Conspiracy theories & how to combat them.

Take her off Facebook.

Thing with social media is that people follow / friend people or websites that seem to have similar interests and it can lead to a very one-dimensional view of things where everyone is posting the same sort of thing and you rarely get to hear the alternative views because you’ve self selected not to hear them (maybe without even knowing).

Conspiracy thoeries in general can be quite hard to debunk because anyone claiming otherwise gets branded as being in on it, one of the conspirators; any alternative view (even when backed up by science) is actually a conspiracy to discredit “the truth”.

😆

Seriously, paper clip salesmen? I don’t believe there’s any such thing these days.

That’s what they want you to believe.

You’ve seen a paper clip haven’t you? Who did you buy it from?
Must’ve been someone…..paper clips don’t just sell themselves.

Can’t remember what the bloke looked like? Never saw his face?
Is that giving you an uneasy feeling?…. just have a vague impression of some questionable footwear?

You are experiencing deja shoe.

Has she watched Eutopia? You should probably suggest it if not.

You’ve seen a paper clip haven’t you? Who did you buy it from?
Must’ve been someone…..paper clips don’t just sell themselves.

They come from eBay. You’ve heard of the internet, right? Or maybe you think it’s a conspiracy?

They come from eBay.

Yeah…..but who did eBay get them from?

Makes you think…..

just have a vague impression of some questionable footwear?

LOL 😀

You’ve seen a paper clip haven’t you? Who did you buy it from?
Must’ve been someone…..paper clips don’t just sell themselves.

They just turn up don’t they? I suspect they are involved in some bizarre matter transfer thing with socks that go missing.

Yeah…..but who did eBay get them from?

Just to help you out. You clearly think there’s something sinister about paper clips, but they’ve been around for years. Despite what you claim, they were not invented by lizards as a convenient way of hiding in plain sight.

I’m guessing you won’t believe me. And you’ll start trying to discredit madehow.com, which is a very, very beautiful and reliable source believe me, but you are being RIDICULOUS!

They just turn up don’t they?

That’s exactly what these shadowy figures of chaos want you to think.

Ther have been unconfirmed reports that high ranking officers within their organisation (Captain and above) use some sort of stroboscopic, light device which sends out a strong Flash
which affects your memory by causing a shock to your circulatory system, particularly the Heart and lungs.

These sinister agents are sometimes referred to as “The Men in Beige”

If you think thats bad , I know someone who belives that there is a man living in the sky & he watches everything that everybody on the planet does.

This man is apparently going to judge us after our death & if we have not adheared to his rules , we are going to be tortured for eternity! (but he loves us & is all about forgivness)

Anyways, if you go to a building evey sunday & pray to him, even though he has a grand plan, he will change it just for you.

Scary huh?

She sounds completely bonkers…

Perhaps you could encourage her to do some voluntary work with refugees from Syria or Yemen to show her there’s really nothing to worry about.

You clearly think there’s something sinister about paper clips, but they’ve been around for years. Despite what you claim, they were not invented by lizards as a convenient way of hiding in plain sight.

You have provided sources to prove that paper clips and paperclip factories exist and are a real thing.
It’s a logical assumption that the people who own these factories are producing a product in order to sell it.
On that basis I would contend that the existence of people whose job it is to sell this product i.e paper clip salesmen is a provable fact.

Denying the existence of paperclip salesmen is a totally irrational belief.

Seriously, paper clip salesmen? I don’t believe there’s any such thing

I can’t believe i’ve been drawn into an internet argument with such a crackpot. 😉

Despite what you claim, they were not invented by lizards as a convenient way of hiding in plain sight.

Ah, but what about crocodile clips?

You have provided sources to prove that paper clips and paperclip factories exist and are a real thing.
It’s a logical assumption that the people who own these factories are producing a product in order to sell it.

Fake news! VERY UN-SINGLETRACK!

If you think thats bad , I know someone who belives that there is a man living in the sky & he watches everything that everybody on the planet does.

Sexist drivel.

Fake news! VERY UN-SINGLETRACK!

Fake? …….or your perception of reality has been altered by our stationery overlords?

Not to be trusted, those paper clip salesmen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip

jivehoneyjive – Member
She sounds completely bonkers…

😯

Dude, what?

Someone (no idea who) once said that you can’t reason someone out of an opinion or position that they didn’t reason themselves into.

Applies to politics a bit (see anyone who thinks Trump or Corbyn are “good leaders”) religion a lot and conspiracy theories even more so.

My theory is that in some areas peoples thought processes go slightly off kilter and if untruths or non facts go uncorrected its not just a bit of misinformation that needs to be corrected but a whole interlinked world view.

Which of course leads to Voltaire “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”

Frightening thought in these times.

Paperclips….

Where do they come from

The Paperclip Machine

Fast forward to 2:20 to find the bit that would make a great “Gif you could watch all day” 🙂

you can’t reason someone out of an opinion or position that they didn’t reason themselves into.

Been trawling around the net a bit. This was interesting:

https://writersblik.wordpress.com/tag/r-m-hare/%5B/url%5D

Essentially, as other commenters have noted, belief in conspiracy theories, religion and ideological politics ar bliks, as defined by the philosopher RM Hare. The beliefs are unverifiable, and ultimately unfalsifiable, as in his parable of the Paranoid Man.

The Story of the Killer Dons (aka The Parable of the Paranoid Man)

“A certain lunatic is convinced that all dons want to murder him. His friends introduce him to all the mildest and most respectable dons that they can find, and after each of them has retired, they say, ‘You see, he doesn’t really want to murder you; he spoke to you in a most cordial manner; surely you are convinced now?’ But the lunatic replies, ‘Yes, but that was only his diabolical cunning; he’s really plotting against me the whole time, like the rest of them; I know it, I tell you.’ However many kindly dons are produced, the reaction is still the same.”

I think you really have to worry if you suffer from pronoia – the belief that people are conspiring to help you.

I know someone who belives that there is a man living in the sky & he watches everything that everybody on the planet does.

Even more ridiculous, I know someone who gets on a bike at the weekend and rides around in a massive circle over big hills just for the hell of it. Insanity.

Anyway – another excellent book:

The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer

Starts off slightly waffly but then gets sciencey in a solid neurological way.

Surprised this[/url] hasn’t made it here yet

I thought you couldn’t really challenge them because they just double down when they are.

Not to be trusted, those paper clip salesmen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip

jivehoneyjive – Member
She sounds completely bonkers…

Dude, what?

Sometimes it’s not about the paper clips, but the paper trail…

Allen Dulles, later head of the CIA, was one of the key architects of Operation Paperclip, which led to such projects as MK-ULTRA

With Prescott Bush (Dubya and Jeb’s grandad), Dulles was also one of the key players in arranging the finances that led to WW2, maintaining financial support for the Nazi’s throughout the war then when the war was over laundering the profits of the Nazi’s exploits via Fritz Thyssen’s contacts within the Dutch Monarchy.

Is that conspiracy theory? Nope, just documented history which for some reason or other isn’t particularly well publicized

Just don’t ask how it relates to the Bilderberg Group…

Paperclips? Not that many required with so few public documents…