What are the most convincing conspiracy theories?

The ones peppered with just enough truth to confuse, served to people who’ve been lied to by the authorities they formerly trusted.

That Osama Bin Laden’s body was retained, and not actually buried at sea.

That the mafia killed JFK and Marilyn.

That Bin Laden was never intended to be captured, but assassinated from the start, so he could not reveal the truth about 9/11.

Hitler was (up until recently) alive and well and living in South America.

Since nobody else is saying it, that the government’s of the world have proof of alien life and suppress it from the public. :) I kind of want that one to be true, they could probably take better care of us than our current world leaders…ha!

JFK and Bobby Kennedy were killed because they wouldn’t play politics the way our corporate overlords want it played.

@ETpro That doesn’t preclude the fact that the ‘overlords’ had the mafia do the wet work though. And what about Marilyn, wrong place wrong time or to show they were serious?

Lincoln was killed because he wouldn’t form a new central bank that would be controlled by a few important families.

JFK was killed because he wanted the currency backed by gold and silver and wanted to disolve the Federal Reserve.

Vince Foster was killed because he was having an affair with Hillary Clinton (Just read that one this morning.)

That Roosevelt knew about the Pearl Harbor attacks in advance but decided against stopping the, because he wanted a reason for the US to get into the war.

The US government ordered the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The moon landing was faked.

That there really is a shadow government

Vaccines cause autism… or have tracking devices in them… or any other vaccine conspiracy

@Cupcake That’s the only one I believe against all reasoning…lol

The corporate media does not report some news because it is not good for the corporate owners.

@Yetanotheruser Not true for our group.

Of course the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories is the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. I find it absolutely mind boggling. Here is a wonderful book about conspiracy theories and why people believe them.

The world is controlled by shape-shifting lizard people.
Okay, it’s not convincing, but it is hilarious.

@KNOWITALL You really believe that? That’s unfortunate.

@Rarebear I’m pretty anti-Big Pharma, but I also understand some people need medicine (like my mom with cancer in remission.) I have noticed that I personally feel much better not on anything, and I don’t even take aspirin. My doctor said he is okay with me not getting the flu vaccinations, and he kind of grinned like he feels the same about it.

So since you’re a doctor, what do you think? You can’t honestly tell me that ALL vaccines and meds are necessary or healthy for a person can you?

@KNOWITALL I’ve no idea who was actually hired to do the job if it was a conspiracy. It’s a safe bet multibillionaire corporatists didn’t play do it yourselfer. I’d guess they would turn to professionals like ex CIA operatives familiar with mind control techniques that would work with a malcontents like Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby and Sirhan Sirhan.

It’s always possible Marilyn died accidentally. She had a hard time sleeping and used heavy sedatives. Her regular doctor was trying to wean her off nembutal and substituting chloral-hydrate. He was out of pocket when it happened, and a different doctor may have switched back to the nembutal based on previous records. She died with the drugs in her stomach and rectally administered by enema. She often had attendants give her a drug enema, and one given after she had taken an oral dose would have been fatal. It’s also entirely possible it was a deliberate suicide. She had attempted to kill herself 4 times before, and was experiencing horrible mood swings.

Of course, there’s always the suspicion that she was about to go public with her affair with Jack Kennedy, and that caused her to meet with a tragic accidental overdose of drugs. We’ll probably never know.

@KNOWITALL No, I won’t tell you every vaccine is necessary. For example, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to get a yellow fever vaccine unless you’re travelling to Africa.

I can tell you with certainty, though, that vaccines do not cause autism. That false belief has killed many.

People who say they are anti-Big Pharma will usually also say they are pro-alternative treatments. The supplement industry makes billions every year, not subject to FDA scrutiny.

The JFK assassination by the Military Industrial Complex, aided by elements of the CIA, the FBI, and some mob involvement.
The Marilyn Monroe murder by the Kennedys.

The world is being run by high level masons with mystical powers derived from their devil symbols, the highest of these people are the illuminati, made up of the same few families who have been running things for 500 years. The top 12 Illuminati are Rothchilds, Hapsburgs, Windsor/Saxe-Coburg and Gothas, and ARE ALL REALLY JEWISH. They need to reduce the world population by 4 billion and intend on doing so as soon as they crash the world economy and cause a world war that they will control on all sides and sell all the weapons for. They already have control of the UN and most of Europe. Obama is one of their agents. They want the world for themselves: for Jews, run by Jews who will enslave everyone else. And somewhere in there is a huge communist conspiracy they’ve been working on since 1905 back in Russia and the FEMA Death Camps. They discovered how to prepare a potion made from Loggerhead turtle sera they mix with gentile fetal material that they inject and now they can live for 400 years. They have their minions meet once a year for instructions, it’s called the Bilderburg Group. They want to kill Sarah Silverman because she knows all about their secrets and plans to betray them on her next comedy special.

