# What Percent of People Are Batsh\*t Crazy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 31, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245 "2007-05-31T21:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/1 "2007-05-31T21:10:15Z")
The WTC conspiracy threads have made me wonder what percent of the population is barking mad. To me, you are batsh\*t crazy if you think any of the following: 1. The world is less than 10,000 years old 2. Life did not evolve, species were each created separately (though you may accept “micro-evolution”) 3. 9/11 was not an Islamist terrorist plot, but was a US govt or neocon conspiracy to justify The War on Terror 4. Oswald was not at least one of the shooters (I’m being gernerous) 5. You speak in tounges or handle snakes 6. Space aliens have visited earth I’m sure there are more. I expect that something like 70% of the US population believes at least one of the above. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/2 "2007-05-31T21:12:06Z")
You can believe some of those things and not be crazy, just ignorant. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/3 "2007-05-31T21:16:55Z")
I don’t see how accepting the possibility that aliens might’ve visited makes me “batshit crazy.” As in all things, there is a continuum where that is much closer to the sane end than, say, believing that the aliens came to mutilate cattle and stick things up my bum. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/4 "2007-05-31T21:17:09Z")
I don’t think those things make you “batshit crazy”, but I would put the percentage around 2%. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/5 "2007-05-31T21:17:26Z")
One of the folks at work believes at least 3 or 4 from that list, plus "Con-trails is how ‘they’ keep the general populace under control. " There are only four of us at work. There was another guy who used to work her who would have gone in for at least 2-3 of those, plus some fairly racist anti-MLK stuff (he was working for the CIA/FBI). So I’d say between 25-40% of the population at my work. I’m sure we can extrapolate that tiny sample out to the population in general. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/6 "2007-05-31T21:39:20Z")
Yeah, I think 6 is where you’re going to rope a lot of relatively sane people into your batcave. I don’t \*think \*aliens have landed, but maybe. I think it’s certainly possible that someone landed here and left again so many millions of years ago that no evidence has been left. Heck, maybe all Earth life evolved from an alien loogey spat out into our primordial sea on a scouting expedition. I’m betting pretty heavily that the cow mutilating/anal probe/grays thing is a bunch of hooey, but that doesn’t rule out any alien landing ever. But 3 and 4 encompass a whole lot of folks, as well - who may not be “batshit crazy” but simply have a mistrust of government and an active imagination. Didn’t someone link to a study yesterday or today that 31% of Americans believe in Biblical literalism? So that puts 31% of Americans into your “batshit crazy” category under number 1 right there. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/7 "2007-05-31T21:39:52Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] I don’t see how accepting the possibility that aliens might’ve visited makes me “batshit crazy.” As in all things, there is a continuum where that is much closer to the sane end than, say, believing that the aliens came to mutilate cattle and stick things up my bum. [/QUOTE] I guess I was being too broad. “Might have”, is one thing, but people who accept alien abductions, crop circles, or other “evidence” of recent visits are another. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/8 "2007-05-31T21:45:09Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Yeah, I think 6 is where you’re going to rope a lot of relatively sane people into your batcave. I don’t \*think \*aliens have landed, but maybe. I think it’s certainly possible that someone landed here and left again so many millions of years ago that no evidence has been left. Heck, maybe all Earth life evolved from an alien loogey spat out into our primordial sea on a scouting expedition. I’m betting pretty heavily that the cow mutilating/anal probe/grays thing is a bunch of hooey, but that doesn’t rule out any alien landing ever. But 3 and 4 encompass a whole lot of folks, as well - who may not be “batshit crazy” but simply have a mistrust of government and an active imagination. . [/QUOTE] But to me, believing it contrary to all reason and evidence does make you crazy. > [@](#): > > Didn’t someone link to a study yesterday or today that 31% of Americans believe in Biblical literalism? So that puts 31% of Americans into your “batshit crazy” category under number 1 right there. I know that’s what scares me. It’s one thing to realize that the religiuos right wing is nuts, but then you add on the credulous left wing and you have a majority of people. We drive down the road every day in expectation that people will not swerve into us headon because they decided to not reject the idea that matter can’t be in the same place at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/9 "2007-05-31T21:46:50Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] One of the folks at work believes at least 3 or 4 from that list, plus "Con-trails is how ‘they’ keep the general populace under control. " [/QUOTE] 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/10 "2007-05-31T21:51:42Z")
Can I still be batshit crazy if I don’t believe the things on the list? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/11 "2007-05-31T21:52:21Z")
