MineralMan (59,091 posts) http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024086611
The key to most conspiracy theories comes down to one statement:
Last edited Sun Nov 24, 2013, 03:02 PM - Edit history (1)
"The government is keeping secrets and won't give us the truth."
Since it's impossible to prove that statement is incorrect, it is always part of conspiracy theories. By saying that, the implication is that if only the government would release the truth, we'd all know that the conspiracy theory is correct.
UFOs
Area 51
JFK's Assassination
FEMA Camps
9/11 Truthers
TWA Flight 800
Since the statement can't be proven wrong, the conspiracy theorists simple restate it again and again, as if it were evidence that proves their theory. By making the statement, any sort of argument can be made that cannot be proven to be false.
Aliens from outer space are visiting us.
The Government has a crashed UFO.
A nefarious plot involving whoever you like was involved in Kennedy's assassination.
The government has built top-secret FEMA camps to imprison "enemies of the state."
9/11 wasn't caused by two aircraft crashed into those buildings. It's something else.
Missiles shot down TWA Flight 800, and it's being kept secret.
None of the statements above can be disproven, so the conspiracy theories must be true. It's a simple logical flaw, and one that has been used just about forever to convince people that a conspiracy exists, and it's being kept a secret from us.
That's it in a nutshell. That's why DU has a Creative Speculation group. That's why conspiracy theories belong in that group, and not in GD, in my opinion.
MineralMan (59,091 posts)
3. Exactly.
Kind of like "faith is the evidence of things unseen." Bad logic.
So... the key to DU is saying shit that cannot be proved, and thus, by not being proved, proves to the DUmpmonkiez... it is true.
Think about it...
9/11 obvious government plot aided by Israelis
Buch lied us into Iraq and Afghanistan
Koch Brothers controlling media
Republicans are Racists.
TEA party is Astroturf and not real
Right Wing wants gun violence to keep minorities down.
etc, etc etc...
MineralMan (59,091 posts)
11. Actually, I do trust unless I am proven to be incorrect with
Last edited Sun Nov 24, 2013, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)
actual evidence. The Warren Commission Report, which I read from front to back, made sense. I'm not interested in speculation about that event. Sorry.
Look at the list of events I presented. Which do you things are not as they are described? Why do you think that? If it's based on something that could have happened, rather than evidence, then I'm not interested. Almost anything could happen. Demonstrating that it did requires actual evidence to that effect, not speculation.
Wait... isn't this the exact opposite he was talking about in the OP?
polichick (32,706 posts)
34. Since 60% of Americans don't buy the official story...
It's not exactly a far-fetched conspiracy situation. Free speech is a good thing, right? And we wouldn't want to sideline something so many people are interested in, right?
Somehow this turned into a JFK thread.. or maybe it always was one.. it's DU... who knows...
MineralMan (59,091 posts)
37. Poll results are not evidence of much of anything.
80% of Americans believe that deities exist. Belief is not evidence of anything but belief.
Sorry, but poll results are not that useful when it comes to the truth or falsity of an argument.
Wait... what? Is he changing his position again?
MineralMan (59,091 posts)
33. JFK conspiracy theories were not the subject of my post.
Conspiracy theories in general were the subject of my post. The recent discussions of the JFK assassination on the 50th anniversary of it got me thinking about conspiracy theories. Please reread my OP. It's not about the JFK assassination theories. It's about conspiracy theories in general.
He just randomly wrote a thread about CTs on the JFK annerv. date... Theya re not related...
