# 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:** 9
**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:** [November 20, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/161 "2012-11-20T03:35:31Z")
Yo, **Koz** : are there lots of former Illuminati? I was just thinking about General Petraeus. A very powerful man who had a fall from grace. Could it be that he ticked off the other Illuminati and was therefore fired? If so, what prevents him from telling people what he knows of the real rulers of this universe? He doesn’t have anything to lose now, does he? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/162 "2012-11-20T19:39:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > One anonymous person on a message board wondered if it would have an impact. It did not. In _The New York Times_ it is [reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/us/politics/after-embrace-of-obama-chris-christie-woos-a-wary-gop.html?ref=todayspaper&gwh=A4C030C65027833A04D40890EA3F6745) today that > [@](#): > > Right or wrong, conventional wisdom in the Republican Party holds that it influenced the outcome. Even the Republicans can admit that Hurricane Sandy and Christie’s and Bloomberg’s response impacted the election. Why can’t you? > [@Waenara](#): > > Are those really the only two options you can think of for why Sandy occurred? Really? Either it was created by a secret government-controlled weather machine, or it was God? Do you think those are the only two causes for _any_ hurricanes? Or just Sandy? > > Why rule out that it was just a hurricane, and it had to hit somewhere. It happened during hurricane season, and if it had hit somewhere else instead of New York, wouldn’t you have just incorporated that into your conspiracy theory? What if it had hit Boston, Miami, Houston, or even New Orleans? I’m ruling it out because in my scenario Chris Christie and Michael Bloomberg get a call from someone like Rupert Murdoch. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Yo, **Koz** : are there lots of former Illuminati? I was just thinking about General Petraeus. A very powerful man who had a fall from grace. Could it be that he ticked off the other Illuminati and was therefore fired? If so, what prevents him from telling people what he knows of the real rulers of this universe? He doesn’t have anything to lose now, does he? What prevents him from telling people what he knows of the real rulers of the universe is that he cannot identity them or name names. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/163 "2012-11-20T19:49:20Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Even the Republicans can admit that Hurricane Sandy and Christie’s and Bloomberg’s response impacted the election. Are you not familiar with the concept of “blame our loss on everyone but ourselves”? And where does that article even mention Bloomberg? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/164 "2012-11-20T20:01:19Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Even the Republicans can admit that Hurricane Sandy and Christie’s and Bloomberg’s response impacted the election. Why can’t you? Because it’s not true. Conventional wisdom isn’t always true, partisan conventional wisdom even less so. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/165 "2012-11-20T20:07:23Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Even the Republicans can admit that Hurricane Sandy and Christie’s and Bloomberg’s response impacted the election. Why can’t you? You’ve ignored the critical phrase in that quote (“Rightly or wrongly”) and confused the concepts of admitting and blaming. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/166 "2012-11-20T20:58:15Z")
Kozmik, why is it that you have singled out the New York Times as the be-all and end-all of journalism? Why is it that you believe each and every single thing that it has printed, and disregard each and every single thing that it has not printed? If the Illuminati are as prevalent and powerful as you claim, wouldn’t they be in control of what the Times prints, which would therefore make their claims utterly suspect and untrustworthy? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/167 "2012-11-20T21:28:29Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Kozmik, why is it that you have singled out the New York Times as the be-all and end-all of journalism? Why is it that you believe each and every single thing that it has printed, and disregard each and every single thing that it has not printed? If the Illuminati are as prevalent and powerful as you claim, wouldn’t they be in control of what the Times prints, which would therefore make their claims utterly suspect and untrustworthy? “They” must not have got to the _Times_ yet. 😃 ---
