What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories?

[Chrisinmd]

What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories? Are they stupid or just naïve? Mentally ill? Or are people just easily manipulated and controlled by others?

For example QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against (former) U.S. president Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.

So what would make someone believe this crazy ****? Or things like Alien Abductions or that the world is actually flat not round.

 

[drop bear]

Mostly it is conformation bias.

Same reason people do Aikido.

 

[drop bear]

I mean bear in mind enough people are wanting to learn to use healing crystals to sustain multiple $300 courses.

Certificate in Crystal Healing

And there is no difference between someone who is trained in healing crystal use and someone who isn't.

Because they don't work.

There is literally no way you can use a healing crystal better than anyone else.

 

[Buka]

It's a little bit more complex than that.

Belief can be a very strong thing, life is complicated.

As for conspiracy theories themselves, the term "conspiracy theory" is taught in certain classes of United States Federal Law Enforcement. I've taken some of those classes.

Certain former Presidents were good at this. I'm sure some of their advisors took some of the same classes that I did.

 

[_Simon_]

Who told you I believe in conspiracy theories? Who was it, who TOLD you?? Was it them??? Ohhhhh I bet it was them.... all part their consumerist plots and plan for power... yeeeeeeeeehhhhh

 

[_Simon_]

I think part of it is having secret knowledge that 'no one else knows', has a falsified effect of boosting your sense of importance or 'rightness'.

That and deep, deep insecurity, anti-authoritarian and trust issues.

But hey, that's not to say that all conspiracies are wrong because a few come through as true I'm sure! But I'm talking about the ones that are clearly delusional.

 

[jobo]

What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories? Are they stupid or just naïve? Mentally ill? Or are people just easily manipulated and controlled by others?

For example QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against (former) U.S. president Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.

So what would make someone believe this crazy ****? Or things like Alien Abductions or that the world is actually flat not round.

im not at all sure that a cabal of predatory peodophile in posistion of great influance is all that inaccurate to be honest .

J E anyone ?

 

[jobo]

What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories? Are they stupid or just naïve? Mentally ill? Or are people just easily manipulated and controlled by others?

For example QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against (former) U.S. president Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.

So what would make someone believe this crazy ****? Or things like Alien Abductions or that the world is actually flat not round.

a lot depends whoch conspiracy theory to be honest, a fair number of them have at least a kernal of truth in them and others are just krazy, but they all get lumped together that as anything that doesnt fit the approved view to automatically insane

i ran a test on one very orthodox site of conspiracies and asked them to pick which were true and which id made up

and nobody picked the fact the uk govenment had been delibratly releasing bio matter on to the uk population in the 1970s as an experiment, as being true, coz everyone knows our govenment wouldnt do that, but they did. just as they delibratly lined up service personnel in the blast zone of nuclear wrapons to see how many died of cancer.

once you accept that democtatical elected govenments ate actualy capable of thibgs like that, it then should make you wonder what else they did and got away with

if for instance they got their hands on alien technology or allien abductuons were happening, would they lie about it

almost definetly yes, so the fact they say neither of these things are true, doesnt carry much weight

 

[jobo]

I mean bear in mind enough people are wanting to learn to use healing crystals to sustain multiple $300 courses.

Certificate in Crystal Healing

And there is no difference between someone who is trained in healing crystal use and someone who isn't.

Because they don't work.

There is literally no way you can use a healing crystal better than anyone else.

well thats not ultimately true, there is science to support healing crystals and before you jump on me, its the science of placibo, which doesnt have a high succese rate with inoperable cancer, but does with slightly less serious conditions, so much so that its often hard to split the effectiveness of a course of treatment from someone who belives they are on a course of treatment, just the fact they belive they are being cared for, can show a major up turn in health ,

so yes healing crystal can work if you belive they will, just as sugar pill can help if you belive they will

 

[JowGaWolf]

What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories? Are they stupid or just naïve? Mentally ill? Or are people just easily manipulated and controlled by others?

For example QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against (former) U.S. president Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.

So what would make someone believe this crazy ****? Or things like Alien Abductions or that the world is actually flat not round.

It's because they only expose their minds to one type of mindset for a long period of time. They have basically willingly "brain washed" themselves.

Conspiracies and Cult followings often fulfill a subconscious need. Usually the need to feel important, or to know something that someone else doesn't know. Or to be special. You can often tell which needs the leader or the creator is trying to satisfy, because they repeat it. For example. Things that have been said over the years.

1. I love the poor uneducated - There is a group of people who believe they are just as smart as people who go to college yet they choose not to go to college but feel the need to always prove to someone they are smarter.
2. I know more than.... - This addresses #1. and the empty void of wanting to know something that no one else knows. This also distances willingness to seek other sources of knowledge or to even verify information. We often see this in religions where some will say all your answers are here and they will hold up a book.
3. I can do a crime and I would still have followers - This addresses the mindset of those who are willing to look in the other direction when a crime is done.
4. I'm the chosen one - This is a major red flag, because it's the same thing all cult leaders say. In reality if a person has to declare that they are the chosen one then they are probably not the chosen one. "The chosen one" would be something that one could not declare for themselves.
5. Only I can fix the problem - This is another isolation technique to get people to void everyone else but the leader.
6. Believe Me - Again an isolation technique. Don't believe anyone else only believe them.
7. No one is better than me - Another isolation technique

There are more examples - All of these have been used by other cult leaders and mass manipulators through out history. The key is to soak the minds so they do not think on their own. By soaking I mean you submerge it into one perspective and not introduce it to another.

