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Thread: Scientific Study Reveals Conspiracy Theorists The Most Sane Of All

  1. #1

    Scientific Study Reveals Conspiracy Theorists The Most Sane Of All

    If you’re a conspiracy theorist, then you’re crazy, right? That’s been the common belief for years, but recent studies prove that just the opposite is true.

    Researchers — psychologists and social scientists, mostly — in the U.S. and United Kingdom say data indicate that, contrary to those mainstream media stereotypes, “conspiracy theorists” appear to be more sane than people who accept official versions of controversial and contested events.

    The most recent study was published in July 2013 by psychologists Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas of the University of Kent in the UK. Entitled “‘What about Building 7?’ A Social Psychological Study of Online Discussion of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories,” the study compared “conspiracist,” or pro-conspiracy theory, and “conventionalist,” or anti-conspiracy, comments on news websites.

    The researchers noted that they were surprised to find that it is now more conventional to leave so-called conspiracist comments than conventional ones.

    “Of the 2174 comments collected, 1459 were coded as conspiracist and 715 as conventionalist,” the researchers wrote.

    ‘The research showed that people who favored the official account of 9/11 were generally more hostile’

    So, among people who comment on news articles, those who discount official government accounts of events like the 9/11 attacks and the assassination of John F. Kennedy outnumber believers by more than two-to-one. That means the pro-conspiracy commenters are those who are now expressing what is considered conventional wisdom, while the anti-conspiracy commenters represent a small, beleaguered minority that is often scoffed at and shunned.

    Perhaps becoming frustrated that their alleged mainstream viewpoints are no longer considered as such by the majority, those who are anti-conspiracy commenters often showed anger and disgust in their posts.

    “The research… showed that people who favored the official account of 9/11 were generally more hostile when trying to persuade their rivals,” said the study.

    Also, it seems that those who do not believe in the conspiracies were not just hostile but fanatically attached to their own conspiracy theories as well. The researchers said that, according to the anti-conspiracy holders, their own theory of 9/11 — one which says 19 Muslims, none of whom could fly commercial airliners with any proficiency, pulled off an amazing surprise attack under the direction of a man on dialysis (Osama bin Laden) who was living in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan — is unwaveringly true.

    Meanwhile, “conspiracists,” on the hand, did not have to pretend to have a theory that completely explained the events of 9/11. “For people who think 9/11 was a government conspiracy, the focus is not on promoting a specific rival theory, but in trying to debunk the official account,” the researchers said.

    As reported by Veterans Today:

    In short, the new study by Wood and Douglas suggests that the negative stereotype of the conspiracy theorist — a hostile fanatic wedded to the truth of his own fringe theory — accurately describes the people who defend the official account of 9/11, not those who dispute it.
    ....

    http://earthweareone.com/scientific-...t-sane-of-all/



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  3. #2
    LOL.

    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  4. #3
    Sounds like a conspiracy to make people who are conspiracy theorists appear to be mainstream.

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr.3D View Post
    Sounds like a conspiracy to make people who are conspiracy theorists appear to be mainstream.
    You sound like a conspiracy theorist.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanimal View Post
    You sound like a conspiracy theorist.
    I can't help it.

  7. #6
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  8. #7
    I think conspiracy theorist can be found at both end of the spectrum. Some really crazy people are conspiracy theorists and I think a very large number of intelligent people are conspiracy theorists too. We do clinical sessions in homeless shelters and we talk to these people for 1 hr before we start doing medical checks and I kid you not, 99% of these guys are conspiracy theorists. They believe it all, from the illuminati, to JFK shooting, to 911. But then again a lot of them are also have mental or substance abuse problems.

    Sometimes I wonder if their belief of CT was what caused them to start abusing drugs and go crazy

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    I think conspiracy theorist can be found at both end of the spectrum. Some really crazy people are conspiracy theorists and I think a very large number of intelligent people are conspiracy theorists too. We do clinical sessions in homeless shelters and we talk to these people for 1 hr before we start doing medical checks and I kid you not, 99% of these guys are conspiracy theorists. They believe it all, from the illuminati, to JFK shooting, to 911. But then again a lot of them are also have mental or substance abuse problems.

    Sometimes I wonder if their belief of CT was what caused them to start abusing drugs and go crazy
    So you're saying their conspiracy theories drove them crazy? Interesting conspiracy...
    Last edited by Suzanimal; 11-25-2014 at 12:09 PM.



