A chilling new type of Denialist

[Loach]

@BrainGlutton

No, they’re not; but, I have studied the history of CTs in America in great depth, and the theorists are mostly conservative.

That’s only true if you believe the left wing CTers are correct. Then they are not CTers but crusaders for the cause.

[Baker]

When I get depressed about how stupid hoaxers are, and how insulting they are, I watch this piece of YouTube again. It’s rather well known, where a moon landing hoaxer is harassing Buzz Aldrin and Aldrin punches him in the face.

- YouTube

The whole thing is about a minute and a half long, and shows how Sibrel has been stalking Aldrin, and insulting him. The punch comes near the end.

[BrainGlutton]

@Loach

That’s only true if you believe the left wing CTers are correct. Then they are not CTers but crusaders for the cause.

No, I’m counting them plus the ones who are wrong. RW CTers still greatly outnumber them.

[Alessan]

@BrainGlutton

No, I’m counting them plus the ones who are wrong. RW CTers still greatly outnumber them.

Numbers, please.

[Loach]

@BrainGlutton

No, I’m counting them plus the ones who are wrong. RW CTers still greatly outnumber them.

Which category are you putting the anti-Bush 911 Truthers?

[Dave_Hartwick]

Or anti-vaxxers? Or “Big Oil is keeping fuel-efficient cars off the market” types?

[Kimstu]

@Alessan

Numbers, please.

I don’t know how directly relevant this is, but Fairleigh-Dickinson University’s Public Mind poll on US voters and conspiracy theories found the following results:

Sixty-three percent of registered voters in the U.S. buy into at least one political conspiracy theory, according to results from a recent Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind Poll. The nationwide survey of registered voters asked Americans to evaluate four different political conspiracy theories: 56 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans say that at least one is likely true. This includes 36 percent who think that President Obama is hiding information about his background and early life, 25 percent who think that the government knew about 9/11 in advance, and 19 percent who think the 2012 Presidential election was stolen. Generally, the more people know about current events, the less likely they are to believe in conspiracy theories – but not among Republicans, where more knowledge leads to greater belief in political conspiracies.

The most popular of these conspiracy theories is the belief that President Obama is hiding important information about his background and early life, which would include what’s often referred to “birtherism.” Thirty-six percent of Americans think this is probably true, including 64 percent of Republicans and 14 percent of Democrats. […]

However, belief in such conspiracies is not limited to the political right. Twenty-five percent of registered voters think it’s probably true that President Bush knew about the 9/11 terrorist attacks before they happened, a figure that includes 36 percent of Democrats. Similarly, 23 percent of those interviewed say that President Bush’s supporters committed significant voter fraud to win him the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio. Belief in this conspiracy theory is highest among Democrats, (37 percent say it is likely true), though 17 percent of independents and 9 percent of Republicans think so as well. […]

In general, higher levels of actual knowledge about politics tends to reduce belief in conspiracy theories. In the poll, respondents were asked a series of four questions about current events, and respondents who were able to answer more questions correctly were less likely to endorse the conspiracy theories. […] Education also tended to reduce belief in the conspiracy theories.

However, the relationship between current events knowledge and belief in conspiracy theories is conditional on partisanship. Among Democrats, each question answered correctly reduces the likelihood of endorsing at least one of the conspiracy theories by seven points. Among independents, each additional question reduces it by two points. For Republicans, though, each additional question answered correctly tends to increase belief in at least one of the theories by two points.

“There are several possible explanations for this,” said [Dan] Cassino [a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and an analyst for the poll]. “It could be that more conspiracy-minded Republicans seek out more information, or that the information some Republicans seek out just tends to reinforce these myths.”

[Dave_Hartwick]

I think it’s worth noting at this point that there are more Democrats than Republicans-- 35% vs. 28% of registered voters, according to Pew. While it’s safe to say that there are more Republican conspiracy theorists than Democrats, I don’t think claiming that they “greatly outnumber” them is accurate.

[septimus]

And a young scholar asked “Of what use is a denialist?”

And the Master replied
“He is one who seeks out rottenness and corruption we didn’t know we had.
He probes dark recesses in the human skull, looking for flaws.
He leads us to question our usual regimens, directing us to healthier and truer paths,
And thus, despite our initial alarm and fear at his discoveries,
Brings, in the long-term, a less-worried outlook and social contentment.
Although often despised and denounced,
He is a most valuable member of society: Applaud him!”

“So that is the use of a denialist?” asked the scholar.

“Denialist!? I thought you asked about a dentist!” said the Master.

“That’s OK. I was wondering about them also.”
(With apologies to Kehlog Albran: The Profit, and thanks to

@Mr.Nylock

For some reason I thought it said dentist; my bad.