**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:** [November 20, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/168 "2012-11-20T21:30:56Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > In _The New York Times_ it is [reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/us/politics/after-embrace-of-obama-chris-christie-woos-a-wary-gop.html?ref=todayspaper&gwh=A4C030C65027833A04D40890EA3F6745) today that > > Even the Republicans can admit that Hurricane Sandy and Christie’s and Bloomberg’s response impacted the election. Why can’t you? Again you show your complete disconnect with reality. To prove that Bloomberg endorsed Obama you cite an article that does not mention Bloomberg. And it did not change the outcome. The election went the same way it was going to go. > [@](#): > > I’m ruling it out because in my scenario Chris Christie and Michael Bloomberg get a call from someone like Rupert Murdoch. You are not a conspiracy theorist. CTers at least attempt to look at the facts. You make up some wild story and then try to squeeze some facts in. So how did this conversation go? The only way it makes sense is if they threatened the hurricane and he agreed to endorse Obama and the hurricane did not happen. Did they threaten him with another hurricane? And of course you do not answer the most important part. YOU CAN NOT AIM A HURRICANE LIKE A GUN. Rupert Murdoch is not a comic book villian living in a hollowed out volcano. > [@](#): > > What prevents him from telling people what he knows of the real rulers of the universe is that he cannot identity them or name names. And that they don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/169 "2012-11-22T04:14:42Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Are you not familiar with the concept of “blame our loss on everyone but ourselves”? And where does that article even mention Bloomberg? Yes, I am familar with that concept. The article does not mention Bloomberg; however, it mentions Hurricane Sandy and Bloomberg’s endorsement was partly because of Hurriane Sandy. > [@Marley23](#): > > You’ve ignored the critical phrase in that quote (“Rightly or wrongly”) and confused the concepts of admitting and blaming. It’s “right or wrong”. > [@Smeghead](#): > > Kozmik, why is it that you have singled out the New York Times as the be-all and end-all of journalism? No, CNN is the be-all and end-all of journalism; _The New York Times_ is the limit of journalism. What I mean is, this afternoon when CNN had breaking news about Israel/Hamas Cease-Fire I knew that is will be on the front page of _The New York Times_ tomorrow. In other words, breaking news becomes front page news. > [@Smeghead](#): > > Why is it that you believe each and every single thing that it has printed, and disregard each and every single thing that it has not printed? Because I use it as standard. I read _The New York Times_ thinking more about what is _not_ printed than what is printed. For example, today, the first sentence in the lead story - “Efforts to agree on a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas intensified on Tuesday, but the struggle to achieve even a brief pause in the fighting emphasized the obstacles to finding any lasting solution.” - will probably be reflected in the headline tomorrow. > [@Smeghead](#): > > If the Illuminati are as prevalent and powerful as you claim, wouldn’t they be in control of what the Times prints, which would therefore make their claims utterly suspect and untrustworthy? No, and even if what is in _The New York Times_ and what is on CNN is “utterly suspect and untrustworthy” presumably it would be known that everything (or some things) is “utterly suspect and untrustworthy”. > [@Loach](#): > > You are not a conspiracy theorist. If I’m not a conspiracy theorist then **dimmy derko** is an economist. > [@Loach](#): > > CTers at least attempt to look at the facts. I did. > [@](#): > > On Nov. 3, Mr. Christie called Rupert Murdoch, the influential News Corporation chief and would-be kingmaker, who had warned in a biting post on Twitter that the governor might be responsible for Mr. Obama’s re-election. 😃 > [@Loach](#): > > You make up some wild story and then try to squeeze some facts in. :dubious: > [@Loach](#): > > So how did this conversation go? Similar to the converation between Chris Christie and Rupert Murdoch. > [@Loach](#): > > The only way it makes sense is if they threatened the hurricane and he agreed to endorse Obama and the hurricane did not happen. Did they threaten him with another hurricane? No. They said something like - we did the hurricane, imagine what else we could do. ---
**Author:** ![dimmy\_derko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/170 "2012-11-22T11:55:30Z")
If my reading is right, the NYT is just the filter through which **Kosmic** is viewing the phenomenon he is studying. I’ve no doubt he’s tried other filters and this is the one that works best for his purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/171 "2012-11-22T13:15:24Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > What prevents him from telling people what he knows of the real rulers of the universe is that he cannot identity them or name names. Then how does he know they’re the real rulers of the universe? ---
**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:** [November 22, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/172 "2012-11-22T13:35:46Z")
And if I just called you up at work, **Kozmik** , and without introducing myself, instructed you to eat an egg salad sandwich for lunch because humanity depends on that for reasons you could never know; would you just follow the instructions of a stranger on the phone with no questions asked? ---
