http://www.thepsychologist.org.uk/archive/archive_home.cfm?volumeID=23&editionID=190&ArticleID=1694

The truth’, the TV show The X-Files told us, ‘is out there’. Millions of people worldwide seem to agree, disbelieving official accounts of important social and political events. In the United States, for example, scholars have noted a steady increase in the number of poll respondents who believe that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in killing John F. Kennedy (Goertzel, 1994; McHoskey, 1995). In the wake of 9/11, commentators highlighted the proliferation of conspiracy theories about the event (e.g. Goldberg, 2004), with polls suggesting that more than a quarter of respondents believe the US government knew in advance (Zogby International, 2004), participated in, or took no action to stop the attacks (Hargrove & Stempel, 2006).

But conspiracy theories are not a uniquely American phenomenon: in a poll of seven predominantly Muslim countries, Gentzkow and Shapiro (2004) reported that almost four fifths of respondents did not believe the 9/11 attacks were carried out by Arabs, believing instead that it was the work of the US or Israeli governments (for other conspiracy theories in the Middle East, see Zonis & Joseph, 1994). In Britain, the BBC’s documentary series The Conspiracy Files has examined a range of theories in current circulation, including those about the deaths of Princess Diana and UN weapons inspector David Kelly, the bombing of PanAm Flight 103, and the London bombings of 7 July 2005.

Given such widespread belief in conspiracy theories across the globe, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that there remains a dearth of empirical research on the topic (Abalakina-Paap et al., 1999). Part of the problem may be that academics have traditionally not engaged with conspiracy theories for fear of being branded as conspiracy theorists themselves. Until recently, it was not uncommon to find accounts of possible or real conspiracies prefaced by disclaimers of the kind that Ramsay (1990) notes: ‘In intellectually respectable company, it is necessary to preface any reference to… conspiracies with the disclaimer that the speaker “doesn’t believe in the conspiracy theory of history (or politics)”.’

A related problem is in distinguishing between a conspiracy theory and an awareness of genuine political conspiracies. A broad definition of the former was provided in Hofstadter’s (1966) seminal essay, ‘The paranoid style in American politics’, where a conspiracy theory was described as a belief in the existence of a ‘vast, insidious, preternaturally effective international conspiratorial network designed to perpetrate acts of the most fiendish character’ (p.14; for extended discussions, see Bale, 2007; Sunstein & Vermeule, 2009). That such beliefs are relatively widespread suggests that they fulfil certain social functions or psychological needs; given this role, conspiracy theories are deserving of the same academic study as other religious, political or social beliefs (Bale, 2007).


more at the Article

If you actually believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the death of Kennedy you are more gullible than I thought.

The Watergate scandal was a "conspiracy theory" and indeed it was a conspiracy. It became fact when it was proven beyond doubt.

The term "conspiracy theory" has gotten a bad rap. Everything and anything planned by two or more people to commit an act against the law IS A CONSPIRACY.

Therefore, every investigator or investigative reporter is a conspiracy theorist until the uncover the truth.

As for 9-11, there is proof that they suspected an attack by planes could take place. In fact, there were drills going on to defend such attacks several times. If they were so taken by surprise, they would not have been having drills.

This is what has happened. Anything that disputes or questions the official spin or propaganda put out by the government about an incident is labeled a "conspiracy theory."

Do you actually think that your government tells you the truth about what is going on? They have lied to the public so many times it is not even slightly funny. If anyone is responsible for the hatching of conspiracy theories its the lying government.

People are just trying to catch them red handed...... AGAIN.

AND THEY WILL. AND THEY HAVE.

That is good government preparation, making sure all possible events are looked into as intelligence comes in that they may be on the agenda whether or not somebody actually attempts. How in any way is that a cover up or hint at any sort of conspiracy going on?
This is what conspiracy theorists do. They apply their limited and often non-existent knowledge to a subject, and then try and interoperate titbits about it in a way that'll fit their own skewed outlook when it quite happily fits with a normal explaination.

I was showing you that the claim that they had no idea such an attack was coming is a lie. THEY HAD WARNINGS OF SUCH AN ATTACK.

I was NOT talking about a "cover up."

But I have covered all of that cover up stuff, extensively in some of my previous threads which by the way were deleted because of rude people making rude remarks about it.

