Vaccines are a medical invention that has been around for a very long time, the very first one being invented by Edward Jenner in 1796 for small pox.
There are alot of things that have been said about vaccines, and taking a look at these claims, as well as the facts about vaccines, I've come up with fives things about them.
So here are five things I've noticed about vaccines:
5. They cause extinctions.
Most people probably don't know this, or do but rarely if ever think about it is that vaccines kill things and can very easily lead to the extinction of some species. Infact vaccines have already caused the extinction of one species, small pox.
Vaccines are also very well on their way to causing the extinction of polio, and could in due time and with enough people getting vaccinated, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and a variety of other well known diseases that can kill people, particularly young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems.
Don't these viruses deserve to exist? I mean true these viruses have caused the deaths of millions, plus have left countless others disfigured and disabled, and other than to do all of that have no real purpose to exist, and are still debated over whether or not they are lifeforms, but regardless of all that you have to ask yourself, don't these useless and dangerous lifeforms/not lifeforms have a right to exist?
4. They prevent our children from having the childhood memories of our parents and grandparents.
My parents and grandparents didn't have the vaccines like my generation and my generation's children have, and I can't help but think of what kind of childhood memories might have been taken away because of vaccines.
Some of those memories I imagine would include attending the funeral of a classmate or family member that died from an infectious disease, or having to help another fellow classmate get around because they have trouble walking or are in a wheelchair due to polio, and even having to be rushed to the hospital because I contracted measles and my temperature got really high.
Yes, because of vaccines I have none of these childhood memories, nor does most of the people in my generation as well, but thanks to people like Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy, as well as numerous anti-vaccination websites, those childhood memories of the past generations are making a comeback.
3. They make people paranoid.
Vaccines make people paranoid, this is a fact.
The vaccines themselves don't actually make people paranoid, but just the thought of injecting a dead or weakened virus that's inside a mixture of chemicals that in high enough doses could be deadly, although are in low enough doses that they would be safe to take individually several times over and not harm a person, is enough to scare some people to not get themselves or their children vaccinated.
Now you couple this with something like the Wakefield paper, a paper was publish in the UK medical journal The Lancet and authored by then Dr. Andrew Wakefield that claimed that vaccines cause autism, a claim that has since long been discredited and debunked, and the paper itself was retracted due to fraud, as well as Wakefield being stripped of his medical license due to that fraud and gross ethics violations, and in the end you'll have a person to paranoid to do something which almost every medical doctor in the world says a person should do.
Maybe it's not really vaccines that cause people to become paranoid of them. Maybe it's bad and made-up information combined with a lack of willingness to do real research and a mistrust of pharmaceutical companies that cause people to become paranoid of vaccines?
2. They affect industries.
Vaccines do affect several industries and in big ways too!
The health care industry for one is greatly affected by vaccines. The reason for this is because when a vaccine makes someone immune from disease it greatly decreases their chance of contracting said disease which could require an extensive stay in a hospital and/or hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in medical treatments.
And lets not get started on all the iron lung and leg brace manufactures that have taken a major hit in profits due to the polio vaccine...
Then there are ofcourse the coffin manufactures who have had a sharp decline in the sale of children and infants' coffins due to the fact children and infants are not dying as often as they use to because they aren't contracting the deadly diseases that would usually kill them before they reached adulthood thanks to vaccines.
1. It's the greatest medical invention ever.
All joking and satire aside vaccines are without a doubt the greatest medical invention of all time.
Vaccines are safe, cheap, reliable, rarely have any negative side effects (and even those are not severe most of the time) but almost always has the positive side effect of making a person immune from a disease, and can wipe out some diseases, which it already has with small pox, and is well on it's way with polio and in the future may do so with other diseases like measles and mumps.
The money saved due to vaccines for just health care alone has been in the billions, and the lives saved due to vaccines may be immeasurable.
With the exception of legitimate health reasons there is no reason to not get vaccinated, nor is there any reason for a parent to not vaccinate their child.
To not do so simply irresponsible, and in some cases, criminal.
Showing posts with label Paranoia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paranoia. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Should we call Conspiracy Theorists "Conspiracy Theorists"?
Of all the things that I have observed about conspiracy theorists one of the things that has always stood out about them to me is that they hate the terms "conspiracy theorist" and "conspiracy theory". This is for two different reasons:
The primary reason is because they consider the terms to be insulting. This is actually understandable because skeptics and debunkers have used these terms in insulting tones and in an insulting way.
The secondary reason is because they claim that both terms to be "shill" words that were created by the CIA to discourage people from believing in a conspiracy theory (the terms actually first came into use in the late 1800's to early 1900's and pre-dates the CIA, it only came to be used in a derogatory way in the mid 1960's, but there is no evidence to suggest that the CIA had anything to do with that). Some even claim that only "shills" use the terms conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist. Whether they actually believe this or are just claiming this inorder to get people to stop using these terms and/or to scare a skeptic off is another question entirely.
Regardless of the reasons why, the fact is that conspiracy theorists do not like the terms conspiracy theorist and conspiracy theory, and to be all honest I don't really like those terms either. The reason for this is that simply put a theory is based off of facts and evidence. Conspiracy theories are rarely made up of facts and evidence, and even the ones that do have some facts and evidence behind them are often mangled by conspiracy theorists and is manipulated into something that it is infact not...
To put it bluntly in my personal opinion using the word "theory" in conspiracy theory (and by extension conspiracy theorist) is actually inaccurate and inappropriate.
So what would be an accurate and appropriate term to replace conspiracy theory and theorist with?
From the conspiracy theorist side I've heard the terms "conspiracy realist" and "conspiracy fact". Both are obviously (atleast to a skeptic) inaccurate as hell due to the fact that conspiracy theories are rarely proven to be fact (most conspiracy theories that exist today either have been either disproven, or atleast have never been proven) and that most conspiracy theorists (especially the hardcore ones) aren't that realistic about... well anything really.
On the flip side however you have suggestions by skeptics like myself who have suggested terms such as "conspiracy lunatic", "conspiracy nut", and ofcourse paranoid conspiracy theorist and theory. While these terms may be more accurate (although the last one still uses the word theory) it is inappropriate because it does blatantly insult a person that seriously believes in conspiracy theories.
So the question remains is this: if none of these terms are either accurate and/or appropriate, then what would be an accurate and appropriate term to use in place of conspiracy theory and theorist?
Well, I have heard one suggestion that I feel is both appropriate and accurate, and it comes from a surprising source: Conspiracy theorists.
The term I am talking about is conspiracy hypothesis and hypothesizer.
These terms would be far more accurate as a hypothesis is what a person logically guesses (this varies from person to person) based off of an observation, as this is what a conspiracy theorist (or should I say hypothesizer) tends to do (minus the logic part): make observations. The only difference is that they often time just jump straight to the conclusion without gathering any real evidence.
I know that some of you will disagree with me on this, but think about it, aren't all conspiracy theories just based off of the opinions based off of someone's observations rather than actual facts and evidence?
The primary reason is because they consider the terms to be insulting. This is actually understandable because skeptics and debunkers have used these terms in insulting tones and in an insulting way.
The secondary reason is because they claim that both terms to be "shill" words that were created by the CIA to discourage people from believing in a conspiracy theory (the terms actually first came into use in the late 1800's to early 1900's and pre-dates the CIA, it only came to be used in a derogatory way in the mid 1960's, but there is no evidence to suggest that the CIA had anything to do with that). Some even claim that only "shills" use the terms conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist. Whether they actually believe this or are just claiming this inorder to get people to stop using these terms and/or to scare a skeptic off is another question entirely.
Regardless of the reasons why, the fact is that conspiracy theorists do not like the terms conspiracy theorist and conspiracy theory, and to be all honest I don't really like those terms either. The reason for this is that simply put a theory is based off of facts and evidence. Conspiracy theories are rarely made up of facts and evidence, and even the ones that do have some facts and evidence behind them are often mangled by conspiracy theorists and is manipulated into something that it is infact not...
To put it bluntly in my personal opinion using the word "theory" in conspiracy theory (and by extension conspiracy theorist) is actually inaccurate and inappropriate.
So what would be an accurate and appropriate term to replace conspiracy theory and theorist with?
From the conspiracy theorist side I've heard the terms "conspiracy realist" and "conspiracy fact". Both are obviously (atleast to a skeptic) inaccurate as hell due to the fact that conspiracy theories are rarely proven to be fact (most conspiracy theories that exist today either have been either disproven, or atleast have never been proven) and that most conspiracy theorists (especially the hardcore ones) aren't that realistic about... well anything really.
On the flip side however you have suggestions by skeptics like myself who have suggested terms such as "conspiracy lunatic", "conspiracy nut", and ofcourse paranoid conspiracy theorist and theory. While these terms may be more accurate (although the last one still uses the word theory) it is inappropriate because it does blatantly insult a person that seriously believes in conspiracy theories.
So the question remains is this: if none of these terms are either accurate and/or appropriate, then what would be an accurate and appropriate term to use in place of conspiracy theory and theorist?
Well, I have heard one suggestion that I feel is both appropriate and accurate, and it comes from a surprising source: Conspiracy theorists.
The term I am talking about is conspiracy hypothesis and hypothesizer.
These terms would be far more accurate as a hypothesis is what a person logically guesses (this varies from person to person) based off of an observation, as this is what a conspiracy theorist (or should I say hypothesizer) tends to do (minus the logic part): make observations. The only difference is that they often time just jump straight to the conclusion without gathering any real evidence.
I know that some of you will disagree with me on this, but think about it, aren't all conspiracy theories just based off of the opinions based off of someone's observations rather than actual facts and evidence?
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
6 Conspiracy theories that make people paranoid
There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there, and while most of them tend to be, well... stupid, for the most part they're pretty harmless (although some of the people who believe in them are not so harmless).
On the other hand, there are some conspiracy theories that can drive a person to become paranoid, and possibly even act out in very disturbing ways, perhaps even in a violent manner towards those who they feel are apart of that conspiracy.
Here are a few of those conspiracy theories:
Chemtrails
Chemtrails is a conspiracy theory in which some conspiracy theorists believe that the government is spraying chemicals on the population from air planes, and that the contrails coming out of many air planes are actually laced with chemicals, and thus called "chemtrails".
Now despite the fact that the chemtrail conspiracy theories have been debunked, some people take it very seriously. So seriously in fact that many conspiracy theorists will spray vinegar into the air whenever they see a contrail (because they believe that doing so will destroy a chemtrail), or even go to a hospital whenever they see a bunch of contrails in the air, because they are seriously afraid it might cause them health problems.
