Conspiracy Theories Linked To Pathological Behaviour

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
Just a massive SnF for a amazing thread, I found it very interesting.

Thanks.

Hardly surprising. 🙄

thanks for being an asshole
nope i will never resign my beliefs
stop this

I bet they all smoked reefer and listened to heavy metal music too.

i have read the article and just as i suspected all those people meet the dumb extremist alex jones fueled side of the conspiracy theory movement
sane people like me dont go there

a reply to: introvert

jared loughner

Conspiracy theories[edit] His friend Zach Osler noted that conspiracy theories had a profound effect on Loughner.[16][48] He was a member of the message board Above Top Secret, which discusses conspiracy theories; members of the site did not respond warmly to posts believed to be from his account.[49][50][51] Loughner espoused conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks,[46] the New World Order, and believed in a 2012 apocalypse, among other controversial viewpoints. Reports appearing after the shooting noted similarities between the statements made by Loughner and those publicized by the far-right conspiracy theorist David Wynn Miller.[52] The Anti-Defamation League's report also confirmed Loughner's longstanding interest in conspiracy theories.[53]

TextViews on politics[edit] Records show that Loughner was registered as an Independent and voted in 2006 and 2008, but not in 2010.[38][39] Loughner's high-school friend Zach Osler said, "He did not watch TV; he disliked the news; he didn't listen to political radio; he didn't take sides; he wasn't on the Left; he wasn't on the Right."[18] A former classmate, Caitie Parker, who attended high school and college with Loughner, described his political views prior to 2007, prior to his personality transformation, as "left wing, quite liberal,"[40] "radical."[41] The tone of Loughner's online writings and videos from immediately before the attack were described by The Guardian as "almost exclusively conservative and anti-government, with echoes of the populist campaigning of the Tea Party movement".[42] Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said that Loughner's position that currency not backed by a gold or silver standard is worthless was a "hallmark of the far right and the militia movement."[43] Jesse Walker of Reason expressed deep scepticism at the connections drawn by Potok.[44] In the aftermath of the shooting, the Anti-Defamation League reviewed messages by Loughner, and concluded that there was a "disjointed theme that runs through Loughner's writings", which was a "distrust for and dislike of the government." It "manifested itself in various ways" – for instance, in the belief that the government used the control of language and grammar to brainwash people, the notion that the government was creating "infinite currency" without the backing of gold and silver, or the assertion that NASA was faking spaceflights.

Dislike for Gabrielle Giffords[edit] According to a former friend, Bryce Tierney, Loughner had expressed a longstanding dislike for Gabrielle Giffords. Tierney recalled that Loughner had often said that women should not hold positions of power.[45][46] He repeatedly derided Giffords as a "fake". This belief intensified after he attended her August 25, 2007 event when she did not, in his view, sufficiently answer his question: "What is government if words have no meaning?"[20] Loughner kept Giffords' form letter, which thanked him for attending the 2007 event, in the same box as an envelope which was scrawled with phrases like "die bitch" and "assassination plans have been made".[47] Zane Gutierrez, a friend, later told The New York Times that Loughner's anger would also "well up at the sight of President George W. Bush, or in discussing what he considered to be the nefarious designs of government."[46

I wouldnt blame the cts or the generally accepted state of untrustworthy government , but he seems fixated on Giffords .

If I came across somebody which caused me concern they might harm themselves or others , I'd be likely to flag it up to them , and /or someone relevant . Its fair to overtly find the fixated sufferers some appropriate treatment , but being caught spying on the paranoid may not bode well . It's a little unfair if you have to be a vip to get protection from the fixated and other potentially malicious stalkers . My old history teacher from school would be asking - is that a set up then, or what is it if its not ? He was great history teacher , really opened up all our minds

We need to shut down this site ASAP before we all turn into flesh-eating zombie serial killers.

Thank you, TheBluePill!!

originally posted by: Templeton
I bet they all smoked reefer and listened to heavy metal music too.

You been hacking my web cam

a reply to: GeneralMayhem

Conspiracy theorists in general seem to be very anti-government and truly believe there are some nefarious conspiracies our elected officials are involved in.

It is no surprise to me that a CT'ist would be the one to enact violence against an elected official.

That is why I think we have to be very careful in how far we are willing to let the community go in pushing unfounded nonsense.

A good example would be the Pizza Gate garbage. As a community, people went way too far and it manifested itself in a shooting at the pizza joint.

a reply to: TheBluePill

First, is the belief in conspiracy a symptom of an underlying mental health issue or the cause? IMO, obviously the former.

Second, I forget who said it, but someone much smarter than I said something to the effect that it is not a sign of mental health issues to be crazy in a crazy world.

Although, I do agree with you in part. To bury your head in the sand and go about your life, or your electronic construct of a life, is fine for those of us in the middle and upper classes of the US. It's actually what the overwhelming majority of people in the country do on a daily basis. And I assume it's a lot less stressful.

