"Is it really such a great leap of faith to believe that powerful people might join together to act in their common interest?" ~ George Carlin

Terrorist, Thug, Conspiracy Theorist, Anti-vaxxer, liberal, republican, yadda yadda.

Every label is created to empower one and stifle another.

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism

Thank you for this.

Yep. You see it every day here on reddit, especially dealing with current events.

NSA spying - those tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs were right all along! Oh well, I have nothing to hide so I don't care if the government spies on me.

It's maddening. Average folks don't want to be grouped with conspiracy theorists, so they follow the "I've got nothing to hide so I guess it's okay" group, without any REAL research into the matter.

There is a vast chasm between something such as NSA domestic surveillance and sandy hook false flag attacks and chemtrails. People don't want to have to sift through all the absurd bullshit to reach something worthwhile.

That's pretty much the way society has been trained in all things. Don't believe that women are paid less then men? You're a sexist. Don't believe in the need to aid certain racial groups over others? You're a racist. Don't think government policy is representative? You're a conspiracy theorist. Don't believe focus should be put on minorities? You're discriminating. Don't believe in zionism and doing exactly what the government says? You're a terrorist.

These are all easy talking points that the top has given the bottom to alleviate them from having to think or to research. This culture of failing to understand and learn is deliberate. It's a religious mentality disguised under progressive ideas. You're a heathen and that's all I need to know.

If you follow the facts, you have to accept that the powers that be are not acting in favor of the people. To understand that they are ruled by people who do not care about them is scary for most people so they do not want to admit it. It is much easier and comfortable to stay with the propaganda that has been beaten into your head since childhood for 99% of the people..

"Land of the free, Home of the brave"

I prefer the term alternative news enthusiast.

Sadly even some people look at alternative news in a negative light.

It's all just "news". CNN is no more credible than Alex Jones. That's why these "news" organizations need to provide actual proof that their stories are true.

The late John Judge's excellent essay related to this topic:
http://www.steamshovelpress.com/latestword15.html

I think this phenomenon is concentrated in North America. Many Europeans, South Americans, former Soviets, Africans, Aussies and Asians feel 9/11 was bullshit.

Sticks and stones can break my bones...

I think the interesting challenge is coming up with a new label. Skeptics was fine and dandy until it got co-opted to be skeptics (of conspiracy theorists).

"Redpilled" and "awake" are cringe-inducing. "Truth seeker" holds too much ego.

The most honest language I can come across would be to call myself an iconoclast. It's accurate and sounds pretty nifty.

I like to refer to my fellow truthers as those who have broken out of the matrix.

Which, IMHO, is pretty juvenile.

It's fine and fun amongst yourselves but you aren't going to influence others with a self-congratulatory label.

We DO deserve to be congratulated. We have accomplished something that is both difficult and important.

...that's kinda what I'm talking about, right there.

"Redpilled"

My instant thought: What does /r/TheRedPill have to do with this?

And even that sub receives knee-jerk reactions.

It's something with human nature and TPTB understand this.

The red pill is from the movie the matrix.

Its the pill neo chooses to wake up and see the world for what it truly is.

Versus the blue pill, which keeps his life exactly the same as it always was. Dark and blissful.

I know.

I consider myself a "propaganda researcher". I figure that's the best I can do.

Or perhaps propaganda enthusiast! That's a nice one.

Easy there Bernays.

How about "a person who has studied history". Doesn't really need to be any more complicated than that since anyone who has would know that history is just a series of conspiracies.