Conspiracy theories. Well, conspiracies do happen, of that there is no doubt, but do we really believe that the moon landing was a gigantic hoax, or that there is proof of Obama’s illegibility to be President of the United States?
I’m not suggesting that we should not have a healthy scepticism with regard to media information but KISS may also a good idea. If it looks like a duck……
Historians for example, legitimately use conspiracy theories. This is often due to incomplete evidence, or suggestive facts. They are generally presented as theories, however, and do not claim to be the truth. New evidence, for example is welcomed and theories are re-examined in the light of such discoveries.
Paranoid conspiracy theories, however, are a totally different animal. In the minds of believers there is nothing that can be presented that can ever convince them that they are mistaken in their belief. Logic and reason are useless because any evidence to suggest they are wrong is dismissed. Retrospective analysis, or ain’t hindsight a wonderful thing, is employed and events are interpreted to match the theory. Any evidence which points to any other conclusion is resolutely ignored.
Well I have to admit that I enjoy reading conspiracy theories and some sound very convincing but I cannot help but feel paranoid conspiracy theories are a prime example of irrational thinking.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Oops Isobel: sorry, yes you are right, I did pay a visit and then left in a hurry! Sorry, I deleted the first post because the formatting was all wrong. This looks better. Will you forgive me?
That’s strange. i just left a comment and it’s gone.
Here goes again:
I think the clue is in the word ‘paranoid’ Araminta.
Have you been visiting the mothership again?
Of course if this vanishes too I’ll be joining the paranoid conspiracy gang.
You are obviously paranoid, Isobel, but there again, I deleted the first try at this post, so you are quite right to be suspicious 🙂
But now your answer is timed before my comment…..
I think it’s time for bath and bed! Goodnight 🙂
Goodnight Isobel, and hey, you’ve done a Smiley Thing! Sweet dreams and don’t forget to lock up, er not in the nautical sense. 🙂
Moderation of the third kind, eh?. 😀
People aren’t clever enough to plan and execute the things that conspiracy theorists accuse them of (… the things of which conspiracy theorists accuse them. No, it may be grammatically correct, but it’s clumsy)
Without exception (except for historians) conspiracy theorists are deranged. Well said, Araminta.
The mothership doesn’t change, does it?
Sigh!
I too posted a rather lengthy comment (timewise) and submitted as you deleted 😦
Bearsy
Is my comment lost forever? It doesn’t appear in the trash!
Hello Bearsy, thank you. No, the mothership doesn’t blooming well change, despite my best efforts
The Paranoid have found a natural home on the Internet, don’t you think?
Agh: I’m really sorry, Soutie, I thought it was safe to do it and I saw Isobel’s comment, rather too late, but not yours! Please accept a grovel or three.
Soutie – I can get your comment back if Araminta will allow me to temporarily resurrect her deleted post … ?
Yes, please do Bearsy!
Whoops, I see you brought it back to life yourself, Araminta. But Soutie’s comment didn’t make it, unfortunately, unless you’ve cut it in preparation for reposting?
Or did Soutie breathe the kiss of life into it?
Who’s going to re-dead it? 😆
Oh, how strange. I didn’t do anything. Perhaps it was Soutie? No comment though. Now I feel terrible. I hope Soutie won’t think it’s some sort of diabolical plot.
I can’t bring myself to do it Again! Would someone else oblige please!
Done!
I think we must have a phantom administrator who has hacked into our site without becoming visible, in order to mess about with our comments. How’s that for a conspiracy theory?
I love reading conspiracy theories – and I have no doubt that some of them may contain a grain of truth.
I read a fantastic ‘theory’ that Guy Fawkes was a government agent and that the whole Gunpowder Plot was designed and orchestrated by Cecil to discredit Catholics. It had a certain merit, since we do know that Cecil was a sneaky b…! But on the KISS principle, there wasn’t really any need for Cecil to go to the lengths as described. Nonetheless it was so well presented that it has left a little doubt in my mind… !
What really annoys me is that so many refuse to let facts get in the way of their theories. Bearsy and I have battled with a certain blogger on MyT who insists that the Americans pressurised the Queen into removing the Australian government of Gough Whitlam. Fact after fact is ignored, and he still maintains his opinion… Grrr!
I’ve suddenly developed a terrible headache, and I’m seeing double. I’m bound to delete the wrong one!
The logical explanation, Bearsy, is along the lines of “too many cooks…” but your theory sounds OK in the light of recent events. 😉
Soutie has been disappeared too, along with his comment. I blame The Club, myself. 🙄
Boadicea: I’m intrigued by historical conspiracy theories but agree with you that this dogged refusal to accept facts with regard to the events you describe makes me want to weep with frustration. They firmly believe they are right though, and any inconvenient evidence you may present is not going to make one jot of a difference.
I’m sort of hoping that Soutie has disappeared to rewrite his comment and hasn’t been nobbled by Mysterious Forces, but who knows 🙂
We need Bravo and his Bacofoil hat!
Ah, I’ve just spotted a typo in my post so this could be an opportunity to do a quick edit. Er, perhaps not, thinking about it, Soutie could be trying to post a comment and I couldn’t bear it! He’ll think it’s a plot. 😉
I have developed a habit of editing my recent comments to add bits I hadn’t thought about when I pressed the Submit button. But I have now realised that it’s rather poor form, as most authors can’t do the same. I shall reform. No more trips in the Tardis.
