# Ask the conspiracy theorist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012 "2012-10-27T05:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/41 "2012-10-28T18:18:18Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Thanks - this is interesting. > > I don’t understand what you mean by saying you’re allowed to post about these conspiracies because ‘It’s the SDMB’. Do you mean that the SDMB has connections that make it too powerful for anyone who’s part of the conspiracies to have you censored or banned? Or that you’re allowed because no one takes the SDMB seriously, so the people in power don’t feel threatened by your exposing them here? > > Do you assume that any conspiracy theory you hear about is automatically worthy of investigation, or do you have a filtering process that means you can dismiss some outright and investigate others before you decide? If so, is it evidence-based (‘Well, there’s zero evidence for this person’s claim that Mitt Romney is actually made of doughnut holes, so I’m not going to put any thought into it’) or gut-based (‘It’s totally implausible that Mitt Romney would be made of doughnut holes, so I’m not going to put any thought into it’)? Mitt Romney is made of donut holes? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/42 "2012-10-28T18:27:36Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Someone needs to link to Kozmik’s Pit thread from several months ago. I’m too lazy to do it, but there’s like 20-30 pages of this stuff in it. Or run head first into a wall repeatedly. Same effect. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/43 "2012-10-28T18:47:55Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Mitt Romney is made of donut holes? :eek: The nice men in suits should be at your door within, oh, say six hours. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/44 "2012-10-28T20:13:05Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Someone needs to link to Kozmik’s Pit thread from several months ago. I’m too lazy to do it, but there’s like 20-30 pages of this stuff in it. Here you go [I pit the derisive, condenscending, anti-conspiriacy ... [merged threads] - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656839) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/45 "2012-10-28T21:10:32Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > The nice men in suits should be at your door within, oh, say six hours. Mormons? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/46 "2012-10-28T21:15:30Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > The nice men in suits should be at your door within, oh, say six hours. > [@Loach](#): > > Mormons? They would get there faster if they drove. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/47 "2012-10-28T21:26:03Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > They would get there faster if they drove. And after they’ve bundled you up in a straitjacket, they’re going to wish they had a van because you’ll be sitting on someone’s handlebars. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/48 "2012-10-28T21:33:29Z")
How many people in the US Government are witting of one or more of these conspiracies? Like, just a few, or hundreds, or many thousands? Do elected leaders learn the truth about these conspiracies? (Like, did Ted Kennedy likely know the truth about his brother’s assassination?) Finally, are elections in this country predetermined by someone? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/49 "2012-10-28T23:12:14Z")
Do you make an exception for the Apollo missions simply because you feel you have reason to believe the US had a much stronger motive for reaching the moon, other than beating the Russians there. That is, because of extraterrestrial evidence uncovered at Roswell. If so, do you believe we wouldn’t have made it to the moon if not for advanced technology gleaned from the Roswell incident? Or something else? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/50 "2012-10-29T00:01:16Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > How many people in the US Government are witting of one or more of these conspiracies? Like, just a few, or hundreds, or many thousands? Do elected leaders learn the truth about these conspiracies? (Like, did Ted Kennedy likely know the truth about his brother’s assassination?) This is the thing I’ve always wondered. Who’s in these secret organizations and how do they operate? Let’s start with a small group of men sitting in a room somewhere making decisions about world events (we’ll call them the Illuminati). How do they cause these decisions to be carried out? Let’s take the JFK assassination as an example. I’ll assume the Illuminati didn’t order Kennedy to report to Dallas to be killed. But did Kennedy know the Illuminati existed? Did they show up at the White House after Kennedy was elected President to explain to him that he was supposed to follow their orders? Or did he already know that he needed their permission to be elected President? Did Nixon know the Illuminati had decided he was going to lose when he was running for President in 1960? Did the Secret Service agents know Kennedy was going to be assassinated or were they trying to protect him? How about the FBI and the Dallas PD - were they told to fake evidence against Oswald? Was every member of these agencies in on the conspiracy or were they just following orders from their supervisors? Didn’t some of them think these orders were suspicious? Was the Dallas Police Department special or do the Illuminati control every police department in the country? Do they control the police and military in every other country as well? How many people belong to the Illuminati? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/51 "2012-10-29T00:03:50Z")
