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The rise of conspiracy theorists and entitlement culture

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Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
I'm quite sure the explosion of social media is a major factor here but I don't ever recall a time when the world appeared to have so many people questioning and challenging, well... everything !  You could always find the very intense guy down the pub who would try to convince you that the Earth was flat, they never landed on the moon or they were putting drugs in the water supply, but they were rare.  Rare enough to be amusing to the rest of the locals.  Nowadays, the insanity has spread to half of the pub.

Far too many people think that their uneducated opinions are of equal value to the accumulated knowledge of accredited experts.  When the hell did that deluded arrogance start ?

We have millions of people around the world claiming that;
Climate change is a hoax, Covid is a hoax, Trump won the election, Vaccines kill you, Hospitals aren't actually full of Covid patients, Aircraft contrails are actually chemicals being sprayed on us to keep us all compliant, Evolution is bullshit, The Earth is flat and Bigsbys look good.

I do worry that perhaps the number of conspiracy theorists hasn't actually changed - all that's happened is the invention of social media and the internet has allowed them to become more visible.  However, that's nowhere near as worrying as the thought that, like a 'stupidity virus', the more it appears, the faster it spreads.  In other words, otherwise compliant - but simple, folk who would normally accept the word of experts on any subject are now buying into the conspiracies they read about on Facebook etc and in turn, start spreading them.

It's becoming more prevalent - but where does it end ?

Are we going to one day see Professor Erik von Klinkenschnappel PhD, Director of the Oceanographic Institute of Lichtenstein on Newsnight having to debate the effects of changes in ocean currents on aquatic life with Dave Spunge from Bootle who says "It's all a load of bollocks" ?

How can we stop this insanity ?  How can we stop people thinking that their opinions are just as valid as an expert's ?




Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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Comments

  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11801
    Statistically there are a LOT of stupid people in the world, except they are just smart enough to use a phone and sign up to Twitter and Facebook.
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  • LastMantraLastMantra Frets: 3822
    Burn him he's a witch! 
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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    social media definitely concentrates them, and makes them more hardened in their beliefs. I'm less sure if it creates them, I've heard of people becoming tin foil nutters because of social media, but I've also spoken to people who gave up their whacky ideas because of social media.
    It would've been a lot harder for trump to get away with his idiocy without SM, but we also had fascists who used rhetoric to rouse the mob before SM. I guess it makes it easier to propagate stupid ideas, but I'm less sure if it makes the spread further.

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    I think the main problem is how disinformation spreads, and the openness of people to rumour and lies. In times past, the information would have stayed in the local pub or shop floor, not anymore. People have always been experts in subjects they know nothing about - football management, how easy Shirley from Accounts is, etc.
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11801
    A lot of people take opinion = fact and that everyone's "opinion" is as valid is another.

    Sure, people are entitled to their opinion but they are not entitled to their facts, and to distinguish between the 2, takes intelligence and education.

    The prime example is that guy during the Pizza gate who attacked a pizza parlour to free children in the basement.  Apparently, Clinton was trafficking children.  Instead of thinking "that's most likely to be a lie, he took it as 100% fact.  Plus there was no basement at all in the building.

    I feel, and this is my opinion is that the key part of Higher Education is the skill to self-analysis, the skill to look at a piece of article and make a judgment call on whether this is probably a lie, may be a lie or truth.  It is good to be skeptical but it is dangerous to be skeptical about eveyrthing.  At university, you are taught, or you learn what source of information is reliable and what isn't, by the simple exercise of writing an essay.  So when Trump says "He read a report that the election was stolen".  The next question is "What report?" and "show me this report".  

    A lot of people now don't do that, or just now they are more vocal.

    They take a 1 liner and accept it as fact.

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  • merlinmerlin Frets: 6594
    edited January 2021
    Emp_Fab said:
    Are we going to one day see Professor Erik von Klinkenschnappel PhD, Director of the Oceanographic Institute of Lichtenstein on Newsnight having to debate the effects of changes in ocean currents on aquatic life with Dave Spunge from Bootle who says "It's all a load of bollocks" ?

    How dare you question Dave Spunge? He read it on the internet so it MUST be true. And he's got a divining pendulum that I sold him, so he knows. And actually, he's from Walton. 


    OK???
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  • scrumhalfscrumhalf Frets: 11262
    It's down to many things.

    The rise of social media is undoubtedly at the core of it, and it acts as a catalyst like nothing else before it. 

    Many years ago I had a Sunday morning job in a local deli. One of our regular customers who claimed that she was an illegitimate daughter of one of the royals. She always had a shopping bag with "You visiting monarch" on it and was forever muttering "this would happen if Edward was on the throne". Back in the mid 70s she was a local eccentric, harmless but annoying. These days there would be websites, podcasts and who knows what else taking her story out of Hendon and into the wider world.

