posted July 25, 2015 06:09 AM            

They are a toxic web and I've seen people get lost forever in them. That being said what you posted sounds like a house wife getting mad at her husband for not being a good little boy anymore......

posted July 25, 2015 01:03 PM            

I chatted with some folks about this conspiracy theory and because I questioned many of their "proofs" I was accused of being a "paid govt troll". Sorry but most of their arguments were full of holes and the basic premise no more verifiable than the "mainstream belief" that the earth is spherical and space exists. All photoshop according to them.

Are there vast conspiracies? Undoubtedly. Do they form a cohesive whole? To me, doubtful. The 9/11 story is sloppy enough to abet conspiracy theories and excuse me for saying so but at least half the "truthers" strike me as people who would rather feel "smarter than the bad guys" and the mainstream, and who prefer to see it as machinations of greedy politicians than accept that the US was Hit by a bunch of not so sophisticated Arabs because we are hated in their countries.

Which is true? And who can prove it?

posted July 25, 2015 04:18 PM            

Though the flood of misinformation could conceivably just dumb the general population down to idiocy, there are plenty of people who are not taken in by any one storyline...wild cards, so to speak.

posted July 25, 2015 04:49 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Catalina:
and excuse me for saying so but at least half the "truthers" strike me as people who would rather feel "smarter than the bad guys" and the mainstream,

---

Very perceptive observation.

posted July 25, 2015 04:59 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by HoodBlaze:
You could call me a conspiracy guy. I've lost best friends, family members, girlfriends, jobs, failed college classes because of them.

They are a toxic web and I've seen people get lost forever in them.

---

posted July 25, 2015 05:05 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by violet7887:
Totally agree.

Very good topic T.

"Rule your mind, or it will rule you."
- Buddha

---

posted July 25, 2015 07:04 PM            

I have had quite a few clients that are paranoid schizophrenic and know a lot of people who belief in "conspiracy theories" that are well educated. Ofcourse people who love government are already wired to label someone as paranoid or paranoid schizophrenic when someone talks about conspiracy theories due to their own biases resulting from systemic conditioning which our own educational system and media plays a big role in.

I have always been able to tell immediately when I am dealing with someone who is mentally ill and someone who just has done a lot of research over the years and arrived to the conclusion that a number of conspiracy theories are accurate. The sad thing is that those "mentally ill" people have some of the information accurate, half truths which ends up resulting in them been lumped with people who belief in conspiracy theories and actually know what they are talking about. This leads to marginalizing and stereotyping conspiracy theorists unfairly.

I do think that 911 was an inside job but I am not here to debate that, it doesn't matter to me if you think otherwise. I bring up 911 to illustrate a point. I had a client from Colombia that believed that 911 was an inside job but she was convinced that her family was behind it, she thinks her sisters are very rich and are behind it and went as far as emailing like crazy home land security making such claims. This lady was manic and incapable of having a conversation, totally self-absorbed and hyper verbal, she was very paranoid and delusional and her entire world revolved around her delusions and talking about them over and over again. One day we had an appointment and there was a men in the elevator talking on his phone and she thought he was talking bad about her, got upset and dealt with it by offering her "clitoris" to him.

People who are mentally ill read about something that there is truth to it and then it becomes distorted in their heads and it becomes about them and their family e.g. delusions of persecution, delusions of self reference etc..

My husband loves talking about politics and economics and sometimes about conspiracy theories but he is definitely not paranoid or schizophrenic LOL, his mind is very clear and grounded, all his thinking is backed up by a lot of reading often involving economic theories and history. To me is extremely obvious that him and my client are in complete different categories, to me and anyone who knows my client and my husband.

Investing in gold is not a bad idea btw, its good to invest in a number of things ideally. The dollar might collapse, that is a genuine possibility, its possible that one day other countries will not want to accept the dollar anymore. However, those things are out of my control and even though I don't think that people that worry about it are wrong for worrying about it I chose to not worry about it bc if there is collapse I will not be ready for it and I don't feel I am in a position were I can truly prepare for it. Also if a collapse happens it could very well not happen in my life time. Some people predict that it will happen in our life time some people feel it won't happen that soon.

