posted June 25, 2015 08:46 AM            

Here are some articles thought i'd share:

An Anatomy of Paranoia

We all agree that it’s important to question conventional wisdom, and that ideas which are too bizarre for most people to accept may, nonetheless, turn out to be true. Some people, however, seem to reach a tipping point where scores of obsessive strange beliefs feed upon one another to such a degree that they impair the individual’s ability to maintain relationships or function in society. By searching mental health forums, one can find countless posts by concerned individuals who worry that they are losing a loved one to the world of conspiracy. Here is a typical example:

My husband and I have been married for over 3 years (been together 5 years). For the last two years of our marriage, my husband has become obsessed with conspiracy theories. Initially, I chalked it up as a new hobby/interest. But lately (over the past year) his obsession has progressed and has me alarmed. He spends countless hours on the internet researching conspiracy theories, mostly political (i.e. 9/11, new world order, Illuminati, reptilians, and I could go on and on). We can’t have a conversation with him bringing up some sort of theory. He brings them up if were out with other friends or at a party. This concerns me because I feel like he’s not the same person I married. He used to be driven, ambitious, and had career goals. He’s an engineer and once had dreams of starting his own company. But, he doesn’t speak of it anymore. I feel as if we have nothing in common. He becomes defensive and argumentative when I disagree with his theories. One day out of the blue, he went out and bought a huge safe, withdrew all of his savings and bought gold. He wants to to start stockpiling food and supplies for some sort of catastrophic event that he believes is coming. His health history is unremarkable. He does use marijuana daily (which he did prior to our marriage). His younger sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her early teens and lives in some sort of assisted living. Should I be worried that he is also showing the beginning signs of schizophrenia, also?

Posters commonly report feeling that they are unable to talk to their loved ones anymore; that an obsession with conspiracy is taking priority over work, family and relationships; and that the individual becomes bullying and argumentative when asked to consider contrary information. It looks and tastes like mental illness, and sometimes it is—the paranoid mentally ill seek out conspiracy, so it’s no surprise that we should encounter them—but it would be foolish to assume that every Dale Gribble in the world is a blossoming schizophrenic.

I fault the beliefs themselves. They’re like viruses, or parasites, and to understand how they can destroy an individual’s reason, we need to dissect them.

1. They’re toxic.

In order to accept an extraordinary belief, it is usually necessary to assimilate a degree of paranoia as well, for you have to answer the question “If this evidence is so compelling, why doesn’t everyone accept it?” To accept UFOs, you need the cover-up. To accept alt med, you need to believe that Big Pharma is holding it down. Each belief introduces a new malevolent cabal to your worldview, intent upon suppressing the truth.

2. They feed upon each other.

Once you’ve accepted that we live in a world where top officials in our government could plan and carry out the 9/11 attacks, it’s not hard to believe that the Kennedy assassination or the Sandy Hook shootings were inside jobs as well—and if they can cover that up, why not UFOs? And once you’ve decided that the scientific community is simply afraid to study UFOs, then perhaps the same is true of psi and cryptozoology.

Paranoia provides a rich substrate for myriads of bizarre beliefs to colonize; each one, another proof of how you’re being lied to—God dammit. The Internet, of course, exacerbates the process, as it becomes easy to get all your information from sources that parrot your opinions back to you, causing your beliefs to become ever more firmly entrenched.

3. They have immune systems.

Paranoid ideas come packaged with beliefs (“antibodies”) that permit you to disregard contrary evidence. In the conspiracy realm, contrary evidence is flagged as government disinformation, and cited as an example of how desperate the conspirators are becoming to stop the truth from getting out. Internet denizens are accused of being misinformation agents, or shills for an industry. In the supernatural realm, scientists are characterized as too dogmatic to consider anything outside their paradigm, and skeptics are a religion unto themselves. In religious systems, the devil is trying to plant the seed of doubt. Once you’ve discredited all the people who disagree with you, it’s no longer necessary to actually engage with their arguments. You can go back to listening to what Alex Jones has to say.

4. They reward you for hosting them.

To start, most of these beliefs are cool and interesting in and of themselves. By adopting them, also you get to conceive of yourself as occupying a privileged place in society—one of the few who can see beyond the lies and misinformation and knows what’s really going on.

