How did conspiracy culture get so polarized?

Really now... I remember years ago, you had your often quite logical, rational fellows that would discuss topics at length, usually geo-politics, and it was closer to what you find on random forums nowadays. You had your crazy-nutter crowd as always, where the "tin-foil hat" expression came from. And you had your casual base that kinda dipped in and out or would discuss certain things while usually drifting to other topics.

I see now it's like a badge of honour just to point out "Well, like I think 9/11 is an inside job."

It's like, "C'mon guys I think 911's an inside job, so I'm not like some standard sheep or something!"

like... "Jeez guys, you can't think I'm not in the club cause you know, I think 9.11 is an inside job and all..."

I mean, what about some young kid just getting out in the world, he knows maybe more than his fair share, grounded more than the average Joe. Maybe he hasn't even looked into 9/11. He doesn't have to think or "know" it's an inside job.

Hell, it could be someone who uncovered one of the biggest scandals of the last decade, maybe he never looked into it.

I don't get the badge of honour mentality. If you are discussing a completely different topic but you bring up 911 just to assert your conspiracy-ness.

It got all messed up because they are still wanting a "Culture" - state of the cult.

If people rejected culture and look inside themselves to find who they REALLY ARE, none of this would be happening.

Culture is a cult that indoctrinates you into traditions and rituals, and through this you become controlled yet again by the yoke of tyranny.

Oh and people really need to read more because 99%of the "alternative community" is extremely ill equipped to deal with the scope of these problems.

I tend to stay away from the Sept. 11 related threads. I have yet to encounter a productive conversation about it here.

And at this point I think it is irrelevant, but I have also seen what you are talking about pop up in completely unrelated topics.

I don't know what to make of it.
Maybe it's as you said, a perceived credibility thing.

conspiracy nuts are just brainwashed anarchists that are programed to type drivel on the internet harmlessly to each other rather than do anything about it.

controlling those out of control while letting believe they are in control

I think every day there are more and more people questioning the MSM and what they used to think they knew. This brings them to the internet to check stuff out. For a lot of them they find ATS and decide to stick around.

When you have people coming in to a scene late, they feel the need to make up for lost time. Social media has ingrained a need for social approval online, and the 9-11 inside job badge is a means to gain that.

As the days go by i expect a lot more fresh faces around here, and i welcome it. Sure there will be a mix of crazies and babies, but there will also be some quality people who bring fresh perspective to the conversations.

I just really with ATS as a whole with stop spending so much brain power and thread space on those that make no effort to add to the discussion.

DC

If you want a real answer to that, I can give it to you. It is a similar reason that the political parties have become so polarized - selective socialization, basically. With the internet, people stop socializing in person and seeing a diverse mixture of perspectives.

Instead, they go online, and they read only articles that reinforce their viewpoints. Until people start mingling again and realizing that there are multiple viewpoints out there, everyone will be under the delusion that there's is the only one that exists.

Secondly, people can be pretty sensitive these days - they can tend to expect others to share their viewpoints or expectations nearly 100% before considering them friend material. So, a lot of people end up without friends. And the ones with friends aren't experiencing diversity (of opinion, ha ha take that liberals! And conservatives! Polarized! )

Saying tha 9/11 is an inside job is a good way of saying that whatever "conspiracy" that comes next is also pure nonsense.

Thanks to those of you that replied. You didn't really need to. The OP was mostly rhetorical. It's for people who aren't ready to jump on the ship of baseless accusations and/or, the "conspiracy party."

It's for the people who just stand back and look at things objectively. Maybe to remind them... Or to identify the matter before they become that other person.