)

[Dave_Hartwick]

The Daily Show rags on liberals for accepting science denial on vaccinations. Maybe they’ll do a segment on genetically modified foods soon.

'Daily Show' Takes On 'Liberal Idiocy' Over Vaccines

It’s not terribly funny, but I liked the timing.

[The_Second_Stone]

@Baker

When I get depressed about how stupid hoaxers are, and how insulting they are, I watch this piece of YouTube again. It’s rather well known, where a moon landing hoaxer is harassing Buzz Aldrin and Aldrin punches him in the face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wptn5RE2I-k

The whole thing is about a minute and a half long, and shows how Sibrel has been stalking Aldrin, and insulting him. The punch comes near the end.

Buzz Aldrin is a fucking American hero. First, he graciously lets that prima donna Armstrong hog all the glory for stepping on the moon first, and like a gentleman steps second, but then later in life punches an annoying idiot right in the kisser. The man is a national treasure. His portrait should be engraved on the twenty dollar bill instead of that asshole Jackson.

[Debaser]

@Dave_Hartwick

I expected one of the SDMB’s resident conservatives to address this generalization, but I guess they were both busy.

Yes. Sorry but I just saw this. I’ve been busy.

Not sure what Shodan’s excuse is. Slacker!

[BrainGlutton]

@Loach

Which category are you putting the anti-Bush 911 Truthers?

@Dave_Hartwick

Or anti-vaxxers? Or “Big Oil is keeping fuel-efficient cars off the market” types?

The “wrong” category.

[dropzone]

@Dave_Hartwick

I expected one of the SDMB’s resident conservatives to address this generalization, but I guess they were both busy.

Whadya mean “both?” We have far more that two; they positively infest GD!

And I mean “infest” in the nicest possible way. Most are nice people, but an infestation is still an infestation, considering they all whine that each is the only conservative on an otherwise Marxist board.

[Dave_Hartwick]

@BrainGlutton

The “wrong” category.

Somebody get this man a cookie.

@dropzone

Whadya mean “both?” We have far more that two; they positively infest GD!

And I mean “infest” in the nicest possible way. Most are nice people, but an infestation is still an infestation, considering they all whine that each is the only conservative on an otherwise Marxist board.

Yeah, it was an exaggeration, but I think it’s telling that BG can claim conspiracist = conservative and nobody remarked on it.

[BrainGlutton]

@BrainGlutton

Next time there’s a mass shooting – and there will be a next time – we may confidently expect denial/false-flag theories to sprout along the Intertubes the same day.

Aaaand here we go.

Speaking on his “InfoWars” radio show on Monday, conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Alex Jones claimed that the recent public shooting in Las Vegas — during which a man and his wife murdered two police officers, another person, and then themselves — was a secret plot by the government to discredit gun fetishists such as himself.

[atruelove]

oh I don’t know. The ‘abduction’ consisting of moving the girl (by her knapsack strap) a few feet towards a High School football crowd so he could speak on ‘bullying’. Some abduction. A mild form of bi-polar wh he is getting over. best wishes. Andrew’s dad.

[BlankSlate]

A scheming turtle branch is just cover for extending amendments in flowery fake speech.

[Chefguy]

@koufax

“I’m sorry the world wasn’t being videotaped for your convenience”

good answer! good answer!

Now I understand why they won’t release a real video of the plane hitting the Pentagon, because the “world wasn’t video taped for my convenience”

Thanks for finally clearing this up for me.

Of all the barrel-bottom dwellers that have disgraced this board over the years, you are quite probable the worst of the lot.

[davidm]

@Accidental_Martyr

If you want to check out some discussion of this kind of thing, go to cluesforum.info/ These people basically believe that everything you see on the news, etc. isn’t real. Everything is a hoax, “psyop”, false flag, etc. All the the witnesses, authorities, etc. that you see on the news are actually actors playing a role to perpetuate the hoax and control the public through fear…or something.
Here’s a thread where they claim that the three women in Ohio who were kidnapped and held captive for 10 years was a hoax.
Local psyops - and minor media scams - Cluesforum—Exposing Mass Deception
I actually wonder if some of the people posting there are trolling just to see how much insane, crazy bullshit they can get other people to buy.

There’s also a thread on the Waco biker massacre.
http://cluesforum.info/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1799

This is clearly a hoax. The bikers are way too clean and they lack tattoos and toughness. The Cossacks and Scimitars are new names in the biker gang world and they look more like weekend hobbyists. The Daily Mail UK had a photo , since removed, that had the scale of the cops size next to their vehicles all wrong in the same way as some of the Gabby Giffords fake shooting scene. The initial story was the fight broke out in the bathroom of the restaurant. Then it was over a parking space and more recently had to do with a run over foot. The eyewitnesses accounts I saw were clearly faked. The story has no credibility whatsoever.