# what's the phrase "Tin foil hats" about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 10, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659 "2003-10-10T12:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/1 "2003-10-10T12:49:54Z")
Forgive me for my stupidity. (example of my abysmal ignorance: When the 1920’s death ray joke was running rampant on every thread here, I had to ask what the joke was all about.I’m just a slow learner.) So what’s behind the phrase “Tin foil hats” ? (referring to people who believe in conspiracy theories)? ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/2 "2003-10-10T12:54:43Z")
Some people believe that the government can read minds via mysterious “mind rays” (not from the 1920’s as far as I know), which one can shield from by constructing an aluminium helmet. Of course, being a government mind ray scientist myself, I can assure them that this _amplifies_ the thought signal and that the best protection is afforded by the enormous “Afro” wigs found in any good joke shop. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@Lady\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Ice)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/3 "2003-10-10T13:08:49Z")
This the column Uncle Cecil did. It started the whole thing. [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000609.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000609.html) ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/4 "2003-10-10T13:55:29Z")
Why are you asking this question? I already beamed the information to your government neural implant receptor. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/5 "2003-10-10T15:19:12Z")
Here is a good place to get construction information: [Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie](http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html). That site is a joke, but the serious one doesn’t seem to be around anymore. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/6 "2003-10-10T17:47:32Z")
Excellent site, **adam**! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/7 "2003-10-10T19:02:28Z")
Oh, crap! **SentientMeat** , you ARE joking, aren’t you? _Aren’t you???_ Oh, geez, and I just laid in a few years’ worth of heavy-duty aluminum foil. :eek: Now what? There aren’t any joke stores in Exurbia selling Afro-wigs. Heck, there’s not a whole lot of anything out here besides insects and manure. Heeeeeeey… Do you think a pitchfork would work as a grounding rod, drawing off the mind-control rays? I could wrap empty feed sacks around my head too – would that help? ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/8 "2003-10-10T19:18:53Z")
Tin foil hats are so _yesterday_. These days, [Thought screen hats](http://www.aliensandchildren.org/ThoughtScreenHats.htm) are all the rage… 😃 ---
**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:** [October 10, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/9 "2003-10-10T19:46:52Z")
Then there’s [pyrmaid hats](http://www.psorsite.com/docs/pyrhats.html). Hmmm…I wonder if those come in tinfoil. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-phrase-tin-foil-hats-about/206659/10 "2003-10-10T19:53:48Z")
Yeah, just try to use the hats or the Afro wigs. They’ll just read everything off the chip in your butt instead. What? Surely you don’t think all those injections to the butt when you were a little kid were vaccinations?