I’m bowing out because it is a futile effort. I suggest everyone read the previous thread that was linked to see if you want to bother asking questions. The pit thread was basically a “ask the” thread. But the answers didn’t add up too good. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/52 "2012-10-29T01:24:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m bowing out because it is a futile effort. I suggest everyone read the previous thread that was linked to see if you want to bother asking questions. The pit thread was basically a “ask the” thread. But the answers didn’t add up too good. No, I think it’s worth discussing these things. Obviously we’re never going to convince the True Believers (and they in turn aren’t going to convince us). But there are people in the middle whose minds are open to both sense and nonsense. I want to make sure a person like this don’t hear just the Conspiracy Theory and become a convert because nobody ever bothered to rebut it. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/53 "2012-10-29T01:31:23Z")
I’m curious as to what makes a conspiracy theorist (or makes any true believer, be it religious or not) – why do their minds function such that they believe the things they believe. To that end, a non-hostile thread such as this is more useful than a hostile thread in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/54 "2012-10-29T02:03:07Z")
Personally, I’m extremely interested in the umm mentally divergent. I’ve got a book by a group that claims the Roman Catholic Church is the beast of Revelations and that the mark of the beast is a law requiring the sabbath to be observed on Sunday. I’ve got a book by a guy convinced that the planet Hercolobus will soon come racing through our solar system and destroy earth. This thread could be gold. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/55 "2012-10-29T02:41:12Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I’m curious as to what makes a conspiracy theorist (or makes any true believer, be it religious or not) – why do their minds function such that they believe the things they believe. To that end, a non-hostile thread such as this is more useful than a hostile thread in the pit. [Dopamine.](http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2011/07/a-chemical-explanation-for-birtherism/) [More here.](http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200501/conspiracy-theories-explained) Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/56 "2012-10-29T02:42:01Z")
I have a question for any conspiracy theorists: Do you believe in God? Why or why not? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/57 "2012-10-29T02:53:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, I think it’s worth discussing these things. Obviously we’re never going to convince the True Believers (and they in turn aren’t going to convince us). But there are people in the middle whose minds are open to both sense and nonsense. I want to make sure a person like this don’t hear just the Conspiracy Theory and become a convert because nobody ever bothered to rebut it. I can understand that. There have been CTers here with very complex but wacky theories. It is worthwhile to debunk their theories. But you need to read the other thread. His theories broke down like this: [ol] [li]There are 192 (I forgot the number) countries[/li][li]Those countries are run by some sort of leader.[/li][li]?[/li][li]?[/li][li]?[/li][li]The Illuminati runs the world[/li][/ol] Any attempt to get a clarification was like nailing Jello to the wall. It really isn’t worth the time. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/58 "2012-10-29T03:37:12Z")
Do you think there may be a middle ground between conspiracy theories and denialism? As an example Jon Ronson studied conspiracy theories, going in as a denialist from what I can tell. But he came across a lot of evidence that Bohemian Grove, Bilderberg, etc actually exist and have a lot of powerful people. But instead of coming to the conclusion that these groups control the world, they are mostly rich/powerful people letting off steam, and they have far less influence than most people realize. He claims in talking to members that they like these conspiracy theories because they make the groups sound more elite and powerful than they actually are. That is the view I subscribe to. Do you think the same could be the same with the G-192 or Illuminati? They may exist, but they aren’t as serious or powerful as they can be made out to be? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/59 "2012-10-29T03:44:55Z")
Thanks, **kayaker**. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/60 "2012-10-29T08:11:35Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Personally, I’m extremely interested in the umm mentally divergent. I’ve got a book by a group that claims the Roman Catholic Church is the beast of Revelations and that the mark of the beast is a law requiring the sabbath to be observed on Sunday. Hey! I know that book. I found it left at my doctor’s office. Or maybe it was a different book with the same premise: is yours paperback and about pamphlet length? I admit I actually believed it could be possible at the time when I got it, until I read the Bible and saw the contradictions. (Which day you prefer to worship on is explicitly said not to matter in Romans 14, for one.) If the Bible contradicts wht you say, then you can’t very well be using it as the basis of your theories. I just wish someone would have explained the Revelation-Nero connection to me back in the day. I had to learn it on YouTube, of all places. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=4)