Teaching Conspiracy Theory in Schools

Do you guys think conspiracy theory is valid enough to be taught in the public school system, or do you realize that it is mostly just paranoid delusions that has no place in an intelligent environment?

How about as part of a college degree program? Like the Alex Jones College of Conspiracy. Once you get your degree you'll have the skills required to skew information, fear monger, run around with a megaphone, and make a good profit from a conspiracy website and books / videos. I'm sure a lot of people on ATS already have the required skills to author a book of speculation that could catch a decent profit from all the crazy people who frequent book-stores.

What do you guys think of all these people revising events and history in order to make a profit off of the gullible?

Where do I sign up for this Alex Jones school of conspiracy? Do you think they will let me take a class on how to doctor photos and videos to back up my irrational points?

[edit on 5/26/2009 by justsomeboreddude]

Originally posted by justsomeboreddude
Do you think they will let me take a class on how to doctor photos and videos to back up my irrational points?

They already offer that...

It's called political science.

On the topic; It's not so much that conspiracy theory should be taught in schools but proper researching, critical thinking and how not to accept everything someone says just because they claim it to be true.

[edit on 5/26/2009 by eNumbra]

Only problem I see is if you prove the instructor wrong, or tick him off by debunking his own stuff would that reflect negatively in the GPA?

Critical Thinking Theory would do just as well. For example the curriculum could include the following topics:

How To Think
What To Think
When To Think

All of the above courses would involve How Not To Think, What Not To Think, and When Not To Think.

reply to post by Illuminatus I


if a conspiracy theory was solid enough to be taught in schools it would be called history, it's called a conspiracy theory because it's a theory about something that people aren't all that happy to publicly admit to, as your bloody signature suggests.

an intelligent environment requires a little bit of non-linear thinking. rote learning and acceptance of the official line is far from conducive to an intelligent environment, no matter what they tell you in school.

Yeah, I dont' think it's a good idea to expose children to specific conspiracy theories. School is suppose to be about education after all.

What we should teach them is dis-information classes so they can recognize and avoid propaganda. Also teach them to question authority and research things properly.

So many people take things at face value today, there needs to be an over all "awareness" class presented.

My teachers spoke of conspiracy theories and used it as a tool to teach their classes by catching our attention, but they always made us research before coming to a conclusion on the matter.

It also opens the door to intelligent debate between students. But this only works in a lecture type environment. We should not have the actual "teaching" of conspiracy theories.

~Keeper

Originally posted by Darthorious
Only problem I see is if you prove the instructor wrong, or tick him off by debunking his own stuff would that reflect negatively in the GPA?

LOL, yeah he would probably lower your grade to "SHEEPLE"

Go try and explain that to your parents. "Mom, I would have gotten the honor roll but I ended up with 4 A's and a Sheeple."

[edit on 5/26/2009 by justsomeboreddude]

I have a curriculum all planned out.

1. Making clothing from tin foil.
2. How to build an inpenetrable fortress in your basement using items you have around the house.
3. How to edit somoenes quote so it looks like they support your delusions when really they said the opposite.
4. How to take anything out of context as long as it helps you seem legit.
5. How to rant like a lunatic on your own show.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
It also opens the door to intelligent debate between students. But this only works in a lecture type environment. We should not have the actual "teaching" of conspiracy theories.

~Keeper

It's nice that you can agree that conspiracy is not quite intelligent debate. I concur that we shouldn't "teach" non-intelligent debate in places of learning either.

Bravo!

Originally posted by pieman
reply to post by Illuminatus I

 

if a conspiracy theory was solid enough to be taught in schools it would be called history, it's called a conspiracy theory because it's a theory about something that people aren't all that happy to publicly admit to, as your bloody signature suggests.

If nobody admits to it then it's just metahistory. Conspiracy theory is just an imagined version of history, while real history is what we know happens.

an intelligent environment requires a little bit of non-linear thinking. rote learning and acceptance of the official line is far from conducive to an intelligent environment, no matter what they tell you in school.

