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“Truth? You can't handle the truth!”

Started by The Legendary Shark, 18 March, 2011, 06:52:29 PM

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The Legendary Shark

Gawd, I just can't get this quotations thing right, can I?  :lol:
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TordelBack

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 19 March, 2011, 07:26:32 PM
Gawd, I just can't get this quotations thing right, can I?  :lol:

Well as someone once said, "Gawd, I just can't get this quotations thing right, can I?".

The Legendary Shark

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Emperor

I have read up on more than my fair share of conspiracy theories (although not as much as sharky I suspect) and gone on jaunts into their wild outer reaches (going back to the days when you had to get this information from dodgy pamphlets and self-printed books from strange little book shops and small ads in strange magazines touting lists of books that'd reveal secret histories of the world.

While governments and groups of powerful individuals do get up to some dark and nasty things (which may even count as a "conspiracy" in the broad sense), I have yet to find anything to suggest conspiracism is real and valid. An awful lot of the time things seem to get slashed by Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." This is obviously, related to Occam's razor which also applies, some of the big conspiracy theories are so vast and complex, it'd be impossible to keep them secret, someone out of all the thousands that would need to have to break cover. I'm not ruling anything out, of course, and try and keep up with developments, but I've yet to be convinced there is any grounds to rule anything in. It can be great fodder for stories though ;)

My main concern is that conspiracism distracts from the actual stories of lesser dirty deals and incompetence that we really need to know about. However, I'd not go as far to suggest a conspiracy theory about conspiracy theories, in that the global elite helps nudge these theories along and give them enough oxygen to thrive, so it is great cover for their actual age-old, and much less flashy, dirty dealing - if anyone questions them they can be easily dismissed as conspiracy theorists. You are just better of with something by John Pilger (or by Paul Foot, especially over the Lockerbie bombings than watching Loose Change.

Although now I think about it, Charlie Sheen was a big supporter of 911 conspiracy theories, surely all his recent behaviour is some CIA mind control operation? Back to the conspiracy mines for me.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

The Legendary Shark

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Emperor

if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Jared Katooie

Quote from: GordonR on 19 March, 2011, 07:20:23 PM
101 ways to know when a discussion is dead.

#87:  When anyone starts regurgitating chunks of stuff from Wikipedia, as if any of it actually means anything.

And there I was thinking there was a great discussion going on. Wrong again, I guess.


radiator

QuoteWhile governments and groups of powerful individuals do get up to some dark and nasty things (which may even count as a "conspiracy" in the broad sense), I have yet to find anything to suggest conspiracism is real and valid. An awful lot of the time things seem to get slashed by Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." This is obviously, related to Occam's razor which also applies, some of the big conspiracy theories are so vast and complex, it'd be impossible to keep them secret, someone out of all the thousands that would need to have to break cover. I'm not ruling anything out, of course, and try and keep up with developments, but I've yet to be convinced there is any grounds to rule anything in. It can be great fodder for stories though Wink

My main concern is that conspiracism distracts from the actual stories of lesser dirty deals and incompetence that we really need to know about.

I started typing out a reply earlier, but couldn't express myself succinctly enough - Emperor has put what I was trying to say far more eloquently than I could myself.

I'm sure that governments do dodgy stuff all the time, but it's usually of the sort that is just depressing and mundane rather than the fantastical, outlandish, audacious or exciting type of stuff that conspiracy theorists would have us believe.

Take the invasion of Iraq - imo more the inevitable result of a vague, misguided, greed-based, messily bureaucratic consensus than the work of some sort of robe-wearing shadowy cabal who secretly run the entire world.

The Legendary Shark

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Emperor

if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

House of Usher

STRIKE !!!

Proudhuff

Quote from: radiator on 19 March, 2011, 10:30:16 PM
QuoteWhile governments and groups of powerful individuals do get up to some dark and nasty things (which may even count as a "conspiracy" in the broad sense), I have yet to find anything to suggest conspiracism is real and valid. An awful lot of the time things seem to get slashed by Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." This is obviously, related to Occam's razor which also applies, some of the big conspiracy theories are so vast and complex, it'd be impossible to keep them secret, someone out of all the thousands that would need to have to break cover. I'm not ruling anything out, of course, and try and keep up with developments, but I've yet to be convinced there is any grounds to rule anything in. It can be great fodder for stories though Wink

My main concern is that conspiracism distracts from the actual stories of lesser dirty deals and incompetence that we really need to know about.

I started typing out a reply earlier, but couldn't express myself succinctly enough - Emperor has put what I was trying to say far more eloquently than I could myself.

I'm sure that governments do dodgy stuff all the time, but it's usually of the sort that is just depressing and mundane rather than the fantastical, outlandish, audacious or exciting type of stuff that conspiracy theorists would have us believe.

Take the invasion of Iraq - imo more the inevitable result of a vague, misguided, greed-based, messily bureaucratic consensus than the work of some sort of robe-wearing shadowy cabal who secretly run the entire world.

seconded my robed brother!

by the way there's hope for us all, well most of us:

A practical observation on the risks of stupidity was made by the German General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord in Truppenführung, 1933: "I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious, and the stupid. Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities. Those who are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments. Use can be made of those who are stupid and lazy. The man who is clever and lazy however is for the very highest command; he has the temperament and nerves to deal with all situations. But whoever is stupid and industrious is a menace and must be removed immediately!"[

DDT did a job on me

Robin Low

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 25 March, 2011, 04:17:06 AMThe idiot cycle: What you aren't being told about cancer. Part 2

http://rt.com/programs/documentary/idiot-cycle-cancer-film2/

This didn't tell me anything about cancer, either. Is it meant to be ironic?

Regards

Robin

Definitely Not Mister Pops

I remember seeing a web site that listed everthing The Daily Mail has claimed to cause and/or prevent Cancer. There was a shocking amount of self contradiction, the bawbags
You may quote me on that.

The Legendary Shark

Part 1 had more info about carcinogens in food, bath products, everyday items etc - but the time limit for watching on-line had passed. (I didn't know, for example, that talcum powder can cause cancer.)
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