It's more of a defense mechanism. The vast majority of people feel uncomfortable when some of their basic beliefs are held under examination.

Then again, there are a lot of people who use conspiracy theory as a kind of alternative religion, and it's not surprising that they draw mockery.

Yup, that's good old cognitive dissonance for you. Most people don't respond favourably to having their happy, ordered little world torn down around them. Far easier to stick to the established narrative and just keep the hamster wheel moving.

I see you've read the conspiracy handbook. The first rule of being a CT is that everyone who disagrees with you is either a paid shill or has cognitive dissonance. Seriously, I've never seen that word thrown around so haphazardly before finding this place.

Nice try paid shill.

BTW if paid shills would exist I wonder where would they be...

What I wonder, is if the net effect is people get to live their lives to their own satisfaction, then what is the problem?

I think some of the people you are referring to as keeping the hamster wheel moving, are doing so because they don't mind the ride on that wheel so much. Or at least, changing it would be more effort and have to many unknowns that they are not comfortable with. Sure, they may think some of the ideas presented by your typical CT in the wild might have some truth to it, but what is the alternative they might think? As long as people aren't given stars and rounded up to be sent to the showers, why not allow the powers that be their power?

At least, that's what I suspect is the rationalization most use to ignore any 'strong evidence' you might show them as a CT.

I agree with your point, but cognitive dissonance isn't synonymous with those who don't believe in conspiracies or aren't conspiracy theorists.

edit;

Uh, okay so I wanted to note that I don't mean "not believe in conspiracies" as in - that there aren't any happening, not that they just straight don't exist.

People are fearful about the state of affairs in the world today. For many, ignorance and denial is the best route to take. Unfortunately, this decision is the equivalent of taking the "blue pill".

PS: every group has "that guy" ... if you think your group does not have one, you're that guy!

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Am I missing something here, or was your statement about Mitt Romney completely unwarranted and unnecessary?

Yes, it's a random thought.

Nope on the Romney part.

Obama is CIA, born and bred. No can defend.

Seriously? Wow, dunno how I missed that one. Does that mean Romney's on the level?

420, as a faggot myself I take great offense to your statement. Waking people up includes waking up the bigots.

It's hilarious I only found out I was a conspiracy theorist after i found this subreddit, before that i was just a very historically knowledgeable canadian man.

I'm Canadian, and I agree with you in part. I would add that I'm just as skeptical of "conspiracy theories" as I am of what's laid in front of me every day. I think if people debate and evaluate constantly, that's a good place to be. If people start making assumptions, or start picking sides in this complex world, then fallacies occur, removing any strong argumentative footing, thus scaring away strong minds.

and yet it's us Canadians who have one of the shittiest governments available right now... We have many who are up on their stuff, but yet so many more that are so checked out they don't even read the platforms anymore yet are first to vote.

Yea its fine though because my province doesn't need aquifers in the future (the largest ones in canada too)

aquifers? water comes from faucets, dummy! forget to pay your water bill?

/s

Yea fuck i don't need those billions of litres of fresh water that would've been worth trillions. I'll just use good ol' tap water.

Oh? Oil is down under $80 a barrel now? Don't worry, we'll still charge you the same price as when it was well over $100! Nobody will notice...

Yea no one around here is talking about this at all, i told someone about this the other day and they said that's fucking bullshit because gas prices are the same and we're a regional producer, i said YEA THATS FUCKING BULLSHIT EH!?

Verily sir, But it is sad how americans would label me a "terrorist" or "conspiracy theorist" just because I am aware of the order of events of the palestinian-israel shitfuck, or i am aware of the bay of pigs or the contra wars or the CIA funding drug and weapon trades. My comment was implying modern "conspiracy theories" are merely facts painted in a negative light, real conspiracies still exist though( one world order etc) and while those things may not be happening its good to be curious.

Haha you canadians. So naive.

Just kidding (thought your comment was hilarious).

"I'm from Canada. They think I'm slow... Eh?!"

