Conspiracy Theories - Toxic to Democracy

[Toro]

We may all view those who traffic in conspiracy theories as harmless nutters with too much time on their hands, and most of them are. However, they foment paranoia and stoke hatred and ultimately violence by demonizing and scapegoating groups of people for the problems of the world.

A good primer on conspiracy theories today is a paper published by PublicEye entitled Toxic to Democracy, which you can download here.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-1.pdf
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-2.pdf

Demagogues and conspiracy theorists use the same four “tools of fear,” which Berlet identifies as 1) dualism; 2) scapegoating; 3) demonization; and 4) apocalyptic aggression. The basic dynamics remain the same no matter the ideological leanings of the demonizers or the identity of their targets. Meanwhile, our ability to resolve disputes through civic debate and compromise is hobbled. The study focuses on the history and dynamics of conspiracism, but argues that it is the combination of demagogic demonization and widespread conspiracy scapegoating that is so dangerous. In such circumstances, “angry allegations can quickly turn into aggression and violence targeting scapegoated groups,” writes Berlet. ...

Tracing the roots of conspiracism throughout U.S. and European history, Toxic to Democracy challenges it as a form of political analysis. Modern conspiracism is rooted in bigotry, especially antisemitism and racism. Conspiracy theories encourage demonization and scapegoating of blameless persons and groups—distracting society and would-be agents of change away from the real causes of social and economic injustice. It’s practiced by demagogues on the Right and on the Left—and both inside and outside the corridors of power.

PublicEye.org - Website of Political Research Associates

From the executive summary

While some theories reject overt bigotry, as in the main branch of the “9/11 Truth Movement,” they fail to appreciate that the analytical model of conspiracy thinking normalizes the process of demonizing a scapegoated group. Once researchers embrace the conspiracist mindset in which a vast global conspiracy is effectively an analog of the allegations about conniving secret elites found in the Protocols, the step from a Secret Team to a Secret Jewish Team is a very small one. Even when conspiracist theories do not center on Jews, homosexuals, people of color, immigrants, or other scapegoated groups, they still create an environment where racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression can flourish.

Conspiracism is neither a healthy expression of skepticism nor a valid form of criticism; rather it is a belief system that refuses to obey the rules of logic. These theories operate from a pre-existing premise of a conspiracy based upon careless collection of facts and flawed assumptions. What constitutes “proof” for a conspiracist is often more accurately described as circumstance, rumor, and hearsay; and the allegations often use the tools of fear—dualism, demonization, scapegoating, and aggressively apocalyptic stories—which all too often are commandeered by demagogues.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-exec.pdf

And here is a good interview with the author.

Extremism, Conspiracy Theory And Murder : NPR

 

[garyd]

Intertesting.

 

[American Horse]

They are. The difficult and complex study of government and issues, for many, is boring and unexplainable except for the "likelihood" in their minds of grand conspiracies. Once they rely on conspiracies to explain the goings on of government, normal actions available to a citizen to influence the process seem futile.

 

[Sunni Man]

According to Toro we should just accept everything and anything the government tells us and never question the official story.

 

[garyd]

Sorry that isn't at all what he said.

 

[Toro]

According to Toro we should just accept everything and anything the government tells us and never question the official story.

Aaaaaannnnnnnddddddd this is why conspiracy theorists aren't very bright.

 

[eots]

We may all view those who traffic in conspiracy theories as harmless nutters with too much time on their hands, and most of them are. However, they foment paranoia and stoke hatred and ultimately violence by demonizing and scapegoating groups of people for the problems of the world.

