Anti-Conspiracy Theories #7 Google told me, so it must be true. Sheeep!

[Deeznutslol]

Yes it does a little but with good reason and it's not just sensationalised, it's quite balanced.
The town (Totnes) is pretty much divided in half regarding their stance on CT subjects. The host gives the CTs plenty of time to air their views, a couple come across as a little unhinged but others are calm.

I agree, I’ve seen a lot of criticism about this from CTists crying about how she’s slating them, but I’m only on ep2 and she’s already got one on to air his views!
As a side note, I really like the length of them, I rarely listen to podcasts because they’re usually like an hour so and I lose interest, even though I always listen in 2x speed, but these are only 14 mins long per episode so it’s much nicer.

 

[witchofwestbyfleet]

Conspiracy thread is doing the rounds of Twitter today where a man insists Sudden Infant Death Syndrome isn't real, it is just women murdering their babies and doctors/police/government covering it up because otherwise men would murder the mothers of their children. Using such "logic" as "why does SIDS only ever occur at night and when there are no cameras around?" The comments are a depressing mix of "omg so dark but it makes so much sense!" and "actually it's vaccines, there were no cot deaths before that."

 

[MaineCoonMama]

Conspiracy thread is doing the rounds of Twitter today where a man insists Sudden Infant Death Syndrome isn't real, it is just women murdering their babies and doctors/police/government covering it up because otherwise men would murder the mothers of their children. Using such "logic" as "why does SIDS only ever occur at night and when there are no cameras around?" The comments are a depressing mix of "omg so dark but it makes so much sense!" and "actually it's vaccines, there were no cot deaths before that."

That makes me sick. I'm a passive mellow head but I'd happily line these people up to smack them.
bleeping ghouls, the lot of them.

 

[Ensay]

Has anyone listened to Marianna in Conspiracyland podcast? I'm just a few episodes in but it's quite good and very interesting so far.

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll try and give it a listen to some of it over the weekend.

I've seen a few reports from Marianna Spring on BBC News. At the time she was described as a disinformation reporter, which I'm sure you can imagine attracted much derision from many conspiracy theorists! However, I see no issue with analysing news/statements/tweets, etc and checking their validity against several different sources.

That's what BBC Verify does. The clue is in the name, can the information be verified? Often, with conspiracy theories, that information unsurprisingly cannot be verified against different sources, so they just report on that. I get the impression conspiracy theorists won't look at BBC Verify's findings, they just immediately see it as BBC propaganda, because their claims are being contested. Whereas if they truly believe what they say, why would they have a problem reading and replying to BBC Verify's findings?

 

[Deeznutslol]

I listened to the whole thing yesterday morning, it was very informative. One thing that really shocked me was the growing extremism amongst the more far gone CTists. She interviewed several people who were openly calling for violence against any politician/journalist/doctor/scientist who is what they they perceive to be a ‘threat to humanity’ (aka anyone who doesn’t believe the world is controlled by a Jewish cabal, doesn’t think covid was a hoax, is provax etc). She also mentioned that the police are now identifying more and more terrorism which is directly linked to conspiracy theorism, which is scary!
The most interesting one for me was Ep 9, where Marianna spoke to a professor who studies the psychology behind how people fall for CTs, she described how the CT pipeline works. It tends to start with someone having extremist political views (far left as well as far right) which leads to the initial belief in CTs, then as time goes on they become more and more obsessive and begin to believe in more outlandish ideas. This then puts a strain on their interpersonal relationships with families and friends because all the CTist wants to do is talk about their views. Eventually they become more and more isolated and that’s when they turn to the internet or seek out CT groups in order to find their ‘tribe’, but ofc that then just pushes them further in.
At the end she briefly touched on what could be done to pull someone out of a CT rabbit hole, she said that CTists see themselves as being critical thinkers and open minded, so it’s pointless to argue with them as it’ll just make them more hostile. Apparently the best thing to do is to show them that the sources they’re using to find information are actually unreliable and biased and those who are sharing them may actually have ulterior motives (usually grifting). She also said that they also often turn to these theories in the first place because feel scared and out of control, and it gives them something to blame for their problems, so the key to getting someone to come back to reality is to address the underlying issue, to try and make them feel secure, happy and more in control.
I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t listened, as I said before as well the episodes are nice and concise too so it doesn’t take long to get through.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

This looks interesting, a book exploring how Q Anon spread.

The Other Pandemic by James Ball review: QAnon as post-truth pathogen

An insightful book about the conspiracy movement compares it persuasively to a self-replicating disease

www.theguardian.com

 

[OwlAtTheMoon]

This looks interesting, a book exploring how Q Anon spread.

The Other Pandemic by James Ball review: QAnon as post-truth pathogen

An insightful book about the conspiracy movement compares it persuasively to a self-replicating disease

www.theguardian.com

That's a great review of the book, thanks for posting Sidey Bob. I found this bit particularly interesting:
'He (the author) is especially insightful on the ( ...) cultivated ambiguity around what is meant to be taken seriously and what comes draped in irony. The original trolling ethos was steeped in nihilistic mischief, breaking taboos for the sake of it, transgressing for thrills. That slippery joking-not-joking idiom made it hard for mainstream politics to get a purchase on QAnon before it found its real-life incarnation in Donald Trump. The full scale of the cult, and the threat it posed to a democratic society, only registered for many people when its digital fingerprints turned up all over the capitol insurrection that tried to thwart Joe Biden’s inauguration as Trump’s successor.'

You see this a lot on social media, with trolling-type (even verging on hate speech) posts on any subject but especially vaccines, migrants, gender, sexuality, etc (the triggering subjects) defended with 'can't you take a joke?' or derisory passive/aggressive statements. What this reviewer describes as a 'slippery joking-not-joking idiom' is spot on here.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

So satisfying to see the other Fred die a natural, unvaccinated death.

 

[OwlAtTheMoon]

So satisfying to see the other Fred die a natural, unvaccinated death.

What's this about MCM? x

 

[MaineCoonMama]

What's this about MCM? x

There's about three people left on the other thread, it's died a death.
They've all hone elsewhere.
I don't mind people having an opposite opinion but most of them were nasty and sly. No debate, just donkeys.

 

[OwlAtTheMoon]

There's about three people left on the other thread, it's died a death.
They've all hone elsewhere.
I don't mind people having an opposite opinion but most of them were nasty and sly. No debate, just donkeys.

Thanks for explaining, I hadn't realised it had died a death. I remember a while back some posters alluding to meeting up on another platform. Sounds like that's happened.

 

[Dollenganger]

I've only just started reading this QAnon-debunking Reddit thread (mostly, because, my partner's mum is deep in the Q-hole and the more I read the more I think - WTF). It's hilarious but it's also bloody worrying.

This can't pass without comment Sure ,yuppers : r/Qult_Headquarters (reddit.com) Looks like May, June and July are going to be busy months.

"The program will suffer changes if the situation requires it" doesn't it always?

Sun. 21 May 6 pm EST Live stream on CBKNews121: JFK Jr., Elvis, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Michael Jackson (?!?!?!), Lady (?) Diana, Steve Jobs
View attachment 2157513
Tues. 25 July 2023: "Queen Diana Coronation"?!?!
View attachment 2157548
From what little I know about Q-theories - isn't it supposedly the Cabal / global elites who are into child trafficking / abuse / harvesting adrenochrome yet they're heralding the reappearance of Michael Jackson? The truthers (seem to) want to rid the world of them and save these children (which is an honourable endeavour, of course). So how MJ plays a part in all this, I've no idea.

Reddit seems to think there must be Russian troll farms at work - to see who takes these crazy social media posts as gospel - I must admit I'm beginning to wonder.

(Though, please do read some of those Reddit threads, with or without a tinfoil hat. The comments on many of them are really funny).

Are you in the UK? The reason I ask is that I am struggling to understand why Qanoners, ie people like your partner’s mother and the CT person that I have to deal with are so OBSESSED with America. It’s so tedious

 

[Deeznutslol]

Are you in the UK? The reason I ask is that I am struggling to understand why Qanoners, ie people like your partner’s mother and the CT person that I have to deal with are so OBSESSED with America. It’s so tedious

They also don’t seem to realize that a lot of the idiotic tit they’re regurgitating about the US (more specifically the democrats) has been fed to them by the Russian propaganda machine as well . Literally parroting nonsense spread by a nation that is currently waging a war on Europe and would love nothing more than to see every western democracy destabilized

 

[lamaitresse]

Are you in the UK? The reason I ask is that I am struggling to understand why Qanoners, ie people like your partner’s mother and the CT person that I have to deal with are so OBSESSED with America. It’s so tedious

I'm Glaswegian, boyf's mum is in the Highlands (near Fort William-ish). I have no idea why she's down the US-centric QAnon rabbit hole. As my partner says, "she doesn't even live there, why would she care?".

She is invested UK politics too, but really idolises Trump for some reason. Don't understand it either. A lot of the believers (or patriots) think the world banking system is on the verge of collapse, XRP will be the new currency and Nseara / Gesara is in the future. I think that's how it goes.

Don't get me wrong, I think she's great but I just let her talk and it's her beliefs, if she was my own mum I'd be having more of a stern word.

 

[daydreamer95]

So satisfying to see the other Fred die a natural, unvaccinated death.

There's about three people left on the other thread, it's died a death.
They've all hone elsewhere.
I don't mind people having an opposite opinion but most of them were nasty and sly. No debate, just donkeys.


Why is it satisfying to see a lack of posting if you don’t mind opposite opinions @MaineCoonMama ?

I’m also seeing a few posters here including you going elsewhere specifically calling people out in an attempt to incite bad feeling, one response calls for violence people need to be hit with things

I’ve had it myself on another thread people were told to ignore me the usual dehumanising

What debate do you want to have with people you think of as sly donkey anti vaxxers?

 

[MaineCoonMama]

So satisfying to see the other Fred die a natural, unvaccinated death.

There's about three people left on the other thread, it's died a death.
They've all hone elsewhere.
I don't mind people having an opposite opinion but most of them were nasty and sly. No debate, just donkeys.


Why is it satisfying to see a lack of posting if you don’t mind opposite opinions @MaineCoonMama ?

I’m also seeing a few posters here including you going elsewhere specifically calling people out in an attempt to incite bad feeling, one response calls for violence people need to be hit with things

I’ve had it myself on another thread people were told to ignore me the usual dehumanising

What debate do you want to have with people you think of as sly donkey anti vaxxers?

One of the only regular posters on the CT thread took some comments I'd made on another thread when I'd been talking about my husband and I both being sick, put them together and commented asking why I was sick all the time and mentioning that my husband is vaxxed as well.
First off, I have a chronic illness and am immunocompromised which is why I'm often ill.
My husband hasn't had the Covid vaccine, he is dead against it and also has some very CT views which we agree to disagree on.

I've never interacted with this other poster, I have no idea why she picked my comments to further her agenda. I stayed off the Covid threads as it's not of interest to me and it was tiring to read the same tit over and over.

I tried to point out the inconsistencies and obvious fakery of a video supposedly filmed in my home town of children being ripped away from their parents by police and forcibly vaccinated- the police uniforms were not the uniform of the state I live in, it was dangerous propaganda.

After that I was mocked and followed around Tattle threads by people from the CT thread leaving vomit emojis on everything I posted, not even on this thread but another one I'm a part of.

Is that enough for you?

 

[Dollenganger]

After that I was mocked and followed around Tattle threads by people from the CT thread leaving vomit emojis on everything I posted, not even on this thread but another one I'm a part of.

I agree. And following people around, leaving vomit emojis is bullying. It shows what kind of person someone is, who does that.

 

[daydreamer95]

One of the only regular posters on the CT thread took some comments I'd made on another thread when I'd been talking about my husband and I both being sick, put them together and commented asking why I was sick all the time and mentioning that my husband is vaxxed as well.
First off, I have a chronic illness and am immunocompromised which is why I'm often ill.
My husband hasn't had the Covid vaccine, he is dead against it and also has some very CT views which we agree to disagree on.

I've never interacted with this other poster, I have no idea why she picked my comments to further her agenda. I stayed off the Covid threads as it's not of interest to me and it was tiring to read the same tit over and over.

I tried to point out the inconsistencies and obvious fakery of a video supposedly filmed in my home town of children being ripped away from their parents by police and forcibly vaccinated- the police uniforms were not the uniform of the state I live in, it was dangerous propaganda.

After that I was mocked and followed around Tattle threads by people from the CT thread leaving vomit emojis on everything I posted, not even on this thread but another one I'm a part of.

Is that enough for you?

I asked why it was satisfying seeing lack of posts on CT thread if you don’t mind opposite opinions?

I also asked what debate you would want to have with people you think of as sly donkey antivaxxers?

 

[Moderator]

All, stop provoking each other.

 

[Dollenganger]

This looks interesting, a book exploring how Q Anon spread.

The Other Pandemic by James Ball review: QAnon as post-truth pathogen

An insightful book about the conspiracy movement compares it persuasively to a self-replicating disease

www.theguardian.com

Thank you for this recommendation - it’s really interesting, I’ve been listening to it on Audible. It talks about how the original culture for Qanon was set up with the original section of society who was into this being gamers with right wing, anti establishment tendencies.