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  11. #9
    Still no truer words in the English language than these: Just because you're paranoid does not mean they aren't out to get you.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    I think conspiracy theorist can be found at both end of the spectrum. Some really crazy people are conspiracy theorists and I think a very large number of intelligent people are conspiracy theorists too. We do clinical sessions in homeless shelters and we talk to these people for 1 hr before we start doing medical checks and I kid you not, 99% of these guys are conspiracy theorists. They believe it all, from the illuminati, to JFK shooting, to 911. But then again a lot of them are also have mental or substance abuse problems.

    Sometimes I wonder if their belief of CT was what caused them to start abusing drugs and go crazy
    I think you move into crazytown when you think every conspiracy out there is directed at you....personally. And some of the mainstream GOP "The mooslums are going to impose sharia law by building a mosque anywhere in the U.S." are as crazy as any alien cow abductees killed JFK conspiracy theory.
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  13. #11
    Diversity finds unity in the message of freedom.

    Dilige et quod vis fac. ~ Saint Augustine

    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    Above all I think everyone needs to understand that neither the Bundys nor Finicum were militia or had prior military training. They were, first and foremost, Ranchers who had about all the shit they could take.
    Quote Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD View Post
    If anything, this situation has proved the government is nothing but a dictatorship backed by deadly force... no different than the dictatorships in the banana republics, just more polished and cleverly propagandized.
    "I'll believe in good cops when they start turning bad cops in."

    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    In a free society there will be bigotry, and racism, and sexism and religious disputes and, and, and.......
    I don't want to live in a cookie cutter, federally mandated society.
    Give me messy freedom every time!

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by jmdrake View Post
    I think you move into crazytown when you think every conspiracy out there is directed at you....personally. And some of the mainstream GOP "The mooslums are going to impose sharia law by building a mosque anywhere in the U.S." are as crazy as any alien cow abductees killed JFK conspiracy theory.
    +rep

    It's about time someone said this!!

  15. #13
    What about us coincidence theorists?
    Pfizer Macht Frei!

    Openly Straight Man, Danke, Awarded Top Rated Influencer. Community Standards Enforcer.


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  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by jmdrake View Post
    I think you move into crazytown when you think every conspiracy out there is directed at you....personally. And some of the mainstream GOP "The mooslums are going to impose sharia law by building a mosque anywhere in the U.S." are as crazy as any alien cow abductees killed JFK conspiracy theory.
    Conspiracy theorists don't say stuff like that.

    Only rabble rousers and roused rabble say stupid stuff like that.

    When NBC says, 'North Korea is developing a missile that can reach U.S. soil' without mentioning that the 'U.S. soil' they're referring to is Guam, that's not conspiracy theorizing. That's naked propaganda. When Netanyahu says Iran is working on ICBMs, that's not conspiracy theorizing. That's just Netanyahu.

    Unless you're talking about conspiracies to rouse the rabble, of course. At which point people start getting headaches.

    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
    What about us coincidence theorists?
    Any time a coincidence theorist ever appeared to be sane, it was simply a coincidence.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    Conspiracy theorists don't say stuff like that.

    Only rabble rousers and roused rabble say stupid stuff like that.

    When NBC says, 'North Korea is developing a missile that can reach U.S. soil' without mentioning that the 'U.S. soil' they're referring to is Guam, that's not conspiracy theorizing. That's naked propaganda. When Netanyahu says Iran is working on ICBMs, that's not conspiracy theorizing. That's just Netanyahu.

    Unless you're talking about conspiracies to rouse the rabble, of course. At which point people start getting headaches.



    Any time a coincidence theorist ever appeared to be sane, it was simply a coincidence.
    Sorry. Didn't mean to insult conspiracy theorists by comparing them to islamaphobes.
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by jmdrake View Post
    Sorry. Didn't mean to insult conspiracy theorists by comparing them to islamaphobes.
    Racists--especially adherents to Officially Approved Racism like Islamaphobia--don't theorize about their enemies' conspiracies. They just take them on faith.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.



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  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    Racists--especially adherents to Officially Approved Racism like Islamaphobia--don't theorize about their enemies' conspiracies. They just take them on faith.
    So Islam's a race?

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr.3D View Post
    So Islam's a race?
    They're supposed to be racing for global dominance. Does that count?

    I shouldn't be flip. No, Islam isn't a race. But Islamaphobia is certainly used as cover for racism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanimal View Post
    So you're saying their conspiracy theories drove them crazy? Interesting conspiracy...

  23. #20
    A really bad study from a scientific perspective. As to the conclusions, I think there are plenty of really unhealthy, unhappy people on all sides.
    The proper concern of society is the preservation of individual freedom; the proper concern of the individual is the harmony of society.

    "Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." - Byron

    "Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." - Milton



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