# conspiracies and pseudoscience hubbajub **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 26, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689 "2009-09-26T23:02:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/21 "2009-10-04T15:19:59Z")
Intellegence is a broad concept. You can know a lot about one thing but not another. Also concepts sometimes are hard to understand for some people. For instance, if someone says to me, “Mark tell me about the Theory of Relativity” I start out explaining two key pieces of it. 1. Nothing goes faster than the speed of light (in a vacuum) 2. The Speed of Light is a constant. At first glance those concepts go against common sense. I mean people will say, “Why can’t you just go a tiny bit faster?” Of course a few hours with a good physics book will explain this. But no matter what some people just can’t seem to comprend this. And if you can’t comprehend the fact the speed of light is sort of a cosmic speed limit, there’s no point trying to understand relativity. The biggest obstacle to a lot of people is they do not fully understand analogies. I find so many articles and news reports full of improper or unapt analogies. My favourite is “There are more black men in prison than in college” Now that is 100% true and I see the point they are trying to make. But it’s not an apt analogy. The first group, black men in prison covers all black me over the age 18 with no upper limit. The secon group is black men in college which is basically black men between 18 and 22. With some stragglers and post grad men thrown in. If you compare black men in college ages 18 to 22 and black men in prison ages 18 to 22 you find there are almost four times as many black men in college than in prison. So if someone gives you an analogy you have to make sure you’re comparing like to like. I find a lot of misinformation gets transmitted like this ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/22 "2009-10-20T11:08:45Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > I learned that Google is in the process of creating huge data banks of info on every single one of us Um, they are. Google records every search you make and stores the information forever. They are actually a pretty frightening organization. ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/23 "2009-10-20T12:04:19Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Um, they are. Google records every search you make and stores the information forever. They are actually a pretty frightening organization. What I was actually referring to was information about us as in our names, school/ work history, physical attributes, etc, etc… So they save every search we do, huh? They save them by ip or what? Where did you hear all this from. Why would they want to save every search I’ve ever typed in google? Just so they can make fun of me one day? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/24 "2009-10-20T12:20:20Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > What I was actually referring to was information about us as in our names, school/ work history, physical attributes, etc, etc… > > So they save every search we do, huh? They save them by ip or what? Where did you hear all this from. Why would they want to save every search I’ve ever typed in google? Just so they can make fun of me one day? Are you saying there is nothing to be learned about a person by observing their browsing habits? ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/25 "2009-10-20T14:00:50Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > What I was actually referring to was information about us as in our names, school/ work history, physical attributes, etc, etc… > > So they save every search we do, huh? They save them by ip or what? Where did you hear all this from. Why would they want to save every search I’ve ever typed in google? Just so they can make fun of me one day? They use cookies and also your IP, assuming you have a static one. The majority of people don’t even know about cookies, and many others never bother to remove them, so they get quite a bit of data on a lot of people, and they store it for eternity, as I understand it. What they do with the data, I have no idea, but it could conceivably be used for market research or even turned over to the government. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/26 "2009-10-20T14:28:26Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > And using “secret” images is fun. It makes you feel special and smarter than those morons who surround you. What do people who actually are smarter do??? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/27 "2009-10-20T14:36:36Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > The Bad Astronomer wrote an article about the mindset of moon hoaxers and why people believe them (which unfortunately I can’t find a link for right now) – essentially, he hypothesized that it was the end result of how we teach science in our schools. Instead of teaching hands-on experiments, most kids are merely given a set of facts to memorize. That’s a problem with science education, but doesn’t explain why equally nutty (if less science-y) conspiracy theories have existed throughout history. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/28 "2009-10-20T14:54:01Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > Pentagrams, eh? Which reminds me, take a close look at the U.S. military’s [Medal of Honor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_honor) – I think it speaks for itself. 😉 Those are 5 pointed stars. Aren’t the Masonic ones 6 ? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/29 "2009-10-20T14:55:53Z")
