This is an interesting article in the Manchester Guardian about an anti-conspirathy theory group in the US. Grown out of an absurdist reaction to fragile white guys counter protesting against feminist marching. I love a plausible lie, (my best is convincing a colleague that a contractor was Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud dad) but this bloke has taken it to another level.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/14/the-lunacy-is-getting-more-intense-how-birds-arent-real-took-on-the-conspiracy-theorist s">Birds Aren't real.
Linky no worky for me?
I think the key point on this is at the start of the article.
" Peter McIndoe, now 23, was studying psychology at the University of Arkansas "
It looks like a little project in social psychology he's started to see who in the population takes this as fact. I expect it will be his final report, possibly even looking to produce a PhD from this.
YT link The 'birds arent real' is at the beginning of the vid.
Comments are hilarious, clearly theres some real halfwits out there.
'TREAL
Also
It's great fun. Helps that birds are definitely a bit uncanny. I mean, watch a pigeon moving, it's not very convincing is it?
All very USA centric. Robins are the ones watching us here. The other “birds” are just to distract us from them. I mean… murmurations…? A bit obvious really.
Birds are rweal but they are controlled by grey squirrels. Must kill grey squirrels!
Birds are rweal but they are controlled by grey squirrels. Must kill grey squirrels!
Now it makes sense!
Nothing to add, just wanted to say I saw a magpie without its tail feathers last week, looked freaky
So what does that make sparrowhawks, taking out the other birds? Are they agents of the alliance working for our freedom?
There is a pheasant that stalks around our garden most days....I'm assuming this is a sleeper cell, hiding in plain sight, waiting for my guard to slip.
Troubling times.
When technology goes wrong, you need recalls … hence sparrowhawks. The big question is… are the sparrowhawks real, and if they are not, do they know they are not?
Pigeons are liars
When I questioned my teens on this, they immediately said that lockdown was just a cover so they could change the batteries in the birds.
It looks like a little project in social psychology he’s started to see who in the population takes this as fact. I expect it will be his final report, possibly even looking to produce a PhD from this.
I am not sure how he would have spun it to the ethics committee.
That’s brilliant.
This is vaguely related. The assertion that Global Warming is caused by the steady decline of pirates in the world. The graph correlation is uncanny! 🙂
How about the relationship between divorce and margarine consumption? Or drownings and Nicholas Cage films...
The T shirts are great.😁
Anyone gone through the purchase process far enough to find out the shipping cost of a t-shirt, because that one is ace 🤣
I’m pretty sure this subject has been covered on here in the past. I’m just off to bed, as it’s nearly midnight and my alarm for work tomorrow is 5am, so if someone fancies a dig around, be my guest.
’night all.
While we’re on a conspiracy ‘tip’, does anyone here know the name of this conspiracy theory:
It basically involved some bloke on YouTube claiming that small historical details have been altered recently.
He would present an old, recently unearthed video of say, a natural disaster.
Then he would compare it with footage that had been around in the public domain, and point out any inconsistencies.
There was a name for this, the ‘(something) paradox’.
Any ideas?
And yes, there’s the germ of a really good joke in there😜
If it flies, it spies.
While we’re on a conspiracy ‘tip’, does anyone here know the name of this conspiracy theory:
Might be the Tartarian thing, with mud floods and melted buildings/rocks.
I love a plausible lie, (my best is convincing a colleague that a contractor was Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud dad)
Good work. I convinced a colleague (waves at DerekStarship) that the former lead singer of Terrorvision was servicing one of our CNC milling machines.
As funny as it is, does anybody else find it a slightly terrifying concept?
I mean, one could imagine it being a very effective method of surveilence. It's also easily imaginable that we'll one day have the technology to do it quite convincingly.
What if one day, birds AREN'T real - Or at least some of them?
As funny as it is, does anybody else find it a slightly terrifying concept?