More fundamentally, however, they offer you a means to cope with a world where tragedy happens for arbitrary, unpredictable reasons; where good people die stupid deaths for no other reason than the blundering incompetence of our leaders. Conspiracy ties all the evil together, makes it part of a plan that can be confronted. It gives you a tangible Satan you can expose, overthrow, or at least protect yourself against. It gives you a sense of control.

5. They’re damaging in large doses.

Most of us can drink one or two beers; poison ourselves in small doses, without going over the deep end. And, after all, there are malevolent cabals in the world, conspiring against the good of the many—and maybe there are aliens, too. This essay is about people who can’t—the ones who become lost to their friends and family because their minds have been colonized. When you believe it all at once, you lose the ability to think outside of your own paradigm, and—too often—the ability to see how it effects those you love when paranoia crowds out your job and family. By all means, question everything—just don’t forget to question yourself.

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posted June 25, 2015 08:54 AM            

this was interesting too:

Paranoia and the Roots of Conspiracy Theories

September 11 and the psychological roots of conspiracy theories. Post published by Ilan Shrira on Sep 11, 2008 in The Narcissus in All of Us

A friend of mine recently convinced me to watch "Loose Change", a documentary about the alleged conspiracy and cover-up of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by the U.S. government. I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories, and I knew little of the specific theories surrounding 9/11, but I watched the film with the most open mind I could muster.

I found the film to be very engaging, and though I didn't buy the film's conspiracy and cover-up hypotheses, it did make me question whether something important was being kept secret. Seeing the conspiracy theories laid out so confidently and so sensationalistically also helped me to understand why one-third to one-half (link is external) of Americans believe that our government either was somehow involved in the attacks or covered up information about them.

One reason I generally have trouble accepting conspiracy theories is that they're usually based on far-fetched claims that are nearly impossible to disprove, or prove. My skepticism is further strengthened by the fact that we humans have an assortment of cognitive biases that can distort our judgments and allow us to maintain beliefs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Some of these biases include the tendency to see patterns where none exist, and to interpret new information and recall old information in ways that confirm our expectations and beliefs. However, most of the time we're unaware of these biases and overly confident that our perceptions represent the objective truth.

This is not to say that conspiracies never happen, or that I'm immune from engaging in my own conspiracy-like thinking sometimes. It just means that one of my own biases is to doubt these sorts of theories.

Rather than speculating about the existence of specific conspiracies, I find a far more intriguing topic to be the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. Fortunately, an excellent book called Empire of Conspiracy (link is external) by Tim Melley explores this issue.

Melley seeks to explain why conspiracy theories and paranoia have become so pervasive in American culture in recent decades. He discusses some of the paranoia behind our obsessions with political assassinations, gender and race relations, stalkers, mind control, bureaucracies, and the power of corporations and governments.

Melley proposes that conspiracy thinking arises from a combination of two factors, when someone: 1) holds strong individualist values and 2) lacks a sense of control. The first attribute refers to people who care deeply about an individual's right to make their own choices and direct their own lives without interference or obligations to a larger system (like the government). But combine this with a sense of powerlessness in one's own life, and you get what Melley calls agency panic, "intense anxiety about an apparent loss of autonomy" to outside forces or regulators.

When fervent individualists feel that they cannot exercise their independence, they experience a crisis and assume that larger forces are to blame for usurping this freedom. "For one who refuses to relinquish the assumptions of liberal individualism, such newly revealed forms of regulation frequently seem so unacceptable or unbelievable that they can only be met with anxiety, melodrama, or panic."

Although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons, some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period.

In another study, she shows that people have come to hold an increasingly stronger external "locus of control"; this refers to the feeling that external forces are determining what happens to you, as opposed to an internal locus of control, the feeling that you dictate your own outcomes. Twenge suggests that the stronger external locus of control reflects our ever-increasing exposure to uncontrollable events and a rise in the "victim mentality" of our culture. (Is this sounding familiar?)

Individualistic values have also been getting stronger in our culture, with greater importance attached to personal freedoms and self-reliance. The U.S. currently ranks highest in individualism (link is external) compared to all other nations in the world.

The rise in anxiety, individualism, and external locus of control may therefore underlie the rise in conspiracy thinking. This is somewhat troubling because these personality trends show no sign of leveling off. In fact, given the current pace of globalization and the "Americanization" of other countries, it seems likely that these personality traits (and conspiracy thinking) will be increasing elsewhere too.

