Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 47

Thread: Qanon / Conspiracy

  1. #16 | Top
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    57,779
    Thanks
    35,457
    Thanked 50,278 Times in 27,090 Posts
    Groans
    22
    Groaned 2,975 Times in 2,692 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ThatOwlWoman View Post
    If you run across that again I'd like to read it too. It was my impression that #QAnon followers were somewhat younger, at least from the photos I've seen of them acting like fools in public. Greene is not a Boomer either. They are definitely people unable to do much in the way of critical thinking, and that fits with the younger demographic as well. For the last 30 years public schools have focused more on test scores and less on teaching how to learn, and how to think critically.

    Conspiracy theories exist because there is always going to be a subset in any given population of those who lack self-esteem and perceive themselves to be somehow less than others around them. The gathering of minds around a conspiracy theory allows them to feel powerful and in possession of knowledge that those so-called elites lack. They also have a simpatico group to belong to. It's really not a lot different than joining a fundie church (of any religion). You're required to suspend belief in what is real in order to belong. We are social animals, and belonging is nearly as important as food, shelter, water.
    Some good insights.

    I might be in the boomer age range too, so it gives me no pleasure to make my generation look like dunces!

    I cannot find the article I read right now, but a quick google search turned up some articles which posed the hilarious question: "Did your crazy Uncle fall for Qanon?"

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Cypress For This Post:

    Guno צְבִי (02-09-2021), ThatOwlWoman (02-09-2021)

  3. #17 | Top
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Ravenhenge in the Northwoods
    Posts
    88,278
    Thanks
    145,685
    Thanked 82,496 Times in 52,724 Posts
    Groans
    1
    Groaned 4,657 Times in 4,376 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch Uncle View Post
    Is this it? https://mashable.com/article/qanon-c...boomers-4chan/
    [FONT=Courier New][SIZE=3]While regulars in the conspiracy theory world, like recently de-platformed Alex Jones, have come out against the QAnon conspiracy, saying they don't believe Q is who he says he is, Sommers points out how QAnon is extremely popular among Trump-loving baby boomers. QAnon followers skew shockingly old for a conspiracy theory that began on 4chan, the infamous online forum known mostly for its shitposting teens and long history of supporting internet hoaxes.
    Interesting, thanks.

    Being a credulous, easily-duped, low-info RW person seems to be the common thread in those who believe that whackadoo stuff. You only have to look at the idiots here who believe it to realize that truth.
    "Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals." -- Mark Twain

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ThatOwlWoman For This Post:

    Doc Dutch (02-09-2021), Guno צְבִי (02-09-2021)

  5. #18 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136,585
    Thanks
    46,734
    Thanked 68,590 Times in 51,902 Posts
    Groans
    2
    Groaned 2,506 Times in 2,463 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ThatOwlWoman View Post
    Interesting, thanks.

    Being a credulous, easily-duped, low-info RW person seems to be the common thread in those who believe that whackadoo stuff. You only have to look at the idiots here who believe it to realize that truth.
    In the case of Trump, agreed. However, as the many cultists who continue to support Hillary despite decades of evidence, "credulous, easily-duped, low-info" people are not confined solely to the Republican party.

    God bless America and those who defend our Constitution.

    "Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"

  6. #19 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136,585
    Thanks
    46,734
    Thanked 68,590 Times in 51,902 Posts
    Groans
    2
    Groaned 2,506 Times in 2,463 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Phantasmal View Post
    Wonder why, because they are crazy conspiracy theories that have caused people to lose a grip on reality, that is not good for a society to let crazy people run amuck. The storming of the Capitol is what happens when leaders allow the crazy people a platform.
    Thank Al Gore for inventing the Internet.
    God bless America and those who defend our Constitution.

    "Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"

  7. #20 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    34,430
    Thanks
    23,941
    Thanked 19,095 Times in 13,072 Posts
    Groans
    0
    Groaned 5,908 Times in 5,169 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Hello midcan5,

    Thanks for putting this together:

    Quote Originally Posted by midcan5 View Post
    'Reason and rationality have never been more important than they are today.' From OP below

    Qanon took a big hit, Trump lost. But consider too their many misses. So why do people still believe. I'll offer some thoughts on topic, included will be many sources for your analysis. Life often doesn't make easy sense, it seems too random, too confusing, too complex, so then why not invent a hidden conspiracy of planners and doers hidden but in control. You can name them too, they fill history. Spirits, ghosts, demons, witches, fill in your favorite foe and instigator. But but we know they are behind it all. It seems so simple, reveal them, but then what do you do? Lots of bad history here. And lots of evil which is often the bad part of conspiracy thought. Make sure you check out the 'Bad Thinkers' piece.

