Conspiracy Theories

Signs, Signs Everywhere There’s Signs…

by

How to spot a conspiracy theory when you see one

The Open University–Anyone who engages critically with the phenomenon of conspiracy theories soon encounters a conundrum. Actual conspiracies occur quite regularly. Political assassinations, scandals and cover-ups, terrorist attacks and a lot of everyday government activity involves the collusion of multiple people in the attempt to bring about a desired outcome.

This poses a crucial question. How do we differentiate between genuine plots and conspiracies, and those that we usually associate with the term “conspiracy theory” – namely an erroneous or misguided way of thinking? How do we know, for example, when questions about the origins of coronavirus are legitimate concerns and when they should be dismissed as a conspiracy theory?

Read more

In A World Full Of Lies…

by

The Truth Will Be Called Conspiracy

Orwell’s ‘Newspeak’ is already here:

ante — the prefix that replaces before
artsem — artificial insemination
bb — Big Brother[a]
bellyfeel — the blind, enthusiastic acceptance of an idea
blackwhite — to accept whatever one is told, regardless of the facts. In the novel, it is described as “to say that black is white when [the Party says so]” and “to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary”. (See also 2 + 2 = 5)
crimestop — to rid oneself of or fail to understand unorthodox thoughts that go against Ingsoc’s ideology
crimethink — thoughts and concepts that go against Ingsoc such as liberty, equality, and privacy, and also the criminal act of holding such thoughts. Frequently referred to by the standard English “thoughtcrime”.
dayorder — order of the day
dep — department
doubleplusgood — the word that replaces Oldspeak words meaning “superlatively good”, such as excellent, fabulous, and fantastic

Read more

Is This The Truth That’s Out There?

by

Whistleblower tells Congress the US is concealing ‘multi-decade’ program that captures UFOs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.

Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ latest foray into the world of UAPs — or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.