Why Do "We" Embrace conspiracy Theories?

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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"I can’t tell you how many times people ask me about the conspiracy of the Bilderberg Group. It is a conference I’ve occasionally been invited to and have attended once or twice.

If only the people who wrote the alarmist treatises on the Bilderberg Group were allowed in. They would be so utterly disappointed. It’s just a conference like dozens of others around the world. And anyway, the idea that a finance minister or a banker would say something with a group of 150 people that is any different than what he would say in public is crazy in today's world where everything leaks instantly. In my experience, they say the same fairly banal platitudes inside as they say outside.

So on the few occasions in my life when I’ve been inside centers of the conspiracy, I’ve been disappointed and relieved to find they were pretty much like the world on the outside."


Why do we embrace conspiracy theories? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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"I can’t tell you how many times people ask me about the conspiracy of the Bilderberg Group. It is a conference I’ve occasionally been invited to and have attended once or twice.

If only the people who wrote the alarmist treatises on the Bilderberg Group were allowed in. They would be so utterly disappointed. It’s just a conference like dozens of others around the world. And anyway, the idea that a finance minister or a banker would say something with a group of 150 people that is any different than what he would say in public is crazy in today's world where everything leaks instantly. In my experience, they say the same fairly banal platitudes inside as they say outside.

So on the few occasions in my life when I’ve been inside centers of the conspiracy, I’ve been disappointed and relieved to find they were pretty much like the world on the outside."


Why do we embrace conspiracy theories? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Well a couple of reasons come to mind

The Iraq War - where everyone was lied to - does it fit your definition of a conspiracy - I would say yes and no. We were lied to - Does it fir as a conspiracy????? I would say it leans towards it, heavily.

Then we have those that because of what life has handed them only take into consideration points where people have been lied to - So we then have a link between the attack on 911 and the Iraq War - Oil & money.

Then we have those that really cannot accept facts as they are - an example is 911 - lots of little tidbits that float around the net stating, this could not have happened because of xxxx and many flock to this and a few others that also tag along on the same theme with a few anomalies that are incorporated in the conspiracy theory.

911 was a fact - it was a terror attack - very easily done - that in itself may make people wonder - it was so easy.

Then we have facts that come to light after a decade or even longer due to the US opening archives - some of this information can support small portions of their beliefs - not a substantial part mind you but enough to convince that not all is being told.
And then we have those without a life.
 

PoliticalNick

The Troll Bashing Troll
Mar 8, 2011
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"I can’t tell you how many times people ask me about the conspiracy of the Bilderberg Group. It is a conference I’ve occasionally been invited to and have attended once or twice.

If only the people who wrote the alarmist treatises on the Bilderberg Group were allowed in. They would be so utterly disappointed. It’s just a conference like dozens of others around the world. And anyway, the idea that a finance minister or a banker would say something with a group of 150 people that is any different than what he would say in public is crazy in today's world where everything leaks instantly. In my experience, they say the same fairly banal platitudes inside as they say outside.

So on the few occasions in my life when I’ve been inside centers of the conspiracy, I’ve been disappointed and relieved to find they were pretty much like the world on the outside."


Why do we embrace conspiracy theories? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Most of the stuff surrounding the Bilderberg group stems from it being a group of the richest people with the most influence (usually bought and paid for) over governments. Add in the fact they are held in utmost secrecy and without any press aloowed and nothing is ever reported of the discussions and you have a recipe for conspiracy. Anytime people with power hide something it is assumed that they have something to hide that will not be a benefit to the people.

I would be very interested for you to inform us as to what exactly you have seen and heard at these meetings.
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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Most of the stuff surrounding the Bilderberg group stems from it being a group of the richest people with the most influence (usually bought and paid for) over governments. Add in the fact they are held in utmost secrecy and without any press aloowed and nothing is ever reported of the discussions and you have a recipe for conspiracy. Anytime people with power hide something it is assumed that they have something to hide that will not be a benefit to the people.

I would be very interested for you to inform us as to what exactly you have seen and heard at these meetings.

Let me see - 150 people get together - topic is World Domination- Now no one is to talk ya know - Right.

When you were in the Military - who would you ask if you wanted to know, really know what was going on in a Unit???
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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I would always go to the RSM. He knew everything. If he didn't the Fin clerk did.

Wrong - The RSM would boot your Officers ass down the freaking hallway, call the Adj and tell him that in no uncertain terms that he WAS to read you the riot act - Think again -
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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Most of the stuff surrounding the Bilderberg group stems from it being a group of the richest people with the most influence (usually bought and paid for) over governments. Add in the fact they are held in utmost secrecy and without any press aloowed and nothing is ever reported of the discussions and you have a recipe for conspiracy. Anytime people with power hide something it is assumed that they have something to hide that will not be a benefit to the people.

I would be very interested for you to inform us as to what exactly you have seen and heard at these meetings.
The guy who wrote the article just told you he was at their meetings, and he just told you there is nothing to report about insider conspiracies. Why is it that his word is less valid than one of the conspiracy bloggers who only speculate and don't have first hand accounts? His version appears quite normal and rational. Do those count?
 

ansutherland

Electoral Member
Jun 24, 2010
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There are various reasons for conspiracy theories I suppose. I do not think for a moment that people in power never meet in secrecy to discuss secret agendas.....thus, by virtue of their secret meeting, are conspiring.

Conspiring should not come as a surprise. If you were in power, would you tell everyone everything? Of course not. Would this lead people to make assumptions about what you are up to? Yes.

One this the conspiracy theororist never account for is the fact that everyone that attends these secret meetings must keep these secrets. And, it's not as though its been the same group of people attending the Bilderburg meetings from the beginning. It's an assortment of the rich and powerful, whomever that happens to be at any one time is who attends. This makes it difficult to conspire to take over the world and to be amongst the power elite when you may no longer be a member of that club in a years time as someone else has replaced you.

Imagine how many times in a year Mr. Obama is threatened with assassination. Lets say it's 500 times. Not all of those threats can be investigated to the fullest. Some have to be assumed more serious than others. Imagine if one of the ones that was overlooked turned out to be real and Mr. Obama was killed. Well, with enough presidents passing through the White House over a long enough period with enough threats per year per president, it's only a matter of time until something is overlooked and someone killed or wounded. The one time that happens though, the conspiracy theororist are out in full swing. This is likely what happened with Bush. It's known that he was advised about the potential for a 9/11 type attack. How many such warnings does a president get in a year? Could be quite a few. He may have been negligent in not taking that particular warning serious, but that does not confirm that he knowingly let it happen.
 

PoliticalNick

The Troll Bashing Troll
Mar 8, 2011
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The guy who wrote the article just told you he was at their meetings, and he just told you there is nothing to report about insider conspiracies. Why is it that his word is less valid than one of the conspiracy bloggers who only speculate and don't have first hand accounts? His version appears quite normal and rational. Do those count?
He didn't 'report' anything at all, he simply stated there is nothing to tell which is what every attendee of the group says. and if he is an insider toa conspiracy wouldn't he say there is nothing going on even if there was. The actual dialogues and discussions are never reported or made available to the public. That is why you get people postulating on what transpires. Rather than invite some independant journalists or public representatives they hold meetings behind closed doors and never is anything about the topics of discussion or the actual discussion disclosed. We are simply told we have nothing to worry about, which is exactly when I start to worry. So call me a conspiracy nutter or whatever you like but as soon as someone tells me that they aren't doing anything wrong and aren't going to hurt me I immediately want to look deeper and get scared.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
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Oh boy.... Another conspiracy!
Any time two or more people plan something, anything, you have a conspiracy. Anytime you have people conspiring in secret, you will have people speculate about what is being conspired. Whenever it is rich people, poorer people get fearful. What does anybody expect?
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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There are various reasons for conspiracy theories I suppose. I do not think for a moment that people in power never meet in secrecy to discuss secret agendas.....thus, by virtue of their secret meeting, are conspiring.

Conspiring should not come as a surprise. If you were in power, would you tell everyone everything? Of course not. Would this lead people to make assumptions about what you are up to? Yes.

One this the conspiracy theororist never account for is the fact that everyone that attends these secret meetings must keep these secrets. And, it's not as though its been the same group of people attending the Bilderburg meetings from the beginning. It's an assortment of the rich and powerful, whomever that happens to be at any one time is who attends. This makes it difficult to conspire to take over the world and to be amongst the power elite when you may no longer be a member of that club in a years time as someone else has replaced you.

Imagine how many times in a year Mr. Obama is threatened with assassination. Lets say it's 500 times. Not all of those threats can be investigated to the fullest. Some have to be assumed more serious than others. Imagine if one of the ones that was overlooked turned out to be real and Mr. Obama was killed. Well, with enough presidents passing through the White House over a long enough period with enough threats per year per president, it's only a matter of time until something is overlooked and someone killed or wounded. The one time that happens though, the conspiracy theororist are out in full swing. This is likely what happened with Bush. It's known that he was advised about the potential for a 9/11 type attack. How many such warnings does a president get in a year? Could be quite a few. He may have been negligent in not taking that particular warning serious, but that does not confirm that he knowingly let it happen.
That is far to logical and sensible. You must be part of the grand-plan team, in the smokescreen division.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
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I heard a conspiracy against that TV Show "Glee"

I heard they're attempting to brainwash our youth into watching a crap-ass show using rip-off's from classical & tasteful music from a time before many of the actors & viewers were born, in order to gradually rot their brains over an extended period of time so that they can gradually tear down the quality & talent that existed before today's music artists, which will end the new generations from listening to good music and further suck them into this talentless garbage pop crap music that's being peddled to our youth today.

It's all a part of a larger scheme where big corp will eventually buy out every song & every track ever recorded through history via marketing & buying them out to play on their crap show, remove any interest in the original artists & musiciansexcept for these lame ass actors karaoke'ing their music, squash any independant artists out there and force them all to flock back to the big record labels whom own everything now, restrict & control all online video & music downloading/transfering and have everything so wound tight around their pinky fingers, that the only music we'll ever be able to listen to in the future will either be music American Idol puts out..... or cover songs of music since past, sung by wankers American Idol puts out.... or Glee jack-burgers.

It's all been planned out years ago between the creators of American Idol, Glee, George Bush & Nixon in order to perminately destroy the whole Hippy Movement begun in the 60's with their songs questioning society, government & life in general.

That's right.... Nixon never died.

Glee is just Teletubies for teenagers..... a bunch of music they don't understand, a bunch of flashy lights and camera effects, happy looking people dancing..... and Jazz Hands.

Those friggin Jazz Hands!!

That's how they get you.

They're removing all creative abilities from society and controlling them like a bull mating with a cow..... to the point where society's population will be nothing more then drooling goons who believe everything that they're told.

And why wouldn't they believe what they're told?

They're given happy ripped-off music and people dancing on their screens to brighten up their day. Even the depressing & sad music they rip off is turned into happy fun time..... what would they need to lie about?


Everything is Happy...... Happy...... Haaaapppyyy..... la la la la.......
 
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SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but since the invention of the internet it does tend to gain traction more quickly. What used to take many years to find it's way into "main stream society" now takes only hours.

I see it as an attempt to make order out of chaos, to answer what might be an unanswerable question. Why did this thing happen? More often than not that question does not have a simple answer, but that doesn't erase the need that some people have (a lot of people have actually) for a simple explanation. That need is understandable and is what drives some to move from "possible" to "probable" with lightening speed.

Once an anwer is set upon, then the seeds of fear and mistrust feed upon themselves, which is why there is no dissuading someone from a solid belief regardless of the evidence placed before them. Because to do so would mean letting go of order and embracing the chaos.
 

Praxius

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Dec 18, 2007
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Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but since the invention of the internet it does tend to gain traction more quickly. What used to take many years to find it's way into "main stream society" now takes only hours.

Quite similar to porn. :p

I see it as an attempt to make order out of chaos, to answer what might be an unanswerable question. Why did this thing happen? More often than not that question does not have a simple answer, but that doesn't erase the need that some people have (a lot of people have actually) for a simple explanation. That need is understandable and is what drives some to move from "possible" to "probable" with lightening speed.

wait, what's the difference between possible and probable again?

Once an anwer is set upon, then the seeds of fear and mistrust feed upon themselves, which is why there is no dissuading someone from a solid belief regardless of the evidence placed before them.

Well if the "answer" doesn't clearly resolve all valid questions to a situation, then it must be addressed. If the answer is true & factual, then there shouldn't be an issue with it being challenged.

if the answer makes sense and backed up with solid evidence, most people except the truly demented would accept those answers.

Because to do so would mean letting go of order and embracing the chaos.

You lost me. If they are accepting the answers and not challenged, then isn't that accepting order?
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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I agree it must be addressed but when someone starts with an answer then makes the evidence fit the theory, how is even possible for anyone else to challenge that? When the lack of evidence is the evidence, how does one refute that? Logic doesn't work, believe me I've tried.

If someone latches on to a theory, regardless of how far fetched it is, that, I think, gives them some sense of order. The chaos is accepting that some things are unknown, that some questions don't have simple answers or sometimes any answers at all.

I guess I'm trying to understand the psychology behind why seemingly average, relatively intelligent people would so readily accept and believe something that, to me, seems far fetched. Even a horrendous idea that their own government (for example) is one hundred percent evil is, from what I can gather, some sort of twisted comfort because it provides an explanation.
 

TenPenny

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Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but since the invention of the internet it does tend to gain traction more quickly. What used to take many years to find it's way into "main stream society" now takes only hours.

I see it as an attempt to make order out of chaos, to answer what might be an unanswerable question. Why did this thing happen? .

Conspiracy theories are pretty much the modern day religion. In times past, when things happened that were cataclysmic or of major consequence, people blamed it on the gods / God. Nowadays, people blame it on a worldwide conspiracy of rich and powerful men.

There is little to distinguish modern conspiracy theories from old religions, and there is just as much point in trying to argue against them.
 

Cliffy

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Nov 19, 2008
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Conspiracy theories are pretty much the modern day religion. In times past, when things happened that were cataclysmic or of major consequence, people blamed it on the gods / God. Nowadays, people blame it on a worldwide conspiracy of rich and powerful men.

There is little to distinguish modern conspiracy theories from old religions, and there is just as much point in trying to argue against them.
Just like it is just as useless to argue against those who blindly accept the official story fed to them by governments, media and military/industrial complex.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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The "War on Terror" is without any question a "Conspiracy Theory" right along with the "War on Drugs"...CSIS, The RCMP and your local constabulary are heavily funded by taxpayers to investigate and squash conspiracies and conspiracy theories 24hrs a day 365 days a year.

Amen.