But what's the actual appeal of believing in conspiracy theories? What purpose do they serve people?

For one thing, conspiracy theories help us cope with distressing events and make sense out of them. Conspiracies assure us that bad things don't just happen randomly. Conspiracies tell us that someone out there is accountable, however unwittingly or secretly or incomprehensibly, so it's possible to stop these people and punish them and in due course let everyone else re-establish control over their own lives. Conspiracies also remind us that we shouldn't blame ourselves for our predicaments; it's not our fault, it's them! In these ways, believing in conspiracies serves many of the same self-protective functions as scapegoating.

In addition to the changes in personality, conspiracy theories are also growing more popular because of the mass media, which circulates these ideas to a wider audience and indoctrinates more believers. Plus, the sheer amount of information in today's media increases the odds that someone will detect "coincidences" or "patterns" that serve to fuel these beliefs. These trends in the media won't be reversing themselves anytime soon either.

Does all this mean we should expect even more conspiracy theorizing and paranoia to come? Will conspiracy theories ever become a dominant ideology in our culture the way scapegoating sometimes is in other cultures?

It's not clear whether we've reached any sort of tipping point yet. But if polls are any indication, the events of 9/11 may have transformed conspiracy theories from "implausible visions of a lunatic fringe (link is external)" to a mainstream response to the most disturbing of events.

How are we to prevent this kind of thinking from taking us hostage?

(This post was co-authored by Josh Foster.)
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/20080 9/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories

posted June 25, 2015 09:03 AM            

quote:

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A Rare But Potentially Dangerous Personality Disorder

Among the more serious personality disturbances, there’s a disorder you hardly ever hear about. Even when it manifests itself, this disorder is often neither recognized for what it is nor properly diagnosed. But when someone has Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD), believe me, you know it, whether or not you know the right label to apply to it or you fully understand its dynamics. You know always know something’s dreadfully wrong when somebody has PPD because of how unnerving it is to have any kinds of dealings with them. Just like when you encounter psychopathic personalities, you can sometimes feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end when you deal with someone who has this disorder. That chilling feeling is your nature-given intuitive warning system telling you something is seriously wrong with the person you’re dealing with and something really bad could easily happen, especially if you should do or say anything that upsets them in some way. Given how serious this personality disorder is, you have to wonder why you don’t hear much more about it. And in the aftermath of the shootings at UC Santa Barbara, I thought it well worth visiting this subject, the reason for which will become clearer momentarily.

Like others, I was deeply moved by the tragic stabbing and shooting of several innocents by another social “misfit” with a vendetta of some type. But when I looked very closely at the all the known information about Elliot Roger – his lengthy history of treatment for psychological problems and his self-proclaimed hatred of the women who’d supposedly spurred his amorous advances – and the closer I looked and the more I reflected on rants and manifesto he posted on YouTube and other social media, the more it became apparent to me that attributing this wanton killer’s actions merely to him being a “high-functioning” autism spectrum child (i.e. having Asperger’s Disorder) or a serious “misogynist” (there appears little doubt misogyny was a big factor) misses the mark when it comes to understanding the depths of his pathology. And not having his pathology correctly pegged might also have significantly contributed to many not recognizing the full extent of his dangerousness.

full at this link:
http://www.manipulative-people.com/a-rare-but-potentially-dangerous-personali ty-disorder/

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posted June 25, 2015 10:48 AM            

What's the difference between someone claiming to be a starseed and calling everyone else negative names like "sheeple", "dumb" or "unevolved".... and.... someone claiming to be magically created in the image of God, while telling non-believers they will burn in hell?
I could apply just about everything said in that article - to a hardcore religious person - who does not believe in UFOs or reptilians... but who does believe that an animal-looking, red creature with horns is making people sin.
Technically, all the religions of the world could be referred to as conspiracy theories on - evolution.

If there is a correlation between being a jerk by getting on a high horse (believing your views/religious or spiritual beliefs are better and above everyone elses) - and - mental illness... then we are surrounded by millions of mentally ill people.

posted June 25, 2015 10:55 AM            

quote:

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I don't see conspiracy theorists or new age people who refer to others as "sheeple" and so on... as crazier or "worse than" - the larger segment of the worlds' population that adheres to mainstream religious beliefs and refers to non-believers as the spawn of satan.

