9/11.
The anniversary of a tragedy.
And the SDMB will be inundated by the “9/11 Truthers”.
Again.
Can they be taught?
Or is it a waste of time?
Waste of time. Just ignore them. You can’t fix stupid.
Cherry and blackberry are my favorites, followed by coconut cream.
I voted yes. Some can be turned. But alas, not all.
They still need to be replied to, for the sake of others who will be reading. After they’re rebutted, we can talk about pie.
One of my grandfathers used to say he only liked two kinds of pie: hot pie and cold pie.
*FDR knew about Pearl Harbor but refused to warn the military.
The JFK assassination was a plot by Communists/John Birch Society/generals/LBJ/Nixon.
The moon landings were faked.
George Bush had Ronald Reagan shot.
Auto manufacturers know how to make cars that get 200 mpg but they’re in cahoots with Big Oil to keep the technology off the market.*
9/11 happened less than 20 years ago. Heck, the conspiracy theories haven’t even had time to mature yet.
Could we at least not let them vote?
cherry followed by any kind of berry, then peach 
Thanks, you lot, for reminding me it’s time to pick berries. 
I think it’s worthwhile for 2 reasons: occasionally people with legitimate questions find threads and learn a thing or two; and the eventual, er, light-hearted, mockery is always good for a chuckle on an otherwise grim day. After that, pie. I like Lemon Cream and Chocolate Cream myself.
Apple pie. I prefer pumpkin but a lot depends on exactly how its made so I decided to take the safer bet. 
You may as well try and fight the flat-earthers or the god believers.
The new threads serve as an occasional reminder of how sure some people can be about utter nonsense for which there is abundant counter-evidence. And the mockery is usually entertaining, as **Sunny Daze **noted.
Apple for me, with vanilla ice cream.
Taught is not really a useful outcome, but it is not a waste of time. Humans seem to be hardwired to accept “beliefs” in equal measure to factual information. (I’m sure each of us rational ones hold some “beliefs” that are not supportable.) What can be accomplished by vigorous rebuttal is to establish boundaries on what is acceptable discourse (beware of Argumentum ad Populum). By arguing against junk thought we as a greater society attempt to marginalize the outliers. “You may believe that nonsense, but you are marking yourself as in the minority and a fool.”
That is kinda what the SDMB is all about, after all.
And as others have noted, they are making more people all the time, and the newer ones may not yet have traveled the path to understanding the topics. So, our discussions serve as education.
This
Both of those are good, and I’ll even settle for lukewarm pie.
If I have to make it myself, though, I’ll make cobbler, because it’s easier. Raspberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler. It’s all good.
The one thing I’d ask about 9/11 is, would the U.S. government please drop its “Patriot Day” moniker?
When Pearl Harbor was bombed, FDR didn’t call its anniversary by any ridiculous handle like that. It was “a day that will live in infamy.” 9/11 deserved a handle of that sort. But “Patriot Day” is entirely the wrong sort of label for a horrific attack that killed 3,000 Americans.
↑ ↑ ↑ This…
I’m not going to go back and relive dozens of 9/11 conspiracy threads. But I do seem to recall that among them are some people who came in with specific questions (about what happened to the plane that hit the Pentagon, for instance) who were able to accept evidence that was presented to them and change their minds. So I think it is worthwhile to at least present the facts in the interest of fighting ignorance. As pointed out, even if the original conspiracy theorist doesn’t believe it, there are others reading who may be able to learn something.
Two things -
[ul][li]Not rhubarb. Any other kind is fine.[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]The SDMB as a whole benefits. We need a really good troll/looney/CT fanatic to bring us together in a common cause, which is snark.[/ul][/li]
Regards,
Shodan