Forum

TruthMove Forum

TruthMove Forum » TruthMove Main Forum

Guardian: The truth is rushing out there: why conspiracy theories spread faster (3 posts)

  1. truthmod
    Administrator

    I think this is a narrative we will be seeing more of: the journey of the "ex-truther"

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/26/the-t...

    From 9/11 to the Paris attacks, from Ebola to Isis, every major global event attracts a corresponding counter-narrative from the ‘truthers’, some so all-encompassing that they take over people’s lives. Are our brains wired to believe, as a new book argues? And could such thinking actually be beneficial?

    --

    Elliott, from San Antonio, Texas, had first been drawn to conspiracy theories when he was 19, in the aftermath of 9/11. “It seemed unfathomable that we could be attacked,” he says today. In his quest to make sense of what had happened he came across the notorious “truther” movement, a current of opinion that lays blame for the atrocities at the door of the US government. Science Weekly Why are conspiracy theories so attractive? Podcast

    Should we distrust our own ability to reason? Why is debunking conspiracy theories such a risky business? And is David Icke a force for good? Listen

    “The way most conspiracy theories are laid out, one thing always leads to another, so from there I became convinced that a ruling group called the New World Order orchestrated everything. This would all lead to martial law and a complete removal of our freedoms,” he says. A decade later, Elliott, now 34, is a “recovering” conspiracy theorist, having turned his back on a worldview that always posits some covert, powerful force acting against the interests of ordinary people. The change came gradually, but he thinks very differently now. “You can’t even get many of the 50 states to agree on things. Good luck convincing Europeans and Asians to get on board.”

    Posted 8 years ago #
  2. truthmod
    Administrator

    http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentar...

    From grassy knolls to long-form birth certificates to fluoride in the water supply, some humans seem hard-wired to buy into conspiracy theories. Academic psychologist Rob Brotherton says you’d be surprised by the number of people who attach conspiracy theories to the events around us. As a rule, they don’t wear tinfoil hats, and they’re not kooks who lurk on the fringes of society. They’re just regular folks looking for answers.

    In his new book, Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories, (Bloomsbury, $27) Brotherton argues that conspiracism taps into the deepest fears and desires of the human mind. Conspiracy theories aren’t psychological aberrations but actually a predictable result of how our brains work.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  3. mark
    Member

    The meme I prefer is Half Truth Movement.

    The "Truthers" are partly correct, partly not.

    The debunkers are partly correct, partly not.

    An intelligent approach with critical thinking is needed.

    The fact there are conspiracies to make up fake claims of conspiracies to cover up conspiracies is largely unappreciated by (mostly male) seekers of alleged truth and alleged debunkers of conspiracy addiction.

    Posted 8 years ago #

Reply

You must log in to post.