I have “Conspiracy Fatigue” Do you?

What is ‘Conspiracy Fatigue’?

Hey ATS-er’s!

1) Are you tired of predictions NOT coming true?

2) Are you tired of seeing the “experts” being wrong time and time again?


According to Webster,

‘Fatigue’ means:
A. Physical or mental weariness resulting from exertion.
B. Something, such as tiring effort or activity that causes weariness: as “the fatigue of a long hike”
C. Physiology The decreased capacity or complete inability of an organism, an organ, or a part to function normally because of excessive stimulation or prolonged exertion.
D. The weakening or failure of a material, such as metal or wood, resulting from prolonged stress.

As a long time member of ATS, I simply ask, why do we do this? What is it about conspiracies that seem to get our attention? Why do we want to see the miraculous?

What makes ATS a success?

OT just askin’

= = = = =

Thoughts?




[edit on 21-2-2010 by OldThinker]

reply to post by OldThinker


I have had conspiracy fatigue in the past, and only visited ATS about 2 times in the last 2 1/2 month period.

I am noticing a lot new members, but sorry to say I also to see a lot of old stuff being hashed all over again. Will people ever figure out the search button?

While I won't quit visiting for good, I can honestly say I will be around to peruse a lot less frequently.

edit typo



[edit on 21-2-2010 by Blanca Rose]

I don't put much faith into predictions, I come here because I know there certainly is validity to some conspiracies, and because I'm drawn too everything unexplained, even the stars say so.. I do get somewhat tired of it all at times though.

Thanks posters....

I've found that....

Why do people believe in highly improbable conspiracies? In previous columns I have provided partial answers, citing patternicity (the tendency to find meaningful patterns in random noise) and agenticity (the bent to believe the world is controlled by invisible intentional agents). Conspiracy theories connect the dots of random events into meaningful patterns and then infuse those patterns with intentional agency. Add to those propensities the confirmation bias (which seeks and finds confirmatory evidence for what we already believe) and the hindsight bias (which tailors after-the-fact explanations to what we already know happened), and we have the foundation for conspiratorial cognition.

Examples of these processes can be found in journalist Arthur Goldwag’s marvelous new book, Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies (Vintage, 2009), which covers everything from the Freemasons, the Illuminati and the Bilderberg Group to black helicopters and the New World Order. “When something momentous happens, everything leading up to and away from the event seems momentous, too. Even the most trivial detail seems to glow with significance,” Goldwag explains, noting the JFK assassination as a prime example. “Knowing what we know now ... film footage of Dealey Plaza from November 22, 1963, seems pregnant with enigmas and ironies—from the oddly expectant expressions on the faces of the onlookers on the grassy knoll in the instants before the shots were fired (What were they thinking?) to the play of shadows in the background (Could that flash up there on the overpass have been a gun barrel gleaming in the sun?). Each odd excrescence, every random lump in the visual texture seems suspicious.” Add to these factors how compellingly a good narrative story can tie it all together—think of Oliver Stone’s JFK or Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, both equally fictional.

more: www.scientificamerican.com...

The exciting period doesn't go on forever no, and being bombarded by the same kinda things daily get a little tiring, but I still hang around I think partly it's the fact that i'm quite familiar with it here now, and I don't want to miss anything, the other part is simple, I have no life it's an addictive read is ATS!

Originally posted by OldThinker

As a long time member of ATS, I simply ask, why do we do this? Was it about conspiracies that seem to get our attention? Why do we want to see the miraculous?

The need for conspiracy theories is not easy to explain with ordinary psychology. Therefore, we may need a more psychic approach to handle the question. The insecurity within the mind and the inability to know on our own the answers to questions we have are the main reasons why some people are in desperate need of truth. The fact that most of these truths are from outside sources forces us to ask for references, links, and ultimately, undeniable proof of the conspiracy being laid out, and all of this serves to secure the mind.

Fear is also another factor to be considered. This form which is attached to the thinking process prevents most people on a quest for truth to attain a strong center of gravity, therefore causing great loss of energy. The egoic desire to accumulate knowledge perpetuates influences and manipulations.

In other words, to start getting our own truths, we must be free at the mind level, meaning not being influenced or manipulated in any way, shape or form. This process is by no means easy for humans tend to have an emotional attachment to their soul memory, and to the memory of the human race.

