Calling Steemit Conspiracy Theorists: Should I Even Bother "Debunking?"
I'm looking for help figuring this out
is it worth covering nonsensical right-wing false flag conspiracy theories, because while they do attract a lot of attention, I don't want to make them seem legitimate, and most committed conspiracy theorists would see the debunking as further evidence of the conspiracy
Conspiracy theorists and skeptics alike, let me know your thoughts...
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
Don't bother, it's a mental disorder. You'll never be able to convince them. Just focus on your audience.
The hope is some strong form of therapy is developed in the future that'll allow such people to accept common sense, reason and evidence.
PS: Upvoting 1% to counter a downvote. Do note, my response here is one out of concern.
First, I think as a reporter you report on facts and put out the story regardless if it isn’t popular or sexy or interesting because it’s just what journalist do unlike let’s say a tabloid writer that only deals with hot stories. I don’t think the fact it won’t change the opinion of many of the people should really be a factor.
Second, I think there are still a lot of people that don’t believe it but may think a certain detail is true that may not be. Also, there are people like my dad that voted for Trump but isn’t part of his base and will get some news from Fox News or Facebook that isn’t factual but they don’t realize it. My dad and I will occasionally discuss politics and then he will throw out a fake propaganda story he thought was true and I will pull out my iPad and show him the actual facts and how certain things are being spun out of context to draw an incorrect conclusion.
It’s worth doing a video debunking point by point these conspiracies because while it may not change the mind of the crazy infowar viewer, there are still a lot of people that may not be big into politics and only heard about events in passing or a shared Facebook post and are believing in the conspiracy only because that’s all they heard about it and didn’t take the time to dig further.
Good points, except whose facts would you use? Everyone is running around stating "facts" but most of the facts can be spun to fit an agenda.
actually, @biga3723 you are probably right on this. (you've changed my mind about what David should do.) I think you've encapsulated the problem quite neatly and it is the wavering majority that holds the sway of influence. so yes @davidpakman.. go for it, shake the tree, the bad apples always fall first.. I just made that up by the way
Committed conspiracy theorists would see everything as evidence of the conspiracy. I saw flat earthers saying the starmen video is evidence for their conspiracy.
Debunk some right wing conspiracies, would be fun to watch.
Debunking isn't the term I would push to use to fight this kind of abuse of truth. Providing the evidence why these people are wrong, point out their conflicts of interest, showing others how corrupt they are is definitely worth doing. But addressing them is not advised. That's what they want, your attention. Use your platform to put the truth out there davidpakman.
It is a good ethical question and I think it is great you think about it. I also think it is a good idea to have a discussion about it.
Here are my two cents:
There are believers and disbelievers and there is another group: people who don't know yet. I think they are the important group and for them it is helpful to go into details. I understand it means you get maybe responses from believers and then it seems to be an unending circle. I think you can tackle that by being rational and friendly all the time, even if you think it is utter nonsens that is proclaimed. Correct and rational behaviour beams knowledge and will help making your point.
Another reason to say yes is because of words. Not everybody is great with words, you are. So by making videos debunking conspiracy theories you are actively helping people finding words to argue and creating an understandable opinion.
Now to be mean, there are also people who believe what they hear the most. They probably don't realise that for themselves but it creates the situation that your voice matters because of numbers of people speaking out.
I read an article recently.. can't remember where but it basically said a study suggested that people who support right wing politics are much more likely to share fake news.
Are you a leftie?
We could do a simple test here if you wanted to prove my theory.
mm, I am left handed, thus a right brain thinker. I'm sure that has some influence on my perception of politics although I would add that I think the two party system is very limiting, if convenient for those in power.
Go on do a simple test to prove your theory.. or at least collect some evidence to back it up :)
What if Right and Left was not actually a thing? I'm more thinking it's government or no government. It doesn't really matter who gets voted in in any of these countries, the government stays in power and things will slowly move up the scale. The made up rules we have to follow very rarely get taken out. There is just more and more added until one day.... whoops..... we made it to the top of the scale again.
I think the greatest conspiracy of all time is the invention of the word conspiracy... Think about it. You can discredit anything by calling it a conspiracy...
Yep, the CIA is credited with coming up with the terms ‘conspiracy theory’ and ‘conspiracy theorist’.
How do I know if this is a true fact or a conspiracy theory? I guess that's the point... ;)
I agree, it's a great way to psychologically de-legitamise criticism or investigation of hard truths. and it's effective, it was dreamed up by the intel community as a way of debunking anyone who got too warm... probably ;)
It's a government conspiracy to create a bunch of conspiracy theorists!
it's a conspiracy to bury conspiracies under a pile of goonies.. and it works incredibly well .. 93.45% of the time !! ;)
Google warren commission ;)
Actually.. it is.
Do research on the warren commission.
They were the ones investigating the JFK assassination, and they were the ones who coined the work conspiracy theory.. to silence people asking questions about the assassination.
Thanks for the background story... Nuts!
Wow...that's just...how? Are these people so self absorbed and so simple minded that they can't fathom such a thing can happen? That it's easier to believe a story involving a large number of players, moving parts, scripts, rehearsals, and choreography to pull it off than the possibility that a single individual or a small group went to a public place and shot it up without thinking about the consequences? Who would be willing to pay people for such an elaborate event? Who would actually accept a job to participate in such a stunt? Is it a reasonable thought to want people who think this was a hoax to be shot as well? Yeah, Alex Jones, how about you go to south Florida and tell the families of the victims their children aren't real. It's easy to sit on your ass in a totally different state and say it didn't happen because you weren't shot yourself.
Wow...This made me so mad. Not you, David, but the inane drivel public figures can come up with I imagine to help them sleep at night. Coincidentally, I attended this school in the 90s. It's a strange feeling to learn about a place from your childhood had just fallen victim to a mass shooting.
yeah, it is truly horrifying.
I think it's a good thing people are asking questions, no matter what the scenario is.
You know some people have actually called for people who have conspiracy theories to be locked up, fined, or just silenced.
Think about that for a moment. Anyone who disagrees with the official narrative should be silenced.
That's what the nazis did..
Wouldn't be funny if the right and left.. using those ambiguous terms finally see that they have been pulling the greatest conspiracy of all,
the left right dialectic is being seen by many now as the great distraction that it is....maybe they are the " crisis actors of political consciousness, in a frightful play...seducing those that believe in armed or unarmed protection, and enlightening others that this seemingly ridiculous play has gotten to the last act and the curtain....is about to fall on believing that any law can have an effect on the human heart?.....except maybe the the un-law of Love?.....sound chezzy?
If thats not it, Maybe....the only thing left then is to arm your self to the teeth...or be scared of the one that does....haven't we all seen a movie like that?....Personally, I don't like the ending...of that film. Let's call for a Script change, shall we?
Ps...I have heard that many with political power have tremendous investment in gun and ammo stock...both left and right....the NRA is the problem?....lol