Same here, but Europe. The whole "phenomenon" of labelling and identifying conspiracy theorists is not that popular in Europe. Quite in converse: historically, sociologically knowledgeable people are usually very cautious when judging the government (no unfounded praise, no unfounded insults, but usually very critical). They would be labelled as conspiracy theorists in the States, from what I read. Quite honestly, no offense to anyone, but I think this whole "anti-intellectualism" started in the US and is rooted the most in the US (Amusing ourselves to death, Neil Postman). The only reason American anti-intellectualism is reaching Europe is because of Hollywood and American show business. Other than that, I'm pretty happy where I live with people's generally high level of intellect. :) Glad to learn that anti-intellectualism is weak in Canada.

Could you explain why Canadians are so "unlike" Americans and "more" European in this way, even though you guys are neighbours ?

I think the difference between the USA and Europe is Europeans are taught how democracies are supposed to function and their part in keeping it a democracy, also the mind numbing over the top ‘patriotism‘/nationalism is not popular in Europe since Nazism. In America it seems most people think that being a ‘good American‘ entails consuming a lot of junk and not questioning anything their great leaders tell them.

I like to think that this is where the roots of "anti-intellectualism" in the US had originated.

http://www.school-survival.net/articles/school/history/Compulsory_Government_Education.php

a few things, there is a lower population per area, helps a bit in keeping the massive hordes of retards at bay.We also have pretty damn good 2nd tier education still and opinions almost everywhere seem to be that college = mega huge success so that helps(also "liberal college" is not a thing, they're all "liberal"). also we like to retain our image of progressiveness.

But historically, what made you Canadians not turn out like the Americans ? Commonwealth ? Bilingualism shared with French ? Just overall mentality due to unexplainable coincidence ?

Here I'll put it like this, canada is a "COUNTRY". America is a "country" of states. This means most canadians spread from the same regions and have done little spreading since, this could have caused the result of most canadians sharing very liberal views. hell historically our "conservative" party has been central left. Just look at how early canadians abolished slavery and without a civil war, aswell as abortion and LGBT rights. We all just get a long, apart from some people in the provinces pointing to alberta and quebec with snide comments (i can say the same i disagree with the current political going ons of this country, whatever I don't hate the people of canada) no one seems to dislike anyone else. Whereas americans will constantly say things like "fucking east coast and/or westcoast, fucking south, fucking hippie liberals" etc.

Very interesting. Never saw it that way. Thanks !

And now we have an illegitimate conservative party occupying our government and the idiots who voted for them because they're conservative are now realizing they've been duped into giving majority government to a criminal corporatism, aka Tyrannical, part that is decimating our country through undemocratic means.

It's always refreshing to speak with "outsiders" who aren't subjected to the same propaganda as us.

It doesn't matter what country you are in. All world powers work to hide the negative aspects of their workings.

When I talk with friends in Germany, they speak openly about their understanding of the USA's motivations behind certain actions (political/military) yet the same views in US soil would be "conspiracy theorist".

Once such example was a conversation with a man who lives in Singapore 8 months per year. He was talking about HAARP, and the evident environmental impacts they had, and one of his associates was also contributing to the discussion.

Neither of these guys are conspiracy theorists, and apparently things like that are not masked so heavily outside of the US. But ask any US citizen on the street about HAARP and its effects on weather, and they'll probably have no clue what you're talking about.

They'd probably say thats some sci-fi hibbly bibbly and to shut the hell up, but will ignore the massive military involvement in the project and the insane range of technical applications that im sure "arn't" being used or tested. I heard about HAARP at a fucking science center at a childrens science center while learning about weather, we even used a smaller similar array there to create a mini cloud and modify it in a chamber.

'sci-fi hibbly bibbly' - lol. Laughed more than I should have at that.

Right? I have had the same experience, only I had it in the US.

In response to your opening example, I actually disagree with you. A thinking man will see a photograph and ask for evidence of it's context and meaning. He would not see a picture and derive his own conclusions.

To do so would be anti-intellectualist, the opposite of what you have posited.

If you showed a man a picture of a wolf-hound chasing sheep in many contexts I'd assume the hound was about to eat, the idea that we must surely already know the context is absurd.

exactly, in this picture, you can infer something about what the dog is doing

I think the problem is that for every "good" conspiracy theory with evidence supported by people who can enunciate, there are nine more made by whacky people with no education, no evidence besides "I said so", or the claim is made by a person who is wearing a tinfoil hat.