I enjoy the conspiracy theories, especially historical ones, because they allow me to see things from a different angle. I can fall down the rabbit hole on occasion. However, I'm completely sane and have no interest in inflicting pain on any other human being.

The problem you may have posting this OP here is that the blue pill is only effective on those who haven't previously taken the red one.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: GeneralMayhem

Conspiracy theorists in general seem to be very anti-government and truly believe there are some nefarious conspiracies our elected officials are involved in.

It is no surprise to me that a CT'ist would be the one to enact violence against an elected official.

That is why I think we have to be very careful in how far we are willing to let the community go in pushing unfounded nonsense.

A good example would be the Pizza Gate garbage. As a community, people went way too far and it manifested itself in a shooting at the pizza joint.

Dont forget these are specific isolated cases so you need to avoid generalisations on the topic .

How far do we allow those members who might be suspect to actually go with their thought , on a site such as this ? While it is so populated , with skeptics a plenty , w2e don't actually allow them to go that far at all , but they have the option to ignore and receed I grant you that .

You should be careful not to confuse sometimes abstract ct with actual proper scientific skepticsm either , like in the case of the lunar lamdings . Thats why they call it the hoax , not the conspiracy .

CT is part of an accepted mainstream norm nowadays , ask Trump or JFK. If hunting for the truly deluded amongst a growing crowd gets harder or if it becomes overtly a reason to tackle those involved in free speech instead of legitimate targets then you still can;'t blame ctists or those associated with thinking about it . All it becomes is a bigger problem , and thsat lack of ability to manage it will show up sometime soon I beleive . Don't forget people are people , they normally show revulsion when particularly heinous offending is brought to light as it sometime si , it doesnt take ct to g ive a number about children in the world , the problem then isnt ct at all its the truth coming out which hurts or could hurt , order and stability .

originally posted by: misterhistory
a reply to: dashen

No, it looks like people who had major mental health issues who gravitated to extremes in conspiracy theories. Made them a core part of their soul and let it consume the rest to the point where they rationalized killing people who had nothing to do with the conspiracy theories. Except for the first two, they are of how obsessed people can lead to their own destruction or someone who completely just lost all senses and went full zombie.

Interesting point. Oak and acorn.

Sort of like being right-wing doesn't make you a racist but being racist almost always is coupled with being right-wing.

Check out the latest episonde of CBS' show "Criminal Minds," titled "False Flag" (S13 Ep9)
"When two members of a conspiracy group in Roswell, New Mexico perish in quick succession, the BAU is called to investigate."

Available here:
www.cbs.com...

They really slam the whole conspiracy theory meme. Standard MSM propaganda, but entertaining!

a reply to: TheBluePill

Suspicion travels a two way highway. Why did these people go looking on the internet?
What were they reacting to if it was not on msm?

I thought psychology delved into cognitive processes?

I guess the boy who cries wolf should be eaten by the wolf?

Theories like these hardly ever wind up in lab to test. Because the result will prevail?

a reply to: introvert

Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa.

Conflict theories draw attention to power differentials, such as class conflict, and generally contrast historically dominant ideologies. It is therefore a macro level analysis of society. Karl Marx is the father of the social conflict theory, which is a component of the four paradigms of sociology. Conflict theories - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org...

Hope you dont mind 2 replies but I'd raise you this, that people do study sociology still . Surely no one can ask them not to , and if they produce research work in sociology they are required to examine their subjects from various perpectives . CT is also an accepted sociological perspective , as long as the balance is still achieved , legitimate work is produced

I've often wondered about this. Moreso, religion and cult beliefs. If a person can believe in a god then how far can it go? The Heavens Gate cult thought their souls would be saved by the passing comet spaceship when they committed suicide. Charles Manson never killed any of his victims, he convinced other people to do it. Hitler didn't kill the millions of Jews, he had others do it. I'm reminded of this:

There're so many places to take this discussion. Some links below:
blogs.discovermagazine.com - Lacking control drives false conclusions, conspiracy theories and superstitions...
www.digitaljournal.com - Religious fundamentalism could soon be treated as mental illness...
www.rawstory.com - The type of person most likely to believe conspiracy theories...
www.scientificamerican.com - Insights into the Personalities of Conspiracy Theorists...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - "What about building 7?" A social psychological study of online discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories....

Nevermind, offtopic. Thanks for the thread!

originally posted by: Templeton

Nevermind, offtopic. Thanks for the thread!

Not my thread but thank you, lol.

Yeah sounds like the strawman argument is strong with this post. You could say the same with almost any profession; firemen, doctors, police all can exhibit similar tendencies and then be grouped into and argument against it. Critical thinking shouldn't be surrendered just because the OP wants to see a connection were there is none. reply to: TheBluePill

originally posted by: dilly83
...the OP wants to see a connection were there is none. reply to: TheBluePill

Exactly what they are accusing conspiracy theorists of...