Humans are rationalizing creatures, much more than rational ones. Our first gut reaction is trying to make sense of why we think what we think and why we behave how we behave, rather than trying to figure out if it does actually make sense. If this natural tendency could be changed, the world would be far less of a shithole.
This is why, rather than slapping people in the face with a mountain of research, I try to ask them questions that lead them to the conclusion I want them to reach. Oh we discuss along the way, but you get a lot less of the black and white thinking bold statements that someone entrenched in their beliefs tends to make
The research backs up your statement. Especially if you yourself are genuinely interested in the conversation, and also willing to update your own thinking, along with helping get everyone in the conversation to start understanding the real answers.
In case you haven’t listened to it, the You Are Not So Smart podcast covers the topic of how to get people to change on a pretty regular basis. It’s a great podcast that talks a lot about conspiracies, misinformation, and how to combat them.
https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/
My favorite part of this podcast is that if you listen to it from the start (nearly 300 episodes at this point), you can hear him slowly become very jaded and pessimistic, but then as the podcast goes on, he starts turning around his opinion and gets exited and optimistic about all the progress that is made. It’s a really great podcast and makes me excited for the future.
I try real hard to not only change my mind but vocally (typographically) acknowledge when I was wrong because it’s so goddamnit rare and infuriating.
This is like a meta level recursion.
If there’s one I’ve learned after being on the internet for 17 years, it’s this; you can throw an entire mountain of evidence at a conspiracy theorist and they STILL won’t believe you.
Meanwhile back in reality…
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Fluoride in drinking water isn’t safe
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Iraq doesn’t have WMDs and we destroyed their country killing millions for some other reason
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The government is spying on everything you do
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JFK assassination must be shady since they keep refusing to release the final documents on it
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New world order (globalism) is real and now they openly hold meetings and promote the idea
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The vaccines were not “safe and effective” and many people were maimed and injured for a non-sterilizing vaccine that could never have stopped COVID
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UFOs apparently do exist and Congress is admitting it
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The government is brain washing people (MKUltra)
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The internet is all bots and shills (Dead internet)
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Many powerful people are pedophiles
Just a handful of “crazy conspiracy theories” that are all seemingly accepted as true now.
um… no? no these aren’t all accepted as true now. a couple of those things are, and a couple more are kinda halfway to reality but the rest… dude you need to examine your media diet, someone’s feeding you bullshit
Many powerful people are pedophiles
Undeniably true
The internet is all bots and shills (Dead internet)
Undeniably true and getting worse every day now
The government is brain washing people (MKUltra)
Undeniably true
UFOs apparently do exist and Congress is admitting it
Undeniably true, were just halfway to the reality of what they are but weird UFOs apparently do exist
The vaccines were not “safe and effective” and many people were maimed and injured for a non-sterilizing vaccine that could never have stopped COVID
Undeniably true. They were saying “safe and effective” before they even knew it had heightened myocarditis risk. The risk to young men in particular is very high and much higher than any risk they faced from COVID.
New world order (globalism) is real and now they openly hold meetings and promote the idea
Undeniably true. WEF just had their meeting. Countries are signing away rights to WHO. Politicians openly used the words “new world order” several times during COVID.
JFK assassination must be shady since they keep refusing to release the final documents on it
Halfway to reality.
The government is spying on everything you do
Undeniably true. There’s a guy in Russia and another in prison in the UK who proved that one already.
Iraq doesn’t have WMDs and we destroyed their country killing millions for some other reason
Undeniably true.
Fluoride in drinking water isn’t safe
Halfway to reality, it’s already admitted now previous studies to prove safety were deeply flawed, and new studies are showing risk of neurological damage.
Read The Demon-Haunted World
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It is morally as bad not to care whether a thing is true or not, so long as it makes you feel good, as it is not to care how you got your money as long as you have got it. - Edmund Way Teale
