Why conspiracies are so popular — and what we can do to stop them

[CrusaderFrank]

Says your slavish adherence to your emotional attachment and narrative based reasoning.

Thank you for demonstrating my point elegantly and clearly. There's literally nothing a conspiracy theorist won't ignore once they've emotionally committed to the conspiracy.

Nothing.

To review: until he was installed in the Senate, Obama told everyone he was "Born in Kenya".

After he began his Fence Post Turtle political career, his past had be whited out and replaced, hence the bad "Birth certificate" forgery and the Publisher taking blame for the "Born in Kenya" bio

 

[Skylar]

"Health director who approved Obama birth certificate dies in plane crash​

The health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a plane crash, Hawaiian officials said Thursday.Loretta Fuddy died after the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft she was travelling on went down shortly after leaving Kalaupapa Airport at around 3:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. The other eight people on board were rescued, Richard Schuman"

Health director who approved Obama birth certificate dies in plane crash

The health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a plane crash, Hawaiian officials said Thursday.Loretta Fuddy died after the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft she was travelling on went down shortly after leaving Kalaupapa Airport at around 3:15 p.m...

www.nbcnews.com

...and she was the only one who died in the crash.

Years after the release of Obama's birth certificate by order of the governor of Hawaii.

Another common trope of conspiracy theorists is the nested conspiracy. Where they insinuate (without evidence of course) ANOTHER conspiracy to try and reinforce the failings of their first conspiracy. And have evidence to back neither.

There's zero evidence of any foul play in the plane crash in which Fuddy died. Or any foul play in Fuddy's death period.

But why would you need evidence.....

......if you have ellipses......

......so you can insinuate....

....a claim you can't factually support.....


The insinuation is just the narrative reasoning used to propagate the conspiracy. Narration over evidence is how conspiracy theorists justify their irrational emotional attachment.

 

[Skylar]

To review: until he was installed in the Senate, Obama told everyone he was "Born in Kenya".

Says who? Is it you citing you again?

Who claims that Obama told them he was born in Kenya? It wasn't Miriam Goderich.

You've literally made up an 'everyone' to try and justify your irrational emotional attachment to the birther conspiracy.

And demonstrated my point so beautifully yet again. Once you get a poor soul emotionally attached to a conspiracy theory, there's no amount of evidence they won't ignore, nor claims they won't make up to try and justify their irrational emotional attachment to that conspiracy.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Sunday Standard of Nairobi, Kenya. In the lead sentence of that June 27, 2004, article, Kenyan editors, who knew his family and knew he was born in their country, added "Kenyan-born" to the start of the online AP story: "Kenyan-born US senate hopeful, Barrack (sic) Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois senate seat."

 

[CrusaderFrank]

"Health director who approved Obama birth certificate dies in plane crash​

The health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a plane crash, Hawaiian officials said Thursday.Loretta Fuddy died after the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft she was travelling on went down shortly after leaving Kalaupapa Airport at around 3:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. The other eight people on board were rescued, Richard Schuman"

Health director who approved Obama birth certificate dies in plane crash

The health director who approved the release of President Obama’s birth certificate has died in a plane crash, Hawaiian officials said Thursday.Loretta Fuddy died after the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft she was travelling on went down shortly after leaving Kalaupapa Airport at around 3:15 p.m...

www.nbcnews.com

...and she was the only one who died in the crash.

 

[Skylar]

Sunday Standard of Nairobi, Kenya. In the lead sentence of that June 27, 2004, article, Kenyan editors, who knew his family and knew he was born in their country, added "Kenyan-born" to the start of the online AP story: "Kenyan-born US senate hopeful, Barrack (sic) Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois senate seat."

What article? Show me, don't tell me.

Then show me where they claimed that Obama himself told them he was born in Kenya. And why would Kenyan editors 'know his family'? Obama's family lived no where near Nairobi.

You understand that every time you make up a claim about how 'Obama told everyone he was born in Kenya'......you only prove me right on the depths to which conspiracy theorist will go to justify their irrational emotional attachment to their conspiracy?

