The Dark Side of "Conspiracy Theory", page 3
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 71 times


reply posted on 25-7-2009 @ 06:27 PM by kosmicjack
I love this post. It coincides with thoughts I've been having of my own lately, brought about by the introduction to book I had never heard of before - Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman.

In it, Postman asserts the notion that Aldous Huxley had it more correct than George Orwell. In his book 1984, Orwell's narrative made the compelling case that the inevitable bent of society toward tyranny would bring down civilization. However Huxley, in his book, A Brave New World portrayed a world crippled by entertainment or pleasure instead.

When I think of all of the information found on the web, the human hours spent on endless sites and all of the crazy ideas, far-out theories and lies mixed in with the Truth - particularly regarding provocative prospects like 9/11, NWO, Aliens or Pandemics - I have to question that 70% number just as you do.

As Postman explains it;

"Information is now a commodity that can be bought and sold, or used as a form of entertainment, or worn like a garment to enhance one's status. It comes indiscriminately, directed at no one in particular, disconnected from usefulness; we are glutted with information, drowning in information, have no control over it, don't know what to do with it."


It's that part above which I bolded that concerns me so much. How many people try to capitalize on the truth or a lie just to increase their wealth, power or status?

Additionally, in the book, Postman describes a phenomenon called the Information to Action Ratio which, essentially states:

...access to decontextualized information “made the relationship between information and action both abstract and remote.” Information consumers were “faced with the problem of a diminished social and political potency.”


So while some people use the information as a means to enhance themselves or their agenda, the end result is that the rest of us are left feeling disconnected, powerless and over-whelmed by either the sheer volume of information or the magnitude of the "issues" that don't really even affect us in our daily lives and that we can never hope to change.

So I have to agree with you, there is absolutely a "Dark Side" to "Conspiracy Theory" and it's not just the endless doom of scary speculation or the prospect of hidden agendas, but it's also the intent by those purveying these theories and the affect that it has on our collective psyche.

And before anyone asks - No - I am not referring to ATS but to the many individuals, anonymous and notorious, who spin their tales for dubious reasons, either for entertainment or for something more nefarious. It reminds me of Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, the authenticity of which may well be doubted but certainly not the thesis - that information would be used as a weapon to kill our spirit and control society.

[edit on 25/7/2009 by kosmicjack]


reply posted on 25-7-2009 @ 07:11 PM by surfer_soul
reply to post by Frith



False information is infact the seed of war, strife and most of humanitys problems! False or even manipulated info i.e propaganda is well understood to get people onside to something they would normally be against!
What people need more than anything right now, is to understand each other,
empathy goes much further than apathy in resolving any issues. Its a proven fact. False info is what gets the ignorant onside to given cause, this is why its so important to know the truth of things, before we go charging at a supposed enemy who may well be potencial friends.



reply posted on 25-7-2009 @ 07:13 PM by jkrog08
reply to post by Skyfloating



Good thread, and I will agree that probably even 80% of the conspiracy theories are bs, but that 20% or so is something that , in my opinion, is truly shocking and stunning. What you said about the inflation and proliferation of false theories to sell or inflate ones ego is also to blatantly obvious. Unfortunately the public just does not want to hear the real research, especially in ufology, they want some quick story with a large entertainment value, but in reality it offers nothing but a set back to the real purpose of investigations in the paranormal or conspiracy. People are to ready to support all the crap pictures of UFOs, drones, aliens, etc, etc, mainly because they want to believe so much that they will blindly accept anything, and of course like you said, it has ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. This is the sad truth and more real cases need to be presented in manners not concerned with excess fame, money, etc. Of course I am applying your statement to ufology but you could apply this to anything really.


reply posted on 25-7-2009 @ 07:22 PM by surfer_soul
reply to post by kosmicjack



Good post, I agree that Aldous Huxley had it more right than Goerge Orwell, atleast in the west, maybe Orwell was thinking of China? Did you know both authors were old Etonians? Thats the famous public boarding school of Eton where most of the English aristorcracy including the royal family have been schooled. Just a bit of a connection to consider there


reply posted on 25-7-2009 @ 07:27 PM by Phenomium
Yes, but removal of ANY of these freedoms to speak or share ideas despite the outcome will result in 100% slavery to the elites.

