Why do we embrace conspiracy theories?

I think it comes down to the first point that you brought up which this man missed the truth. Ever since I was young I wanted to know the truth about everything and regardless of what quite a few people think (especially in the government) most can handle the truth and do want it. Its all an emotional power play and a never ending battle with many people caught in the middle.

Brother say whatever about an incident. The majority let it go. Some such as us scream to the high heavens and we throw our pasta at the wall & something sticks. Years later the truth comes out. Some our outraged and those who care not or can't be bothered chalk it up to being protected and kept safe.

Its sad to see and I know I may receive some flack for this statement but I believe deep that deep down nearly everyone wants the truth, truly honestly they do. However it seems that they are so into their own bubbles that they crave their day to day normalcy more and will cite whatever god, love, ignorance, apathy to play dumb and keep their bubble un -burst.

A good many of us call these folk "sheeple" and I'm beginning to sour to that term myself. I'm really starting to think that many more know they just find it easier to stand in line and march accordingly, which why it doesn't make it right or wrong it just makes it what it is today.

Like Bob said "You can fool some people some time but you can't fool all the people all the time."

I have made my statement and I have chose my side of the line. I chose to look for whats out there and I want to see behind the great wizards curtain. I will never enforce my views or beliefs on anyone but I'll be damned if I'll idly stand by when the day comes and have them walked on and taken away from me either.

S&F MR. Boon

Trowa

P.S You and Filosophia deserve applause for how you two dissected that thread yesterday. I read the whole thing and just couldn't believe the ignorance of the OP and a few others in there.

I saw the op-ed by Zakaria and came directly here, knowing it would have already been picked up. (Boon, by the way, I'm glad you didn't leave, whatever all that was about...)

Your OP brings up some Qs I have and thoughts I share with you:

1) Most of the BAN threads come from MSM, I myself have been chastened by someone saying "it's already posted" - it's as if there's a race to be the first one to grab a news piece and stick it on this board. I was even thinking of suggesting they rename it "Breaking MSM News", because it's mostly stuff any of us can - and do - find. If it's MSM, it's NOT Alternative News, is it?

2) That said, why do people believe Wikileaks? I'm not saying I do or do not, I just find it strange that people think if Wikileaks posts it, it HAS to be true, and WORTH LEAKING. What if it's all a spin scheme, owned and operated by those who want to control what the public knows?

Suppose PFC Manning was ORDERED to release those docs and vids, and under duress he did so, and then he was used as a patsy to prove what will happen if people leak information?

Not completely implausible. He was in a bad situation at "work". I can think of disciplinary techniques that corporations use that are every bit as humiliating if not as physically abusive.

3) Zakaria is a MSM Commentator. What do you suppose he would say? And WHY? Um, anything the MSM posts will shore up THEIR premises, won't it?

4) Where do we go, then, to get REAL ALTERNATIVE news? There are very few sites (that I'm aware of) that aren't considered "tabloids" and therefore definitively not to be taken seriously.

The choices:
MSM,
Tabloids,
Conspiracy Theory sites (there are others besides this one, of course)
and perhaps poorly distributed Peer-Reviewed Journals (which are supposedly respectable as they are produced and approved of by - um - academia, who have their own agendae). Much of what is published in THOSE is entitled something to the effect of "Scientists discover that what was previously thought was wrong" anyway.
and finally: HISTORY as recorded by the ancients and our forebears.

.....Let's look at history for a moment:

SO MUCH of what we were taught - and are still taught - has been proven to be false, that it would be impossible to get everyone to believe a new statement.
(Church: "The world is flat." Magellan: "The Church says that the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the Church.")

Ferdinand Magellan lived from 1480-1521. He knew he was being fed lies. Yet, it is even claimed that Magellan did not really say that.

The media is BRIMMING with naysayers, gainsayers, whistle-blowers, screamers (I think Alex Jones is kinda shaky, I dunno), provers and leakers.

That leaves us with eye-witness accounts and anecdotes. And when anyone on this board says "This happened to me" - they are barraged with members naysaying them, and demanding PHOTOS and VIDEOS, or summarily dismissing the person's honestly offered personal experience. If photos and vids ARE offered, people scream "Hoax".

Who, then, are we to believe?
WHO will tell us what is really going on? Does anyone actually know?

If Zakaria has been invited to the Bilderberg group, and attended once or twice, and found it boring - what did he expect? They would invite him and then disclose their dirty secrets? THEY KNEW HE WAS COMING!!

I don't know. I wish I were privy to the RATS board, so that I wouldn't have to slog through the scores upon scores of hate-posts, one-line "forbidden" posts, and be caught in the flotsom and jetsom that is on every website that allows comments at all.

I cherish the few people who have respectfully and thoughtfully contributed to my not-very-well-travelled posts. I came on this board to be part of a discussion, not to race to get Breaking Mainstream News onto the Home Page.

Thanks, Boon, for this one. I think I prefer the Sumerican Clay tablets and the Egyptian heiroglyphic info to anything floating around in cyberspace. But then, well, they are only two more among many dubious sources including holy tomes, encycolpedias, personal anecdotes, ad infinitum.

S&F (like it matters - heh)

wow, I am totally amazed at the way this thread
has gone thus far. ALL of the posts have been
excellent discussion points. Pardon, while I
gain my composure from the shock. I had
expected the usual shills and disinfo attacks,
but I will have to say it was one of the most
pleasant surprises I have had on ATS.
Thank you all for contributing and I will
try to address individual posts shortly
Kudos to all.

boon