United States of Paranoia - Why Conspiracy Theories Abound

[Matt Collins]

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/united-states-paranoia-conspiracy-theory

[better-dead-than-fed]

If I had a transcript for every video produced, I would get whatever message the video-producers are trying to convey.

[Natural Citizen]

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/united-states-paranoia-conspiracy-theory

Is it too hard to maybe give a bit of a preview instead of just sharing a link to something? Gosh. I hate when people do that.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Paranoia? That's the job of the Federal Government... that said: CIAto Institute

[donnay]

Is it too hard to maybe give a bit of a preview instead of just sharing a link to something? Gosh. I hate when people do that.


^^^This^^^

I usually never click on the links. I do not like to give traffic to propagandist.

[ClydeCoulter]

^^^This^^^

I usually never click on the links. I do not like to give traffic to propagandist.

I didn't click on the link either.

I heard Ron Paul tonight, live. And he is concerned with conspiracies within our government, although he is hopeful of the American people.

[thoughtomator]

Paranoia? That's the job of the Federal Government... that said: CIAto Institute

Yup. CATO = faux libertarian controlled opposition

[Anti Federalist]

Is it too hard to maybe give a bit of a preview instead of just sharing a link to something? Gosh. I hate when people do that.


^^^This^^^

I usually never click on the links. I do not like to give traffic to propagandist.

In my best NPR "Radio Announcer" voice:

"Blah blah blah, mythic narratives - blah blah blah, fact mixed with fiction, blah blah blah, book about being trolled, blah blah blah, misbehavior in high places."

What a bunch of nonsense.

He mentioned awful secret programs like MKULTRA and yet never addresses the fact that people who might have tried to tell you about it would be "conspiracy theorists".

They are believed because we have been lied to over and over and over and over again by "authority" that claims the right to own us.

[Petar]

People believe conspiracy theories for the sole reason that The Collins hasn't really tried to stop us from believing them yet.

One day he will and then it will all be over.

[ClydeCoulter]

People believe conspiracy theories for the sole reason that The Collins hasn't really tried to stop us from believing them yet.

One day he will and then it will all be over.

What a day, that will be, Oh, what a day that will be....:D

[better-dead-than-fed]

conspiracy: An agreement by two or more people to commit an illegal act....

http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/conspiracy-term.html...

The DOJ publishes at least ten thousand "conspiracy" theories per year:

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cfjs04.pdf

page 14 (page 22 of the PDF)......

[Occam's Banana]

United States of Paranoia - Why Consipracy Theories Abound

I cannot help but wonder if the thesis "conspiracy theories abound because conspiracies abound" was taken into consideration ...

[purplechoe]

http://text100.com/hypertext/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/paranoid_social-media_measurement_pr-roi.jpg

[Peace Piper]

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/united-states-paranoia-conspiracy-theory

Do you believe the following real CONspiracy theory, and if so, perhaps you could share why:


It goes something like this :

Directed by a beardy-guy from a cave in Afghanistan, nineteen hard-drinking, coke-snorting, devout Muslims enjoy lap dances before their mission to meet Allah…

Using nothing more than craft knifes, they overpower cabin crew, passengers and pilots on four planes…And hangover or not, they manage to give the world’s most sophisticated air defense system the slip…

Unphased by leaving their “How to Fly a Passenger Jet” guide in the car at the airport, they master the controls in no-time and score direct hits on two towers, causing THREE to collapse completely…

Our masterminds even manage to overpower the odd law of physics or two… and the world watches in awe as steel-framed buildings fall symmetrically – through their own mass – at free-fall speed, for the first time in history.

Despite all their dastardly cunning, they stupidly give their identity away by using explosion-proof passports, which survive the fireball undamaged and fall to the ground… only to be discovered by the incredible crime-fighting sleuths at the FBI.