Some people have even taken their paranoia a step further and have threatened shoot down air planes because they think they are spraying chemtrails.
Mind control
If there is one conspiracy theory that believing in can cause a person to become very paranoid (although it may also be a strong indicator of a serious mental illness) it would be the mind control conspiracy theories, particularly the ones that involve some sort of telepathy.
The fact is that if a person believes that their mind can be attacked at any point in time it tends to leave that person extremely paranoid, and causes them to do some pretty bizarre stuff, such as wearing hats made out of aluminum foil, or even covering their entire house in aluminum foil (because they believe it will block out what ever rays are being used to control their minds).
This may also cause some people to be wary of other people as well, even people who might try to help them overcome their fear, because they fear that person might come under some kind of mind control as well and harm them.
Shape-shifting aliens
Often times attributed to David Icke, there are some people out there who seriously believe that there are shape-shifting reptilian aliens that not only walk among us, but are in control of the world, and that many world leaders are actually aliens from either another world or dimension.
I really wish I was making this up, but sadly I am not. There are people out there that are so paranoid, and so delusional, that they seriously believe that the leaders of the world are actually shape-shifting lizards from another planet or universe.
The belief that another person is a shape-shifting alien doesn't just include world leaders, it can actually include anyone, be it a celebrity, a rich person, some random person, myself, and even David Icke (who has been accused of being a shape-shifting alien).
Some people who believe in this conspiracy theory are even so paranoid and delusional in their beliefs that they believe that they themselves are a shape-shift alien...
Dis-info agents
Just about every skeptic and debunker has at one time or another been called a dis-info agent. This is just a general reaction by conspiracy theorists when a skeptic either refuses to believe them, or presents evidence showing that the conspiracy theorist's claims are false.
While some conspiracy theorists may cry out "dis-info agent" whenever they encounter a skeptic, many conspiracy theorists really do believe that there are dis-info agents out there, and that they are out there to "trick" people into no longer believing a conspiracy theory that they promote.
This belief in dis-info agents often times causes many conspiracy theorist to disregard any fact that would disprove their conspiracy theory, and basically regard it as being nothing more than disinformation, no matter how sound it is. This paranoia can even go so far that some conspiracy theorists will believe that other conspiracy theorists are also dis-info agents as well if that conspiracy theorist's conspiracy theory is to much un-alike their own.
FEMA camps
FEMA camps is another one of those conspiracy theories that has been around for a long time, yet has no evidence to back it up, but many people still believe in it and that these FEMA camps exists.
People who believe in this conspiracy theory claim that the government is constructing prison camps to be run by FEMA all across the country inorder to imprison anyone who they feel will oppose the government in some up and coming police state (which according to them is just around the corner... and has been for the last couple of decades).
This constant fear that the government is going to create a police state and ship people off to these imaginary prison camps can cause some people to act out in very irrational ways, including building huge bunkers in which to hide out in and perhaps fight from, buy up huge amounts of guns and ammunition and other type of supplies, and cut off contact with people. It can also make a person become violent towards anyone who works for the government (especially law enforcement), or just drive a person to the point of suicide due to the fear that they will be imprisoned or killed.
The Illuminati
There are many people out there that believe that, despite the evidence to the contrary, that the Illuminati exists, and that it controls the media, and the banks, and the government, and corporations, and just about everything... except apparently for the internet where anyone can create a website that opposes the Illuminate, as well as whomever is broadcasting Alex Jones's radio program.
The belief that the Illuminati exists can be very strong in some people, and can cause some people obsessively look for "Illuminati" symbols wherever they believe them to be. It can also cause them to accuse people (mostly people who are rich or famous, or are a politician) of being a member of the Illuminati. Sometimes it's not even someone whom is one of the rich and powerful, sometimes it can be just a regular person whom is apart of a group that is accused of being a front group for the Illuminati (example: Free Masons), or even a certain religion.
Because this belief in the Illuminati can be so strong in some people it can actually cause some people to distance themselves from anyone whom they believe to be a member of the Illuminati, or get into huge arguments with people who don't believe in the Illuminati.
On the other hand, there are some conspiracy theories that can drive a person to become paranoid, and possibly even act out in very disturbing ways, perhaps even in a violent manner towards those who they feel are apart of that conspiracy.
Here are a few of those conspiracy theories:
Chemtrails
Chemtrails is a conspiracy theory in which some conspiracy theorists believe that the government is spraying chemicals on the population from air planes, and that the contrails coming out of many air planes are actually laced with chemicals, and thus called "chemtrails".
Now despite the fact that the chemtrail conspiracy theories have been debunked, some people take it very seriously. So seriously in fact that many conspiracy theorists will spray vinegar into the air whenever they see a contrail (because they believe that doing so will destroy a chemtrail), or even go to a hospital whenever they see a bunch of contrails in the air, because they are seriously afraid it might cause them health problems.
Some people have even taken their paranoia a step further and have threatened shoot down air planes because they think they are spraying chemtrails.
Mind control
If there is one conspiracy theory that believing in can cause a person to become very paranoid (although it may also be a strong indicator of a serious mental illness) it would be the mind control conspiracy theories, particularly the ones that involve some sort of telepathy.
The fact is that if a person believes that their mind can be attacked at any point in time it tends to leave that person extremely paranoid, and causes them to do some pretty bizarre stuff, such as wearing hats made out of aluminum foil, or even covering their entire house in aluminum foil (because they believe it will block out what ever rays are being used to control their minds).
This may also cause some people to be wary of other people as well, even people who might try to help them overcome their fear, because they fear that person might come under some kind of mind control as well and harm them.
Shape-shifting aliens
Often times attributed to David Icke, there are some people out there who seriously believe that there are shape-shifting reptilian aliens that not only walk among us, but are in control of the world, and that many world leaders are actually aliens from either another world or dimension.
I really wish I was making this up, but sadly I am not. There are people out there that are so paranoid, and so delusional, that they seriously believe that the leaders of the world are actually shape-shifting lizards from another planet or universe.
The belief that another person is a shape-shifting alien doesn't just include world leaders, it can actually include anyone, be it a celebrity, a rich person, some random person, myself, and even David Icke (who has been accused of being a shape-shifting alien).
Some people who believe in this conspiracy theory are even so paranoid and delusional in their beliefs that they believe that they themselves are a shape-shift alien...
Dis-info agents
Just about every skeptic and debunker has at one time or another been called a dis-info agent. This is just a general reaction by conspiracy theorists when a skeptic either refuses to believe them, or presents evidence showing that the conspiracy theorist's claims are false.
While some conspiracy theorists may cry out "dis-info agent" whenever they encounter a skeptic, many conspiracy theorists really do believe that there are dis-info agents out there, and that they are out there to "trick" people into no longer believing a conspiracy theory that they promote.
This belief in dis-info agents often times causes many conspiracy theorist to disregard any fact that would disprove their conspiracy theory, and basically regard it as being nothing more than disinformation, no matter how sound it is. This paranoia can even go so far that some conspiracy theorists will believe that other conspiracy theorists are also dis-info agents as well if that conspiracy theorist's conspiracy theory is to much un-alike their own.
FEMA camps
FEMA camps is another one of those conspiracy theories that has been around for a long time, yet has no evidence to back it up, but many people still believe in it and that these FEMA camps exists.
People who believe in this conspiracy theory claim that the government is constructing prison camps to be run by FEMA all across the country inorder to imprison anyone who they feel will oppose the government in some up and coming police state (which according to them is just around the corner... and has been for the last couple of decades).
This constant fear that the government is going to create a police state and ship people off to these imaginary prison camps can cause some people to act out in very irrational ways, including building huge bunkers in which to hide out in and perhaps fight from, buy up huge amounts of guns and ammunition and other type of supplies, and cut off contact with people. It can also make a person become violent towards anyone who works for the government (especially law enforcement), or just drive a person to the point of suicide due to the fear that they will be imprisoned or killed.
The Illuminati
There are many people out there that believe that, despite the evidence to the contrary, that the Illuminati exists, and that it controls the media, and the banks, and the government, and corporations, and just about everything... except apparently for the internet where anyone can create a website that opposes the Illuminate, as well as whomever is broadcasting Alex Jones's radio program.
The belief that the Illuminati exists can be very strong in some people, and can cause some people obsessively look for "Illuminati" symbols wherever they believe them to be. It can also cause them to accuse people (mostly people who are rich or famous, or are a politician) of being a member of the Illuminati. Sometimes it's not even someone whom is one of the rich and powerful, sometimes it can be just a regular person whom is apart of a group that is accused of being a front group for the Illuminati (example: Free Masons), or even a certain religion.
Because this belief in the Illuminati can be so strong in some people it can actually cause some people to distance themselves from anyone whom they believe to be a member of the Illuminati, or get into huge arguments with people who don't believe in the Illuminati.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Chemtrail Detox Spray: Another BS product
A few weeks I was shown a website about some type of spray called "Chemtrail Detox Spray".
When I first saw the name alone it made me think "what the heck?" Then I saw just what type of spray it was, and I went from thinking "what the heck" to "what a freaking sham!" and it made me think "can people really be this stupid?" Then I remember just how stupid of a statement that is because if people really are dumb enough (or crazy enough) to believe in chemtrails, they might just buy a spray that "detoxs" chemtrail "stuff"...
The claims made on the website are as follows:
Actually it can't offer "relief" from the effects of chemtrails because chemtrails do not exist.
There is no scientific evidence what so ever that shows that chemtrails exist, and that what conspiracy theorists believe to be chemtrails are actually just contrails and clouds. Even if they did exist they wouldn't be effective anyways because they would be sprayed way to high up in the atmosphere to have any affect on us, not to mention the fact that there just aren't enough planes to make such things effective on a global scale.
Also, all the claims of what chemtrails are suppose do are completely bogus as well.
The next claim made says that it is a:
"Non Chemical Homeopathic" to me is sort of redundant. The reason I say this is because homeopathic medicine is a fraud medicine that is basically just water, and doesn't contain any chemicals in it...
It would be cheaper to fill up a spray bottle with water and spray it into your mouth than it would to buy this product. Heck it would be better to that anyways because the water in that spray bottle would be fresher than it would be in the Chemtrail Detox Spray!
The next thing the makers of this product says:
And those would happen to be:
Which is also a symptom of a cold or allergies.