Speaking of conspiracy theories... I tend to think that happens mostly because those people get the air time specifically because they are unconvincing. Which I think because "I said so". ;]

Even the "good" ones are often presented in language so condescending, divisive, and abrasive that any thinking person is instantly repulsed by the "theorist".

It's hard to be open to non-mainstream ideas when you're branded a-priori as a "sheeple".

You know I, for some stupid reason, never really thought of it that way and completely agree.

It's so frustrating to see people do things like, here in Canada, vote for the coservatives, which is voting against their own best interests. Now a year in their policies are starting to have real effects on real people, negative effects, yet these people will still 'support' the cons cause...I don't know, they hate the gays and love the god. I get so fucking angry...but calling those people names is only going to result in them digging in their heals and shutting off their heads to any other POV.

I guess it just comes down to what my grandmother taught me; You get more bees with honey.

So what you're saying is that calling people sheep makes them sheepier?

just because people don't believe what YOU have to say doesn't mean they're collectivists, it just means you're poor at presenting arguments.

Not really, the truth about conspiracy theorists is that it's a game.

Anyone who knows how the political game is played knows that it is all about misdirection and misinformation.

Let the small truths build to the bigger lies,let the others think you are crazy,let those who seek truth think that there is no crazy truths tacked along with those crazy liars.

It doesn't matter what you believe,it only matters where you can be grouped.

It is all about CONTROL

But know this and know it well,those who seek truth,not those who are handled theories on a plate and either accept them or discard them based on "lack of evidence" will never know the real picture because sometimes truth hides in small amounts in big lies.

To be a truth seeker is to be a collector of small truths.

Ya this sub reddit is full of stupid theories...like chemtrails.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_sulfur_aerosols_(geoengineering) It's really not that outlandish... the science exists and is openly discussed by people who are for it. The only thing that's really up for debate is weather (pun intented) or not they are already doing it. If you need proof that they are, look up.

The problem is that the bulk of conspiracy theorists aren't vocal and don't come out with sound logic and well thought out views.

Scroll through the thousands of comments on every youtube video - check how many "intelligent" discussions you see.

Check here, whenever someone disagrees with the "conspiracy status quo" they're immediately labeled as a shill.

The logic behind truth seeking in conspiracy theorists is something that should be thought of, but to say that there aren't a giant chunk of CT's, faux CT's or not, that aren't just nutjobs is silly.

If people were taught initially (conspiracy theorist or not) to just critically think and search for the truth, regardless of if it agrees with their claims or not, then we would be in a better place. Not all conspiracy theorists do that, which is a huge part of the problem.

I'm sorry but due to the mass of what the "popular" conspiracy theorists have become, it's really hard for me to defend anyone who consistently makes comments like; "Wake up sheeple!"

People who blindly believe whatever the hell they read, whether it's a conspiracy theory or whether it's on the MSM, are all "sheep" by that idiotic analogy, there's no place for it.

There are just as many "sheep" conspiracy theorists, who believe everything they hear.

Biggles, you perpetuate the voice of reason (along with others of course) in this sub.

Welcome to /r/conspiracy where if you agree with my post or mention my name, you get down voted.

I'm like candlejack the second you say my name you get downvoted to oblivi

I'm like candlejack the second you say my name you get downvoted to oblivi

Wow I have never ever heard of you.

Oh I know, been here a lot ;)

/shrug I think (some) people are just holding grudges based off of the fact that I may have rubbed them the wrong way. Unfortunately, I have no idea who those people are.

Glad you knew what you were getting into though, prepare to be down voted beyond comprehension!

Good night (or morning depending on where you are) ~

You do talk sense a lot of the time , but you are a little bit too concerned with the voting thing. I understand it is not nice but you should expect this when you go against the grain.

Yeah I know, I'm really just being facetious more or less with it like when I say stuff like "prepare to be down voted beyond comprehension" :z

I appreciate the half-compliment though, as you and I (iirc) have had times where we don't really fully agree c:

I promise I hit refresh for the first time like in hours and you just happen to have made a comment D:

I'm on here way too much but I swear that was just strange timing.

Like it really matters. Here i'll give them a head start! I'm a resident of the island of Ireland (so it's 1.10pm)

Good day to you too :)

It also makes it easy for the government to direct accusations away from themselves and their version of the story. When they label something a "conspiracy theory", a lot of people will dismiss the sometimes very reasonable claims against the government.