Meanwhile down in Washington…Hani Hanjour, having previously flunked 2-man Cessna flying school, gets carried away with all the success of the day and suddenly finds incredible abilities behind the controls of a Boeing…

Instead of flying straight down into the large roof area of the Pentagon, he decides to show off a little…Executing an incredible 270 degree downward spiral, he levels off to hit the low facade of the world’s most heavily defended building……all without a single shot being fired…. or ruining the nicely mowed lawn… and all at a speed just too fast to capture on video……

Later, in the skies above Pennsylvania…So desperate to talk to loved ones before their death, some passengers use sheer willpower to connect mobile calls that otherwise would not be possible until several years later…

And following a heroic attempt by some to retake control of Flight 93, it crashes into a Shankesville field leaving no trace of engines, fuselage or occupants… except for the standard issue Muslim terrorists bandana……

Further south in Florida…President Bush, our brave Commander-in-Chief continues to read “My Pet Goat” to a class full of primary school children… shrugging off the obvious possibility that his life could be in imminent danger…

In New York…Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein blesses his own foresight in insuring the buildings against terrorist attack only six weeks previously…While back in Washington...

Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz shake their heads in disbelief at their own luck in getting the ‘New Pearl Harbor’ catalyzing event they so desired to pursue their agenda of world domination…

And finally, not to be disturbed too much by reports of their own deaths, at least 11 of our 19 suicide hijackers turn up alive and kicking in lamestream media reports.


I personally have been called a "Conspiracy Theorist" when I told some people about the 1953 CIA Coup d'etat against Iran. Now that the CIA has admitted it (10 years after it has been widely known and documentaries made) , I'm not expecting any apologies.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNCE6qFHi18

In 2013, seeking truth- a "Truther" is frowned upon and "Truthers" are publicly scorned. How Orwellian is that? And how disgusting.

The opposite of a "Truther" is a FALSER. One day people will be proud they demanded the whole truth and nothing but.

[Matt Collins]

Do you believe the following real CONspiracy theory, and if so, perhaps you could share why:


I don't believe anything the government says, but that does not equate to believing in conspiracy either.

[juleswin]

Is it too hard to maybe give a bit of a preview instead of just sharing a link to something? Gosh. I hate when people do that.

What he said. At least post the first paragraph if you're too lazy to read and flush out the most pertinent parts from the article. Headline and a link is not and never will be sufficient info to start a thread with

+rep

[ClydeCoulter]

I don't believe anything the government says, but that does not equate to believing in conspiracy either.

If you think they are lying, why are they lying? Might it be to cover something up?

[donnay]

I don't believe anything the government says, but that does not equate to believing in conspiracy either.


"A good conspiracy is un-provable. I mean, if you can prove it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line."

They screwed up plenty of times...and yet, people, like yourself, refuse to believe there is any conspiracies--past or present. :toady:

[Natural Citizen]

"A good conspiracy is un-provable. I mean, if you can prove it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line."

They screwed up plenty of times...and yet, people, like yourself, refuse to believe there is any conspiracies--past or present. :toady:

Here's a good conspiracy (http://drjudywood.com/). Like energy weapons and whatnot. I think maybe even some Nazi space aliens too. A real hoot. :rolleyes:

[donnay]

Here's a good conspiracy (http://drjudywood.com/). Like energy weapons and whatnot. I think maybe even some Nazi space aliens too. A real hoot. :rolleyes:


I do not discount anything, at this point. I know weapons that are just coming out in the news, the technology, has been available for years.

[Natural Citizen]

I do not discount anything, at this point. I know weapons that are just coming out in the news, the technology, has been available for years.

Yep. Heck, if a car motor is melted and then the rest of it...plastic trim and everything else is left in tact then someone is going to ask something, I suppose. Buuuut anyhoo....nothing to see here.

http://mlkshk.com/r/71KR

[Matt Collins]

If you think they are lying, why are they lying? Might it be to cover something up?To cover their own incompetence perhaps?

[Anti Federalist]

I don't believe anything the government says, but that does not equate to believing in conspiracy either.


To cover their own incompetence perhaps?

If more than two people collude together to do this, it is a conspiracy.

[Anti Federalist]

To cover their own incompetence perhaps?

Government is far from bunch of bumbling idiots when it comes to what it does best.

This is like saying: Public schools are failing.

No, they are doing precisely what they were designed to do.

[69360]

After all the stuff the government has been caught doing, I don't trust anything from the government. But some people take it too far with the conspiracy stuff. It's good to question everything, but you can't live your life in a paranoid delusion scared of the lizard men who rule the world.

[VBRonPaulFan]

The government has done such a good job of destroying its own credibility, that there is now a huge group of folks who believe the opposite of any official story that comes out of DC. It isn't the fault of the people for being this way, it is the fault of the government for becoming so evil and corrupt, that nobody can believe anything that they say.