More info to chew on guys, from one example...an old one:

Was Princess Diana the victim of drunk driving or a plot by the British royal family? Did Neil Armstrong really walk on the moon or just across a film set in Nevada? And who killed President John F. Kennedy - the Russians, the Cubans, the CIA, the mafia... aliens? Almost every big event has a conspiracy theory attached to it. The truth, they say, is out there - but where exactly? Perhaps psychology can help us find at least some of the answers.

Whether you are a dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy theorist, a confirmed anti-theorist, or somewhere in between, one thing's for sure: conspiracy theories pervade modern culture. Thousands of films, talk shows and radio phone-ins are built around them. US lecture tours from prominent theorists such as radio host Alex Jones can draw audiences of tens of thousands, while books raking over the evidence sell millions of copies worldwide. The internet documentary Loose Change, which claims that a CIA plot lay behind the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, is approaching its 10-millionth download.

Belief in conspiracy theories certainly seems to be on the rise, and what little research has been done investigating this question confirms this is so for perhaps the most famous example of all - the claim that a conspiracy lay behind the assassination of JFK in 1963. A survey in 1968 found that about two-thirds of Americans believed the conspiracy theory, while by 1990 that proportion had risen to nine-tenths.

One factor fuelling the general growth of conspiracy beliefs is likely to be that the internet allows new theories to be quickly created, and endlessly debated by a wider audience than ever. A conspiracy-based website built around the death of Princess Diana, for example, sprang up within hours of the car crash that killed her in 1997.

So what has been the impact of the growing conspiracy culture? Conspiracy theories can have a valuable role in society. We need people to think "outside the box", even if there is usually more sense to be found inside the box. The close scrutiny of evidence and the dogged pursuit of alternative explanations are key features of investigative journalism and critical scientific thinking. Conspiracy theorists can sometimes be the little guys who bring the big guys to account - including multinational companies and governments. After all, some conspiracy theories turn out to be true. Take the Iran-Contra affair, a massive political scandal of the late 1980s. When claims first surfaced that the US government had sold arms to its enemy Iran to raise funds for pro-American rebel forces in Nicaragua and to help secure the release of US hostages taken by pro-Iranian groups, it certainly sounded like yet another convoluted conspiracy theory. Several question marks remain over the affair, but President Ronald Reagan admitted that his administration had indeed sold arms to Iran.

link: www.newscientist.com...

Even more for us to evaluate:

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?

The usual common sense answer is that not all people believe in conspiracy theories, but only a certain kind of people. Since conspiracy theories are false explanations, only stupid people can believe them. Since some conspiracy theories are dangerous as well, those who believe them are not only stupid but they must be bad as well.

The few social scientists who attempt to deal with conspiracy theories suggest basically the same common sense answer but in a more sophisticated, more PC form: in this version believers are not stupid, they lack the skills of critical thinking necessary to distinguish between false and true explanations; they are not bad: they are prejudiced victims of the modernization process.

While there is no doubt that the "stupid and bad" theory of conspiracy thinking is basically true, there can be no doubt either that this is not the whole truth about conspiracy theories. Conspiracist thinking is an important modern cultural phenomenon that can't be explained by simple reference to human madness and badness. Obviously, it needs special social circumstances to flourish. The human need to explain the world and the presence of evil in it may be constant, but the forms of false interpretations vary. In the Middle Ages, people had witchcraft theory to explain bad things; today they have conspiracy theory. Instead of blaming people, we have to analyze the social conditions of conspiracist thinking. It is all the more necessary that only the real understanding of the nature and various types of conspiracist thinking enable us to achieve some success in the fight against the dangerous varieties.

Now, for a better understanding of conspiracist thinking we have to allow that people are not as stupid as they seem to be. We have to acknowledge that they can have good reasons to believe in conspiracy theories.

The first and most important reason is that real conspiracies do exist: there are many historical and present-day examples. This is the single most important fact which keeps alive the conspiracist suspicion and the most uncomfortable one for those who want to fight against the conspiracist superstition.

The second reason is that today the technical feasibility of conspiracies is not a problem anymore. The technical possibilities are given, and they are growing every day with all these smart inventions which facilitate communication and networking and secrecy and all other things necessary for a successful conspiracy. Just think about a terrorist network. With modern weapons and explosives, a handful of man can destroy a whole city without being seen. With the modern means of communication these same people can communicate, send or receive money or information, enter in closed and super-secret areas and do many more things, again without being seen. And with enough money, they can buy any information, any weapon, any computer, any skill or special knowledge. People know this because every other week a new action movie is made in Hollywood which shows them that conspiracies are feasible and teach them how to do it.

