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Numbers Of British Believers In 'Conspiracy Theories' Higher Than Formerly Supposed

For me, a CT is something that doesn't meet basic standards of reasoning. Stuff that would be greeted with howls of laughter by 16 year-olds in my tutorial group for example. Amongst other things we used to look at how to tell when someone is yanking your chain.

I'm thinking of Monty Python reasoning -


Or Blackadder -

 
kesavaross said:
Also labelling something as a conspiracy theory means that it will never be researched or looked into by 'the masses' because it's a conspiracy theory. It's a good way for the establishment to make sure that which they don't want exposed doesn't get exposed.

Or..... it might in fact be just a load of twaddle.
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There is much that we are not allowed to know, and much that is told to us, and hard to know if it is the truth or not, and even then how much is the actual truth.
For instance, I have been told by some Europeans living here that the Ukraine war is really not that bad in much of the country. Now I don't believe that, but they apparently do.
Reading the newspaper reports on anything is also questionable - our NY Daily News is very much left, while the NY Post is more right, and the same stories can be reported differently.
I also think censorship is in play at times.
I believe what I see with my own eyes.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
As mentioned elsewhere, 25% out of a smallish poll (2,274) isn't conclusive and should not be extrapolated into anything meaningful for the UK's 70 million citizens.
Some of the conspiracies have been discussed individually here (notably the WHO and 15-minute cities) and it's probably a healthy sign that citizens are concerned about possible mission creep, but that doesn't mean the conspiratorial fear is the intended goal of such projects.
Once again, it all boils down to how much you feel you can trust the government.
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But one shouldn't forget the "lizardman constant" where people will check YES to the weirdest statements just for LULZ:
https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/04/...nd-reptilian-muslim-climatologists-from-mars/

There were the merely dumb, like the guy who put “male” as his nationality and “American” as his gender. But there were also the actively malicious or at least annoying, like the people (yes, more than one) who wrote in “Martian”.

Public Policy Polling’s recent poll on conspiracy theories mostly showed up on my Facebook feed as “Four percent of Americans believe lizardmen are running the Earth”.

(of note, an additional 7% of Americans are “not sure” whether lizardmen are running the Earth or not.)
 
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Frideswide said:
What about those people who look at everything, as in eternal vigilance, and then come to the conclusion that it's all/mostly what is techically called a load of old bobbins*?
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What about them?
I am looking at two different sides. And it would be helpful not to worry about what side I am on.
 
uair01 said:
But one shouldn't forget the "lizardman constant" where people will check YES to the weirdest statements just for LULZ:
https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/04/...nd-reptilian-muslim-climatologists-from-mars/

There were the merely dumb, like the guy who put “male” as his nationality and “American” as his gender. But there were also the actively malicious or at least annoying, like the people (yes, more than one) who wrote in “Martian”.

Public Policy Polling’s recent poll on conspiracy theories mostly showed up on my Facebook feed as “Four percent of Americans believe lizardmen are running the Earth”.

(of note, an additional 7% of Americans are “not sure” whether lizardmen are running the Earth or not.)
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Fair comment and if you were cold-called by some research group you'd never heard of, asking you bizarre questions, would you feel more predisposed to give them bizarre answers?
 
I like the idea that these obviously constructed conspiracy theories are never denied, so as to 'squirrel' our attention away from the real conspiracy of dividing the population and having them at a distance from each other.

And that this is done, obviously, to prevent the united demand for appropriate Governance by and for the electorate, and to prevent the appropriate reduction of corporate and military inteference in our economy.

Isn't this right Sir Humphrey...?
 
I think you can pick out a conspiracy theorist in one easy move. It's when they come out with 'ah, yes...but' when one of their theories is roundly debunked. It means that they aren't interested in listening to any reason, they are just searching for conspiracy.
 
There was a time - not that long ago, I think - when it seemed quite common for a person to hold to a conspiracy theory or two, but the mindset did not spill over into other areas of their thinking. There was much less of a general sense that people were collecting them, that it even crossed their minds that such things were inter-connected - that a belief in one somehow made them more prone to the belief in another.

The universal mindset, where everything can be applied to a sort of general conspiracy theory of everything - seems very much more the norm now, maybe even the default. I think this is where things have really changed.
 
If you had something really big to hide wouldn't it be a good idea to feed and even start some conspiracy theories, from believable to downright looney so that the real conspiracy gets hidden with all the “bobbins”?

Secures tinfoil hat, retreats to prepared bunker lined with dried banana skins.*

*Hadn't you heard?
 
