Random thought.

[chaotic_nipple]

I wonder if the psychological mechanism underlying belief in conspiracy theories is related to the causes of compulsive gambling? The odds against any one particular conspiracy theory are pretty long, but just barely enough of them turn out to be _true_, that a certain personality type will find themselves looking at _all_ such theories as plausible, no matter how many other theories are debunked. Just like a complusive gambler will win just often enough to encourage him to keep throwing his money down, no matter how many bets he loses. There's probably a research paper for someone there...

edit: And of course, what provoked that thought was that the Pentagon is releasing security camera footage showing the impact of Flight 77. IMO, they should have done this years ago, because now the whackjobs will just claim that it took the government that long to fake up convincing footage. Then they'll claim that the footage isn't really convincing at all. Ah, the wonderous mind of the wingnut. It gives me great solace to think that in the not too distant future ("... Next Sunday A.D.") we will live in a panapticon where all such information will be readily available for the masses, and secrecy will be nearly impossible, even for the rich and powerful. What a wonderful world it will be.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/little_e_/]

The wingnuts always amuse me...

I mean, this administration couldn't cover up a fucking wiretap or a bit of torture. Do they *really* think it could cover up something like killing 3k Americans, knocking down a couple of buildings, and oh yeah, killing a bunch of their own military personnel by attacking the Pentagon?

Dude. These guys ain't that smart. XP

Well...

[seawasp]

It gives me great solace to think that in the not too distant future ("... Next Sunday A.D.") we will live in a panapticon where all such information will be readily available for the masses, and secrecy will be nearly impossible, even for the rich and powerful. What a wonderful world it will be.

I wonder how many people will think you meant that last line honestly. *shudder*

Re: Well...

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

Semi-honestly. I don't mind the idea of losing my privacy, so long as EVERYONE ELSE loses there at the same time. As a practical matter, the rich and powerful will be better able to hold onto their own, so we commoners have to try to do likewise. But it's inevitable that eventually, the whole world really will be a stage, and we'll probably all be better off.

Unfortunately

[seawasp]

That is not a world that human beings can actually live in. We are not mentally made for that. People need privacy of one sort or another. The ability to eliminate all privacy eliminates all possibility of flex, of rebellion, of choice for right or wrong.

A world that has no privacy, where even the rich and powerful do not have it, is one where there is no humanity.

Re: Unfortunately

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

I think we'd get used to it soon enough. If nothing else, most people would be too busy snooping on the neighbors to worry about other people snooping on them. :-) Also, the overwhelming amount of available data would make it highly unlikely that the New World Order would be _able_ to spy too much on the general public. IMO, anyway.

here in DC

[shadoutcarver.livejournal.com]

we have a hard time with some of those conspiracy theories. There was no plane? Tell that to the people who had pieces parts of plane raining down on them, those who got phone calls from their loved ones on the plane, he school who lost classmates who were on a field trip on the plane.

Federal workers? We just have such a freakin hard time gettin any farkin thing done (like ordering pens) every small tiny thing is like getting teeth pulled. Conspiracy? Government agencies with super streamlined efficientcy? Y'all think we have the capacity to do.. WHAT? BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA