The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

Yesterday, I released a video debunking chemtrails in response to an obviously disturbed individual’s video.

The person refused to allow it to be posted as a response to their video. This was, of course, expected. These people will not allow their religious faith to be assaulted, at least, that was my assumption. Upon further research, there may be a better explanation:

Goertzel identified three traits as being correlated with a belief in conspiracy theories:

* anomia, the respondent stated a belief that he/she felt alienated or disaffection relative to “the system;”
* a tendency to distrust other people; and
* a feeling of insecurity regarding continued employment.

Citing Volkan, who suggested that insecure and/or discontented people very often feel a need for a tangible enemy on which to externalize their anger, Goertzel notes that conspiracy theories may serve to provide an “enemy” to blame for problems which “otherwise seem too abstract and impersonal.” He further observes that conspiracy theories also provide ready answers for the believer’s unanswered questions and help to resolve contradictions between known ‘facts’ and an individual’s belief system. The latter observation seems to be verified by the widespread acceptance within the Muslim world of the contention that the September 11 attacks were the work of Israel, in conjunction with the Bush Administration, in order to increase anti-Muslim sentiments abroad.6

Surprisingly, Goertzel found that there was no correlation between race, age, and economic status and the latter two traits. Although he did not suggest that the two latter traits mentioned above may be self-perpetuating (people who have experienced employment difficulties in the past may be more distrusting of others which, in turn, may lead to future interpersonal issues that can have a negative impact on employment), intuitive reasoning suggests that this could be possible.

In summary, I accept the published findings and opinions of Goertzel et al as being at least subjectively valid. Successful conspiracy theories are those that to some degree empower the believer against what are perceived as external forces that he/she blames for some unpleasant or undesirable facet of their lives. In addition conspiracy theories serve to absolve the individual of some degree of self-accountability since, if the individual is being “oppressed” by some powerful conspiracy, the individual’s efforts at self-advancement will always be futile and thus become nothing more than “a waste of time.” Sadly, it seems that conspiracy theories and their advocates are now deeply engrained in the popular psyche and without prospects for their ultimate refutation.

Source: The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

Suggested Reading:

Psychology Today

San Fransisco Chronicle

The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories (Power Point Format)

Commentary

This is so sad that so many people are falling prey to these pernicious beliefs, and to those who use those beliefs to make a living…even becoming rich from them. I have tried to reason with some of these people, and found myself frustrated at their universal unwillingness to accept science, and even photographic evidence (even when identifying engine parts from a 757 inside the Pentagon for a 9/11 nut), and eventually, I was accused of being “on the payroll” of X (the Illuminati, Israel, ZOG, Karl Rove), or of being a complete idiot.

I feel like someone trying to tell cavemen that lightning is not made by the gods, that it is just a natural event. Persistent Contrails are the same thing…water vapor frozen into ice crystal in the atmosphere.

I weep for the future of mankind…and the legacy of In Search Of, and the satanic Coast to Coast AM.

Chemtrail Nonsense

I think this is my first foray into the thankless world of posting a video debunking a PCT (Paranoid Conspiracy Theorist). It was also appropriate that I used the bugle call “Fix Bayonets” at the beginning because I may find myself surrounded by hordes of thoughtless tinfoil hat wearing zombies. It could get ugly.

Oh, and here is the video that prompted the above video:

(VIDEO) Crazy Chemtrails in Hendersonville

People are going insane. I weep for the future of mankind when I see videos like these:

Perhaps what the lady needs to do is buy a good guide to the types of clouds, or visit some cloud photo galleries, or science sites. I have loved the sky, and taking photos of clouds for a long time. I’ll see if I have any with me on one of my portable hard drives, or go out and take some today…if it is anything but overcast.

What people are calling chemtrails is nothing more than an artificial cirrus cloud created by water vapor freezing at high altitudes.

Bill Whittle says it better than I can:

Starting with the 747 in 1970, jetliners began to employ a very different kind of jet engine. The first generation of jets — the ones that produced the thin, narrow contrails we used to see — employed what is called a turbojet (or “pure jet”) engine. These are much narrower engines than you usually see today. All of the air that a turbojet encounters goes inside the engine, where it is compressed, injected with fuel and ejected out the rear.
But the 747 pioneered a radical new design, called a turbofan (or “high-bypass”) engine. Just about anything you are likely to get on these days uses these high-bypass engines. They are called high-bypass because they are much wider than an old turbojet. That is because most of the air that enormous fan takes in does not go into the engine at all, but rather around the outside of it. It is, essentially, a huge propeller powered by the ten or twenty percent of the total airflow that actually enters the engine and drives the turbine shaft as it exits under very high pressure.

If you happen to be one of those people who, like me, flatten their face against the window for five hours rather than reading CROSSFIRE on the way home for Thanksgiving, you will often see these jets producing these contrails with your own eyes. Those jets are not filled with poison chemicals or equipped with spraying nozzles, but rather are filled with other people watching your jet produce the same hi-bypass contrails.

So either that explains it, or the whole thing is a high altitude, crop-dusting scheme designed to chemically poison a pernicious pest, namely, you and me. Now you tell me which one seems a little more likely to you, and I will in return advise you whether or not you need to seek professional psychiatric help.

NAFTA Super Highway Corridor #18

This is interesting.

View Larger Map

Subs lost in Underground Ocean

While waiting for the news on XM Radio 165 this morning, I overheard someone saying that U.S. Submarines Thresher and Scorpion were really lost while exploring the ocean underneath the United States.

Of course, the program was discussing the Hollow Earth Theory. At least there are people that are stupider than the Flat Earthers, but not the 9/11 Conspiracy Retards.

Kind of puts the Theory of Evolution into perspective, don’t it?