Besides, only the true black at heart will start wars and strife by using UFO's and aliens as an excuse, not to mention the intellectually challenged.
I think that the real danger lies with those who try to convince (us) that we are the problems in society by talking and discussing the evils of rogue governments and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life, when truly, the real danger lies in those who are trying to convince us. The dark side is NOT all of those things that you mentioned...the dark side is NOT KNOWING ABOUT THEM BY CENSORING THOSE OF US WHO DISCUSS THEM. I, for one, would rather filter and wade through the muck of lies, deceit, misconceptions and fantasy to find the truth for myself than to just sit back and take the word of a naysayer and someone who blames the people on this site (and the like) who question their government coupled with those who just want to step outside of reality because of a putrid existence that our government has created for them. People have a right to believe and think and discuss whatever they want.....there is a reason for the first amendment and the founding fathers were indeed, incredibly intelligent men not "dumbed down" nor were they distracted by government lies (these lies were inspirations to the founding fathers to make mankind more free). They were not distracted by television or tawdry females spinning around poles or shows like WWE (my main distraction). The LIGHTER SIDE of conspiracy theory is that (real or not) WE GET SOME INFORMATION! It is better to have a paranoid (or aware) public than one stupefied by government lies designed to ensnare them into giving all of their rights away for slavery that is just "called" democracy and freedom. Besides, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to look around you and see that the term "Conspiracy Theory" should more or less, these days, be changed to "Conspiracy Fact" as more often than not, these so called conspiracies (as the well paid main stream media would have you believe) prove to be more fact than fiction that was just covered up and lied about and called the 'dirty word' conspiracy theory to discredit anyone who questioned the government. I just heard a couple of days ago on the news, this same tactic used on (the woman on the news, MSNBC, who questioned the validity of Obama's birthplace) they started out by talking about her being nuts and then somehow it ended up with aliens and UFO's. You see? They throw everyone who questions the gov't into one basket of craziness, yet government figures who do it are called Liberals or the antithesis of the left or right-wing governments and although, disagreed with by opponents....they are never called conspiracy theorists....unless they represent the people who speak of the things that the peolple should not know! I think it would only take a moment for one to browse the internet (yes, the same internet they are trying to convince us is the greatest danger to the world and not the greatest tool to keep an eye on their already obvious wrongdoings) back on track, do a search for yourself about all of the things of the past that WERE called conspiracies.....that eventually ended up fact. JFK...RFK..., flying machines see all over the world which they tell us is a figment of our imagination (the whole world) yet, we remember the lies about "The BlackBird SR-71", "The stealth fighter and bomber" which they told us at the time THEY were spotted in the skies, that they also didn't exist, and that we were crazy for seeing them, yet later on they wheeled them out to the public and stated that they had to lie to us in the name of government secrecy for reasons like the Russians and the 'Cold War'... or the war that never was a war (go figure).How about the myriad of government figures that, even today, constantly bombard us with infidelities and thievery (ENRON, International Bankers, Federal Reserve, IRS, Blackwater, the Bushs' etc.)? I can't even count the lies told to us to get into office by most every President, most recently Bush and Obama, just to get lied to again "things are now going to get better or CHANGE", when as we know, things always just get worse. Presidential promises are like Asian food, they can sustain you for a temporal period, but they always leave you hungry for more and the food "tricks" your stomach into believing it has been satisfied, much like the lying words of every President. No, that's not conspiracy theory, this is proven by common sense alone. It is better to have all of the fine people here on ATS and other sites) and to have them 'ponder' even the most incredible claims........than to have no one to ponder at all......for if this were to happen, this would ensure the smooth transition from even the appearance of freedom to the inevitable shackles of informational and physical slavery of the likes never seen to date. This is fact! Simply by logical deduction of history's past, and we should all know, the greatest predictor of future events is historical events. We want change alright, but I have heard NO ONE ask for "change for the BETTER". Conspiracy Theory is a good thing, it is freedom of speech at it's best, that is why they want to take it from us so bad.If you associate paranoia and insanity with Conspiracy Theorists?.....Take one hard look at the men and women running our governments and our very lives and then remove the veil of darkness from your own eyes to reveal the light of the invariable truth as to just who are the crazy and insane ones truly are. The murders, the mayhem, the wars, the oppression, the lies and trickery designed for self indulgence of pecuniary wealth is not done by the hands of Conspiracy Theorists. They are, however, orchestrated with our tax dollars in tandem with the tax dollars of the common folk who believe all of the lies in the name of chest-pounding patriotism designed to separate mankind into opposing "teams", another distraction that is mutual between all goernments. The "my team is better than your team" is really a powerful tactic, that's why baseball and football are so popular. Governmentally speaking, it keeps you looking at your neighbor, not the elite. Our tax dollars spent on these calamities and sinister projects are not spent by us, they are misappropriated by the government whom we question....or theorize about.

[edit on 25-7-2009 by Phenomium]
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