Kind of paraphrasing Dave Chappelle here:

"The worst thing you can call somebody is crazy. It's dismissive. I don't understand this person so they're crazy. These people aren't crazy...they're strong people. Maybe it's society that's a little sick."

"Proof" and "evidence" are designated adjectives for things that come from "official channels", because the concepts of them come from the official channels themselves. The rabbit hole goes very deep.

Well said. It's sad and frustrating to see how people are so conditioned by the mainsteam media; despite the countless proven facts presented to them by the 'nuts'. The good news is more people are beginning to open their eyes each day. It may take a while, but we'll get there.

I work for a really large cable company. One of the ideas being floated around is putting cameras on the cable boxes themselves. This is to video chat, etc. But it made me realize that 1984 isn't close, it's already here.

...or hanging out in an upscale Palestinian neighborhood

Pakistani?

There are no upscale Palestinian neighborhoods ;)

People didn't like what you said? They must be ignorant arrogant sheep!!!!!

He was probably a CIA plant.

The good news is more people are beginning to open their eyes each day

"The good news" is ako bible!

I stated in that forum only that no matter what "proof" is supplied there will always be speculation, the other people supplied the negative connotations. I think the big question is not who is right or wrong butwhy aren't we looking into the mistrust a large number of Americans have for their country, I think that is the best way to raise the important questions.

[deleted]

Social Proof should also be added there, since we deal with a lot of 'herd' action these days with social media networks.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/consensus_trance

consensus trance (plural consensus trances)

An automated state of consciousness; actually, the normal consciousness, based on the premise that people believe what they are told to be true as opposed to what they have themselves realized to be true.

If you have ever spouted off an opinion on anything verbatim from some media pundit on TV as though it were your own, you'll realize what this means. That's what most people are doing - parrotting the consensus trance that is re-enforced by the media. It all goes back to assumptions - we all act on them, and changing them can be an uncomfortable process. For example, let's say 9/11 was actually carried out by 19 Saudi hijackers with boxcutters. Let's say all that is true. Now let's also allow for the possibility that these guys were simply patsies who were "allowed" to carry out their mission so that a further objective could be realized - the securitization of the USA, more wars, financial coverups, etc. Most people, especially Americans, can only think in either/or terms. Republican or Democrat. Bears or Broncos. Cowboys/Indians. Capitalism/Communism. America is a binary state. Either it was hijackers, or it was an inside job. In fact, both can be true. It is possible that the enemy was aided and abetted by internal forces. But to integrate the two would imply that one's government is not looking out for the general welfare of the population, and most people can't go down that road or integrate those thoughts. So it's easier to dismiss it as conspiracy theory than it is to critically weigh the facts and arrive at your own opinion. It's easier to parrot whatever some talking head thinks instead of doing your own research. Instead of integrating new information into your model of the world, it can be preferable to compartmentalize it. The phrase "conspiracy theory" allows us to compartmentalize any information that contributes to cognitive dissonance. Whenever new information arises that challenges our prior assumptions, we engage in confirmation bias by compartmentalizing this information as conspiracy theory. At some point, though, the number of outliers adds up, which points to a new trend.

Right around here is where the "yeah buts" pop up, such as why people in the know have not spoken up. If t9/11 was a conspiracy, then surely someone would have spoken out by now. Well, many people have pensions, mortgages and positions of power, and those can be more important to them than the "truth". Also, in a world of extraordinary rendition, people can be "disappeared" into the prison system, suicided or murdered before their voices grow too loud.

I guess my point is that many people watch TV, which is a world full of fantasy. It's an escape. You could make the arguement that people believe in conspiracy theories as a means of escape, because real life is so dull, and the world makes less and less sense by the day. That seems to be the most common opinion - that conspiracy theories are peoples' way of dealing with an increasingly chaotic world. But what if EVERYTHING you see on TV is a Hollywood fantasy? Spending 40 hours a week plugged into the collective hivemind is going to warp your sense of reality until reality itself appears fictional.

