OH! You're one of those, Conspiracy Theorists.

reply to post by AccessDenied
Yes AD I do get a ration of teasing from my children and a few friends.

I do enjoy finding someone who is of like mind that I can discuss currant events with.

One thing I have noticed is that many times I know the news before my children see it in MSM. I always have to say, "I told you about that already". I call it revenge of the CT.

My significant other calls ATS the black hole but does get interested when I find discussions concerning VietNam and other military matters.

In the words of the immortal Popeye the Sailor man.." I yam what I yam".
I am a conspiracy theorist and proud of it. I find it to be preferable to being a sheep.

When I pointed out about it being in our DNA, it was because of my own experience in life.
I ALWAYS knew I was different. While my classmates were reading "Choose Your own adventure" books, or Sweet Valley High,.. I was reading books about Ghosts, witches, Uri Geller and other psychics, UFO's and aliens.
My school projects were frequently on The Loch ness monster, or bigfoot.
I have had prophetic dreams and those of past lives since I was 4 years old.
But I don't post those. Not my style.
I try to discuss stuff with my kids. sometimes they are interested, sometimes not. But I try at least. I don't want to give them info overload or make them paranoid.

Hahaha this is a great thread.

I love it when I talk about the government or UFOs to my family. They always just shrug it off and ignore me. But we most certainly are a very unique group of people. I have often wondered why I ask questions instead of just going along with what i'm told. Why do we ask questions but not the next person?

I will probably never know the answer to that question, but I can tell you we are definitley having alot more fun than the general population aren't we guys.

I can speak openly to my one of my friend about 9/11 conspiracy, he believes without a doubt that it was an inside job, me? I just listen, I'm more in the paranormal and UFO/alien type of guy, and I tend to be open about it, when the topic arises, its just the field that I have the most experience in, both in knowledge and first-hand account, so I'm not ashame of talking about it. So I guess, what I'm saying is I'm like AccessDenied. lol

Granted I get make fun of, surprising not to UFOs, but to paranormal topics, such as ghosts, shadow people, astral projections. I have cases where I talk about my experience about UFO, and people would be like "Oh really? Well I encounter a UFO once...."

I think the reason why the paranormal topic is kind of hard for my friends to swallow is either their strictly religious, and its taboo to them. Or their not religious or spiritual at all, and aren't open-minded to the possibility an ethereal universe or extra dimensional beings.

Shadow people are the toughest thing to talk about in my case, its something many people can't grasp and thought it was inspired off the "heartless" from kingdom hearts, however my experience with these beings and other eye-account witnesses has seen these things long before that game came out. Here are images of some heartless from the game: boything.jeeran.com...
i89.photobucket.com...

[edit on 4-5-2008 by skyblueff0]

pretty sure a conspiracy theorist simply has a theory or theories that certain occurences are in fact orchestrated by more than one person.

all of us on here are conspiracy theorists.

but now the term is slowly being changed into a put down phrase, that discredits any person who is called that.

that is ridiculous that someone would think that conspiracies don't exist. technically, everything's a conspiracy! so... that would make us conspiracy fact-ists

You all also have to remember that there are multiple types and reasons for every stance. Not all CTers are in it for "the truth" per say.

1) As a way of rebellion or a way to feel special. A way to loudly proclaim oneself as "above the norm" of people because they know some sort of elusive truth.

2) Authors seeking to make a profit from selling books.

3) Hate to say it, but genuine mental problems.

To be honest I could name every possible reason I can think of most likely still miss some and not all of them are good or noble reasons it should be noted, as everything everyone does is done for some reason. Whether or not they admit it to themselves.

Me. I over analyze every damn thing and some things just don't ring true to me. But I can fully admit that I could be deluding myself. Hell possibly for reasons one and three.

I do believe Al Queda did the 9/11 hijackings. But the government most likely planned it. But no CD or any other highly unlikely stories.

I believe in aliens. But I don't believe we are anything more than a possibly interesting animal to them. Sorry no sky brothers or alien conquerers ruling everything.

I do believe conspiracies happen. But not to the point most would have you believe. Other words, no, Buldeburger Group or evil Freemasons. Seem to me like human nature would make those kinda impossible. You know the old addage of "Two many fingers in the pot ruin the soup.".

Just my two cents.

[edit on 5-5-2008 by WraothAscendant]

Originally posted by AccessDenied
reply to post by GhostR1der

 

But do they believe what you are saying, or walk away shaking their heads and whispering about your mental problems???
Have you been able to convince people of any theories and they came around to accepting them as possible fact?

Yep! Convinced quite a few and I try to empower people who blindly refuse to believe or consider the theory etc to do their own research... I get positive responses that way... 'Oh I did a bit of reading up on ..... '

My father (hon phd etc that sort of character..) was a tough nut to crack but with reasoning, debate, facts and common sense have managed to show him some of the more interesting sides to what is (and isn't) in the mass media, he will now discuss with me (and not so much the other way around anymore) issues of CT basis.

edit: and when we go to UFOs and aliens etc over half the people I talk to have either seen or already believe in them... so much for govt propaganda eh it's hard to make someone not believe who has personally witnessed paranormal/alien etc activity.

[edit on 5-5-2008 by GhostR1der]

Awesome Topic!!!

I wish i knew why we were different from everybody else.

I say different because I think we actually are different. Dont know how we got this way though.

If we could figure this out then we could probably figure out how to get the others to wake up.

Blurry

[edit on 5-5-2008 by blurryone]

Originally posted by skyblueff0
I think the reason why the paranormal topic is kind of hard for my friends to swallow is either their strictly religious, and its taboo to them. Or their not religious or spiritual at all, and aren't open-minded to the possibility an ethereal universe or extra dimensional beings.

I wouldn't worry about people who don't want to talk about the paranormal for whatever reason.

I have experienced some paranormal events, several were very scary. It is easy to say it that maybe it was my imagination, or I am insane, or I was high. I wasn't alone when these "things" happened and honestly, I wish it can be explained through insanity, imagination, or drugs.

I have told people of some juicy ghost stories. There were many that doubted me but I got them curious because I can get a witness with a simple phone call.

One time I "proved" my point a little too well. I told of a paranormal event to a group of people and it turned out that the event re-occurred for the people I told the story to. Most would see this as a vindication but these people were seriously scared.

When I tell of a paranormal story, I totally understand if someone looks at me as weird. That is because it is weird whether one believes it or not. The paranormal scares the hell out of me. I wish I was insane when some of my experiences happened but the fact I wasn't alone denies me of that convenience. The problem is that this stuff almost drove me insane and when someone looks at me as weird, they are right, this paranormal stuff made me "weird."

If someone wants to close their mind about the paranormal for any reason, it is a good thing. I usually don't want to talk about details of some of these stories anymore either.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Excellent thread, AD! Starred and flagged.

I see a lot of tactics used by the MSM to discredit CT's in what you posted.

I don't think anyone should oppose conspiracy theorists, I think they're necessary! If no one was looking for the truth then it would probably never be found!

Generally I've found telling people about potential theories brings varied reactions based on their intelligence. Most of my fiends are the very top of our school by a huge margin, and they instantly understand and see the logic, adding the possible explanation to the list of possible explanations they harbour about subjects.

On the other hand, less intelligent people seem to disbelieve things that are, as it has been called 'outside the box'. This is especially bad in school since a lot of people have been slow to grow up and are totally engrossed in MSM versions of events, and still have that childish arrogance that no one can tell them any better.

Does anyone here think that being a CT in the workplace is "career limiting"? Iow, would a CT'er be unlikely to be considered a candidate for a project leader or management because of his/her beliefs? Or because they are thought to be "too far out there" to be taken seriously?

Here are some useful quotes for those friends/family that just can't get over the word "conspiracy."

“The New World Order is not a 'conspiracy' in the strictest sense of the term - it is an agenda. The agenda is orchestrated by a power elite that thinks it has the divine right to commandeer total control of your life. But who are 'they'? Who are the 'power elite'? The UN, the EU, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, the Trilateral Commission, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Club of Rome. The list goes on and there have been many books written that cover the history of these groups and how they connect to each other … The agenda is a worldwide consolidation and centralization of power into the hands of an all-encompassing World Government. This system will evolve from the European Union, (already in place) the American Union, (derived from NAFTA) and the Asian Union. When these three models are in existence, they will be merged together to create the One World Government.” -Paul Joseph Watson, Order Out of Chaos (8-9)

“I would emphasize that I am exposing an Agenda, not a conspiracy as such. The conspiracy comes in manipulating people and events to ensure the Agenda is introduced. These conspiracies take three main forms: conspiring to remove people and organizations that are a threat to the Agenda (the assassination of Diana, Princess of Wales); conspiring to put people into positions of power who will make the Agenda happen (George Bush, Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, etc.); and conspiring to create events which will make the public demand the Agenda is introduced through problem-reaction-solution (wars, terrorist bombs, economic collapses). In this way all these apparently unconnected events and manipulations become aspects of the same conspiracy to introduce the same Agenda.” -David Icke, “The Biggest Secret” (13)

“The past record of man is burdened with accounts of assassinations, secret combines, palace plots and betrayals in war. But in spite of this clear record, an amazing number of people have begun to scoff at the possibility of conspiracy at work today. They dismiss such an idea merely as a Conspiratorial View.” -Political Commentator G. Edward Griffin

“The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists.” -FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover

“The drive of the Rockefellers and their allies is to create a one-world government combining supercapitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their control.... Do I mean conspiracy? Yes I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and incredibly evil in intent." -Congressman Larry P. Macdonald, 1976

"Some even believe we (the Rockefeller family) are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure---one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." -David Rockefeller, "Memoirs" 2002

"From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt to those of Karl Marx, to those of Trotsky, Bela Kun, Rosa Luxembourg, and Emma Goldman, this world wide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization and for the reconstitution of society on the basis of arrested development, of envious malevolence and impossible equality, has been steadily growing. It played a definitely recognizable role in the tragedy of the French Revolution. It has been the mainspring of every subversive movement during the nineteenth century, and now at last this band of extraordinary personalities from the underworld of the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian people by the hair of their heads, and have become practically the undisputed masters of that enormous empire." -Winston Churchill, 1920

"The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are as a people, inherently and historically, opposed to secret societies, secret oaths, and secret proceedings … For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence. It depends on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific, and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published, its mistakes are buried, not headlined, its dissenters are silenced, not praised, no expenditure is questioned, no secret is revealed ... I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people.” -John F. Kennedy, April, 27th, 1961

“Indeed, it almost seems to be a requirement or admission into public discourse to announce that one rejects conspiracy theories. What is the logic behind this thinking? It cannot be that we literally reject the very idea that conspiracies occur. We all accept conspiracy theories of all sorts. We accept a conspiracy theory whenever we believe that two or more people have conspired in secret to achieve some goal, such as to rob a bank, defraud customers, or fix prices … It is false to suggest that those who allege that the attacks occurred because of official complicity are ‘conspiracy theorists’ while those who accept the official account are not. People differ on this issue merely in terms of which conspiracy theory they hold to be true, or at least most probable. According to the official account, the attacks of 9/11 occurred because of a conspiracy among Muslims, with Osama bin Laden being the chief conspirator. Revisionists reject that theory, at least as a sufficient account of what happened, maintaining that the attacks cannot be satisfactorily explained without postulating conspiracy by officials of the US government, at least in allowing the attacks to succeed. The choice, accordingly, is simply between (some version of) the received conspiracy theory and (some version of) the revisionist conspiracy theory.” -David Icke, Alice in Wonderland

I often get the feeling that people would call me insane if they thought i could handle it.

The sad thing is that i can.

People are rarely capable of labelling someone something, and then thinking about how they would deal with that label.

I'd say I'm a closet conspiracy theorist. I just don't say anything about the "theories" unless I actually have some factual information from the main stream media to back it up.

The sheep believe the main stream media.

I just keep my mouth shut.

Originally posted by AccessDenied
Continued..

I think the label first became widely used to slander people who questioned the details surrounding the JFK assassination, and forty years later, there aren't too many thinking people who still believe the Warren Commission's "lone gunman" explanation. That explanation is doubted by everyone who has taken the time to look into the details, and believed only by people who refuse to.

I'm still bewildered by the Jfk thing. The Zapruder film clearly discredits the warren commission reports as any idiot can clearly see. This to me shows that anyone can be taught what to think.

My experience is somewhat different to those posted, most people that I speak to on these subjects actually agree and acknowledge that they're not being told the whole truth on many subjects, I'm constantly surprised at the types of people I interact with that have similar concerns and interests in conspiracy theories. This is my experience.

All I see in my day to day life are people waking up to the big lies forced down our throats by the corporate media. Actually I have found little resistance or closed mindedness on these subjects, the ones that do are usually corrected by those around me like they are the minority.
Of course this is a different story online but those people I see and interact with at various levels throughout daily life acknowledge that something just isn't right. The problem is they just don't care enough, it doesn't effect their TV/Video game/drinking time or anything else that distracts them so it's not they're problem. Perhaps it is a cultural thing, although many Americans I know feel the same way.

I had the feeling even at the age of 6 or 7 when I started thinking about the world around me, before any deep setted societal indoctrination. I had a sense that the human race had followed the wrong path, and if certain principles had been followed we'd be in a very different place than we are now.


[edit on 5-5-2008 by squiz]

reply to post by squiz

The problem is they just don't care enough, it doesn't effect their TV/Video game/drinking time or anything else that distracts them so it's not they're problem.

You are so correct with that statement.I believe that totally applies to most of those that I encounter on a daily basis. either that or it's the flip side of the coin..
The mortgage, the car payment, junior's braces, his sister's college fund..
Who has time to worry about conspiracy theories.
Iam so tired of hearing..
"Well that's all very good, and informative, but it's still just a theory right?"

HELLO!
Einstein's work is still called theories and we accept it as truth. WTF?

Squiz, you are lucky that you have found people in your daily life to converse with. I believe a good majority of members here do not have that type of situation, and ATS becomes like a home where you can finally relax and be yourself without being judged as a kook.

If it's about what's on TV, then I have an idea.

Every single one of us call 911 and claim there is a gunman in our office/school. If you work, do it when you're at work. If you go to school (high school or college), do it while at school.

Call the cops and claim that there is a gunman wandering around the campus. The cops will come and when they don't find him/her, they will arrest you. Before (while) they arrest you, I want to you to talk to them calmly. Show them the hypocrisy in this country.

They are arresting you for making a false claim (while not under oath), that put no one's life in danger (cops are pretty nasty these days, probably would have shot innocent students/co-wokers). Then you have the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, etc.. lying about WMDs, terrorists, etc.. (while not under oath) which is putting our citizens lives in danger.

This could get you on TV, and the masses would more than likely see you showing the truth. If it's about what they see on TV, this could work.

It's absolutely ridiculous how I can go to jail for screaming "fire" or calling the cops and claiming there is a gunman. Yet, our President go on television and go infront of Congress, and lie to the faces of the American citizens, putting our soldiers lives in danger, our countries National Security in danger, and the lives of our citizens in danger.

Enough of the bull#.

I really do not ever talk to people except through forums and stuff (I, unlike most of you, really am a bat# insane bastard/schitzoid) so I don't get called much besides aloof and mean.

The thing is there is so much information against those who conspire to commit atrocities and proport lies that most decent people simply can not handle the information or think that "no one could be THAT bad of a human!". You guys have probably all met a few people who will say "don't listen to the idiot box" or "trust noone" and yet insist that the corporate media bull# is how things are, etc.

Sure, "no one likes change" is safe to say but then why is it that our political/social environment changes? And the majority go along with whatever the businessmen/lawyers in office say and do? I know why no one really actually does anything to change how things are going except for terrorists and the wealthy elite, so why do people whine about everything all the time (for the most part)? "Sqeaky hinge gets the oil" is true when you are talking about doors and autos, not people. Unless those people will either further the agenda or provide a willing barrier for you...

reply to post by GrooveCat


Absolutely. Usually the higher the intellegence of the person, the more receptive they are to theories contrary to their beliefs. I think a huge part of the reason that I question everything is that my parents did not raise me with any type of religious anything, and they never spoke of politics ever. As I got older and started asking questions about heavy subjects, my parents didn't pretend to know. They would say "nobody knows" or "you are going to have to figure that out for yourself". I appreciate this of them as they are both christians, not the kind that go to church though, and they easily could have just said jesus this or jesus that but they didn't. In my opinon, the less information about religion, politics, certain theories, and other personal opinions that a person is forcefed growing up, the more they develop the need to seek answers and formulate their own theories and opinions. At least thats why I'm here. Anyone else have a similar experience?

[edit on 5-5-2008 by devildogUSMC]