Question for Canadians - @brownmane & @Druk - I think you both are - can you answer this? My conspiracy minded friend told me Canada is now cashless. Having not heard this I looked it up & found that yes, cash use has reduced as it has in many countries, but that ’there are no plans to go cashless’.

He won’t have that as I’ve found it on MSM sources [which are all fake news] whereas his TikTok source is the reality. It’s all part of the WEF plan for global control.
 
hunck said:
Question for Canadians - @brownmane & @Druk - I think you both are - can you answer this? My conspiracy minded friend told me Canada is now cashless. Having not heard this I looked it up & found that yes, cash use has reduced as it has in many countries, but that ’there are no plans to go cashless’.

He won’t have that as I’ve found it on MSM sources [which are all fake news] whereas his TikTok source is the reality. It’s all part of the WEF plan for global control.
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I am English,but sometimes spend six months of the year here,I always have a couple of quid in cash…….Just in case……last year for a couple of days one of the telecom systems went down,the local cash machines,gas stations,stores,restaurants couldn’t process cards,I had cash and card so no problems and no panic.
E437B100-FBC9-4B1E-8BC6-3BD8C48788D2.jpeg
 
Druk said:
I am English,but sometimes spend six months of the year here,I always have a couple of quid in cash…….Just in case……last year for a couple of days one of the telecom systems went down,the local cash machines,gas stations,stores,restaurants couldn’t process cards,I had cash and card so no problems and no panic.View attachment 69842
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Great - thanks.
 
hunck said:
Question for Canadians - @brownmane & @Druk - I think you both are - can you answer this? My conspiracy minded friend told me Canada is now cashless. Having not heard this I looked it up & found that yes, cash use has reduced as it has in many countries, but that ’there are no plans to go cashless’.

He won’t have that as I’ve found it on MSM sources [which are all fake news] whereas his TikTok source is the reality. It’s all part of the WEF plan for global control.
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I have some swampland available to buy. Will happily take cash :rollingw:

But we no longer have pennies
 
I love the media induced definition of what a conspiracy theory is and what a conspiracy theorist likewise is. Hang on, I've just come up with a new conspiracy theory. That the MSM are programming the public to see a conspiracy theorist in the way that THEY want them portrayed. It's done to cover up the real truth of what a conspiracy theorist is. There's no fooling me.
 
kesavaross said:
I love the media induced definition of what a conspiracy theory is and what a conspiracy theorist likewise is. Hang on, I've just come up with a new conspiracy theory. That the MSM are programming the public to see a conspiracy theorist in the way that THEY want them portrayed. It's done to cover up the real truth of what a conspiracy theorist is. There's no fooling me.
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So what is the real truth of what a conspiracy theorist is?
 
Reality is determined by the observer. So anyone can reject anothers idea of reality and substitute their own...so from now on I shall believe that when the sun goes down, birds turn into humans.
 
Mungoman said:
Reality is determined by the observer. So anyone can reject anothers idea of reality and substitute their own...so from now on I shall believe that when the sun goes down, birds turn into humans.
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You are being silly. All birds aren't real so they can't turn into humans. They are all drones that are spying on us.
 
hunck said:
I’ll tell my friend next time I see him. I can predict he won’t believe me [you] & say you’re spreading fake news & probably working for the WEF.
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I am in Red Bird on Bank Street,Ottawa at the moment,Les Stroud is due to do his set in 20 minutes,I just bought 2 coffee’s for cash and am going to buy gas for a few hundred mile journey after this to fish in Quebec for salmon tomorrow,haven’t got my card on me,just a few hundred CAD in cash,it’s not obsolete just yet,it still spends.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Today's Guardian running an article about the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the UK.
Apparently a quarter in UK believe Covid was a hoax!

Other hot topic conspiracies with lots of supporters are:

The ‘great reset’ theory (The World Economic Forum is a conspiracy to impose a totalitarian world government).

The cost of living crisis (was deliberately engineered by the government to control the public).

The terrorism ‘cover-up’ (Media and government are complicit in covering up information about terrorist attacks).

15-minute cities (a government attempt to surveil people and restrict freedoms).

The ‘great replacement’ theory (white Europeans are being replaced by non-white immigrants).

Social media (YouTube and Facebook primarily) gets the blame for fanning the conspiracy fires.


https://www.theguardian.com/society...-was-a-hoax-poll-on-conspiracy-theories-finds
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Nah. I only believe in 3 of them :)
 
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