I actually don't think 9/11 is to blame; if it weren't for the internet, 9/11 truthers would be as obscure as the rest, and it'd be fun to report that there were actually people who believed this insane story about that awful day - you'd be like "oh, go on, nobody actually believes that" and then I'd produce some weird pamphlet somebody handed me at a political rally or something. The internet has kind of ruined these things by making it easier for them to acquire mass; a couple of crazy people believing something stupid can be really funny, but a group of them reinforcing one another's delusions and shouting people down is maddening.
Yeah, I totally dig and concur. Actually, though, one of the main things that pisses me off about the 'truther' movement is it has kind of ruined many nights of my beloved Coast-to-Coast AM. They'd still be on that show; I'd still be baffled and irritated at night as I listened to Noory concurring with them as I fall asleep. This is a silly main beef, but it's true! It was great the other night when they had an extensive talk about 'Bigfoots' again.
― Abbott, Thursday, 28 August 2008 16:49 (fifteen years ago) link
The plural is Bigfoots! How could you not love that?
I have found the more far-out the topic of Coast-to-Coast is, the better I sleep! So truthers mean a bad night's restlessness.
― Abbott, Thursday, 28 August 2008 16:50 (fifteen years ago) link
its got to be bigfeet, no? I'm disappointed.
― Thomas, Thursday, 28 August 2008 17:02 (fifteen years ago) link
More than all of these conspiracy theories, I dislike when people believe that the government never lies and people in positions of authority are always trustworthy.
Where are these people?
― Tom D., Thursday, 28 August 2008 17:02 (fifteen years ago) link
its Them. you know, Them.
― Thomas, Thursday, 28 August 2008 17:03 (fifteen years ago) link
In my parents' house. They're called my parents. (I'd been looking for my biological parents for YEARS and it turned out they were just in the living room and kitchen!)
― Abbott, Thursday, 28 August 2008 17:04 (fifteen years ago) link
Another question one could ask is: who *does* control world banking or (a slightly different issue, perhaps) the world economy?
The number one problem I have with banking conspiracies (whether it's Big Oil, the Rothchilds, the Illuminati, or whoever) is that they don't account for some basic sociology. People and companies in similar economic power groups will act similarly. No smoke-filled room is necessary.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 18:44 (fifteen years ago) link
Actually, though, one of the main things that pisses me off about the 'truther' movement is it has kind of ruined many nights of my beloved Coast-to-Coast AM. They'd still be on that show; I'd still be baffled and irritated at night as I listened to Noory concurring with them as I fall asleep.
I still miss Art Bell.
I'd go for Area 51, mainly because I want it to be true.
Sadly, I think the only thing there are vast piles of toxic waste leftover from whatever exotic materials were used to build Aurora, etc.
The UFO followers haven't really updated their story in 60 years. They're always pounding the same drum - ETs in spacecraft from another planet. If there's anything non-human to this (and I don't doubt that people see unidentified things in the sky) I suspect that it'll be *so* weird that we'll all feel like the confused Flatlanders.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 18:50 (fifteen years ago) link
ITS NOT ALIENS AT ALL THEY'RE TIME TRAVELLERS FROM OUR OWN FUTURE!!!¬!
― Thomas, Thursday, 28 August 2008 18:52 (fifteen years ago) link
How did we get this far in the thread without mentioning Skull And Bones?
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 18:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Has anyone been to Roswell? They have a COW in their zoo. It is pretty incredible.
MOO! la vaca, la vaca vaca vaca vaca
Anyone know that song? I was singing it as "MOO! la roca!" until my bud pointed out roca means 'rock.' "You retard, rocks don't say moo!"
la vaca vaca vaca vaca
― Abbott, Thursday, 28 August 2008 18:54 (fifteen years ago) link
YOU SEE YOU SEE ROSWELL REALLY EXISTS AND THERE ARE MONSTERS!!ABBOTT HAS PROOF!!
― Thomas, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:08 (fifteen years ago) link
dan i. has a point though, these theories are so blatantly stupid that they risk making us dismiss ANY account of ppl in power acting in collusion to make something bad happen. i.e., few would argue that the bush administration went out of its way to deceive the country about the danger posed by saddam, but i've heard serious ppl -- new york times columnists! -- argue that it's foolish and conspiratorial to argue that bush et al didn't sincerely believe that iraq posed a threat.
― J.D., Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:26 (fifteen years ago) link
yes, but on the other hand they may or may not be part of the conspiracy which may or may not be ridiculous.
― Thomas, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:28 (fifteen years ago) link
who can tell? we are but small automata tapping away in our little boxes.
I never feel like admitting this to people because I don't like to get in big hoohaws over it but I feel like yeah AIDS probably is man-made.
― nickalicious, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:35 (fifteen years ago) link
I would also like to believe in Hollow Earth, that's where the Grey's live.
― jel --, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:38 (fifteen years ago) link
I believe Jews are responsible for Hebrew National franks.
― nickalicious, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:39 (fifteen years ago) link
And I thank them.
wheres the conspiracy that suggests that human energy can effect the world around us (etc)? mioto water crystals
― CaptainLorax, Thursday, 28 August 2008 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
dan i. has a point though, these theories are so blatantly stupid that they risk making us dismiss ANY account of ppl in power acting in collusion to make something bad happen.
Aye. Appointing Henry Kissinger as head of the 9/11 Commission isn't exactly the work of a totally innocent party.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:10 (fifteen years ago) link
I recall that some of them have moved on to quantum mind theories.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:13 (fifteen years ago) link
I just typed an entry casting doubt on climate change, and it hasn't appeared. Bloody scientist illuminati.
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:13 (fifteen years ago) link
But don't respectable scientists, well, Roger Penrose at least, give some credence to quantum mind theories?
― Masonic Boom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:15 (fifteen years ago) link
Hands off, lizards. Climate change on is the only one which seems at all plausible, and even then I wouldn't call it conspiracy, just a mistake that became fashionable and is now being reinforced by all sorts of cognitive biases. It's not like history isn't full of such errors.
Plus, I had an environmental textbook from the 80s of which the very first line was something like 'Now that manking is facing the initial stages of a new ice age...' so forgive me for being a bit sceptical here
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Quantum mind stuff and Mioto crystals go in the "weird science" bin, not the "conspiracy theory" bin. Lots of respectable scientists attached to weird theories: orgones, etc.
― contenderizer, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:20 (fifteen years ago) link
lol did u guys miss the thread last week where captain lorax was trying to push that stuff
― max, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:20 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah this is hell of otm, when i form opinions about science i tend to weigh my 80s-era enviro textbook against the opinion of thousands of climatologists from around the world
― max, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Well, I suppose Penrose's theories are more like "consciousness is mysterious and we don't understand it, quantum mechanics is mysterious and we don't understand it - THEY MUST BE RELATED!!!" rather than any of the "WOW PEOPLE CAN CONTROL CRYSTAL GROWTH WITH THE POWER OF THEIR MINDS!!!" bs.
― Masonic Boom, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Funny 80s "look out for new ice age!" hysteria is often used to make contemporary warnings about global warming appear foolish or premature, but the scientific support for global warming is much stronger than it ever was for global cooling. We know warming is happening, even the most ardent sceptics (along with the politicians who have most to lose) are beginning to accept this. The only real questions that remain have to do with why it's happening, whether it's "natural", what if anything can be done at this point to halt or reverse it, and how big a role human behavior and industry have played in the change.
― contenderizer, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:26 (fifteen years ago) link
fuck you guys I can totally control crystal growth with the power of my mind
― J0hn D., Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:30 (fifteen years ago) link
fuck you guys I can totally control crystal growth with the power of my enormous pituitary gland
― Mr. Que, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:32 (fifteen years ago) link
and the help of a qualified physician you mean
― J0hn D., Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:35 (fifteen years ago) link
Key thing about the global cooling/ice age theory was that it was a handful of papers which promoted the theory and which was then picked up and distorted by the media. Scientists have known about co2's effect on climate since the 50's and predicted global warming as early as 1967.
― Billy Dods, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:46 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah, but ismael klata's textbook said it was coming, so who knows whos right??
― max, Thursday, 28 August 2008 20:47 (fifteen years ago) link
Well the crystals (that our positive or negative energy influences) is the size of a few molecules so you better get a large telescope to do the mioto water crystal experiment yourself.
But anyone can do his rice experiment (negative thoughts make the jar of rice get more moldy quicker than the positve-thoughts-rice-jar)... And all the youtubes for this show positive results. Mioto's work, although seeming unbelievable, has been 10 years strong and I haven't seen any real proof that he is wrong yet.
― CaptainLorax, Thursday, 28 August 2008 21:01 (fifteen years ago) link
I have two jars of rice at home, one of which is more moldy than the other. Guess which one I put the happy thoughts in? That's right, the moldy one! QEmotherfuckingD.
― contenderizer, Thursday, 28 August 2008 21:18 (fifteen years ago) link
And all the youtubes for this show positive results. -- CaptainLorax
-- CaptainLorax
― contenderizer, Thursday, 28 August 2008 21:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Now, now, those are clearly peer-reviewed youtubes.
― Pancakes Hackman, Thursday, 28 August 2008 22:36 (fifteen years ago) link
Anyway, global warming may well yet suddenly induce a new Ice Age (killing off Gulf Stream, etc). Klata's textbook may be right yet!
The other thing about conspiracy theories is they usually seem to suggest a much higher level of competence than people are capable of. I mean look at the obvious Bush govt messing with truth/justice, etc: this stuff is obvious and unsubtle and cack-handed. Inability to stop 9/11 attacks earlier - cack-handedness and confusion. Not heeding Pearl Harbour warnings - cack-handedness and confusion. There's no conspiracy, it's just people not that great at their jobs. Surprise surprise.
― James Morrison, Thursday, 28 August 2008 23:19 (fifteen years ago) link
faux-incompetence is part of the conspirators plans, brah!
― The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall, Friday, 29 August 2008 00:23 (fifteen years ago) link
they be fucking sneaky
no Philadelphia experiment no credibility
http://www.unmuseum.org/philex.jpg
― PappaWheelie V, Friday, 29 August 2008 00:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Trying to skim through this whole thread made me do a double take - I thought j0hn said "fuck you guys I can totally control crystal METH with the power of my mind."
― EZ Snappin, Friday, 29 August 2008 00:48 (fifteen years ago) link
That's not a conspiracy theory, it's just stupid.
But congrats on finding the weirdest trolling point ever, Cpn Lorax.
― Abbott, Friday, 29 August 2008 01:21 (fifteen years ago) link
the size of a few molecules so you better get a large telescope to do the mioto water crystal experiment yourself.
telescope
― Abbott, Friday, 29 August 2008 01:23 (fifteen years ago) link
best part, I totally missed that
― contenderizer, Friday, 29 August 2008 04:03 (fifteen years ago) link
I can change the size of my telescope using my mind
― El Tomboto, Friday, 29 August 2008 04:07 (fifteen years ago) link