What exactly do they mean by thiss? Could it mean "feeling icky"? There are a number of things that can make a person feel icky. Heck, being outside in the heat and sun to long can make a person feel icky. The flu can make a person feel icky.
They really need to be more specific here, because generally when I think of "lowered immune system" I think of HIV and AIDS.
That could be a sign of the flu, or an injury, or aging.
If we really were being sprayed with radioactive heavy metals there would be no way to hide that! And if you do have radioactive heavy metals in your system, then you need to check yourself into your local ER ASAP (and you should consider not living next to a nuclear power plant).
That could be due to stress, or aging, or an early sign of Alzheimer's.
That could be caused by not getting enough sleep, or working to much, or it being cold outside, or not drinking enough coffee in the morning, or not drinking enough water when it's hot out, or eating a bunch of junk food.
Infections are caused by bacteria and viruses, not chemicals.
If you're having mental and emotional problems an expensive little spray bottle filled with water isn't going to help. What you need to do is go see a psychiatrist. Not only can they help you with your mental and emotional problems, they could also help you get over your belief in chemtrails.
Now the directions on how use this stuff is surprisingly very simple:
Hey, that's great! I don't have to worry about dosages (not like I would anyways with this). I can just spray this into my mouth until I feel better, or it's gone (probably the latter).
Lets face the facts about this Chemtrail Detox Spray. It's nothing more than an over priced little spray bottle filled with water that's been deceptively labeled to make it look like it is real medicine in order to trick paranoid people who think that chemtrails are real into buying it!
Fortunately the site itself has been taken down from it's web hosting site Wordpress (although you can still see the site's claims here and here) and while I don't know why the site was taken down, my best guesses is that it was either taken down by the owner of the site due to the negative attention of trying to sell a sham product, or by Wordpress itself due to the fact it was selling a sham product.
When I first saw the name alone it made me think "what the heck?" Then I saw just what type of spray it was, and I went from thinking "what the heck" to "what a freaking sham!" and it made me think "can people really be this stupid?" Then I remember just how stupid of a statement that is because if people really are dumb enough (or crazy enough) to believe in chemtrails, they might just buy a spray that "detoxs" chemtrail "stuff"...
The claims made on the website are as follows:
- Chemtrail Detox Spray offers relief from the effects of Chemtrails.
Actually it can't offer "relief" from the effects of chemtrails because chemtrails do not exist.
There is no scientific evidence what so ever that shows that chemtrails exist, and that what conspiracy theorists believe to be chemtrails are actually just contrails and clouds. Even if they did exist they wouldn't be effective anyways because they would be sprayed way to high up in the atmosphere to have any affect on us, not to mention the fact that there just aren't enough planes to make such things effective on a global scale.
Also, all the claims of what chemtrails are suppose do are completely bogus as well.
The next claim made says that it is a:
- Non Chemical Homeopathic Remedy.
"Non Chemical Homeopathic" to me is sort of redundant. The reason I say this is because homeopathic medicine is a fraud medicine that is basically just water, and doesn't contain any chemicals in it...
It would be cheaper to fill up a spray bottle with water and spray it into your mouth than it would to buy this product. Heck it would be better to that anyways because the water in that spray bottle would be fresher than it would be in the Chemtrail Detox Spray!
The next thing the makers of this product says:
- Indications for relieving a broad spectrum of chemtrail induced states including:
And those would happen to be:
- sinus irritation,
Which is also a symptom of a cold or allergies.
- lowered immune system,
What exactly do they mean by thiss? Could it mean "feeling icky"? There are a number of things that can make a person feel icky. Heck, being outside in the heat and sun to long can make a person feel icky. The flu can make a person feel icky.
They really need to be more specific here, because generally when I think of "lowered immune system" I think of HIV and AIDS.
- body aches,
That could be a sign of the flu, or an injury, or aging.
- radioactive heavy metals,
If we really were being sprayed with radioactive heavy metals there would be no way to hide that! And if you do have radioactive heavy metals in your system, then you need to check yourself into your local ER ASAP (and you should consider not living next to a nuclear power plant).
- memory loss,
That could be due to stress, or aging, or an early sign of Alzheimer's.
- fatigue,
That could be caused by not getting enough sleep, or working to much, or it being cold outside, or not drinking enough coffee in the morning, or not drinking enough water when it's hot out, or eating a bunch of junk food.
- infections,
Infections are caused by bacteria and viruses, not chemicals.
- mental/emotional health
If you're having mental and emotional problems an expensive little spray bottle filled with water isn't going to help. What you need to do is go see a psychiatrist. Not only can they help you with your mental and emotional problems, they could also help you get over your belief in chemtrails.
Now the directions on how use this stuff is surprisingly very simple:
- Spray 1 dose directly in mouth as needed until symptoms improve.
Hey, that's great! I don't have to worry about dosages (not like I would anyways with this). I can just spray this into my mouth until I feel better, or it's gone (probably the latter).
Lets face the facts about this Chemtrail Detox Spray. It's nothing more than an over priced little spray bottle filled with water that's been deceptively labeled to make it look like it is real medicine in order to trick paranoid people who think that chemtrails are real into buying it!
Fortunately the site itself has been taken down from it's web hosting site Wordpress (although you can still see the site's claims here and here) and while I don't know why the site was taken down, my best guesses is that it was either taken down by the owner of the site due to the negative attention of trying to sell a sham product, or by Wordpress itself due to the fact it was selling a sham product.
Friday, August 16, 2013
5 Things I've noticed about... Cult Leaders
Cult leaders.
I'm sure everyone has heard about them and the groups that they form around them and their "teachings". I'm also sure you're aware of how they act...
Well anyways, I've been examining cult leaders for a long time, and people who act like cult leaders as well. During my observations I've notice certain traits that most of them have, and from that I've come up with five things they all tend to share.
So here are five things I've noticed about cult leaders:
5. They're narcissistic.
If you were to ever meet the leader of a cult they will tell you that all of their teaching are for you to help better your life, and on the surface that sounds great... except this is a lie.
In reality it is all about the leader of the cult, and the power that leader has over you and the members of that cult.
The leader doesn't actually care about you, they only care bout what you can do for them, and how much you respect (or fear) them.
And as for their teachings? Well, just remember this is something that THEY created, and therefore can change at any time they want to (which most do) to suit whatever needs that they have, and they do this while telling you it's for your own good.
4. They like to surround themselves with important people.
Because of a cult leader's narcissism and their need to feel important, and also feel the need to gain influence (as well as new members), they tend to try also try to surround themselves with people who are either important, or they feel are important. This of course could be politicians, community leaders, celebrities, Playboy models (which I can't really blame them for), and especially people who are rich.
They do this because not only does it help them get new members (via influence of the important person), they also do this because they feel it gives them a kind of bubble of protection (which does work sometimes).
Now, if they can't actually get important people into their cult, then they'll do the next best thing: make members of their cult important and rich (as this helps get them more money).
3. They try to destroy their critics.
Probably one of the most well known and enduring practices that L. Ron Hubbard created for his Church of Scientology was the Fair Game policy, which is basically guidelines on how to destroy a critic of Scientology using whatever means necessary to silence that critic. This policy is still used today (although some in the cult claim it isn't), but it is far less effective than it was years ago as most people are no longer afraid of the Church of Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard isn't the only cult leader whom did this, or something similar to this. In fact many, if not all cult leaders do this, mostly because they see their critics as their enemies (although this might not be to far off in some cases, it's usually for good reason).
While most have a direct hand in their handling of critics, most of the time they aren't the one whom actually handle their critics. In fact the actual handling of their critics is done by other followers, they just give out the orders on whom they feel should be targeted, and how, and this is because...
2. They prefer have others do their dirty work.
While a cult leader is usually responsible for the unethical (or illegal) stuff that their cults do, they're usually not the ones who actually do it. More often times they have other people within the cult actually do it for them, usually so they can do what ever they want (and to whomever they want) and not face the consequences via denial of knowledge that their members were doing what they were doing (which doesn't always work).
Of course they could also be having others do their dirty work so that they can fight their enemies, while at the same time not look bad to the public at large (which again, doesn't always work). Or they could be doing that so that they don't look bad infront of their members as well, or so that they don't look weak.
1. They're paranoid.
Besides being narcissistic, cult leaders tend to be paranoid as well.
While their paranoia could be the result of their narcissism (you think that you're important, so you start to believe everyone is out to get you) it could be that they are already paranoid, and because they think that someone or some group is out to get them, they start to believe that they must be important, which can result in them developing narcissism.
Regardless of the reason why they are paranoid, because of their paranoia, it can cause them to do things that are not only morally and ethically wrong (and possibility illegal) it can cause them to attack anyone whom they feel is threatening them, and it can also cause them to lash out at their followers as well (including their most loyal ones). The results of this is that they could either kick out any members without any reason, or force them to do acts to prove their loyalty, sometimes with extremely tragic consequences.
I'm sure everyone has heard about them and the groups that they form around them and their "teachings". I'm also sure you're aware of how they act...
Well anyways, I've been examining cult leaders for a long time, and people who act like cult leaders as well. During my observations I've notice certain traits that most of them have, and from that I've come up with five things they all tend to share.
So here are five things I've noticed about cult leaders:
5. They're narcissistic.
If you were to ever meet the leader of a cult they will tell you that all of their teaching are for you to help better your life, and on the surface that sounds great... except this is a lie.
In reality it is all about the leader of the cult, and the power that leader has over you and the members of that cult.
The leader doesn't actually care about you, they only care bout what you can do for them, and how much you respect (or fear) them.
And as for their teachings? Well, just remember this is something that THEY created, and therefore can change at any time they want to (which most do) to suit whatever needs that they have, and they do this while telling you it's for your own good.
4. They like to surround themselves with important people.
Because of a cult leader's narcissism and their need to feel important, and also feel the need to gain influence (as well as new members), they tend to try also try to surround themselves with people who are either important, or they feel are important. This of course could be politicians, community leaders, celebrities, Playboy models (which I can't really blame them for), and especially people who are rich.
They do this because not only does it help them get new members (via influence of the important person), they also do this because they feel it gives them a kind of bubble of protection (which does work sometimes).
Now, if they can't actually get important people into their cult, then they'll do the next best thing: make members of their cult important and rich (as this helps get them more money).