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I agree.

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What's the difference between someone claiming to be a starseed and calling everyone else negative names like "sheeple", "dumb" or "unevolved".... and.... someone claiming to be magically created in the image of God, while telling non-believers they will burn in hell?

I could apply just about everything said in that article - to a hardcore religious person - who does not believe in UFOs or reptilians... but who does believe that an animal-looking, red creature with horns is making people sin.
Technically, all the religions of the world could be referred to as conspiracy theories on - evolution.

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Nothing.

I thought about bringing it up, but decided not to. I figured others would make the same correlation and it would probably be brought up at some point.

quote:

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If there is a correlation between being a jerk by getting on a high horse (believing your views/religious or spiritual beliefs are better and above everyone elses) - and - mental illness... then we are surrounded by millions of mentally ill people.

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Yes, some might say we do indeed live in a very troubled world.

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However... just like there are many Christians out there who are open minded and don't go around waving a big stick at people... there are also many new agers (including the conspiracy inclined ones) who are not so dogmatic, and don't refer to others as being - beneath - them in virtue of having different views.

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Very true.

posted June 25, 2015 11:02 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Odette:

What's the difference between someone claiming to be a starseed and calling everyone else negative names like "sheeple", "dumb" or "unevolved".... and.... someone claiming to be magically created in the image of God, while telling non-believers they will burn in hell?
I could apply just about everything said in that article - to a hardcore religious person - who does not believe in UFOs or reptilians... but who does believe that an animal-looking, red creature with horns is making people sin.
Technically, all the religions of the world could be referred to as conspiracy theories on - evolution.

However... just like there are many Christians out there who are open minded and don't go around waving a big stick at people... there are also many new agers (including the conspiracy inclined ones) who are not so dogmatic, and don't refer to others as being "beneath" them in virtue of having different views.

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I've wanted to bring this to the attention of this person before, but since it's been since i ended the relationship and no longer speak to her, i haven't been able to. She talks a lot of smack against religion, but doesn't see the similarities in how she lives.

posted June 25, 2015 11:03 AM            

The few I knew in real life who got obnoxious about it weren't people I was close to for reasons that should be obvious in regards to their personality and thus didn't really care, they could even be interesting in small doses (I met most of them when I was a teen and had to resist the urge to prank them at times).

Okay, just remembered my mom was big on conspiracy theories regarding Marilyn Monroe, but as I was a kid who didn't really know what she was talking about (and she was usually very drunk when she talked about it) I just listened without too much interest (just enough interest not to yawn), and perhaps that's where I gained some tolerance since I just associated it with intoxication and learned to overlook it. It's not like she talked to me all the time and if I wanted to complain about her behavior I could come up with many other things instead in which her conspiracy theories didn't even make a blip on my radar. At least when she was talking about Marilyn Monroe she wasn't saying anything terrible to me, nor did she believe anyone was trying to silence her, it was more of a hobby for her, though perhaps she felt sympathetic in some metaphoric/psychological way.

Some Russian Americans I knew had what seemed to me to be an over the top fear of the Russian government even after Communism was no longer the official ideology (some had fled Soviet Russia though most had been born in the US--but still raised by those who fled, and the US had its own Cold War fears). But I hadn't realized how strong it was until one particular Russian American took an interest in me and some of them said if I had anything to do with him then they wouldn't talk to me anymore (easy enough to drop him, he creeped me out anyway). Those Russian Americans were usually of the same age as the Americans raised in the Cold War so it wasn't that different really, it just surprised me when many of them said one guy was a KGB sleeper agent (not FSB, mind you, but KGB!).

But reading the above made me think of most of society, it's just the conspiracy theorists mentioned are into some fringe topics. Yet about everyone has someone to blame for the problems in the world that aren't considered conspiracy theories (though they should be since it typically includes fungible groups, that is virtually all members of a specific race, gender, religion, political party, etc). Mass hysteria has gripped this nation for a long time, even the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast, and I still recall the mass panics over anthrax (this one disrupted society enough that even a major magazine that had helped incite the panic was telling everyone to calm down), swine flu, and ebola. And the Cold War was mostly before my time (at least since I started paying attention) but that was major and sometimes shocked me how strong it was (and remains with some people). And the psychological processes described in conspiracy theorists regarding the ability to disregard info that is contradictory or anger to those who don't accept the belief is prevalent among most people (quick description of the neurology involved here).

posted June 25, 2015 11:42 AM              

quote:

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Originally posted by Odette:
I don't see conspiracy theorists or new age people who refer to others as "sheeple" and so on... as crazier or "worse than" - the larger segment of the worlds' population that adheres to mainstream religious beliefs and refers to non-believers as the spawn of satan.