**Author:** ![dimmy\_derko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/173 "2012-11-22T14:44:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Then how does he know they’re the real rulers of the universe? They have his phone number, but he doesn’t have theirs. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/174 "2012-11-22T14:47:16Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > It’s “right or wrong”. Yes. And you’re still ignoring what it means. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/175 "2012-11-22T14:49:46Z")
> [@dimmy\_derko](#): > > They have his phone number, but he doesn’t have theirs. So the rulers of the universe are telemarketers? Things are starting to make sense. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/176 "2012-11-22T14:53:33Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Yes, I am familar with that concept. The article does not mention Bloomberg; however, it mentions Hurricane Sandy and Bloomberg’s endorsement was partly because of Hurriane Sandy. > > It’s “right or wrong”. > > No, CNN is the be-all and end-all of journalism; _The New York Times_ is the limit of journalism. What I mean is, this afternoon when CNN had breaking news about Israel/Hamas Cease-Fire I knew that is will be on the front page of _The New York Times_ tomorrow. In other words, breaking news becomes front page news. > > Because I use it as standard. I read _The New York Times_ thinking more about what is _not_ printed than what is printed. For example, today, the first sentence in the lead story - “Efforts to agree on a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas intensified on Tuesday, but the struggle to achieve even a brief pause in the fighting emphasized the obstacles to finding any lasting solution.” - will probably be reflected in the headline tomorrow. > > No, and even if what is in _The New York Times_ and what is on CNN is “utterly suspect and untrustworthy” presumably it would be known that everything (or some things) is “utterly suspect and untrustworthy”. > > If I’m not a conspiracy theorist then **dimmy derko** is an economist. > > I did. > > 😃 > > :dubious: > > Similar to the converation between Chris Christie and Rupert Murdoch. > > No. They said something like - we did the hurricane, imagine what else we could do. Wouldn’t it have been easier to threaten to kill his children? It seems like a trivial thing to pull out your Dr Evil Doomsday device for. Especially because the illuminati run everything and it doesn’t matter who is the president. Or are you saying they only control democrats. Because that might change some votes around here. ---
**Author:** ![dimmy\_derko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/177 "2012-11-22T14:58:36Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > So the rulers of the universe are telemarketers? Things are starting to make sense. Telemarketers are a mere tool for distraction of the populace, but the forces of goodness are working on software to eliminate this evil scourge from the planet. Some people say better the devil you know, but I say bring it on and let’s get rid of those telemarketers. ---
**Author:** ![ed\_anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbce88/32.png) [@ed\_anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed_anger)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/178 "2012-11-22T14:58:37Z")
> [@dimmy\_derko](#): > > I suppose I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist. I believe billionaires in Russia, China, the Americas, Europe, etc, have more in common with each other than they do with the lowly plebs of their countries of birth and they will happily scheme to screw those plebs over to maintain their own power and wealth. Holy shit, I believe the same thing and I didn’t know I was a conspiracy theorist. ---
**Author:** ![dimmy\_derko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@dimmy\_derko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimmy_derko)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/179 "2012-11-22T15:06:40Z")
> [@ed\_anger](#): > > Holy shit, I believe the same thing and I didn’t know I was a conspiracy theorist. It’s when you start speculating that some of them might be in cahoots with one another to further their own obvious ambitions at ANY expense that you get labelled a conspiracy theorist. It’s best to think of billionaires as benevolent philanthropists and not concentrate on their incessant desire for money and influence. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012/180 "2012-11-22T15:14:54Z")
> [@dimmy\_derko](#): > > It’s when you start speculating that some of them might be in cahoots with one another to further their own obvious ambitions at ANY expense that you get labelled a conspiracy theorist. > > It’s best to think of billionaires as benevolent philanthropists and not concentrate on their incessant desire for money and influence. Not really. No one believes that it is impossible for people to conspire with one another. Then we wouldn’t need laws against criminal conspiracy. A CTer looks at every single event that happens, natural or man made, and assigns a dark purpose to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-conspiracy-theorist/639012.md?page=10)