2/3 of Americans Believe in Conspiracy Theories

[rdsrds2120]

wake up america:

show

BMO

[jonesthecurl]

Partial List of Buzzwords Used by CTers
full list: http://metabunk.org/threads/1243-A-Glos ... #post33089

Awake: the opposite of “asleep.” Essentially, the condition of believing in conspiracy theories and not believing (supposedly) any government or “mainstream media” source. CT’ers employ numerous variations on the “asleep”/“awake” concept, such as “I woke up,” “You’re asleep,” “Why did you go back to sleep?”, “When I was asleep I believed…”, “We’re trying to wake people up!”, “A lot of people are waking up,” etc., etc.

Banksters: term referring to financial institutions or wealthy investors who are believed by CT’ers to control the world. Usually, but not always, a (supposedly) race-neutral synonym for the anti-Semitic CT idea of “Jewish bankers.”

Coincidence Theorist: mocking term for someone who doesn’t believe in CTs, particularly someone who refuses to connect factually unconnected events under the rubric of a conspiracy theory. This term is usually deployed to validate spurious and incorrect estimates of mathematical probabilities as substitutes for facts. Example of this usage: Senator Paul Wellstone died in an accidental plane crash in 2002 just before a Congressional election. “You don’t believe the Bush Administration rubbed out Wellstone? You must be a coincidence theorist, then!”

Cui Buono?: Latin for “who benefits?” Real meaning: an inquiry into who might stand to gain from a particular inquiry; not, however, a conclusion.CT’er meaning: a substitute for evidence of any kind. If anyone benefited in any way from something, “cui buono?” is absolute proof that they caused it. Example of this usage: “Acme Drug Company manufactures swine flu vaccine. ‘Cui buono?’ Because Acme Drug Company benefited financially from the swine flu outbreak, Acme Drug Company caused the swine flu outbreak.”

Do Your Own Research: a term used by lazy CT’ers who don’t want to try to explain why they believe the silly things they believe. “Research,” in this context, means looking at CT web sites and watching YouTube videos that promote CTs. It does not mean reading books or objectively evaluating evidence to determine whether a CT is true. Example of this usage: “Alex Jones can back up everything he says. Do your own research! Read InfoWars.com!”

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win: quote erroneously attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, but it does not appear he ever said or wrote it; it may actually derive from labor leader Nicholas Klein. Used by CT’ers to shrug off widespread ridicule and disbelief of their theories. Also often used by CT-related cults and ideology groups (such as Zeitgeist and Desteni) to predict that their ideology will ultimately achieve victory despite what appear to be long odds in persuading people that they’re right.

Hit piece: an article, blog, video or news story that is critical of conspiracy theories or particular CT’ers, and which CT’ers want to believe is a maliciously motivated attack without any merit. Usually, but not always, deployed to discredit a criticism of a particular person. Example of this usage: “That blog debunking the New World Order was nothing more than a hit piece on Alex Jones!”

I feel sorry for you: condescending phrase designed both to terminate thought and to place the CT’er in a position of moral superiority to one who does not believe in CTs and is therefore, in the CT’er’s mind, not enlightened or is doomed to suffer a life of “enslavement” (q.v.) or being “asleep” (q.v.). Almost always used disingenuously. Example of this usage: “You’re totally happy getting raped by the NWO every day of your life, aren’t you? I feel sorry for you!”
Intellectual inhibition: phrase coined by Zeitgeist cult leader and CT’er Peter Joseph Merola, referring to those who do not believe in CTs. Supposedly a form of mental illness afflicting those who are not “awake” (q.v.) enough to accept CTs.

Sheeple: singular or plural term for non-believers in CTs who supposedly do not believe in CTs as a result of “brainwashing” by conspiratorial powers. Derogatory contraction of “sheep” and “people.” Example of this usage: “All the sheeple out there just believe whatever the government tells them!”

You lose: thought-terminating cliché deployed by smug CT’ers in debates to hammer home their supposed superiority. Example of this usage: “You think Popular Mechanics debunked 9/11 theories? You lose! The editor ofPopular Mechanics was related to Bush’s cousin…”

tl:dr

[Woodruff]

I may have finally become a paranoid conspiracy-theorist individual. This article only makes me believe that it's a trap set up between some governmental agency and MasterCard to track individuals who want to donate to WikiLeaks (because they must be bad people, right?):

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/3/4490892/wikileaks-says-mastercard-has-unblocked-it-from-receiving-donations

[BigBallinStalin]

I may have finally become a paranoid conspiracy-theorist individual. This article only makes me believe that it's a trap set up between some governmental agency and MasterCard to track individuals who want to donate to WikiLeaks (because they must be bad people, right?):

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/3/4490892/wikileaks-says-mastercard-has-unblocked-it-from-receiving-donations

Hey, if we worked for some intelligence agency, wouldn't you think that's a good idea?
(Assuming you're set on 'destroying America's enemies' <robot noises>).

And, what would constrain us?--especially if no one knew about it.

CRAP! We've now formed a paranoid conspiracy-theorist group!


Come one, come all! Let us hold hands and become paranoid conspiracy-theorist individuals.

[AndyDufresne]

--Andy

[warmonger1981]

BEGINNING OF THE END OR END OF THE BEGINNING???

[waauw]

BEGINNING OF THE END OR END OF THE BEGINNING???

it's a cycle, does it matter?

[_sabotage_]

Enjoy ... or don't.