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posted June 25, 2015 11:45 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PixieJane:

But reading the above made me think of most of society, it's just the conspiracy theorists mentioned are into some fringe topics. Yet about everyone has someone to blame for the problems in the world that aren't considered conspiracy theories (though they should be since it typically includes fungible groups, that is virtually all members of a specific race, gender, religion, political party, etc). Mass hysteria has gripped this nation for a long time, even the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast, and I still recall the mass panics over anthrax (this one disrupted society enough that even a major magazine that had helped incite the panic was telling everyone to calm down), swine flu, and ebola. And the Cold War was mostly before my time (at least since I started paying attention) but that was major and sometimes shocked me how strong it was (and remains with some people). And the psychological processes described in conspiracy theorists regarding the ability to disregard info that is contradictory or anger to those who don't accept the belief is prevalent among most people (quick description of the neurology involved here).

Therefore, if I was forced to deal with a conspiracy theorist that was obnoxious about it I suppose I'd deal with them the same way I am about all other obnoxious & obsessed people who are more mainstream in their anxieties, blame games, and acting out.

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Interesting info. Thanks PJ.

posted June 25, 2015 01:16 PM            

Without falling into the conspiracy field.
With all respect, in my opinion, I think many of those Illnesses are pure fictional. Why ?

Because there has to be someone that is selling good. It's actually more related to the tangible world. For example: You've been diagnosed (by a "Respectable" fella) with an OCD.

Then this person will tell you that you need quite a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong therapy, because it's a looooong battle to overcome "your fears" or "your paranoia" lol.
Not conspiracy, this is pure "Marketing", pure tangible interests.

Because this fella is living in the middle of what we know as Subsistence Economy.

This can't be conspiracy, the material needs (explained in the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) of some pseudo-professionals are what directs their moral code. If it's not money, then it's their need of "Esteem". Then we are talking about "Social Pressure", professionals live in the middle of this, since they are still in Yale or Harvard, etc . It's known as 'recognition'.
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posted June 25, 2015 07:40 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by T:
I'm talking about someone who isn't an internet troll, but mainly posting the conspiracy theories on their personal social media page. What's sad is that with over 300 "friends" no one speaks up and i'm afraid the echo chamber she's trapped in is doing more damage to her mental health

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The bit about neurology is for all humans, not just internet trolls...the "trolls" in that case are just more obvious about it. That is scan your brain and mine and anyone else when it's something we care about deeply and our brain will be doing the same thing as someone who cares deeply about chem trails.

Put another way there are plenty of people who are big Democrats or Republicans who have large internet echo chambers as well. Heck, put on your boots and wade through Global Unity here on LL, that's actually pretty common on the net, and I've been amazed at even internet comics even being twisted as a daily podium to preach politics and religions, and anyone telling them to lighten up or even shut up as it has nothing to do with the comic will get the same reaction (even the same dismissive labels) as saying that to someone obsessively talking about chem trails or the Illuminati. (Btw, interesting experiment on that.)

I see it with many other issues as well, especially online, I call it the "paper vs. plastic" syndrome (or "vanilla vs. chocolate, stripes vs. polka dot"). Marvel vs. DC comics, parenthood vs. child free, vegan vs vegetarian vs omnivore, Star Trek vs. Star Wars (or even Picard vs. Kirk), even Sig vs. Glock or one edition of a game over another edition, basically hot button issues for a select few people that most people don't really care about. Talking to them about their passion (and most people about whatever, or whoever, their passion is will be about the same) is a good way to get the same reaction as you would on conspiracy theories by people who obsess over them the same way, but of course it's automatically considered different...the same way that someone who posts cardboard cutouts of football players, wears sports jerseys, and even has flags of his favorite football team is considered to just "really like football" while someone who shows his love of Star Trek the very same way is considered a geek.