[deleted]

Or the steak? Remember the steak?

You've touched on a great irony, my friend. You're absolutely right.

The best way to think about conspiracies and media is to remember high school.

I hate to say it but adult life in America is an extension of high school, and not of college. You can't get laid if you're not cool, and you can't be cool if you're not mainstream. When the fringe becomes mainstream, then you become mainstream by embracing the fringe.

I didn't learn until I got older to thank my lucky stars that I was never popular and always did my own thing. There's nothing, NOTHING like being able to think for yourself. I wouldn't trade it for all the money in china.

We all want to belong to a tribe, and buy the gear to send the social proof. It starts when you're young. Girls vs boys - pink versus blue clothes. Jocks vs goths -Body Armour versus Hot Topic. Then if you ever make it to university, Identity is which frat you belong to, or whether or not you're on varsity. This is more of an American thing. Here in Canada, university Identity is much more centred around which faculty you belong to. Arts students hang with arts students. Polisci with Polisci, and maybe the odd econ. B-students hang with B-students, but later it's the finance people with finance, accounting with accounting - because you all bond around class group projects. So your tribe now is your "discipline" or "vocation". When you get out into the "real world", you have to cut your hair, get some fresh clothes and show you're willing to conform to the new social norms - head down, work hard, don't ask too many questions - conform conform conform. Your identity now is focused around which group you belong to - government or industry, operations or finance, etc. Beyond that, your identity is built by which neighborhood you live in, what kind of car you drive, and which country club or gym you frequent. You work at a job you don't care much about with people you'd rather not know, all to pay the bankers and the tax man their pound of flesh. Every day you're told how living standards are increasing, how you're better off than your grandparents were, yet your standard of living seems to be chipped away every day. Gas prices are up. Food is through the roof. Your savings have been wiped out, and you're underwater on your mortgage. You want to save up some money to go on a trip to Vegas to escape the soul-killing nature of your fabricated reality. You want to experience the freedom of walking around The Strip with a Coors Light in your hand, and don't mind having your balls cupped by the TSA in order to enjoy that freedom. Then you get a text on your cel phone. It's from the President, via the mandatory chip in your cel phone. It says:

"Remember, they hate us for our freedoms".

Think back to high school - is this how you envisioned it? Deep down in your soul, you know something is amiss. You just haven't realized it. Reality itself is an excercise in cognitive dissonance. If thinking about it too much makes you uncomfortable, crack a beer, watch the game or see what's on TMZ.

In the absence of that which I am not, that which I am ... Is not.

It's a study in contrasts.

Take it from someone who's done it. Las Vegas is one of the last places on earth you want to go with the goal of escaping "the soul-killing nature of your fabricated reality". Just about everything there is the epitome of Fabricated Reality. Just saying.

Yes, but you can drink beer on the streets. That's true freedom. Getting the rubber glove treatment from the TSA is just a minor inconvenience to realizing that true sense of freedom. I'm being sarcastic/ironic/fecetious or whatever you wish.

Contempt prior to investigation will keep man in everlasting ignorance.

The best way to stop all critical inquiry is to attach the label "conspiracy theory" to it.

I don't really understand how this belongs in /r/conspiracy, whether or not you think osama should have been killed or should have been arrested doesn't seem conspiratorial. Or are you implying something else?

Do Jews control the media? The LA Times says Yes!

Conspiracy "nuts" bring up valid points

Sometimes

People who are "informed" dismiss points because it questions their "informed" belief.

Conspiracy "nuts" consider themselves informed

People who are "informed" dismiss points because it questions their "informed" belief.

See r/conspiracy

Yes, but you can drink beer on the streets. That's true freedom. Getting the rubber glove treatment from the TSA is just a minor inconvenience to realizing that true sense of freedom. I'm being sarcastic/ironic/fecetious or whatever you wish.