Examples of things that may seem familiar
Lying and Liars
The great masses of the people . . . will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one.
Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf source: Adolf Hitler: Quotes

The manipulation of humans is an interesting subject because you see the same pattern over and over again. But the key is to always soak those brains in one mindset.

If you want your shirt to only be yellow, then you must only soak it in Yellow Dye. Allowing another dye to enter will dilute or take over the color of what you want your shirt to be.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I think part of it is having secret knowledge that 'no one else knows', has a falsified effect of boosting your sense of importance or 'rightness'.

That and deep, deep insecurity, anti-authoritarian and trust issues.

But hey, that's not to say that all conspiracies are wrong because a few come through as true I'm sure! But I'm talking about the ones that are clearly delusional.

I feel the same way. One of the biggest things is to prey on insecurities and fill that subconscious need.

 

[JowGaWolf]

just as they delibratly lined up service personnel in the blast zone of nuclear wrapons to see how many died of cancer.

This one isn't true. It's true that they were put in the blast zone. But they weren't studying how many people would die from cancer. There are a number of things that could be studied by doing this and not just cancer. Much of what they did was out of ignorance of radiation. It's no difference than timex using radioactive material for their watches.

Did the military know that the bomb was was dangerous - of course. Did the military know the extent of the danger? Definitely not. Compare the way radioactive anything is handled today with how it was handled back then. The only difference is that there was a lot of ignorance back then in comparison to it now. Do you think they would have tested those things above ground if they really understood the dangers of it? You could tell they were clueless by how you see scientist handle the materials back then. They were like kids playing with a loaded gun.

They knew the bomb was dangerous, but they didn't know to what extent. I'm not giving them a pass. Ignorance has killed more people and destroyed more things in this world than anger and hate.

 

[jobo]

It's because they only expose their minds to one type of mindset for a long period of time. They have basically willingly "brain washed" themselves.

Conspiracies and Cult followings often fulfill a subconscious need. Usually the need to feel important, or to know something that someone else doesn't know. Or to be special. You can often tell which needs the leader or the creator is trying to satisfy, because they repeat it. For example. Things that have been said over the years.

1. I love the poor uneducated - There is a group of people who believe they are just as smart as people who go to college yet they choose not to go to college but feel the need to always prove to someone they are smarter.
2. I know more than.... - This addresses #1. and the empty void of wanting to know something that no one else knows. This also distances willingness to seek other sources of knowledge or to even verify information. We often see this in religions where some will say all your answers are here and they will hold up a book.
3. I can do a crime and I would still have followers - This addresses the mindset of those who are willing to look in the other direction when a crime is done.
4. I'm the chosen one - This is a major red flag, because it's the same thing all cult leaders say. In reality if a person has to declare that they are the chosen one then they are probably not the chosen one. "The chosen one" would be something that one could not declare for themselves.
5. Only I can fix the problem - This is another isolation technique to get people to void everyone else but the leader.
6. Believe Me - Again an isolation technique. Don't believe anyone else only believe them.
7. No one is better than me - Another isolation technique

There are more examples - All of these have been used by other cult leaders and mass manipulators through out history. The key is to soak the minds so they do not think on their own. By soaking I mean you submerge it into one perspective and not introduce it to another.

Examples of things that may seem familiar
Lying and Liars
The great masses of the people . . . will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one.
Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf source: Adolf Hitler: Quotes

The manipulation of humans is an interesting subject because you see the same pattern over and over again. But the key is to always soak those brains in one mindset.

If you want your shirt to only be yellow, then you must only soak it in Yellow Dye. Allowing another dye to enter will dilute or take over the color of what you want your shirt to be.

all of that can be appkied equalky to the govenment, the advertising industry,the media, the tptb,

its extremly difficult to prove anything to be real or imaginary, with out referance to an aurthority figure, who said it was and you belived

i bet someone told you the earth was a sphere and you belives them, coz they were your 3 grade teacher and knew everything, very few people have ever attempted tofind out for themselvess if this was so, the ancient greeks managed it not like its that hard to do

which of course it isnt, which makes most as incorrect as flat earthers and just as gullible, in fact more gullible, as at least fe have tried to apply logic to it rather than simply accepting it as true

 

[JowGaWolf]

I mean bear in mind enough people are wanting to learn to use healing crystals to sustain multiple $300 courses.

Certificate in Crystal Healing

And there is no difference between someone who is trained in healing crystal use and someone who isn't.

Because they don't work.

There is literally no way you can use a healing crystal better than anyone else.

My wife used to believe in that and was all into the crystal stuff. Then years later she got breast cancer so there's that. The reoccurring theme for her is the desire to be special. It's not special as someone cares for you special. It's special as in being more than just an average human. So far it seem she no longer seeks to fill that need.