Like 9/11 - for some reason people are more willing to accept that a vast series of 'unrelated coincidences' occurred that just happened to leave the world's #1 superpower totally defenseless at perfectly the right time for a bunch of half-assed terrorists to hijack, fly and crash two planes into two towers in Manhattan, which then collapsed entirely from a combination of impact and the heat from burning kerosene - not keeling over at the weakened edges but literally collapsed in upon itself "like a demolition" - and that the spreading fire and collateral damage was responsible for WT7's fall as well (which also fell like a demolition) .

They'd rather believe all of that than even consider the possibility that it was an inside job - that someone with the power and connections worked to make this happen for their own ends.

One look at where the US was before 9/11 compared to where the US is now will tell you one of two things: either the Terrorists won, or someone (or a group of someone's) made a decisive move to bring the USA to its knees.

Either way people should be outraged, instead they just want to 'move on'.

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"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

-- George Orwell

It is a modern label for people who use their brain.

If that was the case then this subreddit wouldn't have so many stories about the occult, aliens, reptilians, demons, apocalypse scenarios, etc.. Even the stories that seem reasonable are sometimes just lies, like Obama losing his law license that has been on the frontpage lately.

[deleted]

You think it's more important to discuss demons and reptilians than politics?

People who are interested in conspiracy theories are a type of fundamentalist in that they believe most of the problems and issues are down to a fundamental perversion that needs to be unrooted. They may be right or wrong. Personally I feel that a conspiracy theorist who wants to make a difference should be active in a tangible real world way , at a street level , trying to make a difference. Hedging your bets so to speak.

Circlejerking over rense.com while maintaining a mindlessly contrarian attitude is not an intellectual endeavor.

[deleted]

The whole stigma that surrounds us theorists goes beyond control of public consensus: there's a metric fucktonne of bullshit conspiracy out there, too.

I've studied conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists as a hobby for probably far longer than you've lived and I've gotta say, the term is an insult. You likely do not possess privileged knowledge; rather, you probably suffer from paranoia.

To say that the anti-intellectualism movement is a conspiracy is blatantly ironic but also blatantly obvious.

Well to be quite fair,a lot of conspiracy theories are kind of stupid, and off putting. I mean really, I can only stomach listening to someone blaming the jews for everything on the planet for so long.

I get why people are pissed off at the zionists. It's the exact same reason why I don't like christian and muslim whack jobs. There's literally no difference.

There are degrees of blame. The jews are to blame for many of the planet's problems, just as are several other groups. Though I agree with you, once you make them the sole group to blame, your assertion becomes ridiculous.

Someone once told me "Jews aren't involved in 100% of conspiracies, just a lot more than 0.2% of them."

they would have you believe that people with wealth and power do not get together and plan things in accordance with their own self interests. the demonizing of critical thought is an age-old tactic by societal controllers to capitalize on the ignorance of the general population. history is rife with examples of critical thinkers and people who can connect the dots and tell the truth being executed openly. as long as the majority of the earth's human populace refuses to think critically and question everything we're all screwed together. 'conspiracy theorist' is a pejorative that eliminates the literal meaning of the two words and has replaced that meaning with a colloquial catch-phrase that merely triggers the equivalent of "crazy, irrational idiot" in the language center of the brain. in doing so it has created a psychological association that the word 'conspiracy' itself has no real or valid meaning. as such the very concept that word describes, which is more than one person developing and implementing a plan together, is no longer conceived of as a true reality at all. those who share true information, accurate historical facts and perspective are instantly derailed by that one simple pejorative and then must spend all their time trying to disclaim themselves from association with the term.

They would have you believe that people with wealth and power do not get together and plan things in accordance with their own self interests.

Organize at the top, harvest the rewards of business-as-usual, trans-profession chipping and fraudulence.

Organize at the bottom, get the baton and the pepper spray.

Who is 'they'?

The German policemen you showed weren't "standing in solidarity", they were marching with the protesters because that is exactly what riot policemen do. Their helmets are off because there is no need to wear a helmet unless some sort of action is being taken.

As a side note, sheep are so highly domesticated that they are incapable of surviving on their own. It isn't a great metaphor.