The fact his sister has schizophrenia its an important factor but how old is your husband? Is he even in the onset range for it? So far based on what you have told me is not enough for me think he has schizophrenia, does he see or hear things? The client I talked about earlier was not schizophrenic actually but delusional yes but your husband having unorthodox ideas does not equal delusional disorder either....It will be obvious if he has delusional or paranoid schizophrenia IMO bc things will not add up often and not just related to politics bc that would be just your opinion about his ideas. Like I had a client that she said she was raped 50 times and then after several sessions said it was 70 and she said that people would sneak into her apartment put something in her drink and rape her while she passed out but then there was no semen ever so they all always used a condom! It doesn't add up that 70 times someone came in and you never noticed and they put something in your drink and drink never tasted funny and semen was never left behind all 70 times which originally was 50. I feel she was raped and then the trauma led to PTSD and since she has delusional disorder this lead to flashbacks that feel like its actually happening again and again. She thought she had Aids at some point and tests kept coming up negative so she went to another country and got medication there over the counter and treated herself and then she felt she did not have Aids anymore. You start hearing story and after story were something is always off and that is how you know..

posted July 25, 2015 10:09 PM            

I've been speaking from more personal experience with one person, but I do realize that all are not like her. And like the author of the first article wrote: "it would be foolish to assume that every Dale Gribble in the world is a blossoming schizophrenic."

quote:

---

posted by Catatonic:

Also unfortunately to much immersion in conspiracy theories can put a potential paranoiac over the edge.

---

posted July 25, 2015 10:17 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by teasel:
It does suck to be caught in it - when things recur, as well, to stoke it. I'm not quoting, as requested.

---

posted July 25, 2015 10:34 PM            

In the long run if the total control ideal were ever reached it would implode..imo. I would never say that all conspiracy theories are bunk but the remark about the amygdala refers to people in general..and i have to say that even happy People are easily upset by a lot of news and the newswriters know that bad news sells FAR better than good.

I'm just trying to say that there is a lot of supposition, even fancy, involved in most conspiracy theOries and the apparent thrill of seeing the PTB as monolithically evil (as opposed to misguided/misinformed/inefficient) is not really a dominant trait in people who are really"happy"..and many are just riding the golden calf (those selling the info i mean) and are believed by a lot of people who are not very good researchers.

posted July 26, 2015 12:47 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Faith:
^ I'm enjoying your posts hypatia.

---

posted July 26, 2015 11:42 AM            

what does anyone think the end game is? What good will total control of a world that is poisoned beyond survival be? Does anyone think these are really hostile aliens who can live on a pile of nuclear and chemical waste? Or are we talking about humans, who, you know, need to eat, drink and breathe but just want control?

posted July 26, 2015 12:18 PM            

* * * * * * * *

An old friend told me last night he was deeply depressed about the country. “Our economy isn’t working, our democracy is in the hands of a few billionaires and big corporations, Hillary is offering band aides, Bernie can’t win, the Republicans are to the right of Attila, and Trump is a demagogue and a fool,” he said.

I asked him what he was doing about it.

“Me? Nothing. I can’t do a thing.”

“That’s the problem,” I said. “Your cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophesy.”

“I don’t have lots of money,” he said, “and I don’t have any time. I’m working like a dog.”

“You can make a small contribution, and you can stop watching two hours of TV every night.” I told him. “Use that time to get your friends involved, and insist they pull their friends in.”

“And do what?”

“Organize. Mobilize. Energize. Make sure you and everyone else knows the truth and doesn’t buy the right-wing lies. Have them all make small contributions. Meet in your home. Attend rallies. Write your local papers. Set up a system so everyone knows who to support. Make sure they vote in the primaries or attend the caucuses, and then vote in the general.”

“Can I really make a difference?” he asked.

“Yes. You and the rest of us. We can take back our economy and our democracy. The upcoming elections are the most important in our lifetimes. The moneyed interests would like nothing better than for every one of us to throw in the towel. Then America is entirely theirs. You must not let them.”

He was silent for a moment. “Maybe I will,” he said.