    Bloomberg and others investigated Qanon founder, see YouTube below. I've included several detailed discussions for those who want to investigate the whys and hows of conspiracy thinking. A deep dive into topic.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ed-as-operator


    'EXCLUSIVE: Failed Screenwriter from New Jersey Behind One of QAnon’s Most Influential Personas'

    https://www.logically.ai/articles/ex...ntial-personas


    'What Comes Next For QAnon Followers'

    https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...non-followers/

    'The QAnon Timeline: Four Years, 5,000 Drops and Countless Failed Prophecies'
    https://www.bellingcat.com/news/amer...anon-timeline/


    'How to Extract Adrenochrome from Children'

    https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4750


    'How the QAnon Conspiracy Seduces Normal People'

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...-normal-people


    'Bad thinkers'

    https://aeon.co/essays/the-intellect...racy-theorists


    'Learning By Thinking, A Conversation With Tania Lombrozo '

    https://www.edge.org/conversation/ta...ng-by-thinking


    Bloomberg Qanon Investigation





    'The gullible rarely believe they are gullible and the closed-minded don’t believe they are closed-minded.'
    Wow, excellent compilation of information - most informative!

    Looks like a lot of work went into this OP. It's going to take a while to go through it all, but I have a feeling it will be well worth it.

    That video was awesome. Ordinarily I would not spend 12 minutes to watch a vid that somebody posted, but because I regard you as one of our best informed posters I went ahead and took the time. It was worth it. Very nice to see that. And what a huge breakthrough in exposing some of the instigators behind the Qanonsense.

    So encouraging to hear solid sense and reason pushing out garbage-thought and mindless rumor.

    Thanks!

    Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to PoliTalker For This Post:

    Guno צְבִי (02-09-2021), midcan5 (02-13-2021)

  9. #21 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136,585
    Thanks
    46,734
    Thanked 68,590 Times in 51,902 Posts
    Groans
    2
    Groaned 2,506 Times in 2,463 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Cypress View Post
    Some good insights.

    I might be in the boomer age range too, so it gives me no pleasure to make my generation look like dunces!

    I cannot find the article I read right now, but a quick google search turned up some articles which posed the hilarious question: "Did your crazy Uncle fall for Qanon?"
    Another great subject for someone's doctoral thesis.

    We're in an age of transition and transitions are never easy. It's like the transition between being a child to being a teenager to being a full-fledged adult. It's painful growth but necessary as a part of maturation.

    As mentioned before, despite all the shit I enjoy giving them, Millennials are very likely to become the 21st Century's Greatest Generation because of all the shit they've experienced growing up.

    From the controversy of the 2000 election to 9/11 to the controversy of the 2020 election and all the shit in between, it's been quite an experience for them.

    I think most of them will be good people like "Disaster Girl", Zoe Roth now about 20 years old. She's a beautiful young woman with a great attitude.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1463...-bizarre-fame/

    God bless America and those who defend our Constitution.

    "Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"

  10. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Doc Dutch For This Post:

    Cypress (02-09-2021), Guno צְבִי (02-09-2021), Phantasmal (02-09-2021), ThatOwlWoman (02-09-2021)

  11. #22 | Top
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Ravenhenge in the Northwoods
    Posts
    88,278
    Thanks
    145,685
    Thanked 82,496 Times in 52,724 Posts
    Groans
    1
    Groaned 4,657 Times in 4,376 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch Uncle View Post
    In the case of Trump, agreed. However, as the many cultists who continue to support Hillary despite decades of evidence, "credulous, easily-duped, low-info" people are not confined solely to the Republican party.

    Hillary is hardly a cult leader. Sorry.
    "Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals." -- Mark Twain

  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ThatOwlWoman For This Post:

    christiefan915 (02-09-2021), Phantasmal (02-09-2021)

  13. #23 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136,585
    Thanks
    46,734
    Thanked 68,590 Times in 51,902 Posts
    Groans
    2
    Groaned 2,506 Times in 2,463 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ThatOwlWoman View Post
    Hillary is hardly a cult leader. Sorry.
    Disagreed. Just because Trump was better at the cult thing and dumber on the Washington politics things doesn't detract from Hillary's little cult of personality.

    Two facts are noteworthy: Her cult died within two years of her 2016 loss. She still has her fans and defenders.