I'm not sure what filled it or what changed it for her. It could be the fact that she finally got to see how those same people who believed in the crystal and spirituality stuff weren't as pure has they claimed to be. The last 4 years in the US has exposed a lot of what's wrong in society and she got to see that play out in the groups she used to be a part of. She tells now tells me often how people in those spirituality groups weren't as "angelic" as they claimed and pretended to be. When it all came down to making the important decision, they sold out. I had been telling her that for the longest. I guess she just needs to see it for herself. It took her many years to get out of that mindset. She used to soak her mind in that stuff daily.

 

[jobo]

This one isn't true. It's true that they were put in the blast zone. But they weren't studying how many people would die from cancer. There are a number of things that could be studied by doing this and not just cancer. Much of what they did was out of ignorance of radiation. It's no difference than timex using radioactive material for their watches.

Did the military know that the bomb was was dangerous - of course. Did the military know the extent of the danger? Definitely not. Compare the way radioactive anything is handled today with how it was handled back then. The only difference is that there was a lot of ignorance back then in comparison to it now. Do you think they would have tested those things above ground if they really understood the dangers of it? You could tell they were clueless by how you see scientist handle the materials back then. They were like kids playing with a loaded gun.

They knew the bomb was dangerous, but they didn't know to what extent. I'm not giving them a pass. Ignorance has killed more people and destroyed more things in this world than anger and hate.

no mate, they knew very well what radiation was and what it did to living organisms, and they delibratly out people in the danger zone, and i mean DELIBRATELY, there was no other reason for most if them to be there, british troops were told to stand up just make sure they got the full blast

talk about gullable, do you really think the cleverest people in the world who built the bomb didnt know about radiation sickness, they had already seen it in japan, didthey think they had bad sunburn

 

[JowGaWolf]

all of that can be appkied equalky to the govenment, the advertising industry,the media, the tptb,

definitely. It's not limited to just cult leaders and dictators. It's also not a bad or good thing by default. If you want to be an incredible martial artist then soak your brain into everything martial arts and train as if that was the only thing in life. Your social life and work life may suffer but you'll be extremely good at.

Soak your brain into everything that's science. for example. A marine biologist. You'll end up being one of the best in your field. Your conversation range may suck but you'll be the best at being a marine biologist. Steven Hawkins had a similar experience by force. Restricted to a chair he soaked his brain into the science of his choice.

its extremly difficult to prove anything to be real or imaginary, with out referance to an aurthority figure, who said it was and you belived

There's a lot that one can prove to be real. Just as there is a lot that cannot be proven at this time. Sometimes proof is beyond our intelligence.

 

[jobo]

definitely. It's not limited to just cult leaders and dictators. It's also not a bad or good thing by default. If you want to be an incredible martial artist then soak your brain into everything martial arts and train as if that was the only thing in life. Your social life and work life may suffer but you'll be extremely good at.

Soak your brain into everything that's science. for example. A marine biologist. You'll end up being one of the best in your field. Your conversation range may suck but you'll be the best at being a marine biologist. Steven Hawkins had a similar experience by force. Restricted to a chair he soaked his brain into the science of his choice.

There's a lot that one can prove to be real. Just as there is a lot that cannot be proven at this time. Sometimes proof is beyond our intelligence.

im talking about you proving the world is a sphere , you only belive that to be true coz someone told you it was, now there are lot of people who can prove that, but your not one of them

 

[JowGaWolf]

i bet someone told you the earth was a sphere and you belives them, coz they were your 3 grade teacher and knew everything, very few people have ever attempted tofind out for themselves if this was so,

Nope in third grade I was at a private school and the class that I was in was really heavy on science like advanced level. Probably a 6th or 5th grade level of science. It didn't matter if the students were ready for that level, we all got it and had to study it. They didn't just tell the students, they explained, it and showed it with models. They did the same thing with topics about plants. Things that I learned in the 3rd grade, I didn't see again until the 7th grade. My 4th, 5th, and 6th grade years were almost completely science free. I went to my first public school in the 4th grade. I hated it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

do you really think the cleverest people in the world who built the bomb didnt know about radiation sickness,

Where you and I differ is that you think they were clever. While I don't think they were clever at all. It's like people being too smart for there own good without realizing the dangers of what they do.

When I see scientist not wearing radioactive suites while looking at samples that came from those test sites, then I'm thinking they aren't as clever as you think they are.

Compare 2 things. The discovery of the Atom bomb and the creation of radiation protection.

 

[jobo]

Where you and I differ is that you think they were clever. While I don't think they were clever at all. It's like people being too smart for there own good without realizing the dangers of what they do.

When I see scientist not wearing radioactive suites while looking at samples that came from those test sites, then I'm thinking they aren't as clever as you think they are.

Compare 2 things. The discovery of the Atom bomb and the creation of radiation protection.

they were the greatest scientific minds in the whole world, some the greatest scientific minds that have ever been or likely to be

but you dont think they were clever enough to know what radition was, ok, post me a picture of openhiemer stood in the blast zone