[Yahoo](http://us.mg201.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?action=letter&YY=396213475&.gx=1&MsgId=5226_645589_2316_2426_2601_0_182579_6031_1637456836&Idx=5&YY=51118&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=25&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&box=Inbox) I get a weekly Email from these people. I signed up for it so I can keep up. It is a fun read. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/30 "2009-10-20T15:25:27Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > and various secretive, socialist and internationalist groups today, from the Fabians to the Round Table to the CFR/Trilaterals to Skull&Bones can be seen as legitimate successors to the methods & ideas of the original Illuminati. There is nothing remotely ‘secretive’ or even ‘socialist’ about the Fabian Society. It is simply ignorant to say what you say. It’s a think-tank you can join by direct debit. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/31 "2009-10-20T16:32:18Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > What do people who actually are smarter do??? Use their special abilities to separate those who just think they are smart from their money. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/32 "2009-10-20T17:17:11Z")
There were a group of companies that discovered that a component of their product caused severe addiction. They also learned that long-term use of their product would greatly increase the likelihood that their customers would suffer long, painful, premature deaths. They did their best to keep this information from becoming public. They did their best to keep this information from the government. Despite their product’s natural addictive products, they spent untold millions on researching methods to increase its addictivity, to increase the amount delivered in each unit they sold—all with the goal of increasing overall addiction within the population. They embarked on a massive international (and inter-generational) campaign, not only to obscure and cloud these facts, but also to promote the very opposite—that their products were actually healthy. They embarked on a massive international marketing campaign, also inter-generational, to plant their product in popular culture, to market to children and minorities. Tens of billions of dollars went into this campaign. This is the tip of the iceberg. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/33 "2009-10-20T17:41:50Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > What do people who actually are smarter do??? Cry…and somewhere a unicorn dies I think… ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/34 "2009-10-20T18:31:26Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Are you saying there is nothing to be learned about a person by observing their browsing habits? I am not saying that at all. I just implied that by viewing mine they would most likely learn something to make fun of me for. 😃 Anyway, I was just asking Stan what the information was stored for because much like the conspiracy videos, he didn’t state why this is a problem. When I got to the grocery store, I scan a card that gives some pretty nice discounts. I’m sure by scanning that card it is also keeping a record of items I purchase. I’m guessing that if they really wanted to, the library could see everything I’ve gotten from there since I got my card in second grade. Renting movies, making online purchases, credit card records, etc. What is so threatening about these histories being stored? Also, the one thing I’d really like to know is the answer to my second question. What are people’s sources to this info? Does Google state that they store everything we’ve ever searched for? Do other search engines not do this? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/35 "2009-10-20T18:37:18Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > This is the tip of the iceberg. No, it is pretty much the whole iceberg and your slanted narrative distorts the timeline and the events. The health problems related to tobacco were known before the addictive properties were discovered. It was in reaction to the possibility that the health problems would reduce sales that the anti-science departments were created to disguise the actual health problems and, when the addictive properties were discovered, they were first hidden and then enhanced. Beyond that, as a conspiracy, (which it was), it falls far short of the sort of Illuminati/Masonic/Whore of Rome comspiracies that are actually under discussion, as the actual conspiracy has been reported in the news, (and often discussed by the industry leaders), since it was created. What promoted the conspiracy was the fact that the companies were able to hide their work for long periods, even when it was known that they were engaged in that behavior. It did not hurt them that their product was wildly popular across the population, limiting public outcry. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/36 "2009-10-20T20:18:14Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > The illuminati had to off Michael Jackson because a new song he’d recorded called “They Don’t Care About Us” was in reference to them. Since MJ released “They Don’t Care About Us” as a single in 1996, this means the Illuminati took 13 years to bump him off. Clearly, after two centuries of secretly running everything they’ve gotten downright lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/37 "2009-10-20T20:42:16Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > Since MJ released “They Don’t Care About Us” as a single in 1996, this means the Illuminati took 13 years to bump him off. Clearly, after two centuries of secretly running everything they’ve gotten downright lazy. HA! What’s awesome about you bringing that up (I would have never known if it was a new or old song) is that I’m pretty sure the video I watched said it was an unreleased song. I’ll have to dig around and find that goofy vid again. ---
**Author:** ![foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9a140/32.png) [@foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolscap)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689/38 "2009-10-29T23:44:32Z")
> [@Stealth\_Potato](#): > > Reading this quickly, at first I thought you said, “The people on this board killed JFK…” > > For a moment there I was worried that you knew too much and we’d have to send someone out to take care of you. False alarm, though. Carry on! You fool he is one of us, he would never carelessly reveal too much!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conspiracies-and-pseudoscience-hubbajub/511689.md?page=1)