Seems to me it starts with someone who validates their doubts, discomfort, or dissatisfaction, which feels good, so they keep looking for more. They’re told they are special and smart because they don’t follow the masses. That’s it. All the proof that is required.
SW-User
@JustNik Great summation. Seems like some deep seated need for attention.
SW-User
@JustNik Absolutely 100% agreed. They get their information from videos that almost all sound like,
[quote]"I’m going to connect some dots and I’m going to present you with some (loaded) information. What you do with this information is up to you.” [/quote]
So you get to feel smart, like a free thinker, and best of all the creator of said content can hold his hands up and say "I never said that" when it inevitably backfires.
@Elessar Ha! Good point actually. Maybe they are the sheeple.
SW-User
@Magenta Well I think it's pretty well known that Roswell and Area 51 was a red herring, and that the alien shtick was bandied about by the US military to keep people distracted from what terrestrial technologies they were really working on...
@SW-User Meh. Not what I was referring to. I don't really care about that. You posed a great question. I think Justnik summed it up well.
Some of the fanatical bizarre theories like the earth doesn't rotate, or it's flat. is absurdly cray cray when you have not one shred of evidence.🤣
Being a conspiracy theorist does no good or means nothing if one isn't actually, tangibly, causing and creating change. Otherwise it's nothing but redundant opinions and meme's.
I don't think there is a gold standard. My experiences with conspiracy theorists here indicate that they don't wait for "proof" or "confirmation" or even "evidence." They tend to believe whatever makes them feel good (superior, enraged, victimized, whatev) and avoid anything that might challenge their chosen opinions.
SW-User
@ElwoodBlues It's the old playing chess with a pigeon thing isn't it. As soon as their beliefs are challenged "they knock over the pieces, shit on the board, and strut around like they've won". I get it
I'm not a conspiracy theorists, but I have known a few in my life, and from my experience, conspiracy theorists are proven right by their own thoughts ,or one other conspiracy theorist agreeing with them
The Gold standard.... oh your not asking what the gold standard is.. Your asking what is the gold standard confirmation of a conspiracy theory.. I was about to explain to you what the gold standard was...
"Conspiracy, in common law, is an agreement between two or more persons to commit an unlawful act or to accomplish a lawful end by unlawful means." (Britannica)
So you would need proof via written communication between the conspirators, an independent witness (unlikely), audio/visual recordings, a money trail through electronic accounts, and/or physical evidence of a direct chain of causation.
From my experience with them they never feel proven right. The conspiracy is always to be proven at some indefinite time but that time never comes. Thus they stay in a state of constant war against nebulous and magical forces and remain connon fodder for political strongmen or religious leaders to take advantage of.