^^^Especially the Rothchilds. They’re REALLY, REALLY JEWISH!!

Some of these.

never heard of the Paul McCartney one

@serenade That’s a fascinating link. It is interesting that virtually all the conspiracy theories in the US are believed by Republicans more than Independents of Democrats. What’s so odd about that is it means that the same group, Republicans, tend to believe that government is always incompetent and can never do anything right; but when it comes to conspiracies, government is capable of moving Heaven and Earth, organizing thousands or even millions all around the globe to do it, and keeping it all secret for many decades.

The stark logical inconsistency of that brings to mind this thread about another classic example of right wing inconsistent thought.

I think there’s some truth in this article that provides some explanation. Specifically:

“An important conclusion that the authors draw from their analysis is that people don’t tend to believe in a conspiracy theory because of the specifics, but rather because of higher-order beliefs that support conspiracy-like thinking more generally. A popular example of such higher-order beliefs is a severe “distrust of authority.” The authors go on to suggest that conspiracism is therefore not just about belief in an individual theory, but rather an ideological lens through which we view the world.”

While I don’t agree with that wholly (there’s often a lot of focus on specifics), I do think there’s also very much a hierarchy of belief involved. Although, one could easily claim that about camps on either side.

As Joseph Heller said, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”

@ETpro What’s new about that?! Maybe you need a reminder of the differences between parties since you bring it up so often? Things are only inconsistant to non-Republicans.

Republicans believe in smaller government, self sufficiency, individual responsibility, the opportunity for individuals to succeed in this country, limited entitlement programs, lower taxes, increasing revenues by economic growth and jobs, believe in the rights of the individual. Have a better grasp of how business and the economy work. Republicans tend to be more logical and analytical. Republicans are accused of not caring about the poor or needy. In reality they believe that each individual has the ability and potential for success and that any assistance should be to help that individual get on their own feet.

Democrats believe in big government, believe the government is the one that needs to solve all our problems, believe in higher taxes in order to generate revenue, are big on entitlement programs, believe it is ok to take from the rich and give to the poor (even though the individuals hard earned money is theirs not the governments), do not seem to have faith in the ability of the American people to succeed without government intervention, do not seem to believe in individual responsibility but instead tend to blame society or others for a persons failures. Bigger government equals an erosion of individual rights. Liberals tend to make decisions based more on emotion and I think that is why they want to solve everyones problems with government programs instead of letting the individual learn to succeed on their own ability. They are probably not the people who believe in tough love.

Very funny.
Tell me again, which party was responsible for the patriot act (big government)? the two illegal wars (decision based on the emotion of fear), the guantanamo torture concentration camp (contrary to individual rights), the utterly failed policy of trickle down economics and the 2007 economic crash (complete incompetence in economics).
Which party is it that opposes abortion and equal rights for gays, as well as comprehensive sex education and education in general (republican policies based both on fear and a disdain for individual rights)?

And if that was not enough already, there is an actual scientific study indicating that conservatives are driven by fear

@ragingloli Do you want to discuss it seriously, or do you want to Rep bash?

Just remember, Obama has agreed with a few of those you listed as well. And he is the Hope and Change we needed right? Feel free to PM if you’d rather.

Obama is not a liberal, so that does not mean anything.

@ragingloli Well, you mentioned the Patriot Act which Obama seems to agree with based on his vote last December.

Two illegal wars? Obama said “no new troops on the ground” in Afghanistan.

Guantanimo – I’m pretty sure Obama was going to close that, at least he promised he would during his campaign.

Obama’s bailout was an abysmal failure.

Yes, SOME Reps oppose abortion and SOME do oppose SSM (not necessairly civil unions) both based on religious doctrine.

Birth control is a band-aid on sexual promiscuity and irresponsiblity, abstinence is the only effective way to make sure you never get pregnant. And only SOME Reps believe that.

In my personal opinion, MOST Reps base most decisions based on moral/ religious values, personal responsiblity and perhaps the fear of losing our rights ordained by our forefathers.

@ragingloli has it exactly correct. The idea that Republicans are opposed to big government is delusional; they just like different types of big government. One of my best friends is a true libertarian and she dislikes Republicanism even more than Progressive points of view. At least with progressives, you know what they want and what they’re going for, they generally don’t lie, and they don’t rule by fear.

Also agree that Obama is decidedly not a liberal in the true progressive sense of the word.

@Rarebear Perhaps that has some credence, more so than flat out denial anyway. :)

They don’t lie and they don’t rule by fear. I love you, doc. Too funny.

Even if any of this crap, these so-called theories, were true, what the hell would any of you do about it? You can’t even get the people whom you vote into office to work in your interest. They work for the entities that pay for their campaigns, not the people. All this other shit is a side show. But it’s not necessary. Nobody is willing to do what it takes to get your democracy back. You can’t even agree on who is the culprit. America wants more TV, more American Idol, they don’t give a damn about their country.

@KNOWITALL I think @Rarebear has it exactly right. Republicans want to shrink government down till it fits in every bedroom and every vagina in America. They want big brother watching you, and after giving presidents the right to be big brother, why are they surprised a Democratic president takes on the power they handed him. That’s the whole reason for having a constitution instead of a legislature driven by momentary fears and without concern for constitutional limits. You never know who will be in power next.

Every time in the past 80 years that Republicans have held the white house, the deficit mushroomed. When Democrats held it, the deficit shrunk or disappeared. I totally get why Republicans what to claim the small government, physically conservative turf. The only problem is that the facts show they are just the opposite. One more example of right-wing newspeak.

If Republicans actually were the same Republicans that were in Eisenhower’s time, I’d be a Republican. I am a Democrat, but I don’t like being a Democrat because at my core, I’m actually a small government guy. If you read David Brooks or David Frum, that’s pretty close to my own political views. But Republicans of today have completely lost their greatness and have become a party ruled by the Christian right and the NRA.

@ETpro Sounds like the Two Santa Claus theory.

@Espiritus_Corvus @rarebear Duck Dynasty, with guns and God in every episode has higher ratings than American Idol. You’re also generalizing about an entire country of people with very different opinions and priorities about everything. I do care about my country as well.

I’ve never heard of Duck Dynasty.

@Rarebear Duck Dynasty is a cable television series.

@Rarebear They used to be on the hunting channel, now they have a reality show. Kind of like Moonshiners except with hunting instead of shine.

Bread and Circuses.

@KNOWITALL I haven’t watched it, but Duck DieNasty does pull a big cable audience and its season finale apparently drew really well for cable. However, for the week of May 6 (most recent Nielsen reporting) American Idol was #8 and Duck Dynasty was nowhere in the top 10. NCIS took top honors and Dancing with the Stars was #3.

@ETpro Sorry, it was the season finale. See below.

A&E’s docu-soap phenomenon shattered previous ratings records for its Wednesday night finale. The episode following the Robertson clan to Hawaii delivered 9.6 million viewers and a 4.3 adults 18–49 rating.

That rating makes Duck Dynasty the highest-rated show last night — and not just on cable. The number is bigger than CBS’ Survivor (2.9) and bigger than Fox’s American Idol (3.3). As you can see, the fight wasn’t even close.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/25/duck-dynasty-finale-ratings-american-idol/

How can a show about ducks be popular?

@ragingloli Well, it’s not the ducks per se. These guys are basically portraying a backwoods-business family that makes a living producing duck calls, with a very quirky set of characters with lots of catchphrases.

It’s basically kind of dumb and the acting is not great, but the point of all this is that the family refused to do the show if they were not allowed to pray at the end of each episode, which is pretty cool in today’s televised, sell-out world.

Also, it shows that those of you who think God and Guns are restricted to Tea Partiers and rigid Right-wingers, may be incorrect. My Democrat sis-in-law even loves it.

So it is a clone of the Ludolfs?

Maybe, based on your link.

Like I said, the only thing I like about it is they are unapologetic for believing in God, and show it every episode. It’s pretty cool to me, and definately unique in this period of diminishing faith.

They now are showing various faiths in Wipe Swap and other shows, too, people seem to find it interesting even if they don’t believe in that particular faith (like paganism, etc…)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/magazine/why-rational-people-buy-into-conspiracy-theories.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

I believe there was no conspiracy and always have.You should read this article.