What’s wrong with handling snakes? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/12 "2007-05-31T21:56:30Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Didn’t someone link to a study yesterday or today that 31% of Americans believe in Biblical literalism? So that puts 31% of Americans into your “batshit crazy” category under number 1 right there. [/QUOTE] That number is similar to this item mentioned before in the SDMB: > **[Repost -- The Crazification Factor](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2007/01/repost-crazification-factor.html)** > > I had my head down, so I missed that Bush apparently, in one poll, broke the 28% approval mark. I only know this because I got a shitload ... > [@](#): > > Tyrone: 27%. > > John: … you said that immediately, and with some authority. > > Tyrone: Obama vs. Alan Keyes. Keyes was from out of state, so you can eliminate any established political base; both candidates were black, so you can factor out racism; and Keyes was plainly, obviously, completely crazy. Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy. But 27% of the population of Illinois voted for him. They put party identification, personal prejudice, whatever ahead of rational judgment. Hell, even like 5% of Democrats voted for him. That’s crazy behaviour. I think you have to assume a 27% Crazification Factor in any population. > > John: Objectively crazy or crazy vis-a-vis my own inertial reference frame for rational behaviour? I mean, are you creating the Theory of Special Crazification or General Crazification? > > Tyrone: Hadn’t thought about it. Let’s split the difference. Half just have worldviews which lead them to disagree with what you consider rationality even though they arrive at their positions through rational means, and the other half are the core of the Crazification – either genuinely crazy; or so woefully misinformed about how the world works, the bases for their decision making is so flawed they may as well be crazy. > > John: You realize this leads to there being over 30 million crazy people in the US? > > Tyrone: Does that seem wrong? > > John: … a bit low, actually. That is only here as a FWIW, it is not a number to trust, but it seems amusing to me that is close to other “Crazification” indexes. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/13 "2007-05-31T21:57:42Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] What’s wrong with handling snakes? [/QUOTE] > **[Snake handling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling)** > > Snake handling may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/14 "2007-05-31T21:58:02Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] But to me, believing it contrary to all reason and evidence does make you crazy. [/QUOTE] No, it just makes you human. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/15 "2007-05-31T22:00:02Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] 😕 [/QUOTE] We need a scorecard to track the conspiracy theories: [http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/2001-03-07-contrails.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/2001-03-07-contrails.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/16 "2007-05-31T22:00:54Z")
22-27% are nuts. That is, roughly, the percentage of people who \*always vote straight \*\*X \*_Party ticket, no matter what_. Jabbering Roundhead Madness. Iguanas gnawing on their brains. _Can’t_ be borne. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/17 "2007-05-31T22:05:20Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] We drive down the road every day in expectation that people will not swerve into us headon because they decided to not reject the idea that matter can’t be in the same place at the same time. [/QUOTE] That expectation is very rarely disappointed, you know. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/18 "2007-05-31T22:10:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] 22-27% are nuts. That is, roughly, the percentage of people who \*always vote straight \*\*X \*_Party ticket, no matter what_. Jabbering Roundhead Madness. Iguanas gnawing on their brains. _Can’t_ be borne. [/QUOTE] How is that crazy? I always vote for Democrats, no matter what, because my politics are to the **left** of that party’s mainstream and it’s just the closest fit. There are almost never any Socialists or Greens on the ballot, and when there are I know I would be wasting my vote by giving it to them. I’m sure Al Gore always votes for Democrats too. Does that make him crazy? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/19 "2007-05-31T22:24:10Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] How is that crazy? I always vote for Democrats, no matter what, because my politics are to the **left** of that party’s mainstream and it’s just the closest fit. There are almost never any Socialists or Greens on the ballot, and when there are I know I would be wasting my vote by giving it to them. I’m sure Al Gore always votes for Democrats too. Does that make him crazy? [/QUOTE] That’s because the Democrats put up fewer “plainly, obviously, completely crazy. Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy” candidates at this point in history. Would you vote for a Democrat who made speeches in front of an American flag with a hammer & sickle imposed on it, talked about how God hates straights, how non-homosexual marriage should be forbidden and demanded that abortion be made mandatory ? The Republicans are way farther to the right than the Democrats to the left. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245/20 "2007-05-31T22:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] The WTC conspiracy threads have made me wonder what percent of the population is barking mad. To me, you are batsh\*t crazy if you think any of the following: 1. The world is less than 10,000 years old 2. Life did not evolve, species were each created separately (though you may accept “micro-evolution”) 3. 9/11 was not an Islamist terrorist plot, but was a US govt or neocon conspiracy to justify The War on Terror 4. Oswald was not at least one of the shooters (I’m being gernerous) 5. You speak in tounges or handle snakes 6. Space aliens have visited earth I’m sure there are more. I expect that something like 70% of the US population believes at least one of the above. Thoughts? [/QUOTE] “Batsh\*t crazy” is not in the DSM IV but in any case it implies a level of nuttiness beyond just believing something silly, doesn’t it? Many folks can compartmentalize an odd belief but be otherwise functional. I don’t know how you want to measure it exactly, so it’s a great opportunity for me to make a WAG, at least for the US. I’d say close to 80 or 90% of people believe something for which there is no scientifically testable evidence. God, for instance. Maybe half believe in stuff for which there is obvious and contradictory, widely-publicized scientific evidence. Age of the earth, for instance. However for many of these folk, the evidence is unexplored because their culture is not to expose themselves to teachings which contradict their faith. Maybe 20% have some kind of pet conspiracy theory. “There is something more going on with Kennedy assassination/Iraq War/WTC” for instance. 1% are dysfunctionally crazy. Clinically schizophrenic. In my own experience (and I am pretty old) except for you and me everyone is a little nutty, and there are days when I wonder about you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-people-are-batsh-t-crazy/406245.md?page=2)