
The Conspiracy Theorists Are Winning - elsewhen
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/shadowland-introduction/610840/
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panpanna
Conspiracy Theorists are winning because we humans are mostly stupid (yours
truly included) and will jump on any simple answer to complex issues. Because
people are afaird and are looking for someone to blame or a "leader" to
follow.

IMO, there is only one way to combat it: politicians most stop politician-
speak and learn to give simple answers.

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AndrewBissell
Perhaps the nation's leadership should consider not constantly lying to the
citizenry as one possible means of combating conspiracy theories? I mean, how
do you expect not to generate a bunch of weird cognitive dissonance in people
when you snap their focus back and forth between expert missives like "masks
are ineffective and pointless! don't buy them!" and "wearing masks is
essential! only idiots refuse to wear masks!" in a matter of a few months?

Dismantling the two-tiered justice system which allows everyone beyond a
certain level and wealth and power to walk scot free from absolutely heinous
crimes would also be helpful here.

~~~
acqq
> I mean, how do you expect not to generate a bunch of weird cognitive
> dissonance in people when you snap their focus back and forth

Note that it's the media who amplify the real "signal" to the dumbed-down
messages. The more accurate message were "we are entering the epidemics
unprepared, please don't try to buy the mask as even the doctors don't have
enough of them."

But then the people would rightfully ask "hasn't somebody actually been dearly
paid to make sure that there are enough masks, especially since it was known
that some event like this is extremely probable" etc.

And note that those that amplify them aren't the experts. When, for example,
some virologist who regularly comes in contact with even deadlier viruses
says, from his experience, that "thin masks don't work" it's because for his
use case (being regularly exposed) they indeed completely don't work -- he'd
die if he'd use them. However, an epidemiologist, considering the possible
reduction of infection rate, would not give the same answer, but he was not in
the media at all then!

The media are dumb when amplifying, but the media are also guided by their own
agendas, and that is what also must be recognized.

And of course, "We've always been at war with Eastasia":

[https://blog.erratasec.com/2016/02/weve-always-been-at-
war-w...](https://blog.erratasec.com/2016/02/weve-always-been-at-war-with-
eastasia.html)

So yes, intentionally making the population dumb can give exactly the results
we see. Unfortunately there are indeed people who do have such agendas, for
various reasons. Some are very rich, and do this for decades. And even
organize with others who share their views (actual conspiracies, but don't
call them so). And some individuals even admit their agendas. The producer of
Ancient Aliens, for example, is intentionally against science:

[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/21/style/ancient-
aliens.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/21/style/ancient-aliens.html)

“It’s really a show about looking for God. _Science would have you believe we
are the result of nothing more than a chance assemblage of matter._ The real
truth is we don’t know.”

The questions posed by the ancient astronaut theorists, however far-fetched,
serve a rare purpose, according to Mr. Burns: “It allows the audience to
wonder. And very few things on television do that.”"

In short, people are actually being intentionally misinformed, people actually
"feel" that, but the misdirection often still works. Look, shiny UFO lizards.
And bleach. And hydroxychloro..whatever. And some other country is guilty. And
it's used from both left and right! During the Nobel peace-prize winner's
presidency "happened" both the Libya and Syria wars, or whatever, we've always
been at war with Eastasia. And against drugs. No, we aren't doing this because
there are biggest oil reserves, escalating during the pandemic, we just do our
war on drugs. And you are just Fake News, shut up.

That's what we get.

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eddieoz
We have this kind of people leader in Brazil. They prefer being delusional and
sometimes to believe that thousands and thousands of people are organised,
working together. Seems like they never managed a team to know how hard is to
make people work together.

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dowmruxirh
Conspiracies are everywhere in the world. Corruption and deceit is everywhere
in the world. Refusing to acknowledge this means you are pathetically ignorant
or serving an agenda.

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readarticle
A particularly short article with no real look into how or why the conspiracy
theorists are winning beside Russia, or beyond the president being one.

Small quotes from an Egyptian preacher immediately following 9/11, yet another
recap of a cultured interview with Alex Jones in a Tex Mex restaurant, and
Donald Trump is, of course, a terrible president.

Yes, I’m aware the town is being flooded. But between the folks who now have
beachfront property, the ones who have already drowned, and the others
congregating in the local gym, I’m not sure anyone is left to read this and
take anything away from it.