It's something very fundamental to human nature, and to some extent every single one of us does it, just some do it far more than others while others are more private about it, and some find odd things to care about so passionately than others while others find "normal" things to be the same way about (and not all conspiracy theorists are passionate about it, but then you're not likely to notice them anymore than those who keep their more ordinary passions & preferences & beliefs private).

Heck, back when I worked with kids a lot more I've even seen the hatred and contempt little girls can have for each other based on friggin TV shows liked (anything from Disney vs. Nick to Selena vs. Miley/Hannah) to the point that they'd even conspire to spread false rumors about the other or cyberbully for the sin of liking something different as well as seize or forget any info depending on if it backed their views or not. I saw older girls at the same time do the same over Twilight vs. Harry Potter. And they do the same thing about embracing certain information that supports their view while discarding that which doesn't, and their camaraderie as well as anger is reflected on the net just as vividly--and unreasonably--as someone ranting about chem trails, but they'll just be called human rather than mentally ill or even just eccentric.

posted June 25, 2015 09:29 PM            

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posted June 25, 2015 11:49 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by T:
I could never explain it all here and am afraid it's pointless to go into more detail. Everything gets misinterpreted here and anyway, i'm tired.

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Oh, I want to wish you luck as well... I mean... perhaps you'll need it (I don't know(?)) against "your enemies" or the person you are "confronting" ?

However, if you allow me to make a comment about this.
I think that in the moment you don't expect to be approved by others, (I mean... when you are expressing your right to a public opinion) in that moment you will feel some nice peace, I can guarantee it! - By making this a conscious thought, there's no way you'll perceive others as "enemies" or just "hateful ones" or "the wrong ones". No way, No way!

~ You need to Grow a bit more... Thick-Skin...

Learn from the Reptilians LOL !
They have very Hard Scales you know... lol
~ Hahahah ... pardon me but, this is getting a bit funny for me, well...

One more thing, if you are fighting some "Urban Tribe" (because I still don't get the right picture about all this) you better not Copy-Paste your arguments or thoughts.
Most of the times people is willing to hear what you think, not what another thinks. Some might expect you to argue with your own words, not with the lame words of some "Respectable X" (which most of the times is one person that can't escape the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs lol ! )

It's always better to argue with what you think, not with what your mom, dad, respectable "X" or your environment/Society has told you to think.
Because just as you implicitly said it in your 1st Text - it would make you an 'Easy-Target' for any 'urban tribe'. Mark my words.

~ Good Luck

posted June 26, 2015 09:25 AM            

And thanks for the giggle this morning GemBird.

We have some serious communication barrier going on between us. I've read your post several times and once again have no idea what you are talking about. It's clear that i didnt come across clearly to you either and at this point, that is okay.

I don't feel i have "enemies" and was not planning on "confronting" anyone. I don't perceive others as "hateful ones" or "the wrong ones" and i have developed a very thick skin. I'm not fighting anyone and wasn't planning on it.

I was thinking about reconnecting with someone in order to try to help them, that is all. This thread was also about figuring out what might really be going on with this person and other people who have this kind of mindset. I'm sorry if you read it as i was looking to attack a group of people "urban tribe" or whatever. I was not. People take me the wrong way all the time here. I'm used to it and it's okay.

quote:

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you better not Copy-Paste your arguments or thoughts.

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Seeing as I am not looking to argue and don't have an argument to express here, i won't. If i want to copy paste articles that i like I can and will. Doing so shouldn't bother you. You can take them or leave them. They might be helpful to other people who don't post.

Thank you for reminding me why don't like to express much here. Something like this usually happens and part of it is my fault. I don't always do a great job of communicating my thoughts or am not talented in that department and sometimes lazy about it.

quote:

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It's always better to argue with what you think, not with what your mom, dad, respectable "X" or your environment/Society has told you to think.
Because just as you implicitly said it in your 1st Text - it would make you an 'Easy-Target' for any 'urban tribe'. Mark my words.

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If i went by what mom, dad, society etc. - but especially mom (in this case) told me to think, this thread would not have happened. I think quite well for myself and question everything, even myself and my own thoughts, thank you very much. Funnily enough, this had to do with someone who doesn't question anything at all, in particular conspiracy theories and for someone not mentally stable, that can be dangerous.