I have wasted too much time with this subject against people who insist on believing the 9-11 commission cronies and their spun propaganda about what happened.

You can live in la la land if you want. I'm not going to try to show people the truth who don't want to see it.

*pats your head and ruffles your hair*

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/1259

I, Left Gatekeeper: Why the "9/11 Truth" movement makes the "Left Behind" sci-fi series read like Shakespeare


http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=911_morons

If you believe the 9-11 commission's report on 9-11, you are a moron. But most people have not even read it. If they did, they would learn that the 9-11 so-called official "truth" changed with the 9-11 commission's report....>> after the revealing of the so-called "Norad tapes."

Top government officials were supposedly caught in a bald faced lie. So why weren't they reprimanded about it?



And your average person/American does not have a clue what I'm talking about.

That second link is so stupid. It asks the question:

"Since Dylan's arguing that the government has no problem killing 3,000 innocent people, this raises the question: if his documentary is true, and we've established that the government has no ethical qualms about killing thousands of its own people, then why wouldn't the government kill Avery and his friends as well?

Because: There are so many people who are uncovering the cover-up and truth about 9-11 and so many people asking the hard questions, and so many (hundreds) of websites and blogs about it, the government can't just go around shutting down websites and killing people without making themselves look very very guilty.

So their technique is to create more conspiracy theories and websites, and many that are totally absurd and ridiculous and then claim that they are all absurd and ridiculous.

The government can't control the massive amount and flow of information, except with more massive disinformation and propaganda. And so that is what they do.

Anyone who pats my head and ruffles my hair is libel to pull back a bloody stump. Go back to la la land.

Your 9/11 theories pretty much define "la la land".

I don't have any 9/11 theories.

I just know that the 9-11 commission report is bull crap and that it is different from the FIRST "official" 9-11 report.

They can't even get their official reports strait.

It is the people who believe anything the government tells them anytime they decide to tell it to them or change their own story who are living in La La land.

I have forgotten how many times you have changed your story.

Most schizos are completely incoherent and wouldn't even be able to fully process a true conspiracy even if it was in front of their face

^ -this



and psychologists simply get a psychiatrist on staff to sign the scrip

See that proves how little you listen or read anything I have ever posted.

I personally have introduced some theories that other people have. I have never had a theory of my own, nor have I said that I completely support or back any theory.

What I have done is present a lot of questions that have not been been answered. This is only for discussion or to get people to THINK FOR THEMSELVES and not just believe everything the government tells them.

A lot of people a lot smarter than me have a lot of good questions and facts that don't add up. I personally do not have a theory except that the 9-11 commission report is bull crap and the worst and most unbelievable theory of all written and directed and by a guy who majored in propaganda and media spin of history in college.

"I personally do not have a theory except that the 9-11 commission report is bull crap and the worst and most unbelievable theory of all written and directed and by a guy who majored in propaganda and media spin of history in college". Jeanniebean

That alone should raise lots of Questions.

Like "Loose Change"?Or HAARP dood it?
Or the for Decades Buried Nuclear Bombs Under the WTC dood it?

That is a conspiracy Theory.


Governments can fool all the people some of the time...

Some of the people all of the time

They can't fool all the people all of the time

But thankfully there are those that have the balls to challenge and ask Questions.

Field Guide to the Conspiracy Theorist: Dark Minds

When does incredulity become paranoia? Radio personality and filmmaker Alex Jones believes an evil cabal of bankers rules the world.
By John Gartner, Ph.D., published on September 01, 2009 - last reviewed on January 13, 2012

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200909/field-guide-the-conspiracy-theorist-dark-minds

How susceptible are you to conspiracy beliefs? Rate your agreement with the statements below, from 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree.

1. For the most part, government serves the interests of a few
organized groups, such as business, and isn't very concerned about the
needs of people like myself.

2. I have trouble doing what I want to do in the world today.

3. It is difficult for people like myself to have much influence in
public affairs.

4. We seem to live in a pretty irrational and disordered world.

5. I don't trust that my closest friends would not lie to me.

Answer key: 5-11: weakly, 12-18: moderately, 19-25: strongly (Adapted from a scale developed by Patrick Leman)

While we are waiting for the results of that survey I would be very interested in your reading of The New World Order that is taking shape right now.

Concentrating on the financial side of things.

yep,CONSPIRACY anyone?