What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories?

[Tez3]

Conspiracy theorists are literally being played.
A game designer explains the success of QAnon, in terms of game design | Boing Boing

 

[jobo]

I think China treasures there economic growth too much to get into a major War with multiple countries going at each other. Their gain on the global scale was not as a result of trying to have a war with the world. They have succeed where Russian and Germany have failed in the past. They were able to gain more global influence and that Russia has and more than what Germany and Japan were able to get out of WWII.

Their best interest is to preserve what allowed them to have such large economic gains and continue to gain in global power by continuing to stay on the same path that has allowed their country to make the gains that it has made.

China and the US will bark at each other. Both will try to reduce each other's global partnership. If anything, I would watch to see how the Russia China relationship continues to partner on Economic issues.

well wars, at least war ready are a major boot for economics of a country, as long of course as you dont loose,

im sure china doesnt want a war, but china has numerous territory claims, with india, with japan and with Taiwan to name just three, they are currently pushing these. and of course there on going support for rocket man and the reasobaly likely attack on the soulth

its far from unlikely they will take decisive military action in one or more of these.

america is sworn to protect japan,and soulth Korea india has a huge army and a nuclear bomb and Taiwan looks a bit vulnerable, a lot depends on if they view the new administration as weak how far they will push it.

the amount of Chinese investment in the states, means that taking any action at all, with have significant ecomonic consequences

 

[jobo]

What do you do when a flat earther leans over to you, gives you a knowing look and says, "Conspiracy theories. What kind of person falls for those? Am I right?". That's what discussions like this with people who think covid 19 is a hoax is like. I'm honestly not sure how to process that.

i see a great big stawman has entered the room.

ive not seen any one on here say iits a hoax, its more that the infringment of freedoms are completly out of proportion to the actual threat.

further that the prescribed controls are border line useless, if not infact seriously counter productive.

there is no doubt that the new more contagious( and possibly more deadly) versions are a direct result of the half hearted control measures, evolution in action, if they ramp up the controls the virus will again respond, they may as well have let the more friendly virus run its course, than annoy it into greater action

 

[dvcochran]

i see a great big stawman has entered the room.

ive not seen any one on here say iits a hoax, its more that the infringment of freedoms are completly out of proportion to the actual threat.

further that the prescribed controls are border line useless, if not infact seriously counter productive.

there is no doubt that the new more contagious( and possibly more deadly) versions are a direct result of the half hearted control measures, evolution in action, if they ramp up the controls the virus will again respond, they may as well have let the more friendly virus run its course, than annoy it into greater action

Really scratching my head on what people find funny with your comments.

 

[Buka]

My favorite conspiracy theorists have to be the flat earthers. I had to escort one off the property at the airport I work. I asked him "Is there like a fence on the edge so we won't fall off?" His eyes brightened when he told me, "No! That's one of the problems!"

Sad. But funny, too.

 

[dvcochran]

I have studied the wars quite a lot. Strategy is kind of my jam.
When I hear Mitt Romney compare the last administration to the time after Lincoln I shutter and just have to scratch my head. We had such a fresh breath of non-political and record breaking leadership it is shocking how fast politicians are jockeying to figure out where the lay in the new landscape. How are people not alarmed at what has already happened? Relations with and around foreign countries have already changed. How it that not indicative?

***EDIT*** It was NOT Mitt who said this. It was Rand Paul.
My senior moment for the day.

 

[jobo]

Really scratching my head on what people find funny with your comments.

it passive agressive, they have no counter point to make so just attempt to mock, it happens a lot on here

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

My favorite conspiracy theorists have to be the flat earthers. I had to escort one off the property at the airport I work. I asked him "Is there like a fence on the edge so we won't fall off?" His eyes brightened when he told me, "No! That's one of the problems!"

Sad. But funny, too.

The one's that are genuine about it, I just feel bad for. Can you imagine living with the fear that if you go out on a boat you might fall off the ocean? Or the paranoia that literally everyone who has been important for the last 500 years has been lying to you about something that obvious?

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

it passive agressive, they have no counter point to make so just attempt to mock, it happens a lot on here

Not that one, but I just genuinely find your posts funny sometimes, whether or not I agree with them. I think it's your writing style. But if a post makes me laugh, for whatever reason, I click 'funny'.

 

[Steve]

My favorite conspiracy theorists have to be the flat earthers. I had to escort one off the property at the airport I work. I asked him "Is there like a fence on the edge so we won't fall off?" His eyes brightened when he told me, "No! That's one of the problems!"

Sad. But funny, too.

Sad. But funny, too. Says it all.

The point I was trying to make earlier is that we have a problem right now, at least in parts of America, where a lot of folks are bought into conspiracy theories of one kind or another, but they don't know it. They think they're rational, objective, and that their belief in conspiracies is perfectly justified and supported by... something. We've seen evidence of this phenomenon on this very forum, and I'm confident that we all know people who are caught up in conspiracies.

I think there are a couple of important threads to chase down here. First, why do people in general fall into conspiracy theories? Second, though, is can people who are caught up in conspiracy theories and irrational positions figure out that's where they are? I mean, say you're completely bought into qanon... how do you know it when you're in it? How can we, who aren't in it, help those who are gain some perspective and self-awareness?