Me personally, I try not to believe anything until I can do some research or observation of my own to verify. I'm just skeptical of everything.

[donnay]

After all the stuff the government has been caught doing, I don't trust anything from the government. But some people take it too far with the conspiracy stuff.

What's too far?

9/11 was an inside job as a pretext to commit unconstitutional middle eastern wars?

Since then they have passed legislation that takes away our 1st amendment, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth amendments.

How much farther do you wish them to go? Just because it is selectively enforced around the country is no reason to sit in denial. It's real and when they finally pull the trigger, what happened to the people in Germany in the 30's will be a walk in the park for these evil doers--they have had plenty of practice.


It's good to question everything, but you can't live your life in a paranoid delusion scared of the lizard men who rule the world.

Nice try--does that help you sleep better at night because you are not paranoid enough? :rolleyes:

[Ender]

"Conspiracy theory" is the new slam against people who smell a rat. It is used for immediate proof that such a person is a nut. In our Orwellian world, it is amazing to me that anyone believes anything that comes from any "official" report, but most do.

It's The Matrix, people. It is time to:

WAKE UP.

[KingNothing]

After all the stuff the government has been caught doing, I don't trust anything from the government. But some people take it too far with the conspiracy stuff. It's good to question everything, but you can't live your life in a paranoid delusion scared of the lizard men who rule the world.

Most conspiracy theorists don't question everything. They find an idea that appeals to their worldview, and latch on to it. Any debate or evidence that could disprove the theory actually just reinforces the theorists confidence in it.

It's a really, really, odd thing.

[LibertyEagle]

Why would you post this, Matt? It's almost like you are attempting to discount the fact that real conspiracies happen every single day.

[Matt Collins]

Why would you post this, Matt? It's almost like you are attempting to discount the fact that real conspiracies happen every single day.
Did you actually listen to the content at the link above?

[jmdrake]

To cover their own incompetence perhaps?

Sending guns to Mexican drug lords in order to make the second amendment look bad goes beyond "incompetence".

Telling an FBI informant to use real explosives in the 1993 WTC bombing goes beyond incompetence.

Engaging in false flag terror to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran goes beyond incompetence.

Why do you think people in government are only capable of incompetence? And if the government itself is so incompetent, then doesn't that by itself prove that it's not only possible, but probable that people with mal intent have infiltrated the government to use such general "incompetence" to their advantage?

In other words...your argument is incompetent.

[jmdrake]

Did you actually listen to the content at the link above?

Why should she? You've already tipped your hand as to what it's about with your claim that there what we are really facing is just "incompetence". Is CATO paying you per click for spamming their links out?

[LibertyEagle]

Did you actually listen to the content at the link above?

No, I'm like everyone else. Post a synopsis. Don't be lazy.

[CPUd]

http://i.imgur.com/6N6FRHD.gif

[osan]

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/united-states-paranoia-conspiracy-theory

Conspiracy theories abound because conspiracies abound. That the theories might outnumber actual conspiracies out of measure with what might be deemed reasonable is not so much a measure of unfounded paranoia as it is the well expected result in a world of lies and bullshit that is so thick, people no longer know what can be trusted

[Cap]

http://i.imgur.com/6N6FRHD.gifThat is me and my lab all the time.

[Matt Collins]

No, I'm like everyone else. Post a synopsis. Don't be lazy.
The title is the synopsis

[LibertyEagle]

http://i.imgur.com/6N6FRHD.gif

lolol

I had to watch that a few times to see that he was walking through the door frame.

[LibertyEagle]

The title is the synopsis

No it isn't. That is why there is a word called, title, and another word called, synopsis.

[osan]

I cannot help but wonder if the thesis "conspiracy theories abound because conspiracies abound" was taken into consideration ...

I listened to about 2-3 minutes of it - silly me - and it was typical nonsense that attempts to sound "balanced" and all that, but if one listens carefully it becomes clear the speakers have not done their homework, are incompetent, or are dishonest. Not sure which, nor do I care.

[jmdrake]

The title is the synopsis

:rolleyes: Matt, since you admit that nobody actually needs to listen to the link to know what the link is about, why do you want people to listen to the link? Again I ask, are you getting a pay-per-click? (My own little "conspiracy theory". :p)

[Original_Intent]

I cannot help but wonder if the thesis "conspiracy theories abound because conspiracies abound" was taken into consideration ...

That was going to be my comment. +1

[July]

Most conspiracy theorists don't question everything. They find an idea that appeals to their worldview, and latch on to it. Any debate or evidence that could disprove the theory actually just reinforces the theorists confidence in it.

It's a really, really, odd thing.

It's logical... entertaining alternate theories of history and events can open minds and cause people to question their long held assumptions and world view, for better or worse. It's possible to really see how easily perception can change, according to our fears and bias. This is what political propaganda feeds on. But it's a double edged sword, some suffer cognative dissonance if they perceive their long held worldview has been based on a lie, and lose ability to determine what's real.

Anyway I thought it was an interesting interview, like the author's point about some conspiracy theories being like a form of storytelling...expressing fears and anxieties triggered by real events or abuses in society, or in some cases like a secularized way of explaining good and evil. I think that's probably true to some extent.

[osan]

I don't believe anything the government says, but that does not equate to believing in conspiracy either.

This statement demonstrates an apparent and profound misunderstanding of logic.

[Original_Intent]

This statement demonstrates an apparent and profound misunderstanding of logic.

It's The Collins - not exactly an INTJ personality.

[osan]

To cover their own incompetence perhaps?

If it involves more than one person, THAT is a conspiracy as well.

HELLO

[pcosmar]

Did you actually listen to the content at the link above?

No,,what does it say?

I don't bother with links posted with no context.

[pcosmar]

The title is the synopsis

NO,, the threat title is the thread title,,, it is not a synopsis.


a brief summary or general survey of something.

[Matt Collins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FMWyp5D1ZDY

[Matt Collins]

Again I ask, are you getting a pay-per-click? (My own little "conspiracy theory". :p)I wish :cool:

[Matt Collins]

Amazes me how many people here are close minded. It's really disappointing :(

[jmdrake]

If it involves more than one person, THAT is a conspiracy as well.

HELLO

Conspiracy theories are in the eyes of the beholder. Matt just pimped his own conspiracy theory that the whole "war with Syria" thing is just meant to distract us from Obamacare. That means that 3 years ago the Obama administration started funding Islamic militants to foster and uprising in Syria just so that Obama would have a reason to distract the nation from the disaster that is Obamacare. What forward thinking! :rolleyes:

[jmdrake]

Amazes me how many people here are close minded. It's really disappointing :(

We're just being closed minded to those who are close minded Mr. Obamacare-Syria conspiracy theorist.

[Cap]

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u11/CapRuger/cat-poop_zps3f4d22d7.jpg

[osan]

http://i.imgur.com/6N6FRHD.gif

I absolutely love this dog. The story here is priceless.

[Anti Federalist]

Amazes me how many people here are close minded. It's really disappointing :(

I listened to the whole interview.

I disagree with the premise, as I saw it, which was nothing more than, "yes some conspiracies are true, but let's ignore that and focus on sociological implications and reasons why some (thinly veiled) dimwits obsess over conspiracy theories."

My default position is that government is lying to me, and there are probably more than a few people conspiring to make that lie happen.

[GunnyFreedom]

Did you actually listen to the content at the link above?

I didn't. All you posted was a link and nothing else. I never click on those. Most people here do not click on those. Most people across the whole internet do not click on those. Learn to intarweb, man.

[Matt Collins]

My default position is that government is lying to meI don't disagree

[better-dead-than-fed]

I listened and it was a big mistake. No wonder they didn't write it up, they were all blah blah blah.

[dannno]

Amazes me how many people here are close minded. It's really disappointing :(

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/12/313399/conspiracy-theorists-vs-govt-dupes/

[UWDude]

I heard that once the Us government told black men in Tuskeegee they were treating them for syphilis, when in reality, they were using them as science experiments to see how the disease progressed. I also hear they deliberately infected Guatemalan prisoners with STD's so they could study them, many of them political prisoners from a coup instigated by the CIA to overthrow democratically elected Guzman.

What paranoid nut would believe such nonsense about their own government?

[Anti Federalist]

I don't disagree

If more than two people in government are lying about the same thing and colluding to do so prior to telling you the lie, that is a conspiracy, and if we did it, in the course of an "official' investigation, we'd go to jail.