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>why is it still ridiculed to say it might be happening? This thread is full of opportunities for me to contribute, but this is the comment that is the most im
by arminiusreturns 6y ago
>why is it still ridiculed to say it might be happening?
This thread is full of opportunities for me to contribute, but this is the comment that is the most important.
I've spent a long time sifting through conspiracy theories, and I came to a conclusion at one point that the most important thing in the world the oligarchs and TPTB have at their disposal is control and influence of various degrees on the mass media in all it's forms. Therefor, the most important task is to inform people. Problem one is that the propaganda mass conciousness influence has been almost perfected, and it's very numbers based. So for example, lets say I showed you some of the more crazy conspiracies that have been at play in the US. If you are someone who wants an ugly truth over a beautiful lie, you might see the merit to my arguments. I can take the time to do that, but my numbers will never reach the MSM numbers... and so they keep doing what they are doing, because we are far away from the critical mass needed to actually push back against that power with power. The few movements that do start with that intention are quickly infiltrated and taken over, etc. Essentially, as long as the media can fool X percentage of people, it doesn't matter how many people want to fight the system, the fooled masses in their herd mentality will quash any dissent, and the perpetual cycle of abuse continues.
Second, is that I have discovered that most people simple don't want to know the truth, and in particular the ugly truth over the beautiful lie. I've "woken" (sorry it's cliche but appropos) people up who at a later point said "I don't want to know, that's too dark..." etc, but a lot of people really would rather hang on to any lie that makes them feel better than to hear about how borked the US is (and the world).
Combined, these two principles work in tandem to make sure even those who might still have a spark of dissent in their bones tend to be extra dismissive of any "conspiracy theory", either for self-preservation whether concious or not, because of herd mentality, and/or because they've been propagandized too heavily.
Also, there was a definite leap in sockpuppetry tech about ~2010, and I think there are a lot more "digital dissociative disorder people" on the web than anyone is willing to admit. (largely working to create the illusion of that herd mentality which then becomes reality)
The problem I'm running into now isn't yesterdays NSA conspiracy, it's trying to tell people about what TPTB are doing now! So maybe some people were forced to eat their words about NSA (not that many admitted that), but if you bring up the scandal of today or of tomorrow, you go right back to being considered a "wackjob crazy conspiracy nut" or some such nonsense. I don't know how you could possibly break through the control of mass conciousness to change this...
These reasons are also why the oligarchs are after control of the internet. As a withering but still standing bastion of anarchistic freedom of speech, it is their primary threat right now.
Anyway, the bottom line is that the truth, the real world, is chock full of actual conspiracies that are so much stranger than fiction.
You'll notice I kept it meta to avoid digressing into a debate about a particular conspiracy, but the number one issue is that people seem to have completely forgotten what inductive logic is, and how powerful it can be. Of course evidence (deductive logic) is preferred wherever possible, but in the arena of intelligence agencies and billionares who spend a lot of time covering up their tracks (especially by degrees of seperations), you aren't going to get that evidence except in the most rare cases. Even in the cases where the evidence does show up, it is often covered up, destroyed, lost, inadmissable, gag ordered, blackbagged, etc.
- minerjoe 6y agoI'd be interested in you going specific, even if in private. Good to have critical thinking researchers out there.
- arminiusreturns 6y agoI'm increasingly close to doing an AMA where I just let HN ask me any conspiracy related question right before I burn this account... I figure it would get lost in the sauce though... Any specifics you are most curious about?
- minerjoe 6y agoI'd hope HN wouldn't clean it out... How dire? Where to look? Timeline? I wish there was a wiki build on a trust network where I could control the weights.
- jessaustin 6y agoIf we had one of those we wouldn't need a CIA or NSA. Such a system couldn't very well be less correct than they've been for their entire existences.
- arminiusreturns 6y agoHow dire: This is very subjective. I have moments of deep dispair, and then I see glimmers of hope. I don't know what to tell you other than it seems like the ratchet is turning against freedom more than for it. Where to look: I suggest starting with one term, though often overly applied to just terrorsts, and that is "threat finance". Timeline: Minimum is ~120 years or so.
- Andrex 6y ago> These reasons are also why the oligarchs are after control of the internet. As a withering but still standing bastion of anarchistic freedom of speech, it is their primary threat right now. "As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master." - Commissioner Pravin Lal, Peacekeeping Forces (Alpha Centauri, 1999)