A good primer on conspiracy theories today is a paper published by PublicEye entitled Toxic to Democracy, which you can download here.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-1.pdf
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-2.pdf

Demagogues and conspiracy theorists use the same four “tools of fear,” which Berlet identifies as 1) dualism; 2) scapegoating; 3) demonization; and 4) apocalyptic aggression. The basic dynamics remain the same no matter the ideological leanings of the demonizers or the identity of their targets. Meanwhile, our ability to resolve disputes through civic debate and compromise is hobbled. The study focuses on the history and dynamics of conspiracism, but argues that it is the combination of demagogic demonization and widespread conspiracy scapegoating that is so dangerous. In such circumstances, “angry allegations can quickly turn into aggression and violence targeting scapegoated groups,” writes Berlet. ...

Tracing the roots of conspiracism throughout U.S. and European history, Toxic to Democracy challenges it as a form of political analysis. Modern conspiracism is rooted in bigotry, especially antisemitism and racism. Conspiracy theories encourage demonization and scapegoating of blameless persons and groups—distracting society and would-be agents of change away from the real causes of social and economic injustice. It’s practiced by demagogues on the Right and on the Left—and both inside and outside the corridors of power.

PublicEye.org - Website of Political Research Associates

From the executive summary

While some theories reject overt bigotry, as in the main branch of the “9/11 Truth Movement,” they fail to appreciate that the analytical model of conspiracy thinking normalizes the process of demonizing a scapegoated group. Once researchers embrace the conspiracist mindset in which a vast global conspiracy is effectively an analog of the allegations about conniving secret elites found in the Protocols, the step from a Secret Team to a Secret Jewish Team is a very small one. Even when conspiracist theories do not center on Jews, homosexuals, people of color, immigrants, or other scapegoated groups, they still create an environment where racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression can flourish.

Conspiracism is neither a healthy expression of skepticism nor a valid form of criticism; rather it is a belief system that refuses to obey the rules of logic. These theories operate from a pre-existing premise of a conspiracy based upon careless collection of facts and flawed assumptions. What constitutes “proof” for a conspiracist is often more accurately described as circumstance, rumor, and hearsay; and the allegations often use the tools of fear—dualism, demonization, scapegoating, and aggressively apocalyptic stories—which all too often are commandeered by demagogues.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-exec.pdf

And here is a good interview with the author.

Extremism, Conspiracy Theory And Murder : NPR

it is fear based propaganda to discourage disent..fuckin dirty commies

http://patriotsquestion911.com/

 

[garyd]

Says the manbusily trying to scare everyone with bullshit thoeries that simply aren't physically possible

 

[eots]

Says the manbusily trying to scare everyone with bullshit thoeries that simply aren't physically possible

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTp77iDM_As]YouTube - 911 Molten Metal- Who do YOU trust FDNY or NIST[/ame]

 

[Terral]

Hi Toro with Gary and DiveBomb mentioned:

We may all view those who traffic in conspiracy theories as harmless nutters with too much time on their hands, and most of them are. However, they foment paranoia and stoke hatred and ultimately violence by demonizing and scapegoating groups of people for the problems of the world . . .

El Toro has his head jammed into the sand (pic) and represents one of the Sheeple (pic) without one clue as to what is really going on. My Ten Reasons The USA Will Be Destroyed Opening Post (link) is directed at Sheeple just like Toro and his pal Gary. Let's look at reason # 7 and see if El Toro or his sidekick can explain themselves:

Americans Are Idiots: 9/11 Proves That

7. Fight 93 Never Crashed Anywhere Near The Empty Shanksville Field (my Topic)

Okay boys and girls: Tell everyone exactly what you 'do' see in the empty hole . . .

There has never been a more ‘cut and dry’ Inside-job (my blog) murder case than what we see right here in the Flight 93/Shanksville Hoax. Just click on the picture (pic or here) and take a good long look into the empty hole that We The Stupid Sheeple want to call a crashed 100-ton Jetliner.