 

[Skylar]

So a random guy on the youtube says that its fake. And the State of Hawaii affirms that all the information is accurate, and that their vital records confirm Obama was born in Hawaii.

And you choose the youtube guy as more reliable.

Once again, you prove me right. You're demonstrating how your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy has robbed you of the capacity for rational thought. You'll ignore anything, any document, any source, any person, no matter how knowledgeable, factually based or relevant......if it doesn't affirm your emotional attachment.

And you'll believe anyone, even some random youtuber, if he affirms your emotional attachment.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the conspiracy theorist.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Sunday Standard of Nairobi, Kenya. In the lead sentence of that June 27, 2004, article, Kenyan editors, who knew his family and knew he was born in their country, added "Kenyan-born" to the start of the online AP story: "Kenyan-born US senate hopeful, Barrack (sic) Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois senate seat."

Did the Nairobi newspaper call Miriam Goderich for background on their native son Barry Soetoro?

 

[Skylar]

Did the Nairobi newspaper call Miriam Goderich for background on their native son Barry Soetoro?

Again what article?

Again, who says that the editors knew Obama's family? Obama's family lived nowhere near Nairobi.

And again, who says that Obama told them he was born in Kenya? You claimed he told 'everyone', yet when pressed to tell us who these people are, you flee.

You're demonstrating my point with each claim you make and abandon. You're making up claims backed by nothing to try and justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy. You're offering us a narrative. One that you can't factually support.

You're proving me right by demonstrating my point for me. Thank you.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

What article? Show me, don't tell me.

Then show me where they claimed that Obama himself told them he was born in Kenya. And why would Kenyan editors 'know his family'? Obama's family lived no where near Nairobi.

You understand that every time you make up a claim about how 'Obama told everyone he was born in Kenya'......you only prove me right on the depths to which conspiracy theorist will go to justify their irrational emotional attachment to their conspiracy?

Kenyan-born Obama all set for US Senate

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Again what article?

Again, who says that the editors knew Obama's family? Obama's family lived nowhere near Nairobi.

And again, who says that Obama told them he was born in Kenya? You claimed he told 'everyone', yet when pressed to tell us who these people are, you flee.

You're demonstrating my point with each claim you make and abandon. You're making up claims backed by nothing to try and justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy. You're offering us a narrative. One that you can't factually support.

You're proving me right by demonstrating my point for me. Thank you.

Kenyan-born Obama all set for US Senate

Sunday, June 27, 2004

​ Kenyan-born Obama all set for US Senate Kenyan-born US Senate hopeful, Barrack Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois Senate seat after his main rival, Jack Ryan, dropped out of the race on Friday night amid a furor over lurid sex club allegations. The allegations that horrified fellow Republicans and caused his once-promising candidacy to implode in four short days have given Obama a clear lead as Republicans struggled to fetch an alternative. Ryan’s campaign began to crumble on Monday following the release of embarrassing records from his divorce. In the records, his ex-wife, Boston Public actress Jeri Ryan, said her former husband took her to kinky sex clubs in Paris, New York and New Orleans.​ Barrack Obama "It’s clear to me that a vigorous debate on the issues most likely could not take place if I remain in the race," Ryan, 44, said in a statement. "What would take place, rather, is a brutal, scorched-earth campaign – the kind of campaign that has turned off so many voters, the kind of politics I refuse to play." Although Ryan disputed the allegations, saying he and his wife went to one ‘avant-garde’ club in Paris and left because they felt uncomfortable, lashed out at the media and said it was "truly outrageous" that the Chicago Tribune got a judge to unseal the records. The Republican choice will become an instant underdog in the campaign for the seat of retiring Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald, since Obama held a wide lead even before the scandal broke. "I feel for him actually," Obama told a Chicago TV station. "What he’s gone through over the last three days I think is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody." The Republican state committee must now choose a replacement for Ryan, who had won in the primaries against seven contenders. Its task is complicated by the fact that Obama holds a comfortable lead in the polls and is widely regarded as a rising Democratic star. The chairwoman of the Illinois Republican Party, Judy Topinka, said at a news conference, after Ryan withdrew, that Republicans would probably take several weeks to settle on a new candidate. "Obviously, this is a bad week for our party and our state," she said.​ As recently as Thursday, spokesmen for the Ryan campaign still insisted that Ryan would remain in the race. Ryan had defended himself saying, "There’s no breaking of any laws. There’s no breaking of any marriage laws. There’s no breaking of the Ten Commandments anywhere."

The Standard Ltd
I & M Building, Kenyatta Avenue,
P.O Box 30080, 00100 GPO, Nairobi-Kenya.
Tel. +254 20 3222111, Fax: +254 20 214467, 229218, 218965.
Email: editorial@eastandard.net, online@eastandard.net
News room Tel: +254 20 3222111, Fax: +254 20 213108.
Advertising: standard.ads@swiftkenya.com

 

[Skylar]

Kenyan-born Obama all set for US Senate

No, Associated Press Did Not Report that Obama Was 'Kenyan-Born'

Internationally syndicated news stories are sometimes edited or added to by local newspaper publishers.

www.snopes.com

So that's a slightly modified version of an AP article. The 'kenyan editors' didn't even write it. They just added the words 'kenyan-born'.

And again, who says that the 'kenya editors' knew Obama's family? You made that up. Nairobi is no where near where Obama's family lived. There were 34 million people in Kenya in 2004. None of what you imagined makes sense.

Who says that Obama told 'everyone' he was born in Kenya? You made that up.

You're literally citing your imagination to justify your irrational emotional attachment to the birther conspiracy. And proving me right with every post.

Thank you. Your demonstrations of the exact process I described is so useful.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

No, Associated Press Did Not Report that Obama Was 'Kenyan-Born'

Internationally syndicated news stories are sometimes edited or added to by local newspaper publishers.

www.snopes.com

So that's a slightly modified version of an AP article. The 'kenyan editors' didn't even write it. They just added the words 'kenyan-born'.

And again, who says that the 'kenya editors' knew Obama's family? You made that up. Nairobi is no where near where Obama's family lived. There were 34 million people in Kenya in 2004. None of what you imagined makes sense.

Who says that Obama told 'everyone' he was born in Kenya? You made that up.

You're literally citing your imagination to justify your irrational emotional attachment to the birther conspiracy. And proving me right with every post.

Thank you. Your demonstrations of the exact process I described is so useful.

So including his biography, this is 2 independent, unrelated parties (besides his half brother and grandmother) who told us that Barack was 'Born in Kenya"

Why would his hometown newspaper make the exact same "mistake" his publisher did?

 

[Skylar]

So including his biography, this is 2 independent, unrelated parties (besides his half brother and grandmother) who told us that Barack was 'Born in Kenya"

Why would his hometown newspaper make the exact same "mistake" his publisher did?

So who says that Barack was telling everyone that he was born in Kenya? You literally made that up.

Who says that the 'Kenyan Editors' knew Obama's family? You made that up too.

And Nairobi is not Obama's hometown. Its nowhere near where Obama's family lived. You made that up too.

And Obama's grandmother said, repeatedly, that Obama was born in US. You know this, yet hope we don't. And you ignore her too.

In every post, you demonstrate my point about how conspiracy theorists will cling to their emotional attachment to their conspiracy over anything. There's nothing you won't ignore to justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy. There's nothing you won't imagine and make up to justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy.

Thank you again for demonstrating the very process I'm describing.

 

[skye]

just saying.....

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So who says that Barack was telling everyone that he was born in Kenya? You literally made that up.

Who says that the 'Kenyan Editors' knew Obama's family? You made that up too.

And Nairobi is not Obama's hometown. Its nowhere near where Obama's family lived. You made that up too.

And Obama's grandmother said, repeatedly, that Obama was born in US. You know this, yet hope we don't. And you ignore her too.

In every post, you demonstrate my point about how conspiracy theorists will cling to their emotional attachment to their conspiracy over anything. There's nothing you won't ignore to justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy. There's nothing you won't imagine and make up to justify your irrational emotional attachment to your conspiracy.

Thank you again for demonstrating the very process I'm describing.

It's OK.

It's a gullibility test and you have a perfect score

 

[Skylar]

It's OK.

It's a gullibility test and you have a perfect score

Gullible would be accepting your imagination and obsession with your emotional attachment to your conspiracy theory as fact.

There's a reason why conspiracy theorists are always looking for an ignorant audience. An informed and educated audience is FAR less likely to form the kind of irrational emotional attachments to conspiracies that you did.

As demonstrated elegantly by how much of your narrative is imaginary and made up by you.

 

[Billiejeens]

Gullible would be accepting your imagination and obsession with your emotional attachment to your conspiracy theory as fact.

There's a reason why conspiracy theorists are always looking for an ignorant audience. An informed and educated audience is FAR less likely to form the kind of irrational emotional attachments to conspiracies that you did.

As demonstrated elegantly by how much of your narrative is imaginary nonsense.

And yet all of the ones that haven't turned out to be true are pushed by people of your ilk.

After a day of reading your nonsense I wonder if you shouldn't be institutionalized.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Gullible would be accepting your imagination and obsession with your emotional attachment to your conspiracy theory as fact.

There's a reason why conspiracy theorists are always looking for an ignorant audience. An informed and educated audience is FAR less likely to form the kind of irrational emotional attachments to conspiracies that you did.

As demonstrated elegantly by how much of your narrative is imaginary and made up by you.

It's Obama own bio. No one knew who he was, and when it didn't matter, he was honest about his birthplace.

 

[BackAgain]

Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, false narratives can be incredibly sticky. Many people insist that the earth is flat, that childhood vaccines cause autism, or that climate change is a hoax, despite ample scientific evidence to the contrary.

“Stories are very powerful,” said Timothy Tangherlini, a UC Berkeley professor in the Department of Scandinavian and the School of Information. “We’re much more comfortable with hearing stories that confirm our beliefs than ones that challenge them.”

Tangherlini sees narratives like these, and the many other conspiracies that are rife in today’s internet culture, as a type of modern-day folklore. As a computational folklorist, he uses AI tools to study how social media networks have accelerated the spread of conspiracies and false beliefs, and what, if anything, we can do to slow them down.

Following an election cycle dominated by conspiracies and hoaxes — from elites controlling the path of hurricanes, to 20 million missing votes for Kamala Harris and immigrants eating people’s pets — Tangherlini’s work is more relevant than ever. Berkeley News spoke with Tangherlini about why conspiratorial thinking has flourished in recent years and how we might spread stories of inclusion and truth that are powerful enough to stem the tide of false belief.

Why conspiracies are so popular — and what we can do to stop them - Berkeley News

UC Berkeley Professor Timothy Tangherlini uses lessons from folklore and AI to understand how social media fuels the spread of conspiracies, and how we can use storytelling tools to stem the tide of misinformation.

news.berkeley.edu

How Do You Silence a Conspiracy Theory?​

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump loved a conspiracy theory.

He started his political career by stoking the lie that President Obama was not born in the United States. By 2024, he complained, falsely, that noncitizens would vote in the November election and throw the result to Democrats. He declared on a debate stage that immigrants in Ohio were eating people’s pets. He promised to release government files on Sept. 11 and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and told Fox News that “I guess I would” release the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, too.

As president, though, he’s finding that it’s a whole lot easier to start a conspiracy theory than it is to put one to rest.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/politics/conspiracy-epstein-files-trump.html

I'm not so sure calling the true believers "stupid" is going to do the trick. Chalk that comment up to the frustrations of an irritated older man who has lost control of the narrative he helped start.

They could be forgiven for expecting more details. Trump installed two vocal Epstein conspiracy theorists and right-wing media personalities, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, to run the F.B.I. after both men spent years telling their audiences there really was a there there. This spring, Attorney General Pam Bondi promised big revelations about the case that have come to nothing.

trump devotees thought, inexplicably, he could be relied on to tell the unvarnished truth when other politicians wouldn't. That their "anti-establishment" hero was one of them. IOW, he pulled off a Herculean feat of deception.

Like Russia Russia Russia? Those kind of conspiracy theories?

Glad you finally care about actual evidence, bug.