The third reason is that in spite of all this, the establishment don't want to know about conspiracies. Politicians, social scientists, media people, all pretend not to know about them; as if conspiracies would be impossible, something which exist only in the fantasy of screenwriters and unsophisticated people. Conspiracy theories have bad reputation, so official explanations avoid even using the word "conspiracy". This is really frustrating for a believer, especially because there are well-known cases when the official negation of a conspiracy proved to be false. For him, the credibility of the official sources of information is close to zero. The consequence of this crisis of credibility is that the more the establishment is denying the existence of conspiracies, the more people believe in them

These are the main reasons believers present when they have to defend their views. We have to admit that these are good reasons. But there is still another one at a deeper level that they don't present and normally don't even know about it, and that is the fear of conspiracies.

Even if one is persuaded that the so-called conspiracies are mere products of fantasy, one does not have to think that people who believe in these nonexistent conspiracies are simply paranoid. This judgment merely stigmatizes people but doesn't solve the problem: why this paranoid mentality is so wide-spread in our modern societies? We should rather ask: what is the meaning of the fear of conspiracies? Is there a legitimate worry, a rational concern behind this apparently irrational fear?

The answer is a definite yes. Conspiracy thinking may be irrational, lunatic, foolish, ridiculous, but the deep anxiety behind the fear of conspiracies is perfectly rational and legitimate. If conspiracies are defined as secret attempts to gain illegitimate control over the social world to further private interests, then we have to admit that worrying about such dangers is entirely sound in a society of free competition, where secret cooperation between individuals or groups can result in illegitimate advantages and control over the market (as in competitive capitalism); and is even more sound in a society actually dominated by big private interest groups (as in monopoly capitalism).

While precapitalist societies were regulated by interpersonal dependency relations, capitalist society is the first one in history where important realms of social life are regulated by impersonal regulative mechanisms such as the market. It is of crucial importance that people trust in the fair and impartial working of these regulative mechanisms, because only fairness and impartiality, that is equality of chances gives legitimacy to the economic and political system.

The undisturbed working of the impersonal regulative mechanisms is guaranteed by the rule of individual effort and the (relative) equality of individuals. If the actors are all the same size and if all of them act individually, then no one is strong enough to influence the working of the regulative mechanisms.

On the market of goods and services, this means that no one is big enough to influence the prices and exercise uncontrolled power over the economy.
On the market of opinions this means that in the public sphere, no one is big enough to influence the public opinions, and exercise uncontrolled power over the political life, in the media business, no one is big enough to influence the opinions, and exercise uncontrolled power over people's mind.
Hence the interdiction of secret cooperation, an anomaly which would disturb the fair and impartial working of the regulative mechanisms.

Needless to say, this is an idealized image of capitalist society. Reality was always different, form the beginning, and today we are miles away from this ideal state of affairs. This never-existed ideal situation dramatically reverses with the coming of monopoly capitalism. Now there are big players everywhere: in the economy, in politics, in the public sphere; and for the first time in history, they are big enough to exercise uncontrolled power over everything. But ideals have normative power, so even today, the ideas of fairness, impartiality and free competition are still governing our thinking, and much the same way they did two hundred years ago.

To summarize: the real capitalist society is, from the very beginning, continually moving away from its ideals - without explicitly abandoning them. This is the growing tension between ideals and reality in modern capitalist society that makes the ultimate ground for malaise and anxiety that express itself in several interesting forms of unconscious protest, one of which is conspiracist thinking.

ru ready to be called, "irrational, lunatic, foolish, and ridiculous"????

Originally posted by Blanca Rose
reply to post by OldThinker

 

I have had conspiracy fatigue in the past, and only visited ATS about 2 times in the last 2 1/2 month period.

oh OK...have you just been more busy...or are you growing tired?

Thx!

OT

Originally posted by lagenese

Originally posted by OldThinker

As a long time member of ATS, I simply ask, why do we do this? Was it about conspiracies that seem to get our attention? Why do we want to see the miraculous?