It kind of is for most of us... what would you do if one day the grocery store stopped selling food and the power/water turned off etc? I think most people would die.

before the dying of starvation would come the blind panicked lawless mob violence and destruction

Well, my point is that sheep actually require shepherds to survive. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. I don't think OP wants to say that people are dependent on the current ruling order to survive.

Frankly, I am just poking at OP because I think the post is so damn smug.

What would hey do with their lives if they hadn't been shepherded through "go to school, get grades, go work for someone else?" Americans gladly surrender the direction of their lives to what other people tell them they should do.

As a side note, sheep are so highly domesticated that they are incapable of surviving on their own. It isn't a great metaphor.

I think there is an allegory there too.

Actually it is. That is exactly what majority of people are. Stupid, superficial humans that will do what they at the top tell them to do...

The wizard's first rule.

People will believe a lie, most of the time, for one of two reasons; They want the lie to be true, or they are afraid the lie is true.

Fear and greed are powerful allies.

Your looking at this a little wrong. The main problem, is that people that are commonly labeled 'conspiracy theorists' have a serious lapse in basic judgement, and give the rest of us a bad name. The public's view of 'conspiracy theorist' is someone who does the exact opposite of the (I hate to use this word but it is really apt) sheople; they blindly accept 'conspiracy theories' because there some small detail in the facts that can't be proven.

One of the biggest problems for the masses (besides the blatant lack of intelligent thought) is misinformation. For example, say the world 'alien' around a 'normal' person and chances are they will say 'oh the only people who see those is drunk rednecks out in the country' which is so beyond false it's frustrating. Another interesting point is theories about the CIA, which seem to be quite popular; but that is for a reason. If you look at what is documented and been released, they did some horrible things to their own citizens, especially with LSD. That's just what has been released, think about what has not been released; but whenever a story comes out about the CIA doing horrible things people refuse to believe it for some reason.

Well said. Whenever someone mentions 'conspiracy theorist' I always ask them what a conspiracy is. Blank looks are usually abound as they actually think about the words they say for the first time in months. To think that those with power would not try to plan their security and work together to ensure that result is ridiculous.

Conspiracy theorists aren't just nutters with too much time.

Well actually most of the time they are.

And on top of that people tend to see patterns where are none.

And to make things even more complicated - there is so much information that discerning truth from lies becomes just impossible.

So unless you provide irrefutable evidence of your point, mocked you will be.

Seeing the truth being printed in big all caps letters leaves me no option as to think that your tinfoil hat is too tight.

EDIT: Grammar

Funny how CT dislike being reasoned, oh wait...

I upvoted this comment. What people need to be taught in school is critical thinking and sound logic. This will make it much easier to discern truth from fiction (not a hunch that the government is out to get them).

Critical thinking and sound logic will never be on the curriculum.

You can learn more about critical thinking and the trivium at http://www.tragedyandhope.com/trivium

D000d. I'm so glad you posted this. I've been hyping T&H for a long time. I listen to whatever james corbett has out, daily. Brett from School Sucks has a really entertaining and informative live show now, which kicks ass. I've been waiting for a new post from peace revolution, it's been a few weeks now.

But YES, the Trivium is what this sub needs to integrate. We'll then watch the intellectual discourse blossom (more so than it already does)

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, i'm a Bullshit Abolitionist.

I'd like to be remembered along the likes of Frederick Douglass and Abe_Vigoda one day....

Yeah.. What you've said is almost copy pasted straight from David Icke's talk, Robot Rebellion. Infact you even use the same analogies.

I don't mind it when people call me a conspiritard for one reason:

There was a time when I accepted the conditioning/socialisation, even wanted to become a politician. People will wake up, today tomorrow, or when its too late. Hopefully it won't be. Also, it is hillariously ironic that they find the ideas so ridiculous and unbelievable that they dedicate substantial amounts of time to disproving the theories or deriding those that concur with them.

We live in an age where it is impossible to verify facts because monied interests are allowed to purchase their own facts.

This leads people, rightly, to question what the 'official' facts are, but they then have no solid ground on which to locate the real facts, as they are not equipped with the proper education in reason and logic (we used to teach those in elementary school, no more... glad the teachers stood up for that instead of their own collective bargaining rights).