3. They try to destroy their critics.
Probably one of the most well known and enduring practices that L. Ron Hubbard created for his Church of Scientology was the Fair Game policy, which is basically guidelines on how to destroy a critic of Scientology using whatever means necessary to silence that critic. This policy is still used today (although some in the cult claim it isn't), but it is far less effective than it was years ago as most people are no longer afraid of the Church of Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard isn't the only cult leader whom did this, or something similar to this. In fact many, if not all cult leaders do this, mostly because they see their critics as their enemies (although this might not be to far off in some cases, it's usually for good reason).
While most have a direct hand in their handling of critics, most of the time they aren't the one whom actually handle their critics. In fact the actual handling of their critics is done by other followers, they just give out the orders on whom they feel should be targeted, and how, and this is because...
2. They prefer have others do their dirty work.
While a cult leader is usually responsible for the unethical (or illegal) stuff that their cults do, they're usually not the ones who actually do it. More often times they have other people within the cult actually do it for them, usually so they can do what ever they want (and to whomever they want) and not face the consequences via denial of knowledge that their members were doing what they were doing (which doesn't always work).
Of course they could also be having others do their dirty work so that they can fight their enemies, while at the same time not look bad to the public at large (which again, doesn't always work). Or they could be doing that so that they don't look bad infront of their members as well, or so that they don't look weak.
1. They're paranoid.
Besides being narcissistic, cult leaders tend to be paranoid as well.
While their paranoia could be the result of their narcissism (you think that you're important, so you start to believe everyone is out to get you) it could be that they are already paranoid, and because they think that someone or some group is out to get them, they start to believe that they must be important, which can result in them developing narcissism.
Regardless of the reason why they are paranoid, because of their paranoia, it can cause them to do things that are not only morally and ethically wrong (and possibility illegal) it can cause them to attack anyone whom they feel is threatening them, and it can also cause them to lash out at their followers as well (including their most loyal ones). The results of this is that they could either kick out any members without any reason, or force them to do acts to prove their loyalty, sometimes with extremely tragic consequences.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
How to tell a Conspiracy Theorist from a Conspiracy Believer
In a previous post I discussed how some conspiracy theorists aren't really conspiracy theorists, and that those people should instead be called "conspiracy believers".
While I did point out some basic differences between the two, I didn't really go into to much detail into what those differences really are.
Here I have put together a list of things that conspiracy theorists tend to do that sets them apart from conspiracy believers:
Terminology
Conspiracy theorists has certain words that they tend to use and is quite common for them to use in a conversation (or argument). Some of the more common words used are shill, sheeple, blue pill, red pill, and dis-info agent.
There are of course more then just that, but if you hang around enough conspiracy theorist websites (or get into an argument with a conspiracy theorist on Youtube) you'll learn more of them.
Creating conspiracy theories
One of the primary things that set conspiracy theorists apart from conspiracy believers is that conspiracy theorists actually create conspiracy theories.
Many of these conspiracy theories tend to be either expanding on a already established conspiracy theory, or a conspiracy thats directed at them. Of course, sometimes conspiracy theorists create entirely new conspiracy theories as well.
Emotional Reactions
While conspiracy believers might not become to emotional when discussing a conspiracy theory that they believe in, many conspiracy theorists on the other hand tend to become emotional when they discuss a conspiracy theory they believe. The levels of emotional reactions varies depending on how important the conspiracy theory is to that person, how much they believe the alledged conspiracy affects them, and if the person they are discussing the conspiracy theory with believes them or not.
The use of logical fallacies
While conspiracy believers try to avoid using logical fallacies, conspiracy theorists on the other hand tend to use them all the time, and appear to not even know that they are doing so.
While logical fallacies of all types tend to be used, two of the most common types used are association fallacy and emotional appeal.
Rejection of contradicting and disproving evidence
Conspiracy believers, while they many or may not stop believing in a conspiracy theory once they have been given evidence that can prove the conspiracy theory that they believe in is not true (or at least having a high probability of not being true) conspiracy theorist on the other hand tends to reject any evidence that contradicts and/or disproves what they believe, unless there is something in that evidence that they feel actually proves the conspiracy theory they believe in.
Confirmation bias
While both conspiracy believers and conspiracy theorists tend to have confirmation bias, conspiracy theorists tends to see any small piece of evidence as being absolute confirmation that the conspiracy theory they believe in is true, no matter small it is, no matter if it is taken out of context or not, and no matter if it is even real or not. Conspiracy believers at least will see evidence as just that, evidence, and is more willing to disregard such evidence if it can be proven to them that it isn't true, or taken out of context.
Inappropriate behavior
Conspiracy believers tend to be civil, and tries not to engage in behaviors that would be considered inappropriate because they tend not to get frustrated with people who don't believe them. Conspiracy theorists on the other hand tends to get frustrated pretty easily, and because of this they get angry easily and start behaving in ways that many people would consider to be inappropriate. Examples of this would be insults, threats, spamming internet threads, vileness, manipulation, personal attacks, stalking, harassment, creating inappropriate conspiracy theories, defending another person's inappropriate behavior, and engaging in behavior that most people would consider to be disturbing.
Seeing people who disagree with them as their enemy
When a conspiracy believer talks to some one who doesn't believe in the conspiracy theory that they believe in they will only think of that person as someone who simply disagrees with them. A conspiracy theorist on the other hand sees a person who disagrees with them as being their enemy that is working for whatever group that they believe is committing the conspiracy that they believe in, or at the very least someone who is less intelligent then they are, and therefore (in their minds) more prone to believing whatever they are told by said group.
Belief that what they are doing is the right thing
While both conspiracy believers and conspiracy theorists believe that believing in certain conspiracy theories is okay, conspiracy theorists tend to take it a step further by spreading these conspiracy theories and "correcting" those who disagree with them. They do this because they strongly believe to be real the conspiracy theories that they believe in, and because of that they tend to think that anything they do to promote these conspiracy theories is okay and the right thing to do.
While I did point out some basic differences between the two, I didn't really go into to much detail into what those differences really are.
Here I have put together a list of things that conspiracy theorists tend to do that sets them apart from conspiracy believers:
Terminology
Conspiracy theorists has certain words that they tend to use and is quite common for them to use in a conversation (or argument). Some of the more common words used are shill, sheeple, blue pill, red pill, and dis-info agent.
There are of course more then just that, but if you hang around enough conspiracy theorist websites (or get into an argument with a conspiracy theorist on Youtube) you'll learn more of them.
Creating conspiracy theories
One of the primary things that set conspiracy theorists apart from conspiracy believers is that conspiracy theorists actually create conspiracy theories.
Many of these conspiracy theories tend to be either expanding on a already established conspiracy theory, or a conspiracy thats directed at them. Of course, sometimes conspiracy theorists create entirely new conspiracy theories as well.
Emotional Reactions
While conspiracy believers might not become to emotional when discussing a conspiracy theory that they believe in, many conspiracy theorists on the other hand tend to become emotional when they discuss a conspiracy theory they believe. The levels of emotional reactions varies depending on how important the conspiracy theory is to that person, how much they believe the alledged conspiracy affects them, and if the person they are discussing the conspiracy theory with believes them or not.
The use of logical fallacies
While conspiracy believers try to avoid using logical fallacies, conspiracy theorists on the other hand tend to use them all the time, and appear to not even know that they are doing so.
While logical fallacies of all types tend to be used, two of the most common types used are association fallacy and emotional appeal.
Rejection of contradicting and disproving evidence
Conspiracy believers, while they many or may not stop believing in a conspiracy theory once they have been given evidence that can prove the conspiracy theory that they believe in is not true (or at least having a high probability of not being true) conspiracy theorist on the other hand tends to reject any evidence that contradicts and/or disproves what they believe, unless there is something in that evidence that they feel actually proves the conspiracy theory they believe in.
Confirmation bias
While both conspiracy believers and conspiracy theorists tend to have confirmation bias, conspiracy theorists tends to see any small piece of evidence as being absolute confirmation that the conspiracy theory they believe in is true, no matter small it is, no matter if it is taken out of context or not, and no matter if it is even real or not. Conspiracy believers at least will see evidence as just that, evidence, and is more willing to disregard such evidence if it can be proven to them that it isn't true, or taken out of context.
Inappropriate behavior
Conspiracy believers tend to be civil, and tries not to engage in behaviors that would be considered inappropriate because they tend not to get frustrated with people who don't believe them. Conspiracy theorists on the other hand tends to get frustrated pretty easily, and because of this they get angry easily and start behaving in ways that many people would consider to be inappropriate. Examples of this would be insults, threats, spamming internet threads, vileness, manipulation, personal attacks, stalking, harassment, creating inappropriate conspiracy theories, defending another person's inappropriate behavior, and engaging in behavior that most people would consider to be disturbing.
Seeing people who disagree with them as their enemy
When a conspiracy believer talks to some one who doesn't believe in the conspiracy theory that they believe in they will only think of that person as someone who simply disagrees with them. A conspiracy theorist on the other hand sees a person who disagrees with them as being their enemy that is working for whatever group that they believe is committing the conspiracy that they believe in, or at the very least someone who is less intelligent then they are, and therefore (in their minds) more prone to believing whatever they are told by said group.
Belief that what they are doing is the right thing
While both conspiracy believers and conspiracy theorists believe that believing in certain conspiracy theories is okay, conspiracy theorists tend to take it a step further by spreading these conspiracy theories and "correcting" those who disagree with them. They do this because they strongly believe to be real the conspiracy theories that they believe in, and because of that they tend to think that anything they do to promote these conspiracy theories is okay and the right thing to do.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Not all Conspiracy Theorists are Conspiracy Theorists
This may odd by what I'm about about to say here, but not all conspiracy theorists are conspiracy theorists.
At least they're not all true conspiracy theorists per say...
When I think of a conspiracy theorist, I think about a person who not only believes in conspiracy theories, but also refuses to, and out right rejects any evidence that contradicts a conspiracy theory. In time this rejection of the evidence for what they consider "the truth" can lead them down a dark path, one in which causes them to think irrationally and illogically, and become hostile towards those who do not believe them, which can ultimately end up affecting their lives in a negative manner, and causes them to surround themselves with people who think like them.
This is what I typically think of when I think of a conspiracy theorist, due to the result of past encounters with actually conspiracy theorists on the internet. The problem with this is that not all of them are like this.