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...here-find-them
    The “MAGA fans” and “Bernie bros” manifest the same patterns of behavior that Atran finds among those committed to sacred values. For one, they elevate their favored leader, both mentally and by voting and making financial contributions to their campaigns. They also denigrate opposing candidates (not to mention the supporters of those candidates). Secondly, their activity becomes more intense when their candidate’s success was threatened—witness the reaction of Sanders supporters to moves the Democratic party made in Hillary Clinton’s favor. Finally, both sets of supporters display a proclivity for ignoring negative stories, and eventually in Trump’s case, his failures to make good on promises to build a convincing wall or deliver quality healthcare. On a small and interpersonal level, this is the treatment that cult leaders strive for: no questions, no doubts, only unending commitment and respect. Politically, of course, large numbers of energetic and decidedly uncritical followers make life easier.

    God bless America and those who defend our Constitution.

    "Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"

  14. #24 | Top
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    57,779
    Thanks
    35,457
    Thanked 50,278 Times in 27,090 Posts
    Groans
    22
    Groaned 2,975 Times in 2,692 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch Uncle View Post
    Another great subject for someone's doctoral thesis.

    We're in an age of transition and transitions are never easy. It's like the transition between being a child to being a teenager to being a full-fledged adult. It's painful growth but necessary as a part of maturation.

    As mentioned before, despite all the shit I enjoy giving them, Millennials are very likely to become the 21st Century's Greatest Generation because of all the shit they've experienced growing up.

    From the controversy of the 2000 election to 9/11 to the controversy of the 2020 election and all the shit in between, it's been quite an experience for them.

    I think most of them will be good people like "Disaster Girl", Zoe Roth now about 20 years old. She's a beautiful young woman with a great attitude.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1463...-bizarre-fame/

    I remember my parent's generation claiming we were going to screw things up, so I never put stock in the claim that millennials are hopelessly unmotivated and out of their league.

  15. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Cypress For This Post:

    AProudLefty (02-09-2021), Doc Dutch (02-09-2021), Guno צְבִי (02-09-2021)

  16. #25 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136,585
    Thanks
    46,734
    Thanked 68,590 Times in 51,902 Posts
    Groans
    2
    Groaned 2,506 Times in 2,463 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Cypress View Post
    I remember my parent's generation claiming we were going to screw things up, so I never put stock in the claim that millennials are hopelessly unmotivated and out of their league.
    Parents are more conservative, their children are more idealistic. Somewhere in between is the truth.
    God bless America and those who defend our Constitution.

    "Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"

  17. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Doc Dutch For This Post:

    AProudLefty (02-09-2021), Cypress (02-09-2021)

  18. #26 | Top
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    71,667
    Thanks
    6,593
    Thanked 12,128 Times in 9,658 Posts
    Groans
    14
    Groaned 503 Times in 476 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by midcan5 View Post
    'Reason and rationality have never been more important than they are today.' From OP below

    Qanon took a big hit, Trump lost. But consider too their many misses. So why do people still believe. I'll offer some thoughts on topic, included will be many sources for your analysis. Life often doesn't make easy sense, it seems too random, too confusing, too complex, so then why not invent a hidden conspiracy of planners and doers hidden but in control. You can name them too, they fill history. Spirits, ghosts, demons, witches, fill in your favorite foe and instigator. But but we know they are behind it all. It seems so simple, reveal them, but then what do you do? Lots of bad history here. And lots of evil which is often the bad part of conspiracy thought. Make sure you check out the 'Bad Thinkers' piece.

    Bloomberg and others investigated Qanon founder, see YouTube below. I've included several detailed discussions for those who want to investigate the whys and hows of conspiracy thinking. A deep dive into topic.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ed-as-operator


    'EXCLUSIVE: Failed Screenwriter from New Jersey Behind One of QAnon’s Most Influential Personas'

    https://www.logically.ai/articles/ex...ntial-personas


    'What Comes Next For QAnon Followers'

    https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...non-followers/

    'The QAnon Timeline: Four Years, 5,000 Drops and Countless Failed Prophecies'
    https://www.bellingcat.com/news/amer...anon-timeline/


    'How to Extract Adrenochrome from Children'

    https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4750


    'How the QAnon Conspiracy Seduces Normal People'

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...-normal-people


    'Bad thinkers'

    https://aeon.co/essays/the-intellect...racy-theorists


    'Learning By Thinking, A Conversation With Tania Lombrozo '

    https://www.edge.org/conversation/ta...ng-by-thinking


    Bloomberg Qanon Investigation





    'The gullible rarely believe they are gullible and the closed-minded don’t believe they are closed-minded.'
    it would be nice to think someone in deep state cares about the people.

  19. #27 | Top
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    6,180
    Thanks
    2,837
    Thanked 4,318 Times in 2,772 Posts
    Groans
    65
    Groaned 215 Times in 209 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by CASPER View Post
    if Facts and Truth along with limiting the spread of Lies does not work then what is left????????

    Hold on Folks, we are in for a bumpy ride.
    According to opinion polls, as many as one in three Americans believe that the 2020 election was fraudulent. They believe this because Trump and his helpers have been repeating for months that there was "widespread fraud" - with no evidence, of course.

    Trump's motive is clear enough: self-serving as always, he wants to maintain credibility with his followers as the one who can never lose, and he doesn't give a damn what harm it does to the country. He may even have come to believe it himself.

    In a society as free and open as America, it's difficult to see what can be done to stop people who are determined to spread lies, especially if they have a receptive audience. That's why I say that an independent commission should be set up to examine these claims and clear them up once and for all.

  20. #28 | Top
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    73,380
    Thanks
    101,879
    Thanked 54,753 Times in 33,623 Posts
    Groans
    3,154
    Groaned 5,065 Times in 4,683 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ThatOwlWoman View Post
    Hillary is hardly a cult leader. Sorry.
    Not even close, that made me chuckle.

  21. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Phantasmal For This Post:

    christiefan915 (02-09-2021), ThatOwlWoman (02-09-2021)

  22. #29 | Top
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Posts
    86,918
    Thanks
    35,051
    Thanked 21,761 Times in 17,091 Posts
    Groans
    985
    Groaned 2,342 Times in 2,261 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch Uncle View Post
    Another great subject for someone's doctoral thesis.

    We're in an age of transition and transitions are never easy. It's like the transition between being a child to being a teenager to being a full-fledged adult. It's painful growth but necessary as a part of maturation.

    As mentioned before, despite all the shit I enjoy giving them, Millennials are very likely to become the 21st Century's Greatest Generation because of all the shit they've experienced growing up.

    From the controversy of the 2000 election to 9/11 to the controversy of the 2020 election and all the shit in between, it's been quite an experience for them.

    I think most of them will be good people like "Disaster Girl", Zoe Roth now about 20 years old. She's a beautiful young woman with a great attitude.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1463...-bizarre-fame/

    Her brother should also have been a meme.

  23. #30 | Top
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    2,912
    Thanks
    1,543
    Thanked 1,594 Times in 1,057 Posts
    Groans
    146
    Groaned 151 Times in 148 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tranquillus in Exile View Post
    According to opinion polls, as many as one in three Americans believe that the 2020 election was fraudulent. They believe this because Trump and his helpers have been repeating for months that there was "widespread fraud" - with no evidence, of course.

    Trump's motive is clear enough: self-serving as always, he wants to maintain credibility with his followers as the one who can never lose, and he doesn't give a damn what harm it does to the country. He may even have come to believe it himself.

    In a society as free and open as America, it's difficult to see what can be done to stop people who are determined to spread lies, especially if they have a receptive audience. That's why I say that an independent commission should be set up to examine these claims and clear them up once and for all.
    First off, Well Said. Secondly, I like the idea of a commission but I am dubious that they will be able to suggest a viable method to actually deal with it. My thinking is since we are all so tied to the Web and Televisión that a message needs to be pushed to counter the message from the extremists, it might save some.

  24. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to CASPER For This Post:

    PoliTalker (02-09-2021), ThatOwlWoman (02-09-2021), Tranquillus in Exile (02-09-2021)

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-13-2020, 05:33 AM
  2. Replies: 69
    Last Post: 10-22-2020, 02:02 AM
  3. Trump Embraces Domestic Terrorism In QAnon Conspiracy
    By PoliTalker in forum Current Events Forum
    Replies: 33
    Last Post: 08-27-2020, 07:22 AM
  4. Satanism and sex rings: How the QAnon conspiracy theory has taken political root
    By Jack in forum Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories Forum
    Replies: 234
    Last Post: 08-19-2020, 08:29 AM
  5. How three conspiracy theorists took 'Q' and sparked Qanon
    By FUCK THE POLICE in forum Current Events Forum
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 08-14-2018, 05:47 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Rules

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •