And if you dismiss their concerns about it, they’ll happily fall under the sway of something like Qanon
really?
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, August 11, 2019 4:40 PM (fifty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
Yes, really. It’s no secret that a lot of people get sucked into the right through conspiracy theories. And yes, most of these theories are patently absurd, but many of them are seductive because they have some sort of connection to reality, no matter how skewed. Look at how long conspiracy theorists have dined out on Cointelpro and MK Ultra (both historically real and destructive secret programs), for example. And fuck, we just learned a few years ago that the NSA spies on everybody. Why would you trust anyone who tells you there’s nothing to worry about?
So when something like the Epstein case comes along that involves so many nodes of real-world power, and the man at the center of it turns up dead...welp.
Epstein’s death is inherently charged by the very nature of the crimes he was accused of and the circles he operated in. It does not mean he was murdered but scoffing at people who think it’s a little fishy seems to me a misguided and frankly rather patronizing impulse.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:37 (four years ago) link
Prince Andrew and his mother being chauffeured to church this morning. pic.twitter.com/GshGJbEPBx— Garbage 🦍 (@GarbageApe) August 11, 2019
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:48 (four years ago) link
lock thread
― Criss Angel Raw: The Mindfreak Unplugged (bizarro gazzara), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:49 (four years ago) link
LOL
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:51 (four years ago) link
which one is Andrew
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:52 (four years ago) link
Come on now, who among us hasnt ever been that excited for a nice long day of church tbh
― “Hakuna Matata,” a nihilist philosophy (One Eye Open), Sunday, 11 August 2019 17:56 (four years ago) link
Basically anyone running with some Infowars type theory here, without any evidence, has lost all credibility to me. not that u care but fuk u anyway
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:00 (four years ago) link
conspiracy theories are funny and I understand why people get seduced by them. However I don’t have any respect for people who are seduced by them and I fail to see why I should make the effort to invent respect for them.
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:00 (four years ago) link
If you wanna compare me to Richard Dawkins then LOL u mad
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:01 (four years ago) link
It does not mean he was murdered but scoffing at people who think it’s a little fishy seems to me a misguided and frankly rather patronizing impulse.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, August 11, 2019 10:37 AM (twenty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
*i* think it's a little fishy! awfully convenient! i still don't understand how my scoffing is gonna make people think q is real
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:01 (four years ago) link
we need to let people believe shit that is 90% insane or else they’ll start believing shit that is 100% insane
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:03 (four years ago) link
Awaiting the Ghislaine extradition order/search warrants.
Curious whether there are any binational compacts between the US and UK that would get UK law enforcement involved.
― hedonic treadmill class action (Sanpaku), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:03 (four years ago) link
astrology > conspiracy theories
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:04 (four years ago) link
maybe put "fascination with true crime" in between astrology and conspiracy theories there, imo my generation sucks
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:05 (four years ago) link
h8 true crime
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:06 (four years ago) link
can't believe there are so many idiots who think there's something suspicious about the convenient death of a guy who had dirt on a lot of powerful ppl, that's like thinking that the US would go to war using fake evidence or something
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:08 (four years ago) link
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:03 (one minute ago) link
Well, you’re framing it in terms of “let” which is the fucking problem in a nutshell.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:09 (four years ago) link
peeps be thinkin life is a Jason Bourne movie
― calstars, Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:11 (four years ago) link
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, August 11, 2019 11:09 AM (fifteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
... are people who believe in conspiracy theories really this persecuted
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:25 (four years ago) link
President Keyes, if someone had "theorized" a conspiracy that involved child sex trafficking on a remote island involving a cabal of pols and captains of industry...would that person have lost your respect?
I don't get it...I mean conspiracies exist, people are convicted of conspiring all the time. Theories abt conspiracies range from the unfounded and absurd (pizzagate) to the likely (dark money, name your lobby).
A banket dismissal of "conspiracy theories" is meaningless.
(if I had to guess I'd say Epstein killed himself, but nobody itt has any idea, and teah, ppl have been offed in prison for much less)
― The Ravishing of ROFL Stein (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:29 (four years ago) link
it's just completely exasperating to me.
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:31 (four years ago) link
this particularly conspiracy theory i think is highly credible but it still doesn't produce much thought beyond "huh maybe that happened" which is i assume why we're talking about how people who believe in conspiracy theories being clowned on is like richard dawkins being an islamophobe or whatever
― american bradass (BradNelson), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:35 (four years ago) link
crutis do you think he killed himself bcz he was sad or bcz he was encouraged to do so
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:36 (four years ago) link
Lonely guy just thinking baout long term imprisonment as a procurer of underage girls
― Euripedes' Trousers (Tom D.), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:38 (four years ago) link
https://thehardtimes.net/culture/conspiracy-podcast-suggests-link-between-epstein-death-and-lack-of-comfortable-casper-mattress-in-cell/
― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:38 (four years ago) link
conspiracies exist, people are convicted of conspiring all the time.
I agree that criminal conspiracies are fairly common, in that the only requirement for a conspiracy is that two people agree together to knowingly break a law and then act upon that agreement. But convictions for conspiracy are rare, if only because prosecutors hate to bring 'conspiracy' charges, as opposed to criminal charges based solely on actions taken, rather than considering the prior agreement to act as a separate charge, thus muddying their case and making it needlessly complex.
― A is for (Aimless), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:38 (four years ago) link
do you think he killed himself bcz he was sad or bcz he was encouraged to do so
I recommend reading the Twitter thread soref linked to upthread.
― A is for (Aimless), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:40 (four years ago) link
lol tom
I think there are a number of reasons epstein would have killed himself. just thinking baout things probably less likely than wanting to take his fate into his own hands. the twitter thread soref posted makes sense to me, ymmv
xps
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:46 (four years ago) link
― calstars, Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:46 (four years ago) link
I read the thread last night, was just curious abt crut’s thoughts 💭
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:48 (four years ago) link
good lord you shouldn't be though
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:49 (four years ago) link
if you like old Robert Stack-hosted episodes of Unsolved Mysteries does it mean you like true crime y/n
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:55 (four years ago) link
i did like unsolved mysteries as a kid. great theme tune.
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:57 (four years ago) link
there's a pretty blinkered anti-conspiracy strain of thought that resembles Richard Dawkins' dogmatic brand of atheism...more abt intellectual arrogance than anything else― The Ravishing of ROFL Stein (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, August 11, 2019 12:33 PM (four hours ago)yeah, this is otm
― brimstead, Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:58 (four years ago) link
great thread!!
The problem ultimately is the term “conspiracy theory” itself, which is a pernicious umbrella that lumps together disparate real and imagined events. With this term, speculation about a guy (maybe!) being offed in jail is implicitly put on the same level of plausibility as Kubrick faking the Moon Landing or whatever.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, 11 August 2019 18:59 (four years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/books/review/kate-tuttle-true-crime-women.amp.html
― brimstead, Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:01 (four years ago) link
xxp wtf is your problem?
I've said I have absolutely no idea, repeatedly.
(I think it's probably suicide. I don't get the vehemence on either side of this.)
― The Ravishing of ROFL Stein (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:01 (four years ago) link
latebloomer otm
― The Ravishing of ROFL Stein (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:02 (four years ago) link
not the best essay but whatever I’ll flounce now
― brimstead, Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:02 (four years ago) link
― flappy bird, Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:03 (four years ago) link
i agree that not all conspiracy theories are equal, and obviously there's an actual conspiracy at the heart of the epstein stuff, but that doesn't mean the claims he was murdered don't deserve scrutiny
― Vape Store (crüt), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:04 (four years ago) link
xp sorry I usually skip over your posts
― brimstead, Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:04 (four years ago) link
lol not you flappy
This Robert Maxwell biography is still in print after 17 years, and is rising the microgenre sales lists. I don't think it's irrelevant to the Epstein case.
― hedonic treadmill class action (Sanpaku), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:06 (four years ago) link
Given that both murder and suicide are plausible here I'm surprised at the strength of feeling
― anvil, Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:15 (four years ago) link
Yeah many XP’s here but I feel like if you bond yourself to bullshit theories you will forever be not credible
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:30 (four years ago) link
For the record, I think it was probably suicide. I just don’t think it’s crazy to suspect that it wasn’t.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:31 (four years ago) link
Like in the months after 9/11 I went to a Howard Zinn lecture and he refused to dismiss the idea that Israel was behind the attacks. At that point he lost my respect and could never earn it back.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:33 (four years ago) link
It’s fine. If there’s credible info I will listen bye knee jerk conspiracy can fuck off imo
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 11 August 2019 19:34 (four years ago) link