 

[jobo]

Sad. But funny, too. Says it all.

The point I was trying to make earlier is that we have a problem right now, at least in parts of America, where a lot of folks are bought into conspiracy theories of one kind or another, but they don't know it. They think they're rational, objective, and that their belief in conspiracies is perfectly justified and supported by... something. We've seen evidence of this phenomenon on this very forum, and I'm confident that we all know people who are caught up in conspiracies.

I think there are a couple of important threads to chase down here. First, why do people in general fall into conspiracy theories? Second, though, is can people who are caught up in conspiracy theories and irrational positions figure out that's where they are? I mean, say you're completely bought into qanon... how do you know it when you're in it? How can we, who aren't in it, help those who are gain some perspective and self-awareness?

a great number of the conspiracies have come true over the last 12 months, at that point your not going to convince people who predicited more or less the exact situation we find ourselves, that they were wrong

we are currently living im an Orwellian night mare of state control, only time will tell if that ever actualy get reversed to previous level of self determination, freedom and freedom of exspresion, i have my doubts

we saw riots in Holland last night against the removal of freedoms, im hoping this is a trend

 

[granfire]

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.

Well, they are being gamed.
Moved like pawns and it spirals out of control from there.
[URL="https://www.thestreet.com/phildavis/news/a-game-designers-analysis-of-qanon"]A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon[/URL]

This is quite the frightening read, to be honest. They are being put on a trail of non-existing evidence, and form conclusions vial circumstantial evidence. Or rather coincidental events.
And of course since you can't prove the absence of something, there we go. You know, you can't prove there is no god, ergo there is, and so forth.
And of course they flock to each other, and pat each other on the back and reinforce the bull puckey.

The issue is the financing of the great game though. while the snowball effect takes care of some of the financial issues, the initial crazy had to come from somewhere.

 

[Buka]

Sad. But funny, too. Says it all.

The point I was trying to make earlier is that we have a problem right now, at least in parts of America, where a lot of folks are bought into conspiracy theories of one kind or another, but they don't know it. They think they're rational, objective, and that their belief in conspiracies is perfectly justified and supported by... something. We've seen evidence of this phenomenon on this very forum, and I'm confident that we all know people who are caught up in conspiracies.

I think there are a couple of important threads to chase down here. First, why do people in general fall into conspiracy theories? Second, though, is can people who are caught up in conspiracy theories and irrational positions figure out that's where they are? I mean, say you're completely bought into qanon... how do you know it when you're in it? How can we, who aren't in it, help those who are gain some perspective and self-awareness?

I think a lot of people are lost. They then search for something to grab on to, become a part of.

Have you ever been spoken to by a devout Scientologist? I suppose I could say a "devout anything".

And I purposely said "spoken to" and not spoken with, because any interaction I've had, either professionally or personally, was initiated by them. Every single time. I must have the look of a chump in private life, I seem to attract them.

 

[granfire]

What do you do when a flat earther leans over to you, gives you a knowing look and says, "Conspiracy theories. What kind of person falls for those? Am I right?". That's what discussions like this with people who think covid 19 is a hoax is like. I'm honestly not sure how to process that.

"Put your mask on and stand 60 yards back"

 

[drop bear]

i see a great big stawman has entered the room.

ive not seen any one on here say iits a hoax, its more that the infringment of freedoms are completly out of proportion to the actual threat.

further that the prescribed controls are border line useless, if not infact seriously counter productive.

there is no doubt that the new more contagious( and possibly more deadly) versions are a direct result of the half hearted control measures, evolution in action, if they ramp up the controls the virus will again respond, they may as well have let the more friendly virus run its course, than annoy it into greater action

What?

That isn't how it works at all.

 

[drop bear]

My favorite conspiracy theorists have to be the flat earthers. I had to escort one off the property at the airport I work. I asked him "Is there like a fence on the edge so we won't fall off?" His eyes brightened when he told me, "No! That's one of the problems!"

Sad. But funny, too.

Sovereign citizens.

Because if they remove consent to be governed by laws suddenly you can't skull drag them or something.

 

[jobo]

What?

That isn't how it works at all.

thats not how evolution works? i think youl find it is exactly how evolution works

 

[drop bear]

thats not how evolution works? i think youl find it is exactly how evolution works

That a virus left to run its course doesn't mutate in to something worse?

Look up Spanish flu.

 

[jobo]

That a virus left to run its course doesn't mutate in to something worse?

Look up Spanish flu.

that half **** controls dont breed super varients look up antibitic resistant bacteria

and the spanish flu didnt mutate in to some thing worse it was lethal to begin with, then it mutated to be safe,, in fact it mutated its self out of existance, which is what killer viruses tend to do if you leave them alone, hence the number of people in the world

 

[drop bear]

that half **** controls dont breed super varients look up antibitic resistant bacteria

and the spanish flu didnt mutate in to some thing worse it was lethal to begin with, then it mutated to be safe,, in fact it mutated its self out of existance

The bubonic plague?