A Primer on Conspiracy Theories
You find them everywhere on the Internet. Whispers of dark doings by Governments around the world, shadowy figures that manipulate human events for dark ends, and the refusal of those in power to tell the truth; even when confronted with evidence. Every release by Wikileaks adds to the fire as we're bombarded with the seedier aspects of our government’s behavior. If you spend enough time on the internet looking for the truth, the more you believe that there is none. Everything is a lie.
Today, I’m giving what I think are some good ground rules for looking for truth in all the drivel that’s making its way around the net. To be a conspiracy hunter, you must be a consumer of information. You have to be intelligent about what you are looking for and what you choose to believe. Like any good shopper, if a deal sounds too good to be true, chances are, it is. Nothing in the conspiracy area is easy to find and most of the info is crap or blown way out of proportion to the actual tidbit of truth that’s uncovered. Be smart with your time and your money. Here are a few things to think about before you start your search.
1) If you have to pay for the info on a conspiracy by sending money to a website operated by someone who claims to have it all on a disk, chances are, “its BULLSHIT.” There are too many places on the internet that share information for you to pay $9.99 of your hard earned dollars to some scam artist. These folks make their living by going on various radio talk shows and giving long meandering talks about subjects ranging from 2012 to the price of oil exploding. They will throw out tidbits of information, but tell you that you must buy their product to get the whole story. Several of these folks come to mind as I write this, but I’ll refrain from mentioning any names. You’ll know them as soon as you hear their whiney voices on the radio or television.
2) Does the source of the information have a proven track record or can they back up the information with evidence. There are a lot of whistleblowers on the internet. As a matter of fact, these days they seem to be a growth industry. Sites on the web like ATS or GLP thrive because they are filled with anonymous individuals dropping bombshells on this or that every day. If you stay on these sites and believe everything you see or hear, madness waits. If the information rings true with you, then roll up your sleeves and go looking for yourself. If it’s good info, then somewhere, it sits, waiting for you to find for yourself.
3) Find a community to base yourself from on the internet. I cannot begin to emphasize how important this is for anyone looking into conspiracies. Remember, there are plenty of stories on the MSN (Main Stream News) about the lone crazy that start shooting up crowds because of what they believe they found on the web. A forum based community on the web gives you a place to bounce your ideas off of others, assist you in research, and keep you from going off the deep end when you’re alone running room to room screaming, “EVIL Bastards.” Another important thing to think about, find a group that you are comfortable with. I belong to several forums around the internet and all of them have an area that we can share ideas and information that’s important to members of that forum. Remember that certain forums cater to specialized areas of interest. While you might be heavily invested in ufology and want to share this information with others, a forum on prepping might not be a good fit for you.
4) Keep your writing simple and drama free when posting in forums. I admit I like to read doom porn as well as the next person. I do not like to read posts that are full of scripture from various religious writings taken out of context and placed in posts telling everyone about us burning in various levels of Gehenna. My religious views are mine, and get left at the forum door unless that’s what the forum is about. Likewise, be prepared to get your feelings hurt after you post. Not everyone is going to agree with what you say and sometimes they can be a bit rough. I recommend a period of reading, responding, then posting when you’re new to a forum. There’s nothing like a newbie poster to bring the trolls out from under their bridges.
I can’t reiterate enough that this is an exciting time for truth seekers. There is a wealth of information hidden like gold under the data flow of the net, and it’s waiting for you to find it and expose it like a nugget of truth to the world. I’ve watched my oldest son wake up from a gaming sheep in the last few months, and it has been a wonderful sight to behold. To see him point at something he’s discovered by himself without any help from me, is the best feeling in the world. It just means that one more awake person is there to fight the good fight when I’m gone.