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Actually, all three of those points are things that people (me included) regularly do wrong/don't do when engaging with conspiracy theorists. 1. Brush claims o
by black_puppydog 6y ago
Actually, all three of those points are things that people (me included) regularly do wrong/don't do when engaging with conspiracy theorists.
1. Brush claims off as unimportant / ignore their messages in group chats instead of giving contra, leading them to misinterpret silence as tacit agreement.
2. If engaging, doing it very shallowly with platitudes like "check your sources" but never going over concrete examples with them.
3. Being a jerk about it.
Edit: not advocating/demanding you do all three every time you spot someone BSing on the webs. We all only get 24h a day. But if it's someone close to you and you're really concerned, all these three are good things to keep in mind and easy to do wrong, especially when things get heated.
- GreenWatermelon 6y agoI agree with you, but the article just glossed over it. It should've done what you did and expanded upon these points. As it stands, the article is just "The story of Sebastian's Mum: a victim of conspiracy theories" which is a more fitting title and still interesting, but it's not really a guide, so I also agree with OP, it doesn't really offer insight. Once I finished the article I was like "is that it?!"
- wayneftw 6y agoWhat do you do when there are no concrete examples or relevant scientific facts at the time? How do you counter a conspiracy theorist when they then also point out very real conspiracies that have definitely happened and are well-known and well-documented? Conspiracies definitely do happen and have been perpetrated by institutions that are supposed to be regarded with the highest trust, such as the people tasked with protecting us with their intelligence. How do you restore faith in those institutions? Would you have argued against MK-ultra before having known it was real?