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Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

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81–90 of 94 posts

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#81
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All cults and religions are based on flawed logic, justifying and reinforcing its viral load. Not saying movements don't have some learning and constructive purposes too, but the core of the ideology itself is always full of flawed logic most effective in confusing people.

Most large religions have something in common: as literacy and population density increases (i.e.: more people independently recording their own perspective on an event), miracles become less spectacular and divine revelation stops. Today we have no more columns of fire, no more prophets... nothing. Legends are passed from generation to generation, and the ones that were more spectacular and entertaining were more li…

This is one belief. Another observation is how common consciousness is, and pondering why mind thinks something as common can only happen once per universe.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#82
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the same sense, you have never met anyone who believes Q is the “ultimate provider of truth” and not just some secret spy cell or whatever. I used hyperbole to illustrate a point.

I'm now thoroughly lost. You've equated NPR, a non-profit news organization that's pretty widely regarded as boring, with a wild conspiracy theory of sex trafficking pizza shops. You're welcome to try again but without the hyperbole this time?

Here’s one huge difference between the two: NPR does not generally make up stories from whole cloth, without at least a real person on the record vouching for them. Their flaws are pretty much all in what stories and details they choose to report, and who they choose to interview.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#83
post #48
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the same sense, you have never met anyone who believes Q is the “ultimate provider of truth” and not just some secret spy cell or whatever. I used hyperbole to illustrate a point.

There are people in my town running for office who absolutely do believe that Q is the only trustworthy source of information, have declared so in public, and receive a nontrivial amount of support from folks who agree. You may have tried to use hyperbole to illustrate a point, but you wound up looking like you're trying to either discredit a news organization you don't like or legitimize a bullshit artist by placing…

NPR is basically a state propaganda outfit that pretends to be a “neutral” and objective source, although its organization and methods are very different from those of the Q entity. Both sources have many die-hard followers who utterly fail to question their output, or understand their conflicts of interest.

It is a simple and consistent argument, even if you don’t want to believe it, and even if you are right to dislike the spice.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#84
post #33
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah seriously. What a weird false equivalence to try to suggest.

> Yeah seriously. What a weird false equivalence to try to suggest. Honestly, it's probably part of a real justification narrative for trusting things like QAnon and talk radio over the mainstream media. If you do that, you at least have to put them on the same level, and if it's too difficult to build up things like the first two, then you can always try tear down the latter (since it's easier to cherry-pick enough…

> Honestly, it's probably part of a real justification narrative for trusting things like QAnon and talk radio over the mainstream media.

What?! My problem is that people fail to question reputable but comically biased sources like NPR, not that those same people don’t believe Q!

This is such a ridiculous straw man! I hope you made this error in good faith.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#85
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Typical moron argument. /r/selfawarewolves

Until Orange Man throws you under bus..

Snowflake's Law:

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Trump or Orangeman approaches 1."

Prime example of TDS. Rent free.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#86

Considering how many people believe "critical race theory", "intersectionality", and other crackpot conspiracy theories, this doesn't surprise me. "Increasingly, people are willing to say and believe stuff that fits in with their view of how the world should be, even if it doesn't have any basis in reality or fact," That's leftism in a nutshell.

By "critical race theory" do you mean that there's only one human race? This isn't a crackpot conspiracy; TBH, it makes the belief in multiple races look crackpot. Similarly, by "intersectionality" do you mean the advances in civil-rights law that let us recognize when women of color are being discriminated against? This isn't crackpot, but basic set theory being applied by lawyers. Imagine being a country which does…

Did you just have a stroke?

>Imagine being a country which doesn't feed everybody, house everybody, clothe everybody, give health care to everybody, but does have plenty of time to explain how skin color matters a whole lot and can fund police which will enforce skin-color policies.

This is a fantastic description of leftism! It almost perfectly describes the Bay Area and Portland!

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#87
post #10
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both groups trust that their chosen authority is the ultimate provider of truth, and generally prefer not to question that authority even when it leads to cognitive dissonance.

Can you give some examples?

“Right-Wing Extremists More Dangerous Than Islamic Terrorists In U.S.”

https://www.npr.org/2015/06/24/417192057/right-wing-extremis...

“Terrorist Or Hero? Politics Shape The Story Behind Antifa's Only Fatal Attack”

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/22/894343496/terrorist-or-hero-p...

“'Here It Is': Extremism Researchers Worry About The Rising Violence During Protests” (Story about an antifa member killing a proud boy)

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/04/909793727/here-it-is-extremis...

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#88
post #87
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give some examples?

“Right-Wing Extremists More Dangerous Than Islamic Terrorists In U.S.” https://www.npr.org/2015/06/24/417192057/right-wing-extremis... “Terrorist Or Hero? Politics Shape The Story Behind Antifa's Only Fatal Attack” https://www.npr.org/2020/07/22/894343496/terrorist-or-hero-p... “'Here It Is': Extremism Researchers Worry About The Rising Violence During Protests” (Story about an antifa member killing a proud boy) http…

Sorry, I meant examples of people using a chosen authority as the ultimate provider of truth.

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#89
post #88
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Right-Wing Extremists More Dangerous Than Islamic Terrorists In U.S.” https://www.npr.org/2015/06/24/417192057/right-wing-extremis... “Terrorist Or Hero? Politics Shape The Story Behind Antifa's Only Fatal Attack” https://www.npr.org/2020/07/22/894343496/terrorist-or-hero-p... “'Here It Is': Extremism Researchers Worry About The Rising Violence During Protests” (Story about an antifa member killing a proud boy) http…

Sorry, I meant examples of people using a chosen authority as the ultimate provider of truth.

Ah, sure:

https://twitter.com/isis_win/status/1323046887910477837

https://twitter.com/backupishere/status/1044776935077941248

Re: Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories

#90
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? There are many ways prosecutors can coerce people, and not all of them involve money.

It's hypothetical whataboutism vs the report findings.

It's not hypothetical. General Flynn alleged that prosecutors threatened to prosecute his son if he didn't plead guilty. Those allegations are unproven, but that is how our justice system usually works.

> Former prosecutors say such hardball tactics are routine in criminal cases.

> “I can say with great confidence that kind of pressure is pretty common,” said Shanlon Wu, a former federal prosecutor who now is a defense attorney.[1]

And it is true that Flynn's son was a "subject" of the investigation[2], then General Flynn pled guilty, then nothing happened to his son. Even before Flynn made the allegations, NPR said: "[the plea deal] also apparently avoided prospective charges for Flynn's son."[3]

1: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-30/flynn-stil...

2: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mike-flynn-s-son-subjec...

3: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/08/852582068/mike-flynn-pleaded-...

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