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Mods know too much about the [Conspiracy Theories] thread

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Posts

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    Politicians too, if stories are to be believed. In NZ two of the National Party's MPs have been accused of getting their position through donations. One of them is an ex-spy. And in the US the Dem candidate Yang has been accused of being a Chinese plant. I forget why, I think mostly because he is promoting a social credit system similar to what China is attempting to implement.

    These are not confirmed, they exist in the grey area of "probably not true/no proof/idle speculation" but they have fanned the imaginations of conspiracy theorists. The NZ one comes mainly from an ugly incident of intra-party politics so there's not much credibility to it, even if it is true.

    It's a bit like the Falun Gong stuff, there's legitimate concerns but NZ is also quite racist against Chinese and sensitive to perceived outside interference, so the truth of a story is often less important than how well it fits our preconceived ideas.

  • CoinageCoinage Heaviside LayerRegistered User regular
    Gvzbgul wrote: »
    Politicians too, if stories are to be believed. In NZ two of the National Party's MPs have been accused of getting their position through donations. One of them is an ex-spy. And in the US the Dem candidate Yang has been accused of being a Chinese plant. I forget why, I think mostly because he is promoting a social credit system similar to what China is attempting to implement.
    Yang's social credit idea is incredibly stupid, but it's not similar to China's social credit at all. Also Yang's parents are from Taiwan, so I'm going to say he's probably not a big fan of China.

  • Crimson KingCrimson King Registered User regular
    "andrew yang is a chinese plant" definitely seems like just plain old racism to me. you might as well say bernie sanders works for mossad

  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Yeah accusations of direct Chinese plants are usually bullshit. Often when students inform on other students it’s not that they are like official Chinese spies sent there to keep an eye on other students

    They’re more likely genuine students with just strong patriotic ideas and who believe they are doing the right thing by telling people back home about slights. they’ll complain about a fellow student to official channels or even unofficial channels like their home towns local online groups, who will then pass the information on

    It’s done out of a genuine belief that they’re standing up for China or any number of personal reasons, settling scores or dislikes etc

    I’m not saying there aren’t also spies, but it’s almost more insidious than that. If you’re a tyrannical state, ideally you get people to spy on each other of their own volition by appealing to patriotism, loyalty, etc. tale as old as time.

    Prohass on
  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    Prohass wrote: »
    Yeah accusations of direct Chinese plants are usually bullshit. Often when students inform on other students it’s not that they are like official Chinese spies sent there to keep an eye on other students

    They’re more likely genuine students with just strong patriotic ideas and who believe they are doing the right thing by telling people back home about slights. they’ll complain about a fellow student to official channels or even unofficial channels like their home towns local online groups, who will then pass the information on

    It’s done out of a genuine belief that they’re standing up for China or any number of personal reasons, settling scores or dislikes etc

    I’m not saying there aren’t also spies, but it’s almost more insidious than that. If you’re a tyrannical state, ideally you get people to spy on each other of their own volition by appealing to patriotism, loyalty, etc. tale as old as time.

    Well Actuaaaaallllyyyy, The Chinese government is know to encourage overseas Chinese students to join Western research project to spy on them. If they get them copies of the research before the western universities can publish them, the Chinese government arranges for a government publication to present this "Original Cutting Edge Chinese Research" as completely homegrown. When the student returns home they get the most coveted of academic rewards; Tenure!

    If the student manages to join a western research project that has economic or military applications, the encouragement can become intense.

    Worst case scenario for the Chinese government is that it gets teachers that can teach cutting edge science.

    The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
  • NyogthaNyogtha Registered User regular
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    Prohass wrote: »
    Yeah accusations of direct Chinese plants are usually bullshit. Often when students inform on other students it’s not that they are like official Chinese spies sent there to keep an eye on other students

    They’re more likely genuine students with just strong patriotic ideas and who believe they are doing the right thing by telling people back home about slights. they’ll complain about a fellow student to official channels or even unofficial channels like their home towns local online groups, who will then pass the information on

    It’s done out of a genuine belief that they’re standing up for China or any number of personal reasons, settling scores or dislikes etc

    I’m not saying there aren’t also spies, but it’s almost more insidious than that. If you’re a tyrannical state, ideally you get people to spy on each other of their own volition by appealing to patriotism, loyalty, etc. tale as old as time.

    Well Actuaaaaallllyyyy, The Chinese government is know to encourage overseas Chinese students to join Western research project to spy on them. If they get them copies of the research before the western universities can publish them, the Chinese government arranges for a government publication to present this "Original Cutting Edge Chinese Research" as completely homegrown. When the student returns home they get the most coveted of academic rewards; Tenure!

    If the student manages to join a western research project that has economic or military applications, the encouragement can become intense.

    Worst case scenario for the Chinese government is that it gets teachers that can teach cutting edge science.

    This is pretty much happening in Australia as well, there are cases of Chinese students who have been caught out in my Uni (and cases at other Uni's I have direct knowledge of) leaking confidential IP to China. Usually followed by the student been expelled fairly quickly and black listed. However once your IP is out without been protected or patented you pretty screwed.

    Having said that I also work with multiple Chinese staff who are now all permanent residents and despise the others who do this. So its kinda hard to work out who would or wouldn't do this.

  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    It's actually the case that a lot of Chinese Students, the vast majority, actually aren't involved in that but the Chinese government is happy for that to be the perception because then Chinese students are targeted by COIN, feel unwelcome, go back to China and thus less brain drain.

    Friend of mine who works in student wellbeing says they spend a lot of time trying to convince Chinese students that they aren't literally just considered PRC agents, they're protected by student unions etc

    Solar on
  • NyogthaNyogtha Registered User regular
    Solar wrote: »
    It's actually the case that a lot of Chinese Students, the vast majority, actually aren't involved in that but the Chinese government is happy for that to be the perception because then Chinese students are targeted by COIN, feel unwelcome, go back to China and thus less brain drain.

    Friend of mine who works in student wellbeing says they spend a lot of time trying to convince Chinese students that they aren't literally just considered PRC agents, they're protected by student unions etc

    10,000% support that approach!

  • marajimaraji Registered User regular
    Gvzbgul wrote: »
    It's a bit like the Falun Gong stuff, there's legitimate concerns but NZ is also quite racist against Chinese and sensitive to perceived outside interference, so the truth of a story is often less important than how well it fits our preconceived ideas.

    So, just like everywhere else? ;)

  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    I’m bringing this here cause I think it’s starting to lose focus in the Foreign Policy thread:

    Today on Twitter, Trump directly quoted a conspiracy theorist calling him the “King of Israel” and “the Second Coming,” saying American Jews are disloyal to him.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/donald-trump-king-of-israel/amp

    Later, yet still somehow fucking today, when talking about trade with China, Trump called himself “the Chosen One”. Which to be fair it’s in context of trade, but it’s literally hours after calling himself the fucking Messiah!

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1VB1XB

    I’m genuinely curious what all the death cults that believe Trump is the Anti-Christ and are awaiting the Apocalypse think of all this?

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  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    I quite imagine the Christian doomsday-summoners are going nuts. At least one version I've read: Obama's 8 year term is "close enough" to the 7 year rule of the Anti-Christ, and was followed by the Actual-Christ's coronation. The Actual-Christ recognizing Jerusalem as the capital and Israel's claims over Palestinian territory means that Israel has been restored (literal restoration is optional I guess). The Anti-Christ is still around and still an influential voice among demon worshipping pedovores, so the table is still set for the war.

    Other versions cast different characters in varying positions but Trump as either the Anti- or Actual-Christ and his recognition of Israel being good enough to meet the requirements of restoration are common measures.



    All this should mean the rapture will be happening... uh... check the math, carry the one... already, and everyone left behind is not a Christian and doomed to suffer the end of all things.

    Hevach on
  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    That correlates pretty well with a climate catastrophe timeline if we continue on as present, so I'm not sure they're gonna feel disillusioned any time soon.

  • CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    All this should mean the rapture will be happening... uh... check the math, carry the one... already, and everyone left behind is not a Christian and doomed to suffer the end of all things.

    Maybe it did happen and no-one was a good enough Christian!

  • L Ron HowardL Ron Howard The duck MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    All this should mean the rapture will be happening... uh... check the math, carry the one... already, and everyone left behind is not a Christian and doomed to suffer the end of all things.

    Maybe it did happen and no-one was a good enough Christian!

    No, it didn't happen. There are still dogs around.

  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    All this should mean the rapture will be happening... uh... check the math, carry the one... already, and everyone left behind is not a Christian and doomed to suffer the end of all things.

    Maybe it did happen and no-one was a good enough Christian!

    No, it didn't happen. There are still dogs around.

    Not all dogs go to heaven, didn’t you watch the movie?

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  • BrainleechBrainleech 機知に富んだコメントはここにあります Registered User regular
    The rapture did happen, For bees.

  • CptHamiltonCptHamilton Registered User regular
    Did you guys all miss the post a few pages back? It's clearly documented in the academic work, The 4th Kind, that the rapture only happened in Nome, Alaska.

    PSN,Steam,Live | CptHamiltonian
  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    I love that this is more well researched and informative than most actual conspiracy theories

    https://youtu.be/H9MTMCo8JbQ

  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    Ah ha ha ha, "violent soy boys." That video is fantastic.

    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • Stabbity StyleStabbity Style He/Him | Warning: Mothership Reporting Kennewick, WARegistered User regular
    Prohass wrote: »
    I love that this is more well researched and informative than most actual conspiracy theories

    https://youtu.be/H9MTMCo8JbQ

    Some More News is usually pretty good.

    Stabbity_Style.png
  • DiplominatorDiplominator Hardcore Porg Registered User regular
    The UK has already fallen to Boars Johnson.

  • NitsuaNitsua Gloucester, VARegistered User regular
    Sounds like a porno name.

  • Caulk Bite 6Caulk Bite 6 One of the multitude of Dans infesting this place Registered User regular
    This thread is making my head hurt, and it’s just reporting on a different thread.




    Ow.

    jnij103vqi2i.png
  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    That reminds me of the credits scene from one of the Despicable Me’s, where the minions are seeing who can reach into the audience more.

    Cause that’s quite the stretch.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tns4Ui686P8

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  • [Expletive deleted][Expletive deleted] The mediocre doctor NorwayRegistered User regular
    1568040589-20190909.png
    If you grow cotton, can you say "I am in the farm of big pocket"?

    Sic transit gloria mundi.
  • MortiousMortious The Nightmare Begins Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Move to New Zealand
    It’s not a very important country most of the time
    http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    Last one seems a bit sketchy to me

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    Conspiracy theories are actually quite likely (from the point of view of the theorist). They build on people's distrust of systems. No one (well, mostly no one) sets out to believe a wacky conspiracy theory. They believe fairly normal things and then when a conspiracy theory comes along it fits in quite easily with the normal beliefs.

    Eg. the medical companies are cheating the system, putting out bad or inferior medicine, are only in it for the money, have lobbied the government to heck etc etc
    therefore:
    insert your pet theory (anti-vax, AIDs denial-ism, pro-alternative medicine, anti-establishment medicine etc etc).

    The world is run by globalist bankers, investors, powerful groups that are only in it for themselves, care only about making money, are amoral, a lot of them are Jewish...
    therefore:
    there is a world wide Jewish conspiracy to subjugate humanity

    The US government has experimented on Americans (MKULTRA, Tuskegee syphilis experiment etc), assassinated Americans (drone warfare, police killings etc), imprisoned Americans, lied about radiation experiments, is basically all powerful and amoral...
    therefore,
    the government is putting mind control chemicals in the water/sky, sending radio signals into your brain, doing nefarious deeds etc etc

    It depends on how close you want to look, it's easy to point at crazy wacky conspiracy theories, but a lot harder to recognise conspiracy theories that build on our beliefs. It helps to remember that "conspiracy theory" isn't an automatic negative. Plenty of conspiracy theories are real, even more aren't. Real conspiracies fuel fake conspiracies and it isn't always easy to tell the difference. As conspiracy theories thrive on situations where there is a lack of info (or an abundance of noise and competing info), so you can't really prove it either way so doesn't that mean it pretty much is real and not crazy?

    Here's one:

    The American government is racist towards Black Americans. The American Government (the FBI) conspired against MLK Jr. They bugged his house, they sent him threatening letters, they had him under observation. He was murdered by James Earle Ray.

    ...Or was he??? Maybe JER is the fall guy for the government conspiracy?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
    Maybe? Signs point to no. But there's enough noise for True Believers to believe what they want. We'll find out more information in 2027 when the FBI's investigation into his death is declassified. But even if it is yet more evidence that JER did it, well, that won't convince true believers anyway. After all, you can't trust the government to exonerate itself.

    Gvzbgul on
  • [Expletive deleted][Expletive deleted] The mediocre doctor NorwayRegistered User regular

    Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is Daredevil.

    Sic transit gloria mundi.
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    And it begins
    https://nltimes.nl/2019/09/12/dutch-youtube-duo-arrested-area-51
    Dutch YouTubers Ties Granzier and Govert Sweep were arrested at Area 51 in the American state of Nevada, the NYE County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. They told the police that they saw and understood the no trespassing warnings, but wanted to look at the site.
    According to the local police, the duo had a drone, cameras and laptops on them. They recorded footage on the Area 51 site... They both face charges of trespassing.

    I still believe the millions that signed up aren't going to materialize, but never underestimate the stupidity of social media attention whores.

    Hevach on
  • Centipede DamascusCentipede Damascus Registered User regular
    I want to know more about the nuke in Australia conspiracy theory.

  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    Aum Shinrikyo is a Japanese doomsday yoga cult that was responsible for the Tokyo sarin attacks, and possibly a couple smaller sarin attacks in 1995.

    In 1994 several members bought land in Australia hoping to mine uranium. They never broke ground on a mine.

    In 1993, a different part of Australia had a mysterious shallow earthquake. Seismic data suggested it could be a meteorite impact, but it definitely wasn't an explosion of any type. The lack of a crater or other surface damage confirmed it was an unusual earthquake in the desert.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en_au/article/7xkv7q/did-a-japanese-cult-detonate-a-nuclear-bomb-in-the-australian-desert
    Enter a local nutjob who was convinced it was a homebrew terrorist nuke, with his only evidence being that a year after it happened terrorists bought the mineral rights to a uranium deposit that they never mined.

    He was eventually embarrassed enough times that other geologists were inquiring into how he even got his degree, at which point he admitted there was positive evidence it wasn't a nuke... Therefore this random cult had perfected Tesla's fake techtonic weapon.

    Despite having an earthquake gun and/or nuclear weapons, they resorted to mixing household chemicals to make a highly impure and caustic mix of hydrofluoric acid and sarin when it came time to actually destroy the world.

    Hevach on
  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    The British/Americans nuked the Outback several times in the 50s. Deliberately exposing solders and the general population to radiation. They secretly chopped off the legs of deceased infants and sent them to the UK to test for radiation exposure. Nomadic aboriginals claim that black dust clouds poisoned their people.

    All of this actually happened (although the oral history of the aboriginal people is disputed by the government).

    Gvzbgul on
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    https://www.thesun.ie/news/4552131/inside-flat-earth-conference-where-conspiracy-theorists-try-to-build-a-rocket-program-to-expose-government-lies/

    We're one step closer to the "alternate worlds outside the ice wall" version of flat Earth.
    odxbi7pelkjm.png
    According to Robin and Mark, they discovered secret lands “beyond the rim” of our pancake-shaped planet in 1952 during an expedition to Antarctica. At that point they realised Earth wasn’t a globe, but didn’t tell the rest of us because they wanted to keep the resources in these outer lands, including gold and oil, for themselves.

    So, NASA has exclusive secret access to mineral wealth approximately equal to the entire rest of the world, but has to fight both political parties to keep its shoestring budget from being raided to fund military adventures. Yep yep checks out to me.

  • [Expletive deleted][Expletive deleted] The mediocre doctor NorwayRegistered User regular
    Is the Sun floating in the Indian Ocean?

    Sic transit gloria mundi.
  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    I feel like if I keep staring at that picture it will sap my sanity in real time, like something out of Lovecraft.

    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    What direction is Westeros?

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  • [Expletive deleted][Expletive deleted] The mediocre doctor NorwayRegistered User regular
    What direction is Westeros?

    West.

    Duh.

    Sic transit gloria mundi.
This discussion has been closed.