Know any intelligent conspiracy theorists?

[jonks]

Does anyone personally know anyone they think is very bright, someone you intellectually respect, but who is prone to conspiracy theories?

The only nutter I know personally is my brother in law, who I think I've cured of trutherism but who is still convinced fluoride is a govt plot (won't let his kids bruth with fluoride toothpaste) and that the pyramids were built by aliens or under their direction (how else could they have been built in different parts of the world before intercontinental travel, eh? eh??) But he's not a bright fellow, and not very educated. I think the internet gives him a feeling of empowerment, and it sure makes research easy! But while sources of information are at the fingertips these days, that still doesn't teach critical thinking skills.

Anyway, I hang mostly with a professional and educated bunch and none of them are CTists. Whabbout you?

 

[BW86]

I know many highly educated individuals who refuse to brush with fluoride.

 

[So]

By definition, no I don't...

 

[Cogman]

, Was just about to post a thread like this. Only in my thread, I was going to make up a conspiracy theory.

I agree, most of them are whack jobs. And what's funny is they all think their particular brand of conspiracy theory is legitimate while most others are laughably false. They never seem to be able to accept that their position sound just as crazy to everyone else.

 

[Gooberlx2]

He isn't prone to conspiracy theories, but I do have a friend who I'd call a "half-truther". He's not totally nuts about it, but he puts more stock than I would in to "Loose Change" and shit.

But he is a brilliant person. Two masters, PhD, JD, works in the bio-chem industry for universities and pharma, etc...

 

[JS80]

One of my best friends, i-banker, summa cum laude UCLA, is an anti-semite jewspiracy theorist and alien made the pyramids believer, and aliens visit us today (based on the buzz aldren interview). My dad, also a jewspiracy theorist without the anti-semitism.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I know a guy who is very smart and not normally prone to conspiracy theories, but he does think that there's more to the collapse of the twin towers than the official story lets on. I don't think it makes him stupid?he doesn't claim that the government did it on purpose (in fact, he doesn't speculate at all on who did it or why). He just thinks that, based on how they collapsed, there has to be a better explanation. Neither of us is a structural engineer, though, so it's hard to do much original research into it. It also doesn't help that being curiously skeptical automatically gets you labeled as a "truther" and a "conspiracy theorist."

I don't disagree with what he says, but it doesn't make much difference to me either way. I'd like to see a trusted, reliable source either support or refute some of the claims made by the aforementioned "truthers" in an easy-to-understand way. This isn't like the moon landing hoax people, whose claims were totally ridiculous and easy to prove wrong with even just a little internet research.

EDIT: He sounds like your friend, Gooberlx2.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

mutually exclusive

 

[OCGuy]

No, not really.

That doesnt mean the government cant lie to you though, they do all the time.

The only thing about 9/11 I question is that flight over PA. I dont really believe that a guy got up and said "Lets roll!" and made them crash the plane.

I think that was a feel-good story.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

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[rudeguy]

I don't trust the government to tell the full truth about anything.

 

[Regs]

My uncle is a physicist for the government, but he tells it like it is and does not BS.

What you're looking for is a guy who can make up a story that you can believe in.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Originally posted by: OCguy
No, not really.

That doesnt mean the government cant lie to you though, they do all the time.

The only thing about 9/11 I question is that flight over PA. I dont really believe that a guy got up and said "Lets roll!" and made them crash the plane.

I think that was a feel-good story.

ditto, that story is def a cover up. govment shot it down.

My uncle is an idiot and falls for all the e-mail conspiracy bullshit that he gets. He was all excited about how Mars was going to shine brighter than the moon this year. dumbass.

My life insurance salesman, not really sure how smart he can be but, he is convinced the Federal Reserve is ran by the wealthy whos who's of the world , i.e. Rockefeller's, Rothchild's, etc., and that they are controlling everything, and everyone.

 

[FoBoT]

i only know you guys, so......

 

[Titan]

Originally posted by: OCguy
No, not really.

That doesnt mean the government cant lie to you though, they do all the time.

The only thing about 9/11 I question is that flight over PA. I dont really believe that a guy got up and said "Lets roll!" and made them crash the plane.

I think that was a feel-good story.

Conspiracies are not lies. They are not the same thing, but conspiracies are usually covered with lies; often after people start digging. Conspiracy happens all the time. George Carlin talked about that in an interview before he died. Big business and govt get together in back rooms all the time trying to figure out how they can sell the country out and run off with all the money. George's point was that he doesn't like the fact that anything labeled a conspiracy is automatically dismissed just by the label.

The truth is always covered up with bullshit. If something is true, no one needs to talk about it because it is true. There is a lot of wisdom in Carlin's last HBO special which the main them is "it's all bullshit, and it bad for ya."

I'm not going to get into all this here. But someone questioning if a conspiracy existed is not automatically stupid. People who believe what is handed to them are fools, conspiracy or no. Someone challenging authority and investigating those who should behave in a most open way but don't - is the highest form of patriot for by defending his rights he is defending all of ours. Wether or not he is misguided is his own problem but that is his life and resources to spend and I personally commend anyone who questions their life and reality.

That's what science is supposed to be about. But it isn't even anymore. Science is the new religion as science students just repeat what is handed to them. What most people call reason is simply denial, often in knee-jerk fashion. Sure you can solve problems within the frame of science and even effect your reality. But new science and research? I mean we probably haven't had anything groundbreaking since the transistor.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Intelligence and sanity don't always go hand in hand.

 

[sygyzy]

I think it's very easy to dismiss anyone who questions the status quo as being crazy.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
I think it's very easy to dismiss anyone who questions the status quo as being crazy.

It's becoming too easy for any idiot with a poor grasp of logic and low standards for evidence to gain followers these days.

 

[AreaCode707]

My mom. She's an incredibly bright, logical and thoughtful person. Her only quirk is that she believes (some) vaccines will give you autism etc.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Originally posted by: AreaCode707
My mom. She's an incredibly bright, logical and thoughtful person. Her only quirk is that she believes (some) vaccines will give you autism etc.

No joke here. I though there was one that could.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

I know a very smart guy (licensed radiologist with engineering background) who is working on cold fusion. And he's pretty much insane. He believes in all the alien stuff, life-forms that can only be taped with high-fps cameras, etc. He has made some energy gains with the cold fusion stuff actually, but nothing on a large scale.

 

[manowar821]

Plenty.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: JS80
One of my best friends, i-banker, summa cum laude UCLA, is an anti-semite jewspiracy theorist and alien made the pyramids believer, and aliens visit us today (based on the buzz aldren interview). My dad, also a jewspiracy theorist without the anti-semitism.

1) LOL
2) Lately, I'm starting to think this (your dad) applies to me.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Intelligence and sanity don't always go hand in hand.

Exhibit A: Linus Pauling.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: sygyzy
I think it's very easy to dismiss anyone who questions the status quo as being crazy.

It's becoming too easy for any idiot with a poor grasp of logic and low standards for evidence to gain followers these days.

The number one reason that I wish the internet had some sort of restrictions. Wrong, I know...but it really seems like a necessary evil.

When dipshits start printing out pages from non-factual fear-mongering websites, as if they were truth, and start taking them to townhall meetings, proclaiming the truth of them, and thus stalling necessary reform that affects everyone....we have a real problem.

Then there's the whole defense via "that's my opinion!" tactic in logical argument that sprung out of nowhere due to the internet--or at least gained mass popularity. ...well, I suppose it's a good metric for finding the idiots and thus ignoring them.