I did notice that Bearsy and yes, you do have an advantage, although I can, and just did do the same here. It’s a shame about the lack of “preview” but never mind. I just make loads of typos and very little sense sometimes but I could, of course not rush in, and prepare the comments in a draft post and tidy them up, but it spoils the spontaneity somewhat, I feel.
Ara: I’m with Bearsy, the things which those in control are accused of in almost all conspiracies are way beyond their ability to forward plan and execute, in the main they are claimed to be the actions of Government and various subsidiary organizations and the public is otherwise well aware of the pitiful incompetence of both.
Bearsy: I had you pegged as a smoker the minute you threw that nicotine fit on Ike’s post, you need to “get out ” more often.
You do have a point, Low Wattage; it’s usually the Government or malevolent intention by some hidden power, be it aliens, drug companies or mobile phone masts. They are obviously all out to “get us”! 😉
If you fancy a little nite time reading, look at these:-
http://listverse.com/2007/08/21/top-10-conspiracy-theories/
Ooh, great stuff, Tocino, thank you. I came across a site ages ago which debunked all the major conspiracy theories but I’ve misplaced the link; or someone stole it! 🙂
There is a lot of stuff out there Araminta.
🙂
It’s late here and so thanks for the input everyone. I am beginning to think that this whole enterprise, DNMT, Bearsy is a diabolical plot to keep me up way past my bed time, so G’Night all 🙂
You know, just because I’m paranoid does not mean that they’re not all out to get me… 😉
Low Wattage
Ike’s “joke” was offensive and demeaning to the disadvantaged in society.
If you and others don’t agree with me, that’s your problem.
But drop the personal abuse. Right now.
Morning all
No harm done, the simple explanation of my ‘non-return’ was time (the lateness of it.) I, of course am GMT +2, it would have been way after 1am by the time I’d managed to resolve anything.
Sorry about that, no conspiracy, nothing underhand, no ‘Third Force’ just The Sandman 🙂
Morning Soutie – I’m almost disappointed! 😆
Hello Ara. I agree with you and Boadacia; paranoid conspiracy theories are fascinating, but usually the products of delusional minds…If this were MyT, I;d get my head ripped off for saying that.
Then again, I used to be a (very) second rate reporter and occasionally came across things that were totally weird and ‘conspiracy like’. So I was very brave – and became a teacher instead! 😉
//.kkljjkk n
Sorry – ara, my kids let lose again. I should learn to control them btter
Fast forward 5 years:
Does the blog site get money for those ads, Araminta?
…………………………………………………………………………..
I don’t think suspecting terrorism to have played a part in at least three fatal bin lorry events since last November is paranoid. In fact, thanks to what seems to be the paranoid behaviour of the authorities, it appears increasingly likely.
Oh, what a surprise. You followed my link.
No, I don’t think the site receives any money for the ads. I can’t actually see them because I’m using Adblock.
I disagree regarding the supposed bin jihadists though, but you know that already!
Good God, badger, bugger, thought you had been culled!
Que?
I’m rather lost in all this….
Um, well it’s all my fault. I provided a link to this post on MyT and Badger turned up. It was to do with conspiracy theories about the dreadful incident just before Christmas in Glasgow.
Good to see him though.
Maybe this was before I hitched a ride on the Chariot.
Janus.
Was there a time when you were not a cherished member of this site?
It’s possible, I suppose but hard to imagine.
Badger must have been around since 07/08 on myT.
Certainly before I joined, Tina.
I see. I think I see anyway.
I wonder: do the Management keep the complete Chariot archive from Day One? It would make for interesting rummaging…😳
Hello Christina! Nice to hear from you. As Araminta said, I followed her link from the other side.
She’s an awful snob and she’s terrified that I’ll show her up here with my uncouth ways.
The tumbleweed is blowing through MyT, some posts stay on the home page for a day or more.
Still being shut down, pretty well daily. I have a following of several groupie trolls who enjoy getting me kicked out, still, sure and it’s nice to know I make an impression, even if it’s only malignant spoilers.
Seems my concerns about your Yahoo tendencies were fully justified then, Badger. 😉
Maybe some bloggers have become twats instead; speaking of which Stepen Fry, the self-obsessed Oscar Wilde wannabe, has found a young mate to parade on his arm. Yuck.
Interesting what you say about Oscar Wilde and Stephen Fry. I think they are more like each other than most people realise. I read Portrait of Dorian Gray the other day and was just stunned by how corny it was. Wilde was so self-obsessed and so up his own orifice he was. The whole purpose of the book was to provide a vehicle for him to say smarmily clever things, which, were he not held in such high esteem by the ‘liberal elite’, would be deemed pretty facile. Had he been alive, he would fitted in very well with those other salacious ‘pooformers’ [(c) Sipu] such as Julian Clarey, Graham Norton, Stephen Fry and their ilk. He would certainly have appeared on ‘I am a celebrity get me out of here!’
Sipu, it’s a new year – and we agree! There are of course other, non-shirt-lifting types who fit the bill, like Brand, Clarkson and Balls.