I don't care if i became an easy target for anyone or group of people ( which btw I never said anything of the sort ). Been there, handled that. I don't live in fear of that kind of thing or most other things. Having a thick skin has helped with that.

posted July 04, 2015 09:34 AM            

Without even looking at the evidence or hearing us out, just the word ASTROLOGY is proof positive of our mental illness.

I've been called CRAZY both online and in person for believing astrology is real.

When I look at the way astrology is debunked on TV and in the media, I wonder if they're talking about the same astrology I study. Pretty soon it occurs to me that the debunkers have no interest in truth, or countering my points (cause they know nothing about the subject). Most often the Dawkins of this world just want to win a fight and they will use any device to accomplish this. A favorite is to call the opponent mentally ill, this discredits their entire position. It this doesn't succeed in getting them to back down, it might cause a belligerent or irrational reaction.

quote:

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One day out of the blue, he went out and bought a huge safe, withdrew all of his savings and bought gold.

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posted July 04, 2015 12:54 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Nine:
As believers & practitioners in Astrology, many, many consider us part of the lunatic paranoid fringe. Seeing shadows and making connections where none exist.

Without even looking at the evidence or hearing us out, just the word ASTROLOGY is proof positive of our mental illness.

I've been called CRAZY both online and in person for believing astrology is real.

When I look at the way astrology is debunked on TV and in the media, I wonder if they're talking about the same astrology I study. Pretty soon it occurs to me that the debunkers have no interest in truth, or countering my points (cause they know nothing about the subject). Most often the Dawkins of this world just want to win a fight and they will use any device to accomplish this. A favorite is to call the opponent mentally ill, this discredits their entire position. It this doesn't succeed in getting them to back down, it might cause a belligerent or irrational reaction.

This part doesn't sound crazy at all. Given what happened in Cyprus (EU), and what's happening in Italian (EU) & Franch (EU) banking I'd be concerned about my saving too. And that most banks in the US won't allow you to withdraw more than $500 from the ATM at at time, or during a 5-day period.

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Very good points, Nine!

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posted July 04, 2015 03:40 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by T:
just read this:

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Totally agree.

Very good topic T.

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

posted July 20, 2015 02:41 AM              

quote:

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Originally posted by violet7887:
Totally agree.

Very good topic T.

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

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The ABOVE should be ample warning to all those who watch/listen to Popular mainstream "news", read "news"papers, buy /read popular magazines, etc etc.... -ANYTHING thats "popularly accepted" as fact.

* * * * *

Re "Conspiracy theorists" in general, (ONLY a simple LABEL , by the way- )..

Lazy thinkers (ie the General Public) easily subscribe to labels, esp these days.
This is a known fact, and thus easy to control society by.

* * * * *
It would be True to say-

1) that in any given population, Higher intelligence and ability to THINK CRITICALLY, is in the MINORITY.

2) "Herd thinking" DOMINATES. Conformity rules.

3) If you think outside the "Herd" you can expect to be rejected & ostracised.

* * * * * *

RE "Mental Illness"
Well , these days you can be classified as "mentally ill" if a close loved one dies and you go into deep mourning!!!!!!

Again, it's use of "Labels".

* * * *
Re "Conspiracy theories" & so called "mental Illness"

Imagine if you were a thinking person, and your partner was not.

Imagine if you realised by your own powers of reasoning, (+ say, certain run-ins with authority, over important principles , and discovered that authorities tell lies,and gradually the penny dropped)

Imagine if your partner couldn't see where you were coming from when you tried to point it out.

You'd feel quite alienated - wouldn't you. You'd withdraw and become silent. While they accuse you of being "paranoid", or even "mentally ill"
***
WHEREAS... Whats really happening is -
that YOU are experiencing a SHIFT in CONSCIOUSNESS (while they are still stuck in popular delusions..

GET IT?

SO DOES A SHIFT IN AWARENESS equate with MENTAL ILLNESS??
NO!

* * * * *

The way the world is being run today is INSANE.
If you cannot see this then you've lost your mind to outside programming.

* * * * *
To Quote Krishnamurti :

"IT IS NO MEASURE OF HEALTH ..To BE WELL ADJUSTED TO A PROFOUNDLY SICK SOCIETY"

AMEN.