No one wants to be told they're wrong, so it is much less dangerous to ignore the questions, especially if the answer might be unsatisfactory. And when a layman, even an educated one, tells you everyone is out to get you, it's easier to tell ourselves they are wrong and crazy, and immediately write them off, than to question our own infallibility.

The thing is, extrordinary claims require extrordinary evidence, many conspiracy theories, fringe theories, contrary hypothesis, etc. are based on conjuncture, or gut-feelings, thus they get rediculed. It has nothing to do with anti-intellectualism, it has to do with the skeptical being lumped in (willingly or unwillingly) with the crazy.

Oh, sweet irony.

No, it's an insult because there is no conspiracy, no evidence to support a conspiracy, and there's a long tradition of getting it wrong. Conspiracy "theorists" (more accurately, fictionalists) are all insane. Don't listen to them.

here's a relevant article.

also, while ridiculing conspiracy theories has become as common in america as apple pie cooling in a window (which no one ever sees anymore, by the way), this policy has official precedent only since 1953, with the Robertson Panel and the Durrant Report. Following this action, the CIA began operations under the code name Mockingbird to infiltrate and influence American media in the context of the Durrant Report's recommendations. We can also fortunately learn from awesome activist action about COINTELPRO, an FBI info subversion and psychological tactics program. Further, in '67, the CIA released a memo titled "Concerning Criticism of the Warren Report" that was initially stamped "psych" intended for classification and development within military application by psychological tactics, or Psy Ops. This memo further outlines how the establishment should approach conspiracy researchers with psychological tactics, propaganda groups, and ridicule. Finally, the trend of conspiracy research suppression through shadowy and dubious government action produces new fruit with Obama's regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, with a white paper that recommends literally outlawing conspiracy theorizing. Yikes.

As well, we have the evidence of the life of one Paul Bennewitz who suffered from the abuse rendered through such psychological tactics and was institutionalized. So, if there were really nothing to the UFO stuff, why did those government agents spend so much time and energy on subtle psych manipulation of Bennewitz? Why would the gov't waste time, money, and manpower harassing little teeny tiny citizens about conspiracy theorizing?

While there does seem to be a growing anti-intellectual movement, having the establishment make that argument against conspiracy researchers is less the product of true intelligence, and more the product of our intelligence agencies, who have exhibited an interest in developing just such a climate for several decades now.

Thinking adults that have followed the narrative would respond

"Sure, of course. That makes sense. I've heard examples of that before. What of it?"

Unfortunately, Modern American "adults" are far more apt to adopt a different response:

"You're full of it. Where's the evidence of a man?

Belittling anyone who asks for evidence through use of a horrible analogy between unfounded supposition and well established fact and implicitly labeling them not a "thinking adult"? Why yes, this does an excellent job of explaining the nature of conspiracy theorists.

This is correct.

Well be it the finest Education there will always be prejudices. There will always be a percentage of people who think in the context of truth as being:

Objective

Subjective

Absolute

Relative

Conspiracy theories are never anti-intellectual. Theories are to always provoke questions. There will always be those of opposite opinions forever such as group cliques with a shared prejudicial opinion. Everyone is a rebel to their own drummer in some part.

It's those who can't take opposite opinions as being anti-intellectualism. That have a hard time. If you believe your conspiracy is just then put out your word, and don't worry what others think. Lest it will stress you out too much.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-has-america-been-crippled-intellectual-idiots

education apparatus

I appreciate a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, but that phrase took me by surprise.

I'm agnostic. Can you imagine having absolute, 110% definite proof that a god does not exist and convincing a religious person of the stone cold facts? Even if the facts are reputable, these people wouldn't believe anything you said. It's similar to that in nature. "Waking" the sheep up is a daunting task, but I feel as though more and more people are starting to question things, which is a positive.

I'm a Christian. Can you imagine having absolute, 110% definite proof that God does exist and convincing an agnostic or atheist person of the stone cold facts? Even if the facts are reputable, these people wouldn't believe anything you said.

I couldn't agree more. Both sides of the coin work here.

[deleted]

That is contradictory in itself. What you mean is that you are an atheist. An agnostic would argue that neither believer nor atheist are able to have any proof.