    I would strongly urge anyone interested in this to read David Aaronovitch's book "Voodoo Histories" which is an excellent book on conspiracy theories. 
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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    edited January 2021
    it's an interesting dichotomy, on one hand they are a lot less trusting of those in authority, but at the same time they implicitly trust someone on the internet, so long as they confirming a deeply held belief. I think a lot of it comes down to an inferiority complex, a dislike of those they perceive as better, as educated. Basically, it's a massive, digital chip on their shoulder. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    Does any1 no wot time Spar closes pls?
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • DominicDominic Frets: 16004
    Propaganda relies upon the gullibility of the human race ; 
    People in N Korea genuinely believe that they are better off than most of the rest of the world
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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    Yes it's strange. There are even people who think "The Wall" is a good album.

    B)
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    Wait !

    You're still going to the pub - how do you swing that one ?

    ;)
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • It is very frustrating.

    I find it difficult to talk about without feeling that I am being snobbily arrogant. Particularly as I am not scientifically skilled, or know a huge amount about politics and economics. But I do think that common sense should prevail, which is often sadly lacking.

    We can also conflate genuine concerns or thoughts with conspiracy theories - eg my wife has spent many years removing mercury that she historically took on board via tooth fillings and medication. For this reason she may decide not to have the covid vaccination (if she elects that it contains chemicals she wishes to avoid). This doesn't mean she is promoting others do the same, however could be seen as a fruitcake theory.

    As for the internet and social media, yes it is able to misinform the people that do not know any better and also help them rally their misguided beliefs and troops.

    Goebbels really maximised the study and use of propoganda & communications to promote the Nazi party in the 1930s - translate that ideology to now and the internet is a valuable and worrying tool. Greed and consumerisim do not help, and also play into the right wing's carrot and stick policy.

    I do not know what the solution is - other than to try and promote generosity and good spirit (and stand up to the bullys).

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  • 545454545454 Frets: 184
    Just remembered the George Carlin quote:

    "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that"

    But I'm sure I'm guilty of passing on rumours because they seem plausible, but without checking the detail. Especially if they confirm my beliefs about how terrible the bad guys are... And once nonsense goes viral, the truth never really catches up. 
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11801
    edited January 2021

    It is very frustrating.

    I find it difficult to talk about without feeling that I am being snobbily arrogant. Particularly as I am not scientifically skilled, or know a huge amount about politics and economics. But I do think that common sense should prevail, which is often sadly lacking.

    We can also conflate genuine concerns or thoughts with conspiracy theories - eg my wife has spent many years removing mercury that she historically took on board via tooth fillings and medication. For this reason she may decide not to have the covid vaccination (if she elects that it contains chemicals she wishes to avoid). This doesn't mean she is promoting others do the same, however could be seen as a fruitcake theory.

    As for the internet and social media, yes it is able to misinform the people that do not know any better and also help them rally their misguided beliefs and troops.

    Goebbels really maximised the study and use of propoganda & communications to promote the Nazi party in the 1930s - translate that ideology to now and the internet is a valuable and worrying tool. Greed and consumerisim do not help, and also play into the right wing's carrot and stick policy.

    I do not know what the solution is - other than to try and promote generosity and good spirit (and stand up to the bullys).

    I would argue generally "These scientists, doctors, researchers, using skills they learn from their 3 years in university, Masters, PHD, then research papers, decades in the field, mastering their craft, using techniques that has been learn and pass down and perfected from the history of science.  This is the best that they know.  You are sitting on the toilet reading facebook/twitter while having a shit.  Who can learn more in that amount of time?"

    I mean if they think they know more on a subject because of that.  There is no point even discussing about it.

    The really sad part is they don't see the problem with what they are doing and how flawed it is.
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  • Really stupid and uneducated people don’t actually realise how dumb they are:

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect 

     Cue falling for pseudo-science bullshit on Youtube / Facebook / twitter / etc.

     If you never got to the point of understanding how science works and learned reasoning then you simply are not equipped with the tools to debunk this online nonsense.

    This has (probably) always happened but the effect was localised until recently – so if idiots bought a mono rail they did it locally. Now they go online to brag about it for all to see :)

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  • 46% of the UK adult population have the numeracy skills of a primary age kid.

    They literally can’t digest facts.
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  • TeleMasterTeleMaster Frets: 10103
    The problem is they all think they're right, yet they can't agree amongst themselves. It's a bit like religion really. 
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  • yockyyocky Frets: 806
    Trouble is now people can go through life not having any of their outlandish viewpoints challenged. You can live entirely in a world in which your biases are confirmed constantly. That's very comforting in some respects. Entire media organizations are set up in response to what people what to hear. Outrage consumption is a popular hobby and vending it is big business. 

    Education is one thing but a lot of the people at the Capitol incident tilting at windmills seemed to be business owners, presumably reasonably well educated.

    This is a great essay about (amongst other things) how tribes can pass by each other existing in essentially the same location but in parallel universes:

    https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup/

     I'm also always shocked at how quickly discussions deteriorate these days, even round here. Deeply held beliefs or perceptions of reality aren't going to be abandoned at the drop of a hat, if you want to bring someone round to your way of thinking it's maybe worth keeping it civil for a while longer. 
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  • You will find everyone somewhere on here... some more often than others.


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