Why more highly educated people are less into conspiracy theories

by Mickey mouse 31 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  LongHairGal

  RAINBOW TROLL:

  I totally agree with you about conspiracies. In addition to the ones you mention, I'm sure there are more in the making.

  The reason people like to debunk and scoff at conspiracies is because it makes them feel insecure because there is nothing they can do about it. Also, ridicule and discrediting somebody is a weapon to keep others from buying into any such conspiracy.

  I also agree that it is far more likely that powerful persons could be involved in conspiracies as they have the resources to do so. The poor 9 to 5 guy does not have these resources.

  So, I disagree with the opinion that people who believe in conspiracies are "uneducated". However, since there is nothing I can do about these things, I won't lose sleep over it.
• 

  Magwitch

  Thanks Mickey Mouse - very interesting article. Good to see you here! I miss seeing your posts :)
• 

  kairos

  When you find out the earth really is flat...
• 

  baker

  One conspiracy you see every day on the news or any show that is timed, say 6 to 7, is that they conspire to play their commericials at the same time. If the channel you are watching goes to a commercial break and you go to another channel, inevitablly it will be on commercial break 9 out of 10 times.
• 

  Londo111

  "President Eisenhower's foreknowledge of the Pearl Harbor attacks."

  Eisenhower wasn't President in 1941.

  Or perhaps he was...and history has been covered up! :)
• 

  redvip2000

  It's probably important to establish the difference between, a conspiracy and a, "Conspiracy theory.

  
  

  Yup to me this is key as well. There are tons of conspiracies that are true and confirmed. Part of the issue is that it's incredibly hard to keep anything secret, especially if it involves a large number of people. Also some of them are completely illogical.

  For example, the folks that believe that the twin towers came down because of explosives in the buildings. This is completely ridiculous. The amount of people required to do this would be massive. No way you can keep that a secret. Also why? If you wanted to use explosives, then you could use them, and say that a group of terrorists planted explosives, this would sound reasonable to everybody, instead of this elaborate conspiracy.
  
  
• 

  Spoletta

  There is no reasoning with someone who embraces a conspiracy theory, because every single piece of evidence is written off as part of the conspiracy.

  Exactly! Prime examples of this are the Roswell incident and 9/11. I've seen every aspect of those conspiracy theories debunked by respected authorities, yet some expert with crazy hair and pseudo credentials is believed because he's not a member of the Secret Hidden High Moosenuts League that secretly rules the world through their invisible evil machinations. And how do we know this? They're so cleverly hidden that no trace of their existence can be found except in the writings of Philo Beeswax, which were read by Rimaldi Compoti before they were destroyed in the Hindenburg disaster. Luckily, Compoti whispered them to 9 year old Felix Cobby before he succumbed to his burns. His body disappeared and his name was erased from the passenger list of the ill-fated blimp. Felix thereafter devoted his life to uncovering the unholy alliance between the Moosenuts and the Empire of the Knights of Wingnuts.

  I only know this because Compoti came to me in a dream after too many Tacos and Jose Cuervos.
  
  
• 

  redvip2000

  I have a family member that believes that the condensation trails left by airplanes are chemtrails.

  Now this has to be one of the most stupid conspiracy theories ever. He actually looks up in the sky and complains the the government is spraying chemicals in the sky. If you ask him why they would do this, he says it's to control the weather. Now, even if this was true, why would you need to keep this secret?? If my government told me they were trying to control the weather, i would be happy.

  Also, if you needed to spray chemicals in the air and be secret about it, why do it in the day time when everybody can see it? And why can't you develop a formula that doesn't create long white trails in the sky??

  Conclusion: People believe in these things because they are morons. Oh by the way, this person is also a Jdub.
• 

  littlerockguy

  Unless it's a conspiracy theory involving trump and then it's not really a theory but true. TRUMP colluded with the Russians!!!!
  
• 

  blondie

  There are many myths about cults, Hassan notes. For example, many observers assume that cult members are typically lost or runaway youth and that those seeking to rescue them are their parents. Not so, he says. Many cult members are older parents themselves and quite often, it’s their children or siblings who are anxious to reclaim them. In addition, there’s the persistent myth that those with higher incomes and more education are less susceptible to cult recruitment than poorer, less educated individuals. In fact, intellectuals, including middle class college students, are often a prime recruiting demographic, in part, because they are fascinated by esoteric ideologies but also because they may have access to financial resources that cults hope to secure. In fact, many cult members do end up donating their life savings, or in the case of Dahn Yoga, turning over their student loans or maxing out their parents’ credit cards to help support group activities

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-j-lawrence/for-those-trapped-in-reli_b_2530081.html