The need for conspiracy theories is not easy to explain with ordinary psychology. Therefore, we may need a more psychic approach to handle the question.

Has the psychic approach helped you?

OT

I would have to say I agree. Look at the ATS main page, its full of National Inquirer-esq sensationalism. The thing I think keeps most of us coming back is the 'grain of truth in every lie'.

Nothing in this world is impossible, just unlikely.

Do we hope to see that one day there is indisputable proof? Aliens making contact, Yes in fact the government is out to get you, but only under the direction of the Bilderbergs/Illuminati/Masons/Partridge family band, Ghosts revealing them selves on MSM, What-ever floats your boat. All of this suspicion thinking is bound to take a tole on the body and mind.

Look after yourself and your community. Be Vigilant, don't live under the foot print of the bogey man. But please everyone don't spend all day worrying about who is watching who. Life is too short. Go out and enjoy the sunshine while you can.

Originally posted by Grimur
......Do we hope to see that one day there is indisputable proof? Aliens making contact, Yes in fact the government is out to get you, but only under the direction of the Bilderbergs/Illuminati/Masons/Partridge family band, Ghosts revealing them selves on MSM, What-ever floats your boat. All of this suspicion thinking is bound to take a tole on the body and mind.

Look after yourself and your community. Be Vigilant, don't live under the foot print of the bogey man. But please everyone don't spend all day worrying about who is watching who. Life is too short. Go out and enjoy the sunshine while you can.

Very perceptive questions you ask!

I wish I could see the sun! I'm in 5 ft of snow in DC

OT

Originally posted by valiant

......

it's an addictive read is ATS!

I agree!! OT loves ATS

second line....

reply to post by OldThinker


Yes it has, and in a big way. There is so much that most people don't know about themselves as well as the reason they are experiencing the 3rd density. The quotes you are posting are, however, very interesting to read. Thank you.

Originally posted by lagenese
reply to post by OldThinker

 

Yes it has, and in a big way. There is so much that most people don't know about themselves as well as the reason they are experiencing the 3rd density. The quotes you are posting are, however, very interesting to read. Thank you.

OK, well that is excellent! Glad it is working for you.

Please can you shed more light on the "3rd density"???

OT

PS: Glad you took the time to read the quotes, wonder if most will?

reply to post by OldThinker


The 3rd density is just the physical reality we live in. There are many others, but unfortunately, the majority of people are unable to have conscious access to them.

[edit on 21-2-2010 by lagenese]

Originally posted by lagenese
reply to post by OldThinker

 

The 3rd density is just the physical reality we live in. There are many others, but unfortunately, the majority of people are unable to have conscious access to them.

[edit on 21-2-2010 by lagenese]

Would the others relate to the "spiritual realm"

I believe its there...

OT

reply to post by OldThinker


CONSPIRACIES?

Could it boil down to only 4 reasons? see underlines....

Pick your bad guy - government, big corporations etc. Ideally also pick on some shadowy, cult-like organisation which can supposedly be connected with your adversary. (I know The Da Vinci Code is fictional but, heh, Opus Dei was a good pick!)


Pick a major current event to base your theory on - especially an unexpected, shocking, visual event that's shared.


Develop your story - pick & choose your source info, construct a compelling story from it, and hey if something doesn't fit your story, reinterpret it! Sow uncertainty, query the official evidence, find new facts contradicting it.


Prepare your defence - be prepared to tweak your conspiracy theory around the edges should anyone point out any inconsistencies etc, but always hold to the core theory, emphasising that it's just a question of getting the evidence to prove its truth. And if others question your theory, well they must be in on the conspiracy too, mustn't they?

more: www.consumingexperience.com...


Thoughts?

OT

Originally posted by TheLaughingGod
I don't put much faith into predictions, I come here because I know there certainly is validity to some conspiracies, and because I'm drawn too everything unexplained, even the stars say so.. I do get somewhat tired of it all at times though.

Thank you LaughingGod, I, too, am drawm to the unexplained....appreciate your time here!

OT

There are other invisible worlds out there, and some of them are actively involved in the human experience. One of them is the astral world (land of the dead) which is the plane responsible for maintaining total domination over mankind trough doubts, beliefs and desires. If i continue on this path, i will have to start another thread on that very subject!!
I'd rather we remained focused on the subject of your thread because the way i talk is sometimes very occult in nature