories are not a problem as such. Some of them are even validated over time or given more credulity, like the lab leak hypothesis. Others seem to peter out like the pushed Trump Russia gate one that went nowhere. In the 1970s the Watergate one seemed far fetched as did the collusion between Egypt, the UK and Israel starting a faux war, both in fact true.
So, before simply dismissing something as misinformation and conspiracy theory one should offer alternative explanations backed up by data, if possible. And leave it at that.
Engage instead of dismiss and attack. Better for everyone..
A high percentage of people still believe the 2016 election was stolen.
Plenty of pretty dangerous events directly associated with QAnon outside of the insurrection. Attempted kidnappings, train derailing etc. So not just posing a risk to themselves.
On top of that, you can say it's darwinism but these theories very much so impact vulnerable little.
Yore ma is a car crash.
Thread is a car crash.
You expect me to say Trump? Come on I'm not that bad.
Out of interest, who do you think won that election?
You seriously don't get the difference between Love Island and conspiracy theories the likes of Qanon and The Big Lie election conspiracy theories? I'm not sure of you're being serious.
Whether you're being serious and genuinely don't get the differences or you're just play acting, it's class to watch.
That's a very silly interpretation of the situation. Is this still about diminishing the conspiracy theory from a few pages ago or is there a pattern of JR fans not seeing the problem with conspiracy theories even after they've caused demonstrable harm?
Interesting to watch it happen in real time in either case.
It is still harmless even if it was linked to Jan 6th which was the most overblown drama in American history. Some morons broke into the Capitol building and the wandered around taking selfies. It's politically convenient for the Democrats to exaggerate and make this even as bad or worse than 9/11, but just because they say it doesn't make it so.
Some will point to the fact that lives were lost, ignoring the fact that they were the protesters themselves. Again, Darwinism. If people are stupid enough to risk their lives doing something that stupid, they deserve to reap the consequences. Let the collective IQ of the remaining members of society increase.
Not much. Belongs in the conspiracy forum probably.
Yeah and there's a huge overlap between those 2 conspiracy theories. Lads like the My Pillow Guy and General Michael Flynn are full-time pushing both conspiracies as one.
It started with pointing out that a poster posted a conspiracy theory from an anonymous person on twitter, was actually a conspiracy theory. Some posters thought it was good research and pointing out that it was a conspiracy theory was too much for those posters. They went to great lengths to say it wasn't a conspiracy theory, and conspiracy theories are harmless anyway such as the qanon conspiracy.
It's a long sidetrack to avoid acknowledging a pretty trivial conspiracy theory about the shadowy figures trying to get rid of JR, was just a conspiracy theory.
These are the people who believe the Qanon stuff
What has all the Q Anon chat got to do with the JRE Podcast?
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