First off, that was just an example. Secondly, that's not what I meant at all. Just because I don't have a solid belief that there is a god, doesn't mean I have ruled it out. I haven't ruled out that there's no god either. We (as humans) are just too dumb to know if there's an answer to this question.

I share the same view as Neil deGrasse Tyson on this Agnostic vs. Atheist argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzSMC5rWvos

Your point about lacking solid education I do agree with. Great point.

I would say that the opposite is true. Many conspiracy theories don't really stand up to too much scrutiny, but our society has fostered the creation of frameworks of ideas/memes that have (superficially at least) consistent internal logic.

If you know nothing about the dog or the sheep or how dogs can be trained and how sheep can be herded, you would be quite right to question claims about it. If you've got no evidence whatsoever besides that single image then you have no evidence that dogs can herd sheep. Believing that sheep(le) can be herded takes many images and experiences that build up over time.

A lot of the education you're given is what you 'need' if what you need is to be a part of the society you're in. If you were in a tribal or hunter gatherer society your education would be biased toward the skills necessary to survive there. Is this brainwashing too? Deliberate lies and hiding of the truth?

While I can agree that western education systems are 'agents of the state' in a Marxist fashion and certainly will be geared toward keeping the status quo and getting everyone to play by the rules, that doesn't make it all evil and bad.

Up vote for you. You've said what I've always been saying.

That and the alien stuff.

It's just a theory, a conspiracy theory.

Let's tread carefully here. Considering that a world run by reptiles also falls under conspiracy theory, it's pretty absurd to suggest that "conspiracy theorist" is synonymous with "intellectual". Conspiracy theory often devolves into a cartoonish myth that wraps our slippery reality into a neat little package and denies the validity of others on what basically boils down to ideological grounds: I alone have the truth and everyone else is a fool. Other such packages are communism, capitalism, fundamentalist religion or materialism, etc.

I get your point but I disagree with the title.

"Consipracy Theorist" is only an insult because we live in an age of unrepentant anti-intellectualism.

I think "Conspiracy Theorist" is only an insult because so many non-nonsensical conspiracy theories have been promoted and popularized so it has changed the meaning of the phrase.

While a legitimate Conspiracy Theory like JFK's assassination can be accepted by the mainstream because there is a reasonable case to be made, while "faking the moon landing" is a bit less reasonable, harder to believe and easier to debunk. And the 9/11 truther bull-shit was the final nail in the coffin for "Conspiracy Theorists" everywhere. Those yahoos don't have 2 brain cells to rub together and became the poster children for conspiracies... making all of us skeptics look bad. Which leads me to believe the "Truther" movement is, in itself, a conspiracy to de-legitimize "free-thinkers" and other worthy conspiracy theories.

This is exactly why this subreddit needs to have it's name changed. Conspiracy Theorist is a dismissive label, and has been associated with nut jobs. To paraphrase Bill Cooper:

We are all seeking the truth, and if it is really the truth then we will all eventually come to the same conclusions.

amazing how most people's political ideologies are based around a gut feeling of a deep evil existing somewhere in the world - whether it's "corporations" or "Al Qaeda" - but they can't make the leap and see that the people selling them on the enemy could be the enemy themselves.

not a big leap, once you figure out that the government is printing money for banks and making up excuses to start wars. after all, if greed is the problem, why not take a critical look at the people who are telling you that you'll go to prison if they can't suck up 25-40% of every paycheck you earn...rolls eyes

No, conspiracy theorist is an insult because of the way that most other conspiracy theorists behave.

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You do see the irony of your comment, don't you?

All I saw was: Don't insult the less fortunate sheeple, be thankfull you're not like one of these dumb fuckers, be nice to them because every now and then you gotta try to teach these retards something for the sake of humanity.

I'd like to be remembered along the likes of Frederick Douglass and Abe_Vigoda one day....

So what you're saying is that calling people sheep makes them sheepier?

You think it's more important to discuss demons and reptilians than politics?

Yeah I know, I'm really just being facetious more or less with it like when I say stuff like "prepare to be down voted beyond comprehension" :z

I appreciate the half-compliment though, as you and I (iirc) have had times where we don't really fully agree c:

I promise I hit refresh for the first time like in hours and you just happen to have made a comment D:

I'm on here way too much but I swear that was just strange timing.