Not all people who believe in certain conspiracy theories are irrational and hostile people who reject evidence debunking the conspiracy theory they believe in. They might continue to believe in the conspiracy theory regardless of the evidence, but at least they don't out right reject the evidence without reason. Also, the belief in these conspiracy theories does not effect their lives in a negative manner, and they don't try to push their theories onto others (which is also something that conspiracy theorists tend to do), and they don't hang out with other people wo also believe what they believe.
This is why I believe a different term should be used for these people, and not the general term "conspiracy theorist" because, lets all face it, the term "conspiracy theorist" has become a pretty negative term as of late, and I also believe the term is inaccurate for some people as well.
I believe the term that should be used instead for such people should be called "conspiracy believer".
"Conspiracy believer" should be used to describe someone who simply believes in a conspiracy theory, rather than "conspiracy theorist" because not only would it be a more accurate term, as a such a person simply believes in conspiracy theory, rather than taking the time to try to promote, explain, and expand on said "theory" as a real conspiracy theorist would try to do, it's a far less negative term as well since telling a person you are not a conspiracy theorist but a conspiracy believer might not make a person look at you like you are some kind of nut who might go off on them if they tell you that they don't believe in the conspiracy theories you believe are real, or at least possible.
In fact I believe that most people in general who believe in conspiracy theories are actually conspiracy believers rather than true conspiracy theorists.
Also, many skeptics who once believed in some conspiracy theories (myself included) might have been just a conspiracy believer, rather than a conspiracy theorist (although I do know of some that were true conspiracy theorists).
The fact remains is that we shouldn't use the term "conspiracy theorist" for everyone that believes in a conspiracy theory, because not everyone believes a conspiracy theory is a conspiracy theorist, and while believing in a conspiracy theory is not something that's good, it doesn't mean that the person who believes in it is bad (or crazy).
At least they're not all true conspiracy theorists per say...
When I think of a conspiracy theorist, I think about a person who not only believes in conspiracy theories, but also refuses to, and out right rejects any evidence that contradicts a conspiracy theory. In time this rejection of the evidence for what they consider "the truth" can lead them down a dark path, one in which causes them to think irrationally and illogically, and become hostile towards those who do not believe them, which can ultimately end up affecting their lives in a negative manner, and causes them to surround themselves with people who think like them.
This is what I typically think of when I think of a conspiracy theorist, due to the result of past encounters with actually conspiracy theorists on the internet. The problem with this is that not all of them are like this.
Not all people who believe in certain conspiracy theories are irrational and hostile people who reject evidence debunking the conspiracy theory they believe in. They might continue to believe in the conspiracy theory regardless of the evidence, but at least they don't out right reject the evidence without reason. Also, the belief in these conspiracy theories does not effect their lives in a negative manner, and they don't try to push their theories onto others (which is also something that conspiracy theorists tend to do), and they don't hang out with other people wo also believe what they believe.
This is why I believe a different term should be used for these people, and not the general term "conspiracy theorist" because, lets all face it, the term "conspiracy theorist" has become a pretty negative term as of late, and I also believe the term is inaccurate for some people as well.
I believe the term that should be used instead for such people should be called "conspiracy believer".
"Conspiracy believer" should be used to describe someone who simply believes in a conspiracy theory, rather than "conspiracy theorist" because not only would it be a more accurate term, as a such a person simply believes in conspiracy theory, rather than taking the time to try to promote, explain, and expand on said "theory" as a real conspiracy theorist would try to do, it's a far less negative term as well since telling a person you are not a conspiracy theorist but a conspiracy believer might not make a person look at you like you are some kind of nut who might go off on them if they tell you that they don't believe in the conspiracy theories you believe are real, or at least possible.
In fact I believe that most people in general who believe in conspiracy theories are actually conspiracy believers rather than true conspiracy theorists.
Also, many skeptics who once believed in some conspiracy theories (myself included) might have been just a conspiracy believer, rather than a conspiracy theorist (although I do know of some that were true conspiracy theorists).
The fact remains is that we shouldn't use the term "conspiracy theorist" for everyone that believes in a conspiracy theory, because not everyone believes a conspiracy theory is a conspiracy theorist, and while believing in a conspiracy theory is not something that's good, it doesn't mean that the person who believes in it is bad (or crazy).
Friday, May 17, 2013
5 Things I've noticed about... Chemtrails
Chemtrails are a conspiracy theory that the government (and the allegedly existing New World Order) are spraying chemicals on the population from air planes high up in the air. After examining these claims there are certain things that I've noticed about these alleged chemtrails.
So here are five things I've noticed about chemtrails:
5. They're not doing what they're suppose to.
While chemtrails have been accused of being sprayed around for several different reasons, one of the primary reasons by people who claim they are real is that they are being sprayed for population reduction.
If this happens to be true, then what ever that is being sprayed isn't very effective, because the world population went from 6 billion in 1999 to 7 billion in 2012, i.e. the world population increased by a billion people in a span of thirteen years.
4. They're spraying to high up.
If I was going to spray the population with a bunch of chemicals, I wouldn't be spraying from six to seven miles up in the air, because I know what ever chemicals that were being sprayed are just going to thin out in the atmosphere and wouldn't be effective.
In fact most people who do spray chemicals from planes for a living (like crop dusters) do it while they are very close to the ground (about 20 to 30 feet) because it is far more effective to spray close to the ground than from high up.
3. They look and act an awful lot like contrails.
Now there are a lot of conspiracy theorists who will claim that there is a difference between chemtrails and contrails (such as how long it stays up in the atmosphere) but really how long one of these "trails" stay up in the air does not determine what they are because atmospheric conditions can keep a contrail up in the air for quiet a long time.
With this in mind it would really be impossible to tell the difference between the two.
Maybe they're all contrails like everyone else says?
2. Some people are seriously scared of these things.
There are some people who are seriously scared of what they believe are chemtrails, and won't go outside whenever they see what they believe are a bunch of chemtrails in the upper atmosphere, and will even spray vinegar around because they think it will get rid of the chemtrails and their chemicals.
Some people have become so frighten in fact that they are making threats to shoot down planes (which has become a real fear of pilots in Australia).
Of course there is no real reason for this fear, because...
1. Chemtrails don't exist.
There is zero evidence that chemtrails exist, and that they are nothing more then a bunch of contrails, and the affects of which and how they act are very well known, and have been for decades.
The chemtrail conspiracy theories have been around since the mid 1990's, and despite the many claims by conspiracy theorists, not one shred of real evidence has ever been produced that proves that chemtrails exist at all. The only evidence that conspiracy theorists have ever been able to produced are photos of contrails that were misidentified by conspiracy theorists, and photos and videos that had been altered by conspiracy theorists.
The fact is that belief in chemtrails is nothing more than a irrational fear brought on by a dis-proven conspiracy theory that really has no reason to exist.
So here are five things I've noticed about chemtrails:
5. They're not doing what they're suppose to.
While chemtrails have been accused of being sprayed around for several different reasons, one of the primary reasons by people who claim they are real is that they are being sprayed for population reduction.
If this happens to be true, then what ever that is being sprayed isn't very effective, because the world population went from 6 billion in 1999 to 7 billion in 2012, i.e. the world population increased by a billion people in a span of thirteen years.
4. They're spraying to high up.
If I was going to spray the population with a bunch of chemicals, I wouldn't be spraying from six to seven miles up in the air, because I know what ever chemicals that were being sprayed are just going to thin out in the atmosphere and wouldn't be effective.
In fact most people who do spray chemicals from planes for a living (like crop dusters) do it while they are very close to the ground (about 20 to 30 feet) because it is far more effective to spray close to the ground than from high up.
3. They look and act an awful lot like contrails.
Now there are a lot of conspiracy theorists who will claim that there is a difference between chemtrails and contrails (such as how long it stays up in the atmosphere) but really how long one of these "trails" stay up in the air does not determine what they are because atmospheric conditions can keep a contrail up in the air for quiet a long time.
With this in mind it would really be impossible to tell the difference between the two.
Maybe they're all contrails like everyone else says?
2. Some people are seriously scared of these things.
There are some people who are seriously scared of what they believe are chemtrails, and won't go outside whenever they see what they believe are a bunch of chemtrails in the upper atmosphere, and will even spray vinegar around because they think it will get rid of the chemtrails and their chemicals.
Some people have become so frighten in fact that they are making threats to shoot down planes (which has become a real fear of pilots in Australia).
Of course there is no real reason for this fear, because...
1. Chemtrails don't exist.
There is zero evidence that chemtrails exist, and that they are nothing more then a bunch of contrails, and the affects of which and how they act are very well known, and have been for decades.
The chemtrail conspiracy theories have been around since the mid 1990's, and despite the many claims by conspiracy theorists, not one shred of real evidence has ever been produced that proves that chemtrails exist at all. The only evidence that conspiracy theorists have ever been able to produced are photos of contrails that were misidentified by conspiracy theorists, and photos and videos that had been altered by conspiracy theorists.
The fact is that belief in chemtrails is nothing more than a irrational fear brought on by a dis-proven conspiracy theory that really has no reason to exist.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The Piers Morgan, Alex Jones interview: My take
On January 7, 2013, Piers Morgan on his CNN show Piers Morgan Tonight, conducted an interview (or at least attempted to) with radio host and world famous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, both because Jones is vehemently opposed to any gun control laws, and because Jones is one of the people behind a petition to deport Morgan back to the UK because he is a vocal supporter of more gun control in this country.
Besides the petition being another example of why Alex Jones apparently only respects the first amendment when someone doesn't say something positive about something that he opposes, or negative about something that he supports, the interview clearly shows what many skeptics have known for the past decade: Alex Jones is a nutcase.
While many people were probably shocked by Alex's behavior on the show, most of his supporters and opponents (especially those in the skeptics community) were not shocked at all. In fact most skeptics would probably have been shocked if he had not acted like that.
Alex pretty much didn't do the gun rights lobby any help. In fact one comment I saw on a Facebook group I belong to said it best about what Alex accomplished due to the interview:
And indeed he did.
Alex Jones is probably one of the worst people there is to support any movement (legit or not) what so ever due to his seemingly natural ability to twist things and to throw in things that have nothing to with the subject at hand, or something that is completely made up, while adding in the occasional vague threat.
His loud, paranoid, and conspiracy theory filled rantings during that interview is only going to make a lot believe (or validate) that people like Alex Jones is what the gun rights lobby attracts, and that at least people like Alex shouldn't even own a water gun, much less an AR-15 (which I have to agree with), and that we do need stricter gun control laws and we need to improve the mental health care system (which Alex also opposes. Not improving it, but the whole system because he believes that psychologists are evil, and that psychiatric drugs are harmful).
