Don't believe the "official" story? You may be mentally ill...

[bijou]

Texas Explorer  (1000+ posts)        Thu Dec-25-08 01:55 PM
Original message
Don't believe the "official" story? You may be mentally ill...
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What's Behind Internet Conspiracy Empires?


As Conspiracy Communities Grow, Mental Health Docs Are Left With Big Questions


-snip-

According to MacDonald, most delusions begin with general, unexplained feelings of discontent that are caused by a problem with the brain. It's only when someone tries to search for an explanation for their feelings that a delusion forms.

"Then over time, the delusions become crystallized -- meaning they take on particular narratives, story lines and people's motives begin to be fleshed out," said MacDonald. "When one thing isn't explained, it's never abandoned. The plot just thickens ... and you credit your persecutor with a tremendous amount of power."

MacDonald said it can make it difficult to do talk therapy when delusional people feed their story from outside sources or find evidence with other conspiracy plots.

"You're sitting across from your therapist and they say, 'Well why would they do all of this?' And you've got the answers because you've studied online," he said.

-snip-

An extremely disturbing article from a supposedly "reputable" source (I know, I know...).

From a post on another forum that discusses current events (which I won't link to because it's populated by those nutty conspiracy theorists - but if you'd like a link to the 12-page (so far) discussion of this ABC News article, PM me.):

Edited by me for clarity...

From dictionary.com:

con-spir-a-cy

1. the act of conspiring.
2. an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.
3. a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose: He joined the conspiracy to overthrow the government.
4. Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.
5. any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result.

When the US government tells us that 19 Saudi Arabian men, controlled by Osama bin laden in Afghanistan, committed and act of terror on the U.S., it's treated by the mainstream media as conspiracy FACT.

When someone suggests that the US government had foreknowledge of the event, then it's "conspiracy theory" and now, ABC tells us, such thinking is a sign of mental illness.

Put another way, if someone suggests Muslims plan something terrible, it's a conspiracy FACT.

If someone suggests the US government plans some nefarious act, it's a "conspiracy theory", and that is indicative of mental illness.

The term "conspiracy theory" is a linguistic term used to control the "sheeple", and to bring shame to them if they even suggest that the US government has played a role in some nefarious act.

Considering the recent news about RNC geek Michael Connell, I thought this ABC News article worthy of DU analysis.
 

JackRiddler  (1000+ posts)        Thu Dec-25-08 02:01 PM
Response to Original message
2. This is all defenders of state propaganda - Soviet or American - have to say.
 Never deal with the facts! Always deny! Always insult! The doubters of official fables are mentally ill!

Merry Christmas.

Tandalayo_Scheisskopf  (1000+ posts)        Thu Dec-25-08 02:07 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. And what do we know...
 About Dr. Mr. Prof. McDonald and his CV. Because lemme tell you, if you want to meet some real whack jobs, you need look no farther than the field of Psychology. There are some real good folks there and some real pips.

Something tells me that McDonald is working from a well-formed agenda.

gratuitous  (1000+ posts)      Thu Dec-25-08 02:48 PM
Response to Original message
9. That's how they treated dissidents in the old Soviet Union
 Anyone who found fault with Stalin's dictatorship was presumed to be mentally ill, unable to recognize the glorious workers' paradise created by the benevolent Mr. Stalin. It was a neat way to discredit critics and render them powerless for anything in the future all at once. It's a much softer game in the U.S. Critics of the Bush administration were labeled "conspiracy theorists" early on, and removed from the discussion. Anyone who had something negative to say about Bush, his two little imperial invasions or anything else about their relentless politicizing of everything from public health to prosecutions and staff meetings never got a clear shot to offer an opinion. Any critic had to be offset by at least two and preferably three or more Bush sycophants. The best anyone could hope for would be "Well, there's no telling who's right; one side has facts and reality, but the other side is quite accomplished at lying. So we let things go unchallenged."

adbot is teh winnah

Because no one who gets out the chicken wire and kerosene has a problem at all

[djones520]

Never deal with the facts!  We all saw an illusion when the planes hit the towers!  Teh Rove was holding the holographic emiter on top of the Empire State Building!!!!  It's true!!!!!!!!*$^#!!!!!!!

****ing morons.

[Chris]

I wandered over to DU today.  The place is leaking at the seams with threads about Rove's IT guy, Rick Warren, and Christmas in general.

I didn't stay long, but I might go back if I run low on crazy and stupid.

[franksolich]

The gratuitous primitive doesn't know shit.

Anybody who found fault with Stalin was shot.

It wasn't until the 1960s, during the Brezhnev era, that dissidents were sometimes medicated up and institutionalized as insane.

It's disgusting, the way primitives yank history out of their asses.

[Carl]

The gratuitous primitive doesn't know shit.

Anybody who found fault with Stalin was shot.

It wasn't until the 1960s, during the Brezhnev era, that dissidents were sometimes medicated up and institutionalized as insane.

It's disgusting, the way primitives yank history out of their asses.

That is an understatement...of real life they don`t know shit.

[TheSarge]

ackRiddler  (1000+ posts)        Thu Dec-25-08 02:01 PM
Response to Original message
2. This is all defenders of state propaganda - Soviet or American - have to say.
 Never deal with the facts! Always deny! Always insult! The doubters of official fables are mentally ill!

Yeah because in a world where people saw the planes hit the towers and saw them fall to the ground with their own two eyes...we're supposed to believe they have LESS credibility and believeability than someone who can prove a Government conspiracy with chicken wire and a cinder block.
 

[thundley4]

I'm curious.  I posted in another thread about scientists finding a spot in the brain that is LESS active in spiritual people and MORE active in people who tend to put themselves above others. I'd be willing to bet that the people that put themselves above others are also some of the most conspiracy minded. Which would also lead me to believe that most conspiracy nuts probably vote DEM if they vote at all.