By islander July 8, 2022 6:54 am Category: Personality (0.0 from 0 votes) Write A New Article

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This article from “The Conversation” is, I think, right on target when it says that conspiracy theories are more fun than real life!

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

"So how does conspiracy theory feel? First of all, it lets you feel like you’re smarter than everyone. Political scientist Michael Barkun points out that conspiracy theory devotees love what he calls “stigmatized knowledge,” sources that are obscure or even looked down upon.

In fact, the more obscure the source is, the more true believers want to trust it. 

This is the stock in trade of popular podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” – “scientists” who present themselves as the lone voice in the wilderness and are somehow seen as more credible because they’ve been repudiated by their colleagues. Ninety-eight percent of scientists may agree on something, but the conspiracy mindset imagines the other 2% are really on to something. This allows conspiracists to see themselves as “critical thinkers” who have separated themselves from the pack, rather than outliers who have fallen for a snake oil pitch.

One of the most exciting parts of a conspiracy theory is that it makes everything make sense. We all know the pleasure of solving a puzzle: the “click” of satisfaction when you complete a Wordle, crossword or sudoku. But of course, the whole point of games is that they simplify things. Detective shows are the same: All the clues are right there on the screen..."

Cited and related links:

1. theconversation.com

Comments Start Below

by islander on July 8, 2022 10:15 am A lot of people don't really know how to spot a conspiracy theory, or what a conspiracy theory actually is. This article gives some excellent information on identifying a conspiracy theory: ec.europa.eu by HatetheSwamp on July 8, 2022 10:30 am Interesting, isle. Good stuff. Conspiracy theories often start as a suspicion. They ask who is benefiting from the event or situation and thus identify the conspirators. Any ‘evidence’ is then forced to fit the theory. Once they have taken root, conspiracy theories can grow quickly. They are hard to refute because any person who tries is seen as being part of the conspiracy. Perfect! And, interesting that you should post this now. The conspiracy theory du jour is the Christian Nationalism/International Theocracy insanity that's panicking thousands...MILLIONS?...these days. I try not to laugh too loudly at woke Christophobes, but, at times, they make it very, very hard. Like now. Bahahahahahahahahahaha, ahhhhhhhhhhh! by islander on July 8, 2022 11:15 am Glad to see you could spot that one. It was a rather easy one though. by Curt_Anderson on July 8, 2022 12:15 pm I was at a Fourth of July potluck which has been an annual event for nearly 40 years among friends. Most of our connections our through our kids and their primary school days together. So we are all about 70 years old. One of the attendees remarked that his parents voted for Nixon in 1960 because they didn't want a Catholic in the White House taking orders from the Vatican. He then remarked that now half the Supreme Court is Catholic. I remarked, "See, your parents were right!" by HatetheSwamp on July 8, 2022 12:18 pm Bahahahahahahahahahaha! by islander on July 8, 2022 1:02 pm LoL !!! Good one Curt ! Today, I think, the word Catholic, Jew, Muslim or all the encompassing "Christian", by itself, doesn't tell us a whole lot. There is for example a huge difference between a conservative Catholic and a liberal Catholic, same with any of the others. My parents were about as conservative as you can get in virtually all things, even though they were Catholic, they voted for Nixon over the Catholic JFK. Kennedy was, in their mind, a "liberal" which = communist or a dupe of the communists!! I sometimes wonder if they would feel the same way today and vote for Trump over that dammed liberal (socialist commie) Biden...Even though Biden is Catholic. Go To Top

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