Regardless of whether or not Alex unknowingly and unwillingly helped the gun control lobby, and the mental health care lobby, he did do one positive thing that night: he showed the world that he is a complete nutcase that no one should ever take seriously.
Besides the petition being another example of why Alex Jones apparently only respects the first amendment when someone doesn't say something positive about something that he opposes, or negative about something that he supports, the interview clearly shows what many skeptics have known for the past decade: Alex Jones is a nutcase.
While many people were probably shocked by Alex's behavior on the show, most of his supporters and opponents (especially those in the skeptics community) were not shocked at all. In fact most skeptics would probably have been shocked if he had not acted like that.
Alex pretty much didn't do the gun rights lobby any help. In fact one comment I saw on a Facebook group I belong to said it best about what Alex accomplished due to the interview:
- "Jones made the strongest argument yet for both strict gun control and vastly improving mental health care."
And indeed he did.
Alex Jones is probably one of the worst people there is to support any movement (legit or not) what so ever due to his seemingly natural ability to twist things and to throw in things that have nothing to with the subject at hand, or something that is completely made up, while adding in the occasional vague threat.
His loud, paranoid, and conspiracy theory filled rantings during that interview is only going to make a lot believe (or validate) that people like Alex Jones is what the gun rights lobby attracts, and that at least people like Alex shouldn't even own a water gun, much less an AR-15 (which I have to agree with), and that we do need stricter gun control laws and we need to improve the mental health care system (which Alex also opposes. Not improving it, but the whole system because he believes that psychologists are evil, and that psychiatric drugs are harmful).
Regardless of whether or not Alex unknowingly and unwillingly helped the gun control lobby, and the mental health care lobby, he did do one positive thing that night: he showed the world that he is a complete nutcase that no one should ever take seriously.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
ECT Follow up: FEMA camps: Executive Orders
In a previous Embarrassing Conspiracy Theory post I talked about how many conspiracy theorists believe that the government is going to place citizens who object to government authority in prison camps. One of the key pieces of "evidence" for people who believe in these prison camps that are allegedly being built is that there are Executive Orders that have been made by the President which will give the government, FEMA, and the military the authority to round up citizens who object to government authority and ship them off to these alleged prison camps. Often times they also claim that government will create a disaster that will kill millions of people in order to justify the execution of these Executive Orders.
While conspiracy theorists often times cite real Executive Orders as evidence for what they believe is the planned coming of Martial Law, many of the conclusions they come to about these Executive Orders are very deceptive and quite frankly, incorrect.
First, many of the Executive Orders are often claimed to have been made by either President George W. Bush, or President Barack Obama. In perhaps most of these cases this is incorrect, and is either the result of poor or non research, or even an outright lie.
If you do the research you will find that the Executive Orders that are often cited by conspiracy theorists were not made by either President Bush or Obama, but were actually made by either President John Kennedy, of President Lyndon Johnson. In fact most of the Executive Orders that are commonly cited were made during the Cold War when the threat of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union was very real.
Also, most of the Executive Orders that are cited makes no mention of things like "prison camps" or "Martial law" or anything even of the like. The only things mentioned in these cited Executive Orders that would come even come remotely close is that they mention the need to maintain law and order during a disaster.
In fact many of these Executive Orders are for disaster preparedness (either as a result of a massive natural disaster, or a massive attack), what should be done during a disaster, who does what during a disaster, and what needs to be done in order to rebuild as quickly as possible.
In fact the only thing in these Executive Orders that may even give conspiracy theorists any warrant to believe that the government would take over everything is that the President would have the authority to take over temporarily any private industries and other resources in order to help minimize the destruction and damage to infrastructure as much as possible. Most of the time this wouldn't even be necessary due to volunteers and donations that often times that often times come about after a disaster.
Another thing that is often times not mentioned by conspiracy theorists is that while some of these Executive Orders do in fact still exist, many of them have been revoked by later presidents. In fact many were revoked during the Cold War itself, most likely because it was determined that these certain Executive Orders really were not necessary any more, or were never necessary to begin with.
In conclusion the citing of Executive Orders as "evidence" that the government is planning to enact Martial law is nothing more then conspiracy theorists typical paranoia and fear mongering.
While conspiracy theorists often times cite real Executive Orders as evidence for what they believe is the planned coming of Martial Law, many of the conclusions they come to about these Executive Orders are very deceptive and quite frankly, incorrect.
First, many of the Executive Orders are often claimed to have been made by either President George W. Bush, or President Barack Obama. In perhaps most of these cases this is incorrect, and is either the result of poor or non research, or even an outright lie.
If you do the research you will find that the Executive Orders that are often cited by conspiracy theorists were not made by either President Bush or Obama, but were actually made by either President John Kennedy, of President Lyndon Johnson. In fact most of the Executive Orders that are commonly cited were made during the Cold War when the threat of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union was very real.
Also, most of the Executive Orders that are cited makes no mention of things like "prison camps" or "Martial law" or anything even of the like. The only things mentioned in these cited Executive Orders that would come even come remotely close is that they mention the need to maintain law and order during a disaster.
In fact many of these Executive Orders are for disaster preparedness (either as a result of a massive natural disaster, or a massive attack), what should be done during a disaster, who does what during a disaster, and what needs to be done in order to rebuild as quickly as possible.
In fact the only thing in these Executive Orders that may even give conspiracy theorists any warrant to believe that the government would take over everything is that the President would have the authority to take over temporarily any private industries and other resources in order to help minimize the destruction and damage to infrastructure as much as possible. Most of the time this wouldn't even be necessary due to volunteers and donations that often times that often times come about after a disaster.
Another thing that is often times not mentioned by conspiracy theorists is that while some of these Executive Orders do in fact still exist, many of them have been revoked by later presidents. In fact many were revoked during the Cold War itself, most likely because it was determined that these certain Executive Orders really were not necessary any more, or were never necessary to begin with.
In conclusion the citing of Executive Orders as "evidence" that the government is planning to enact Martial law is nothing more then conspiracy theorists typical paranoia and fear mongering.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
What is an Embarrassing Conspiracy Theory?
For several months I've been writing a series of blog articles called Embarrassing Conspiracy Theories, which by the title alone most of you can tell are about conspiracy theories that have been dis-proven to the point where there is no reason for anyone to continue to believe in them, or just sounds insane, and thus anyone who continues to believe in these conspiracies should be embarrassed that they believe in them.
Now, I don't list all conspiracy theories as being embarrassing to continue to believe in (although many of them are). In fact I have a list of criteria that a conspiracy theory needs to meet at least 3 parts of in order to be considered an "embarrassing" conspiracy theory.
So, here is a list of what I consider to be the criteria for what a embarrassing conspiracy theory is:
1. The conspiracy theory has no evidence to back it up.
Many conspiracy theories simply have no evidence what so ever to prove that they exist, be it physical evidence (real or made-up) or eye witnesses (credible or non-credible).
2. All evidence presented has been discredited and/or dis-proven.
Many conspiracy theories are based upon evidence that, while might be accepted to many conspiracy theorists, has been either discredited and/or dis-proven through a scientific process, an independent investigation, or is shown to be a logical fallacy.
3. Some or all evidence that has been presented has proven to the fraudulent.
While some conspiracy theories are based on evidence that has been discredited and/or dis-proven, there are some conspiracy theories that are actually based on evidence that has been proven to be either fraudulent, or is at least strongly suspected of being fraudulent, or may even be a hoax that has just gotten out of hand.
4. Eye witnesses have been proven to be unreliable and/or liars.
Some conspiracy theories have eye witnesses who either claim to have witnessed certain portions of a conspiracy happening, or to have been part of the conspiracy itself. The problem with this is that many times these people either cannot back up their claims, or others have proven their claims to be false, or they constantly change their claims.
5. The conspiracy theory appears to be propaganda.
There are some conspiracy theories out there that do appear to be nothing more propaganda created to promote some sort of political or ideological agenda, or some type of pseudoscience or medical quackery.
6. The conspiracy theory has an obvious bigoted slant.
There are in fact some conspiracy theories out there that are obviously made up simply for the purpose of justifying one's continued hatred towards a certain group of people, or to continue to justify the discrimination against a certain group of people.
7. The conspiracy theory itself sounds ridiculous.
As the old saying goes "if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is" and in a sense the same can be said for a conspiracy theory. If a conspiracy theory sounds to crazy and to illogical to be true, then it probably is not true.
Now, I don't list all conspiracy theories as being embarrassing to continue to believe in (although many of them are). In fact I have a list of criteria that a conspiracy theory needs to meet at least 3 parts of in order to be considered an "embarrassing" conspiracy theory.
So, here is a list of what I consider to be the criteria for what a embarrassing conspiracy theory is:
1. The conspiracy theory has no evidence to back it up.
Many conspiracy theories simply have no evidence what so ever to prove that they exist, be it physical evidence (real or made-up) or eye witnesses (credible or non-credible).
2. All evidence presented has been discredited and/or dis-proven.
Many conspiracy theories are based upon evidence that, while might be accepted to many conspiracy theorists, has been either discredited and/or dis-proven through a scientific process, an independent investigation, or is shown to be a logical fallacy.
3. Some or all evidence that has been presented has proven to the fraudulent.
While some conspiracy theories are based on evidence that has been discredited and/or dis-proven, there are some conspiracy theories that are actually based on evidence that has been proven to be either fraudulent, or is at least strongly suspected of being fraudulent, or may even be a hoax that has just gotten out of hand.
4. Eye witnesses have been proven to be unreliable and/or liars.
Some conspiracy theories have eye witnesses who either claim to have witnessed certain portions of a conspiracy happening, or to have been part of the conspiracy itself. The problem with this is that many times these people either cannot back up their claims, or others have proven their claims to be false, or they constantly change their claims.
5. The conspiracy theory appears to be propaganda.
There are some conspiracy theories out there that do appear to be nothing more propaganda created to promote some sort of political or ideological agenda, or some type of pseudoscience or medical quackery.
6. The conspiracy theory has an obvious bigoted slant.
There are in fact some conspiracy theories out there that are obviously made up simply for the purpose of justifying one's continued hatred towards a certain group of people, or to continue to justify the discrimination against a certain group of people.
7. The conspiracy theory itself sounds ridiculous.
As the old saying goes "if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is" and in a sense the same can be said for a conspiracy theory. If a conspiracy theory sounds to crazy and to illogical to be true, then it probably is not true.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
What has the 9/11 Truth Movement really done?