I mean, one could imagine it being a very effective method of surveilence. It’s also easily imaginable that we’ll one day have the technology to do it quite convincingly.
What if one day, birds AREN’T real – Or at least some of them?
Maybe some of them really, really aren't real!
Probably best to avoid birds then, just in case. Can you prove to me that they are real?!!??111
Do your own research people!!
And so on....
When I questioned my teens on this, they immediately said that lockdown was just a cover so they could change the batteries in the birds.
Genius! 🤣
if no one has posted it, this waitbutwhy article on birds had me crying with laughter
https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/10/dark-secrets-bird-world.html
What if one day, birds AREN’T real – Or at least some of them?
They'd soon be found out as people's cats caught them and found them full of electronics, or broken ones fell out of the sky onto people's lawns.
And it's a spectacularly difficult engineering challenge to do something that they can already do! CCTV is everywhere, homes are filled with smart speakers etc etc etc.
Then he would compare it with footage that had been around in the public domain, and point out any inconsistencies.
Sounds like a variation of the Mandela Effect conspiracy.
While we’re on a conspiracy ‘tip’, does anyone here know the name of this conspiracy theory:
It basically involved some bloke on YouTube claiming that small historical details have been altered recently.
He would present an old, recently unearthed video of say, a natural disaster.
Then he would compare it with footage that had been around in the public domain, and point out any inconsistencies.There was a name for this, the ‘(something) paradox’.
Any ideas?
And yes, there’s the germ of a really good joke in there😜
It’s the ‘Mandala Effect’.
See also the X-files, series 11, episode 4.
Sci man Dan has done a video on a couple of these fruitcakes in the past.
I love a plausible lie, (my best is convincing a colleague that a contractor was Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud dad)
Good work. I convinced a colleague (waves at DerekStarship) that the former lead singer of Terrorvision was servicing one of our CNC milling machines.
I was listing to an interview with Reece Sheersmith and Steven Pembeton and one (I forget who) had convinced the other for years that Tony Hart and Johnny Morris were a couple.
I told my younger cousin that she was adopted when I was about 12 and she was about 7-8. Basically just to shut her up and make her go away.
She approached me on her 18th birthday and asked me what I knew about her real parents as her 'adopted' parents had altered her birth certificate to make it look like they were he real parents.
It took am about 1/4 hour to even understand what she was going on about and then remember the conversation a decade earlier. My hesitancy and 'claimed lack of memory' convinced her even more that it was a family conspiracy to hide the truth from her.
My barber spent 25 minutes trying to convince me that the moon landings were faked. Next visit I upped the ante and started going on about how the moon isn’t real. Anyway to cut a long story short, don’t antagonise your barber while he’s in the process of cutting your hair.
Anyway to cut a long story short, don’t antagonise your barber while he’s in the process of cutting your hair.
Pics of the final cut?
@WCA - I think that's a really sad story. It would be really hilarious if she attached electrodes to your genitals and cranked up the voltage to make you 'tell her the truth'!
My barber spent 25 minutes trying to convince me that the moon landings were faked.
Do you and I share barbers or is it a requirement of the job? Apparently gravity isn’t a thing either (and the earth is flat, obviously). I quite look forward to my haircuts tbh.
@WCA – I think that’s a really sad story. It would be really hilarious if she attached electrodes to your genitals and cranked up the voltage to make you ‘tell her the truth’!
Anyone else thinking WCA v electrodes could be a tough game to call?
Turns out this conspiracy theory was true LOL ...
No need to worry, all that needs in terms of countermeasures is a cat drone and they've been about for years.
I convinced an apprentice years ago that the US Naval fleet was bombed in Poole Harbour.
Also convinced another one that, when the lottery numbers are drawn on Saturday night, it's still early afternoon in the US, so obviously the lottery draw hasn't taken place there yet, and as the internet is global you could find out the numbers and then enter from abroad.
Some people will believe anything if you say it with enough authority and conviction...