Ranking Conspiracy Theories

[Ronson]

This was about to derail another thread...

Unfortunately, I do know one QAnon subscriber, and that's my hare-brained brother. I'll be having a normal conversation with him and he'll launch into some creepy commentary about how rich elitists are having children kidnapped so they can abuse, torture and kill them. When I ask him what evidence he has to support this, he just says that they are evil and bored and this is how they get their kicks (which obviously is not evidence). He claims they support the porous southern border because that's how they get their victims without getting on the radar. He connects a lot of this in with Jeffrey Epstein and says this is why his client list hasn't been divulged and why he was murdered in jail.

I can agree about suspicious events without concocting elaborate illogical conspiracy theories. My bro can't.

On a totally different subject, I had a good friend who was a CPA who was a 'normal good Christian' in every sense of the word, intelligent, successful.... but he had this bug up his butt about the Moon Landings. He was absolutely convinced it was all a hoax, and had all kinds of "proof" in his office that anybody with any objectivity at all would recognize as circumstantial at best. It became clear it wasn't worth anybody's effort to argue against him on this.

AND ... a supervisor I had back in the 1990s. A very intelligent guy; I was impressed with his diagnostic skills. But he was convinced that AIDS was created by shadowy whites in government in an attempt to kill off inner-city blacks. When I challenged him on that, he'd run off in all directions, name dropping people I'd never heard of (except for Louis Farrakhan). He went completely emotional on the subject and couldn't be reasoned with, so I gave up.

It's easy to get sucked in, and for confirmation bias to "seal the deal". I have a few very good close friends "from the opposite side of the aisle" who will allow me to sit with them and run my latest possible conspiracy theory by them. The most recent was the Social Emotional Learning thing. When they were trying to show me how SEL is actually a "good thing", we were all surprised that the ISD removed any mention of SEL from their public facing website after I raised the issue at a school board meeting.

If it's such a good thing, why hide it when attention was called to it?

Now, even they are suspicious, though not quite willing to admit SEL is "bad".

[Cow Poke]

I'm game!

I think the Moon Landing conspiracy is one of the easiest to debunk, but most persistent.

[Ronson]

I was on YouTube the other day and commented on a video of Paul McCartney performing "Yesterday" on stage, barely into his 20s. Some guy responded with "Paul died in 1966. He was replaced with Billy Shepherd. This is the truth."

[Cow Poke]

I was on YouTube the other day and commented on a video of Paul McCartney performing "Yesterday" on stage, barely into his 20s. Some guy responded with "Paul died in 1966. He was replaced with Billy Shepherd. This is the truth."

Hadn't heard that one. But it kinda sounds like the ... who were the supposed "same"... Englebert Humperdink and Tom Jones?

[Ronson]

Hadn't heard that one. But it kinda sounds like the ... who were the supposed "same"... Englebert Humperdink and Tom Jones?

Oh, you never heard the "Paul is Dead" conspiracy theory? It took off around 1969 because of "clues" found on an album cover, then more "clues" were discovered. Then it was decided the surviving Beatles were trying to get the word out that Paul was indeed dead, died in a motorcycle accident, and was replaced by a double. I was only a kid at the time but nearly bust a gut laughing at that one. I rank it as one of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories of all time.

[Ronson]

This was an interesting one: The Cottingly Fairies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

The "girls" waited a full 60 years before revealing the truth.

[Ronson]

I'm game!

I think the Moon Landing conspiracy is one of the easiest to debunk, but most persistent.

Easy to debunk with just a good telescope, I understand.

There is a connection between "Moon landing" doubters and flat-earthers. Flat-earthers are skeptical to the point of being completely irrational. They say that photos of earth from space are faked, and all anyone can personally see - even from a passenger jet - is that of a flat earth. It is interesting how ancient Greeks knew more than modern-day imbeclies.

[Cow Poke]

Easy to debunk with just a good telescope, I understand.

There is a connection between "Moon landing" doubters and flat-earthers. Flat-earthers are skeptical to the point of being completely irrational. They say that photos of earth from space are faked, and all anyone can personally see - even from a passenger jet - is that of a flat earth. It is interesting how ancient Greeks knew more than modern-day imbeclies.

So, what percent of Americans (or people in general) are "flat-Eathers" as opposed to "Moon Landing deniers"? And would it be the same people?

[Cow Poke]

Oh, you never heard the "Paul is Dead" conspiracy theory? It took off around 1969 because of "clues" found on an album cover, then more "clues" were discovered. Then it was decided the surviving Beatles were trying to get the word out that Paul was indeed dead, died in a motorcycle accident, and was replaced by a double. I was only a kid at the time but nearly bust a gut laughing at that one. I rank it as one of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories of all time.

As you recall it, yeah, I'm remembering... I just didn't pay that much attention to it at the time. Was this including the infamous "number 9, number 9, number 9"?

[Ronson]

So, what percent of Americans (or people in general) are "flat-Eathers" as opposed to "Moon Landing deniers"? And would it be the same people?

I'll look into that. I would imagine there is quite a bit of crossover.

[Ronson]

As you recall it, yeah, I'm remembering... I just didn't pay that much attention to it at the time. Was this including the infamous "number 9, number 9, number 9"?

IIRC, that was one of the "clues", that the crash can be heard in that cacophony.

[Ronson]

I'll look into that. I would imagine there is quite a bit of crossover.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com...might-be-flat/

66% of Millennials believe the earth is generally spherical. That's scary. The future looks bleak.

Here is the moon-landing hoax subscribers. It's a bit more encouraging. I couldn't find crossover numbers.

moon landing.jpg

[Cow Poke]

IIRC, that was one of the "clues", that the crash can be heard in that cacophony.

Yeah, and the "backward masking" was all the rage at the time --- that you could hear Satan's voice by playing records backwards.

Reminds me of the joke....

When you play a Country Western Record backwards....

The guy gets quits drinking, gets his house back, gets his wife back, gets his job back...

[rogue06]

This was an interesting one: The Cottingly Fairies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

The "girls" waited a full 60 years before revealing the truth.

FWIU, it was exposed long before that but it was only until much later that they fessed up.

[rogue06]

Yeah, and the "backward masking" was all the rage at the time --- that you could hear Satan's voice by playing records backwards.

Reminds me of the joke....

When you play a Country Western Record backwards....

The guy gets quits drinking, gets his house back, gets his wife back, gets his job back...

And his dog is alive again!