It has been 11 years since terrorists attacked this country and murdered almost 3,000 people, and almost over night conspiracy theorists began accusing the government of committing this massive attack. These people eventually became known the "9/11 Truth Movement", or, as they are more commonly called, "Truthers".
So, what exactly has this 9/11 Truth Movement done?
Well, besides promoting a conspiracy theory that has been completely and totally dis-credited and debunked (even though they try make it appear that their theories are still creditable) all they have really done is nothing at all.
Well... nothing positive at least.
The 9/11 Truth Movement has done nothing but promote ideas that sometimes makes gullible people paranoid, and paranoid people more paranoid.
It has given liars and frauds a chance to exploit these gullible and paranoid people, and basically make money off of them through sales of their books and videos, and people paying to see them and hear them speak.
It has left some people so paranoid that they think that anyone who doesn't share their beliefs is either a sheep or a dis-information agent. This includes everyone from people over the internet whom they have never met, and conclude that they must be working for the government, or are just stupid, simply because they disagree with them, to close friends and family members whom are concerned about them because their belief in the conspiracy theory is affecting their life. This paranoia can even lead to a person in the Truth movement to isolate themselves from those close to them, or from society in general, because they just don't feel they can trust anyone that do not believe what they believe.
It has given rise to other conspiracy theories, new and old alike. Some of these conspiracy theories may have even been created as a form of payback for the 9/11 conspiracy theories (which has been mainly directed at President George W. Bush) and other conspiracy theories directed at President Bush.
It has led to people committing actions that could be considered disrespectful to those that died on that day, and those service men and women who have fought and even died in the War on Terror, to actions that are harmful to themselves and to others, and even actions that are illegal.
Finally, it has led to some people to cause their careers to end because they just can't separate their beliefs that the 9/11 attacks was caused by the government from their places of work.
This is the ultimate legacy of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Not one of truth, but one of lies, paranoia, manipulation, and ruination.
If one good thing has come as a result of the 9/11 Truth Movement it is ironically that it has led to numerous people to start debunking blogs in order to debunk these 9/11 conspiracy theories, and eventually start debunking other conspiracy theories and pseudosciences as well.
So, what exactly has this 9/11 Truth Movement done?
Well, besides promoting a conspiracy theory that has been completely and totally dis-credited and debunked (even though they try make it appear that their theories are still creditable) all they have really done is nothing at all.
Well... nothing positive at least.
The 9/11 Truth Movement has done nothing but promote ideas that sometimes makes gullible people paranoid, and paranoid people more paranoid.
It has given liars and frauds a chance to exploit these gullible and paranoid people, and basically make money off of them through sales of their books and videos, and people paying to see them and hear them speak.
It has left some people so paranoid that they think that anyone who doesn't share their beliefs is either a sheep or a dis-information agent. This includes everyone from people over the internet whom they have never met, and conclude that they must be working for the government, or are just stupid, simply because they disagree with them, to close friends and family members whom are concerned about them because their belief in the conspiracy theory is affecting their life. This paranoia can even lead to a person in the Truth movement to isolate themselves from those close to them, or from society in general, because they just don't feel they can trust anyone that do not believe what they believe.
It has given rise to other conspiracy theories, new and old alike. Some of these conspiracy theories may have even been created as a form of payback for the 9/11 conspiracy theories (which has been mainly directed at President George W. Bush) and other conspiracy theories directed at President Bush.
It has led to people committing actions that could be considered disrespectful to those that died on that day, and those service men and women who have fought and even died in the War on Terror, to actions that are harmful to themselves and to others, and even actions that are illegal.
Finally, it has led to some people to cause their careers to end because they just can't separate their beliefs that the 9/11 attacks was caused by the government from their places of work.
This is the ultimate legacy of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Not one of truth, but one of lies, paranoia, manipulation, and ruination.
If one good thing has come as a result of the 9/11 Truth Movement it is ironically that it has led to numerous people to start debunking blogs in order to debunk these 9/11 conspiracy theories, and eventually start debunking other conspiracy theories and pseudosciences as well.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Conspiracy Theories & The Paranormal: Why the belief and promotion of both can be dangerous
Recently while I was on a skeptics message board I met a young man who was having trouble getting over the belief in the Illuminati and spirit communication via the Oujia board. While I believe his belief in the Illuminati has been has been destroyed, it appears he just can't get over his fear of the Oujia board due to all of the stories about dark spirit and demon communications via the Oujia board on the internet. These stories are at the very least nothing but then misinterpretations and mass hysteria, and at the very worst, outright lies, but this young man just can not seem to get over the fact that people do lie about this stuff, or that people don't understand that people do stuff subconsciously with the Oujia board, and because of this, these stories are terrifying him, even though he does know they aren't real, he just can not seem to get that concept completely into his mind.
Another young man that I've been in communications with via Twitter also was having anxiety because Illuminati conspiracy theories, and FEMA camp conspiracy theories, and that he was having trouble getting over those beliefs as well, and that these conspiracy theories terrified him so badly that he had seriously considered committing suicide due to his fear that he and his family would be thrown into a FEMA camp or killed. His autism probably didn't help with his anxiety over these conspiracy theories either. So this young man, instead of drowning in his fears, decided to start his own debunking blog called Autistic Skeptic as a way to help him as a way to get over his anxiety, and fears, and beliefs in these conspiracy theories.
On another blog I sometimes visit there were posts in the comments section of one blog article that were made by a young man who claimed to have post traumatic stress disorder due to the "conspiracy" involving the 9/11 attacks. This person had more then just PTSD, and appeared to be very mentally disturbed, and was posting threatening pictures on his Facebook page that he saw as "art".
These three young men's stories are just a few examples of what may be thousands, if not millions of people who have believed in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, or still do seriously believe in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, or are having trouble getting over the fact that these conspiracy theories and stories about the paranormal just aren't real, and are entirely made up as a way to promote some sort of political or religious agenda, or that these people who post this stuff on the internet are just misinterpreting things that happen to them, or what they saw, or that they're making this stuff up to get attention. This has become even easier now because of the internet, because you don't have to look a person right in the face and lie.
Because some people have trouble determining what is real and what is not real over the internet, and that some people may have mental issues, or because of how they were raised and what beliefs they were taught, these conspiracy theories and stories of the paranormal can terrify them to the point where it affects their lives. Even if they know it's not real, if they have any bits of belief in them of these fringe subjects, and they are very gullible and easily scared, it can very badly affect their out look on the world, and their health. It can even lead some people to commit suicide, or worse, murder.
For those who do seriously believe in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, not only can these affect both their physical and mental health, it can also affect how they interact with the people around them as well. Constantly talking about and insisting that such things are real can lead to some people who don't believe in such fringe things to end up cutting communications with that person because they can't deal with that person's paranoia. Beliefs in fringe things can also lead to believers cutting off communications with friends and family members because they can't deal with people trying to convince them that what they believe isn't real, or they might even begin to believe that those people are working for some forces that are trying to destroy them. To people that they don't know, sometimes they will act extremely nasty towards them, sometimes to the point where the other person feels threaten and they end up calling the police.
This is what makes conspiracy theories and stories of the paranormal so harmful, and why I debunk this stuff. It's not because they're real, because most often times they are not, but because the shear thought of their existence can terrify some people to the point where it drives them crazy and they may end up harming themselves, or others.
To read more about the Autistic Skeptic's story please go to his page about his personal experiences with conspiracy theories, and read about his struggles over his beliefs in conspiracy theories, the anxiety brought on by those beliefs, and his struggle to rid himself of those beliefs and the fear that comes with them.
Another young man that I've been in communications with via Twitter also was having anxiety because Illuminati conspiracy theories, and FEMA camp conspiracy theories, and that he was having trouble getting over those beliefs as well, and that these conspiracy theories terrified him so badly that he had seriously considered committing suicide due to his fear that he and his family would be thrown into a FEMA camp or killed. His autism probably didn't help with his anxiety over these conspiracy theories either. So this young man, instead of drowning in his fears, decided to start his own debunking blog called Autistic Skeptic as a way to help him as a way to get over his anxiety, and fears, and beliefs in these conspiracy theories.
On another blog I sometimes visit there were posts in the comments section of one blog article that were made by a young man who claimed to have post traumatic stress disorder due to the "conspiracy" involving the 9/11 attacks. This person had more then just PTSD, and appeared to be very mentally disturbed, and was posting threatening pictures on his Facebook page that he saw as "art".
These three young men's stories are just a few examples of what may be thousands, if not millions of people who have believed in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, or still do seriously believe in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, or are having trouble getting over the fact that these conspiracy theories and stories about the paranormal just aren't real, and are entirely made up as a way to promote some sort of political or religious agenda, or that these people who post this stuff on the internet are just misinterpreting things that happen to them, or what they saw, or that they're making this stuff up to get attention. This has become even easier now because of the internet, because you don't have to look a person right in the face and lie.
Because some people have trouble determining what is real and what is not real over the internet, and that some people may have mental issues, or because of how they were raised and what beliefs they were taught, these conspiracy theories and stories of the paranormal can terrify them to the point where it affects their lives. Even if they know it's not real, if they have any bits of belief in them of these fringe subjects, and they are very gullible and easily scared, it can very badly affect their out look on the world, and their health. It can even lead some people to commit suicide, or worse, murder.
For those who do seriously believe in conspiracy theories and the paranormal, not only can these affect both their physical and mental health, it can also affect how they interact with the people around them as well. Constantly talking about and insisting that such things are real can lead to some people who don't believe in such fringe things to end up cutting communications with that person because they can't deal with that person's paranoia. Beliefs in fringe things can also lead to believers cutting off communications with friends and family members because they can't deal with people trying to convince them that what they believe isn't real, or they might even begin to believe that those people are working for some forces that are trying to destroy them. To people that they don't know, sometimes they will act extremely nasty towards them, sometimes to the point where the other person feels threaten and they end up calling the police.
This is what makes conspiracy theories and stories of the paranormal so harmful, and why I debunk this stuff. It's not because they're real, because most often times they are not, but because the shear thought of their existence can terrify some people to the point where it drives them crazy and they may end up harming themselves, or others.
To read more about the Autistic Skeptic's story please go to his page about his personal experiences with conspiracy theories, and read about his struggles over his beliefs in conspiracy theories, the anxiety brought on by those beliefs, and his struggle to rid himself of those beliefs and the fear that comes with them.