It would be nice to see more intelligent discussion on ATS.

reply to post by Illuminatus I


Actually what we know to be "history", is only a collection of accounts told by people who were there, and some cases they weren't there at all.

We dont' know that "anything" in our history is true. Perhaps in the past 100 years cause there are still people who can attest to the events, but anything before that could very well be made up.

~Keeper

So when David Gergen gets all angry that a video was snuck out, of a creepy ritualistic play that takes place at the Bohemian Grove. Are people just delusional at observing his extremely out of place reaction? Just wondering..

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by Illuminatus I

 

Actually what we know to be "history", is only a collection of accounts told by people who were there, and some cases they weren't there at all.

We dont' know that "anything" in our history is true. Perhaps in the past 100 years cause there are still people who can attest to the events, but anything before that could very well be made up.

~Keeper

That's a good idea for one of the courses: Solipsism in Conspiracy. The students will be taught that the only truth is that their mind exists, and that anything they make up about anything else can be skewed and/or explained away so that it fits the agenda of their conspiracy.

"I think it, therefore it is true" will be the rule of thumb here. As long as the student adopts the axiom that the NWO or Reptilians are in charge of the world, for example, then those two entities will always be seen in between the lines.

reply to post by Illuminatus I


You know it's funny, I can't tell if your being sarcastic or really just saying what you think should happen.

~Keeper

Most of what I use in backup education on conspiracy topics is my education in sociology and anthropology to compare past events to the here and now. That was university though, not public school.

Poly sci did not do that, History didn't either. English lit did though, for you can tell a lot about a culture through it's great (or even not so great) writers that write about the time they lived in.

I was thinking, why not allow open concept lectures and discussion in PS. Students are taught history and current events but they are not actually taught how to analyse how something in history could have been avoided or how to be active in what is occuring now. Explains why many sit by idle as bad things happen. I assume they feel hopeless and useless to do anything about it to create their own history changing for the better.

[edit on 26-5-2009 by suzque66]

I'm not sure whether teaching conspiracy theories at school is a clever idea as many parents will be protesting not to talk about the school itself.
Rather you should focus on gradually increasing the childrens awareness, teach them how to think by themselves and not to take everything for granted. Teach them how to think out-of-the-box but don't make it too obvious; let them make the step forward!

[edit on 26-5-2009 by Estess]

conspiracy theories should never be taught in school.
just teach TRUTH.
but wait... actually on second thought....
......wait until we've achieved utopia for that.
because everybody officially knowing THE TRUTH right now would heavily get in the way of utopia becoming a reality.

as for now.. just teach the altered version of history ..or whichever one suits us best... so that it all goes smoothly.

then.. when it's safe.. and utopia is achieved...
you can release all the info.. and let everybody see the actual truth..

in those times.. school children will read about how people were once putting TRUTH into light.. but were rightly called "theorizers" by the ones trying to mask it and discredit it.
we couldn't have them showing the truth, while we were creating utopia.

so no.. don't even think about teaching the heresy of the cursed 'theorizers' ! so say the priests of the temples of syrinx!

LAWLZ.. "conspire" ...so silly.. people "breathing together" .. what are they gonna think of next? sheesh.

-

There are always parents and children who are two ignorant to accept reality. When this happens, teacher gets fired and legislation forces schools to go back to the old bible and yardsticks trick.

Originally posted by EctoCooler HiC
So when David Gergen gets all angry that a video was snuck out, of a creepy ritualistic play that takes place at the Bohemian Grove. Are people just delusional at observing his extremely out of place reaction? Just wondering..

It's just another strange formality that people do. If you open your mind, you could see that other similar rituals can be considered creepy: Christmas, birthdays, HALLOWEEN[/n] etc...

They all have their weird elements. Candles on Cakes? Putting a tree in your house? Wtf?

Who puts candles on cakes? Who puts trees in their houses?

WHO DRESSES THEIR CHILDREN UP AS MONSTERS AND TAKES THEM AROUND TO GET CANDY FROM STRANGERS?!?!

Crazy people, that's who!