Let's see how Toro and Gary cuckoo:) explain the fact that we are looking at pictures of an EMPTY HOLE in the EMPTY Shanksville field!!! These 911Truth 'Deniers' (pic) are the people with WAY too much time on their hands that they spend coming to the USMB Conspiracy Forum to convince everyone that 'no conspiracy exists.' Because they are lost 'and' confused confused:), this is the very forum where USMB members 'are' supposed to post our "Conspiracy Theories" so everyone can draw informed conclusions from the evidence. I have provided Govt photographic evidence to support 'my hypothesis' that no 100-ton Jetliner crashed into that empty Shanksville field, which ALL of the evidence says is 100 percent FACT.

Click on the little video clip (here) that takes you right down for an up-close and personal look into the empty hole that has grass growing on all the inclines (pic).

Go right ahead and click on the link to the short video clip and tell everyone what you see. I also see an empty hole where the Govt says a 100-ton Jetliner crashed on 9/11. El Toro and his pal Gary are missing about 100 tons of evidence to support the Govt case . . .

Then click on the picture of the U.S. Geological Survey Photograph taken on April 20, 1994 (pic) to see the empty hole that preexists the 9/11 attacks.

Go ahead and click on the U.S. Geological Survey Photograph taken on 4/20/1994 (that is 'before' 9/11 for the knuckleheads . . .) to see that the empty hole is already there in the empty field!!!! If my explanation for THE FACTS are off in any way, then where is Toro's crashed 100 ton jetliner? This idiot is out here supporting the Official Cover Story LIES without one shred of evidence, as if pointing fingers at people like me is going to prove anything! Toro is here to convince everyone that 'no conspiracy exists' and for you to also keep your head buried in the sand just as far as humanily possible . . .

This is a picture demonstrating just how much 'evidence' these guys are missing from the little empty hole!

And yet, a majority of Americans would rather believe Official Cover Story LIES (my Topic), than simply stand up for ‘the’ 911Truth. Fine. I withdrew my constant pleading and intercession for this godless nation on April 20, 2009 at exactly 3:30 PM (that post), which became the impetus for starting this thread in the first place. Again, the inability for Americans to wake-the-hell-up and see the differences between an EMPTY HOLE and a crashed 100-ton Jetliner is reason enough, all by itself, for the USA to be destroyed. Period. The error of stupid Americans right here has allowed a liar and a murderer of innocent Americans to sit and rule from a corrupt White House for eight long years, so that Senor Obama can pick up the baton and continue waving the banner of Totalitarian Fascism that Americans also deserve.

Someone please explain why those among us who 'know' the 911Truth FOR A FACT should continue pleading with our Creator for idiots cuckoo:) with their head shoved into the ground confused:), when you have the audacity to point fingers at me for trying to wake you the hell up???

No sir. Idiots like Toro and Gary and DiveBomb are in the majority and among those drunk on the Loyal Bushie/Obama/NWO Kool-aid and they want you to ignore the little boy running through the streets yelling "Wolf!!!" (pic) at the top of his lungs, so that you will be worthy of utter destruction (Acts 3:22-23, 13:41) too . . .

GL,

Terral

 

[editec]

Conspiracy theorists are merely attempting to make sense out of the world.

While their conspiracies are often wrong, one thing they're right about...

It is not credible to imagine that we are getting the whole story about most issues that so dramatically effect us economically.

You want two examples of what I mean?

How could the entire economic universe has NOT NOTICED that the price of homes (hovering at a median of nearly $300,000) was so far out of line with the median incomes of the people who were expected to buy them? (median family income $57,000)

No I make no claim for conspiracy, but the alternative view is that the academic world of economists is dumber than a brick.

Another example?

FREE TRADE -- they keep informing us that free trade is good for American even as one factory after the other for the last thirty years closed, and no alternate employment was being created.

Did the world of economists find some math that lead them to believe that unemployed millions or millions who are making half what they made in those factory jobs are an economically GOOD THING for this society?

Apparently they did think that because that is what both democrapic and Republic economists keept telling us.

Conspiracy?

Beats the crap outa me.

But one thing I know is that it doesn't take a PHD in ECON to know those two examples of academic economic cluelessness are completely in explicable logically.

 

[neurosport]

We may all view those who traffic in conspiracy theories as harmless nutters with too much time on their hands, and most of them are. However, they foment paranoia and stoke hatred and ultimately violence by demonizing and scapegoating groups of people for the problems of the world.

A good primer on conspiracy theories today is a paper published by PublicEye entitled Toxic to Democracy, which you can download here.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-1.pdf
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-2.pdf

Demagogues and conspiracy theorists use the same four “tools of fear,” which Berlet identifies as 1) dualism; 2) scapegoating; 3) demonization; and 4) apocalyptic aggression. The basic dynamics remain the same no matter the ideological leanings of the demonizers or the identity of their targets. Meanwhile, our ability to resolve disputes through civic debate and compromise is hobbled. The study focuses on the history and dynamics of conspiracism, but argues that it is the combination of demagogic demonization and widespread conspiracy scapegoating that is so dangerous. In such circumstances, “angry allegations can quickly turn into aggression and violence targeting scapegoated groups,” writes Berlet. ...

Tracing the roots of conspiracism throughout U.S. and European history, Toxic to Democracy challenges it as a form of political analysis. Modern conspiracism is rooted in bigotry, especially antisemitism and racism. Conspiracy theories encourage demonization and scapegoating of blameless persons and groups—distracting society and would-be agents of change away from the real causes of social and economic injustice. It’s practiced by demagogues on the Right and on the Left—and both inside and outside the corridors of power.

PublicEye.org - Website of Political Research Associates

From the executive summary

While some theories reject overt bigotry, as in the main branch of the “9/11 Truth Movement,” they fail to appreciate that the analytical model of conspiracy thinking normalizes the process of demonizing a scapegoated group. Once researchers embrace the conspiracist mindset in which a vast global conspiracy is effectively an analog of the allegations about conniving secret elites found in the Protocols, the step from a Secret Team to a Secret Jewish Team is a very small one. Even when conspiracist theories do not center on Jews, homosexuals, people of color, immigrants, or other scapegoated groups, they still create an environment where racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression can flourish.

Conspiracism is neither a healthy expression of skepticism nor a valid form of criticism; rather it is a belief system that refuses to obey the rules of logic. These theories operate from a pre-existing premise of a conspiracy based upon careless collection of facts and flawed assumptions. What constitutes “proof” for a conspiracist is often more accurately described as circumstance, rumor, and hearsay; and the allegations often use the tools of fear—dualism, demonization, scapegoating, and aggressively apocalyptic stories—which all too often are commandeered by demagogues.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-exec.pdf

And here is a good interview with the author.

Extremism, Conspiracy Theory And Murder : NPR

Toro i have lost the last bit of respect for you. I have had it.

I have tried to be understanding of your stupidity and tried to joke about it but i am done.

From now on i will treat you as a degenerate dumb fuck that you are.

 

[eots]

We may all view those who traffic in conspiracy theories as harmless nutters with too much time on their hands, and most of them are. However, they foment paranoia and stoke hatred and ultimately violence by demonizing and scapegoating groups of people for the problems of the world.

A good primer on conspiracy theories today is a paper published by PublicEye entitled Toxic to Democracy, which you can download here.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-1.pdf
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-2.pdf

Demagogues and conspiracy theorists use the same four “tools of fear,” which Berlet identifies as 1) dualism; 2) scapegoating; 3) demonization; and 4) apocalyptic aggression. The basic dynamics remain the same no matter the ideological leanings of the demonizers or the identity of their targets. Meanwhile, our ability to resolve disputes through civic debate and compromise is hobbled. The study focuses on the history and dynamics of conspiracism, but argues that it is the combination of demagogic demonization and widespread conspiracy scapegoating that is so dangerous. In such circumstances, “angry allegations can quickly turn into aggression and violence targeting scapegoated groups,” writes Berlet. ...

Tracing the roots of conspiracism throughout U.S. and European history, Toxic to Democracy challenges it as a form of political analysis. Modern conspiracism is rooted in bigotry, especially antisemitism and racism. Conspiracy theories encourage demonization and scapegoating of blameless persons and groups—distracting society and would-be agents of change away from the real causes of social and economic injustice. It’s practiced by demagogues on the Right and on the Left—and both inside and outside the corridors of power.

PublicEye.org - Website of Political Research Associates

From the executive summary

While some theories reject overt bigotry, as in the main branch of the “9/11 Truth Movement,” they fail to appreciate that the analytical model of conspiracy thinking normalizes the process of demonizing a scapegoated group. Once researchers embrace the conspiracist mindset in which a vast global conspiracy is effectively an analog of the allegations about conniving secret elites found in the Protocols, the step from a Secret Team to a Secret Jewish Team is a very small one. Even when conspiracist theories do not center on Jews, homosexuals, people of color, immigrants, or other scapegoated groups, they still create an environment where racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression can flourish.

Conspiracism is neither a healthy expression of skepticism nor a valid form of criticism; rather it is a belief system that refuses to obey the rules of logic. These theories operate from a pre-existing premise of a conspiracy based upon careless collection of facts and flawed assumptions. What constitutes “proof” for a conspiracist is often more accurately described as circumstance, rumor, and hearsay; and the allegations often use the tools of fear—dualism, demonization, scapegoating, and aggressively apocalyptic stories—which all too often are commandeered by demagogues.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/Tox2Dem-exec.pdf

And here is a good interview with the author.

Extremism, Conspiracy Theory And Murder : NPR

toto your the fucking nutter...

 

[garyd]

What do you see in the hole not much jackass because that is all that would be left when an aircraft full of jet fuel plows into the ground at six hundred something mph in a sixty to eighty degree dive.

When pan am 103 was blown up over Scotland the debris field coverd 130 odd square miles. That was at thirty thousand feet. If the airforce shot it down at ten thosand feet you'd still have a debris field in excess of 40 square miles even at five thousand feet you'd have a debris field in excess of 20 square miles. Yours is six closer to four if you measure as the debris flies rather than as the road runs.

No molten metal was ever found at the WTC. That is according to the people working the site after words. There are only about eight different non government sites out there debunking that drivel.

 

[eots]

someone has been reading too much popular mechanics


Col. George N
elson, MBA, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former U.S. Air Force aircraft accident investigator and airplane parts authority. Graduate, U.S. Air Force War College. 34-year Air Force career.

Licensed commercial pilot. Licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic.
Essay: "In all my years of direct and indirect participation, I never witnessed nor even heard of an aircraft loss, where the wreckage was accessible, that prevented investigators from finding enough hard evidence to positively identify the make, model, and specific registration number of the aircraft -- and in most cases the precise cause of the accident. ...

The government alleges that four wide-body airliners crashed on the morning of September 11 2001, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 human beings, yet not one piece of hard aircraft evidence has been produced in an attempt to positively identify any of the four aircraft. On the contrary, it seems only that all potential evidence was deliberately kept hidden from public view. …
With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged. …

As painful and heartbreaking as was the loss of innocent lives and the lingering health problems of thousands more, a most troublesome and nightmarish probability remains that so many Americans appear to be involved in the most heinous conspiracy in our country's history

Patriots Question 9/11 - Responsible Criticism of the 9/11 Commission Report

 

[eots]

No molten metal was ever found at the WTC. That is according to the people working the site after words. There are only about eight different non government sites out there debunking that drivel.[/QUOTE]


well lets hear from some of those people shall we...



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lihj-Kz9wjY]YouTube - 9/11 CONSPIRACY: NIST CHIEF ENGINEER LIES ABOUT MOLTEN METAL[/ame]

 

[garyd]

Wrong again they found the copilots seat and the black boxes at the Pentagon, the one's at the WTC were of course unrecoverable since they were buried amidst several tons of rubble. And there was identifiable aircraft debris scattered all over the grounds at the Pentagon. Inside and outside the building.

 

[eots]

Wrong again they found the copilots seat and the black boxes at the Pentagon, the one's at the WTC were of course unrecoverable since they were buried amidst several tons of rubble. And there was identifiable aircraft debris scattered all over the grounds at the Pentagon. Inside and outside the building.

but they found the terrorist passports and terrorist bandannas...lol

 

[eots]

Lt. Col. Karen U. Kwiatkowski, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former Political-Military Affairs Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Also served on the staff of the Director of the National Security Agency. 20-year Air Force career. Member adjunct faculty, Political Science Department, James Madison University. Instructor, University of Maryland University College and American Public University System. Author of African Crisis Response Initiative: Past Present and Future (2000) and Expeditionary Air Operations in Africa: Challenges and Solutions (2001).
Contributor to 9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out 8/23/06: Account of Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, Pentagon employee and eyewitness to the events at the Pentagon on 9/11. "I believe the Commission failed to deeply examine the topic at hand, failed to apply scientific rigor to its assessment of events leading up to and including 9/11, failed to produce a believable and unbiased summary of what happened, failed to fully examine why it happened, and even failed to include a set of unanswered questions for future research. ...

It is as a scientist that I have the most trouble with the official government conspiracy theory, mainly because it does not satisfy the rules of probability or physics. The collapses of the World Trade Center buildings clearly violate the laws of probability and physics. ...

There was a dearth of visible debris on the relatively unmarked [Pentagon] lawn, where I stood only minutes after the impact. Beyond this strange absence of airliner debris, there was no sign of the kind of damage to the Pentagon structure one would expect from the impact of a large airliner. This visible evidence or lack thereof may also have been apparent to the secretary of defense [Donald Rumsfeld], who in an unfortunate slip of the tongue referred to the aircraft that slammed into the Pentagon as a "missile". ...

I saw nothing of significance at the point of impact - no airplane metal or cargo debris was blowing on the lawn in front of the damaged building as smoke billowed from within the Pentagon. ... all of us staring at the Pentagon that morning were indeed looking for such debris, but what we expected to see was not evident.
The same is true with regard to the kind of damage we expected. ... But I did not see this kind of damage. Rather, the facade had a rather small hole, no larger than 20 feet in diameter. Although this facade later collapsed, it remained standing for 30 or 40 minutes, with the roof line remaining relatively straight.

The scene, in short, was not what I would have expected from a strike by a large jetliner. It was, however, exactly what one would expect if a missile had struck the Pentagon.

Patriots Question 9/11 - Responsible Criticism of the 9/11 Commission Report

but who needs military eyewitnesses...when we have...PM magazine...lol

 

[eots]

Major General Albert Stubblebine, U.S. Army (ret) – Former Commanding General of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, 1981 - 1984. Also commanded the U.S. Army’s Electronic Research and Development Command and the U.S. Army’s Intelligence School and Center. Former head of Imagery Interpretation for Scientific and Technical Intelligence. 32-year Army career.

Member, Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.



Video 7/11/06: "One of my experiences in the Army was being in charge of the Army’s Imagery Interpretation for Scientific and Technical Intelligence during the Cold War. I measured pieces of Soviet equipment from photographs. It was my job. I look at the hole in the Pentagon and I look at the size of an airplane that was supposed to have hit the Pentagon. And I said, ‘The plane does not fit in that hole’. So what did hit the Pentagon? What hit it? Where is it? What's going on?"



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOtnvXMsWOo]YouTube - Major General Stubblebine speaks out against 911 fraud[/ame]



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpHhlqb3l_0]YouTube - US Major General Albert N. Stubblebine III say 911 is build on lies[/ame]