Friday, August 17, 2012
6 Ways to tell if a Conspiracy Theorist posting on the Internet is Mentally Disturbed
If anyone has ever encountered a conspiracy theorist on the internet, then you know that some of them can be quite intense people, even to the point where you might believe that they are mentally disturbed.
So here now is a list of six ways to tell if a conspiracy theorist that you see posting on the internet might be mentally disturbed:
(Author's note: it should be noted that there is a difference between being mentally ill and mentally disturbed. Mental illness is actually far more common then most people might think. In fact, one-in-four people in the United States has some type of mental illness. You might even know someone who has a mental illness and not even know it. What mental illness is, is something that happens to a person's mind or brain to cause them to act and think irrationally, and they can usually recognize the negative impact it is having on them and their life. As for someone who is mentally disturbed, they also might think and act irrationally, but their irrationality would be in a much more volatile and disturbing manner, and they might be so far gone that they do not realize this.
Also, just because person's posts might indicate that they are mentally disturbed, it doesn't mean that they are in fact mentally disturbed, they could just be a troll, but even a troll can still be mentally disturbed.)
6. Incoherence
Basically speaking, whatever messages they post either barely make any sense, or makes no sense what so ever. This can be a gradual thing, where if you're having an argument with the conspiracy theorist, over time they can begin making less and less sense as they grow more frustrated and angry because you're not agreeing with them, or they're just incoherent out right.
5. Volatile & Vileness
Some conspiracy theorists, especially those who might be mentally disturbed, can become extremely angry in a second, especially when confronted with evidence that the conspiracy theories that they believe in are in fact false. It's quite common for people who are like this to post messages that are best described as either being threatening, insulting, and at the very least, disturbing. Sometimes they'll even make threats against public officials and institutions, or just the people they're arguing with.
4. Paranoia
If a conspiracy theorist argues how everything the media says is a lie, how the government constantly spreads dis-information, and how debunkers are government dis-information agents, and how banks and corporations are controlling the world, then they are probably paranoid. While this might actually be quite common for a conspiracy theorist, some will go on about how you need to prepare, such as by buying all the guns and ammo you can, to building a bunker and living in isolation. They might also not buy certain things, or from certain business, or put their money in a bank account, because they don't trust them.
Some conspiracy theorists who are extremely paranoid will even believe in very bizarre conspiracy theories, or won't even trust their own family. The most paranoid conspiracy theorists most likely wouldn't even use the internet in the first place, because they fear that the government will use it to track them down and harm them.
3. Obsession
For some conspiracy theorists, conspiracy theories can take over their lives. They become obsessed not only with conspiracy theories, but proving that they are real. Some will even abandon their families, or more likely, their families will abandon them, because of their obsession.
It's pretty easy to spot a conspiracy theorist on the internet that is obsessed with conspiracy theories, because they won't stop posting about a conspiracy theory until they are convinced that you are convinced that the conspiracy theory that they are talking about is real, or that they have convinced themselves that they have "debunked" a debunking of a conspiracy theory, or they're kicked off of a website, and even then, because of their obsessive needs, they'll constantly try to find a way to get back in.
2. Unable to see the harm in their actions
A conspiracy theorist who is mentally disturbed might not be able to see or figure out that their own actions are harmful, even if what they are posting might be considered illegal. They tend to not to be able to figure out why everyone is making such a big deal over the way they're acting. Some will even admit that their own friends and family have distanced themselves from them, or that they have distanced themselves from their friends and family because they will not accept what he or she believes in.
1. Admits having a Mental Illness
Some conspiracy theorists will admit that they actually are mental ill, but usually the mental illness that they admit to having is usually anxiety based, which can come about after watching and/or experiencing a traumatic event, such as an act of terrorism, or a mass shooting.
So here now is a list of six ways to tell if a conspiracy theorist that you see posting on the internet might be mentally disturbed:
(Author's note: it should be noted that there is a difference between being mentally ill and mentally disturbed. Mental illness is actually far more common then most people might think. In fact, one-in-four people in the United States has some type of mental illness. You might even know someone who has a mental illness and not even know it. What mental illness is, is something that happens to a person's mind or brain to cause them to act and think irrationally, and they can usually recognize the negative impact it is having on them and their life. As for someone who is mentally disturbed, they also might think and act irrationally, but their irrationality would be in a much more volatile and disturbing manner, and they might be so far gone that they do not realize this.
Also, just because person's posts might indicate that they are mentally disturbed, it doesn't mean that they are in fact mentally disturbed, they could just be a troll, but even a troll can still be mentally disturbed.)
6. Incoherence
Basically speaking, whatever messages they post either barely make any sense, or makes no sense what so ever. This can be a gradual thing, where if you're having an argument with the conspiracy theorist, over time they can begin making less and less sense as they grow more frustrated and angry because you're not agreeing with them, or they're just incoherent out right.
5. Volatile & Vileness
Some conspiracy theorists, especially those who might be mentally disturbed, can become extremely angry in a second, especially when confronted with evidence that the conspiracy theories that they believe in are in fact false. It's quite common for people who are like this to post messages that are best described as either being threatening, insulting, and at the very least, disturbing. Sometimes they'll even make threats against public officials and institutions, or just the people they're arguing with.
4. Paranoia
If a conspiracy theorist argues how everything the media says is a lie, how the government constantly spreads dis-information, and how debunkers are government dis-information agents, and how banks and corporations are controlling the world, then they are probably paranoid. While this might actually be quite common for a conspiracy theorist, some will go on about how you need to prepare, such as by buying all the guns and ammo you can, to building a bunker and living in isolation. They might also not buy certain things, or from certain business, or put their money in a bank account, because they don't trust them.
Some conspiracy theorists who are extremely paranoid will even believe in very bizarre conspiracy theories, or won't even trust their own family. The most paranoid conspiracy theorists most likely wouldn't even use the internet in the first place, because they fear that the government will use it to track them down and harm them.
3. Obsession
For some conspiracy theorists, conspiracy theories can take over their lives. They become obsessed not only with conspiracy theories, but proving that they are real. Some will even abandon their families, or more likely, their families will abandon them, because of their obsession.
It's pretty easy to spot a conspiracy theorist on the internet that is obsessed with conspiracy theories, because they won't stop posting about a conspiracy theory until they are convinced that you are convinced that the conspiracy theory that they are talking about is real, or that they have convinced themselves that they have "debunked" a debunking of a conspiracy theory, or they're kicked off of a website, and even then, because of their obsessive needs, they'll constantly try to find a way to get back in.
2. Unable to see the harm in their actions
A conspiracy theorist who is mentally disturbed might not be able to see or figure out that their own actions are harmful, even if what they are posting might be considered illegal. They tend to not to be able to figure out why everyone is making such a big deal over the way they're acting. Some will even admit that their own friends and family have distanced themselves from them, or that they have distanced themselves from their friends and family because they will not accept what he or she believes in.
1. Admits having a Mental Illness
Some conspiracy theorists will admit that they actually are mental ill, but usually the mental illness that they admit to having is usually anxiety based, which can come about after watching and/or experiencing a traumatic event, such as an act of terrorism, or a mass shooting.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Embarrassing Conspiracy Theories: Acts of Mass Murder are False Flag Attacks
Any time an act of mass murder occurs in this country, or even in other countries, conspiracy theorists automatically claim that it's a false flag attack. It doesn't matter to them whether it's an act of terrorism by an organized terrorist group, or an act of terrorism by some lone nut case, or just something that some lone nut case decided to do one day because they couldn't control their violent urges.
The main "reasoning" behind all of this, besides that fact that many conspiracy theorists don't believe that anyone would just randomly commit an act of mass murder, is the belief that these mass murders are staged in order to convince the public, or at least justify, that creating stricter gun control laws, and eventually outlawing firearms completely, is acceptable and reasonable.
The problem with this claim is that while some politicians often times do call for much more stricter gun control laws after a mass murder involving fire arms occurs, actual nation wide laws getting passed in this country regarding gun control is quite rare. In fact, the last major nation wide gun control law that was passed in this country was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. Plus, in 2004 that law expired, and has never been renewed.
Most major gun control laws that exist in this country are not even federal laws, but state laws, or even local laws, and that's only if the state's constitution where that locality is at allows it to create gun control laws in the first place. In fact, some states barely have any gun control laws what so ever.
Also, another claim that conspiracy theorists tend to make, is that these acts of mass murder may be used as a way to justify imposing nation wide Martial law.
Now the problem with this claim is that Martial law has very rarely been imposed, even at the local level, and that's only when a major disaster, or a huge riot occurs. In fact, Martial law has only been imposed two times at the state level, and has only been imposed one time at the national level, and that was during the Civil War.
At no time in our history has Martial law ever been imposed as a result of an act of mass murder. In fact, the only time that any laws are passed when an act of mass murder occurs is when that act of mass murder is also an act of terrorism.
The fact is, is that acts of mass murder are done by people who are insane, have extremist political beliefs, or both.
The main "reasoning" behind all of this, besides that fact that many conspiracy theorists don't believe that anyone would just randomly commit an act of mass murder, is the belief that these mass murders are staged in order to convince the public, or at least justify, that creating stricter gun control laws, and eventually outlawing firearms completely, is acceptable and reasonable.
The problem with this claim is that while some politicians often times do call for much more stricter gun control laws after a mass murder involving fire arms occurs, actual nation wide laws getting passed in this country regarding gun control is quite rare. In fact, the last major nation wide gun control law that was passed in this country was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. Plus, in 2004 that law expired, and has never been renewed.
Most major gun control laws that exist in this country are not even federal laws, but state laws, or even local laws, and that's only if the state's constitution where that locality is at allows it to create gun control laws in the first place. In fact, some states barely have any gun control laws what so ever.
Also, another claim that conspiracy theorists tend to make, is that these acts of mass murder may be used as a way to justify imposing nation wide Martial law.
Now the problem with this claim is that Martial law has very rarely been imposed, even at the local level, and that's only when a major disaster, or a huge riot occurs. In fact, Martial law has only been imposed two times at the state level, and has only been imposed one time at the national level, and that was during the Civil War.
At no time in our history has Martial law ever been imposed as a result of an act of mass murder. In fact, the only time that any laws are passed when an act of mass murder occurs is when that act of mass murder is also an act of terrorism.
The fact is, is that acts of mass murder are done by people who are insane, have extremist political beliefs, or both.
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