The origins of conspiracy theories

Steven Cruz3 said:Look, I love reptiles. To me, conspiracy theories that pin all this evil on lizards are just plain stupid. It’s the same kind of moronic thinking where people used to burn black cats right alongside "witches"—human stupidity is honestly bottomless. Honestly, the people who try to project "demonic" traits onto animals are just incredibly dim and primitive. 🙄

Burning cats is absolutely disgusting, and if we're talking about "reptiles," I mean people who lack any shred of empathy.

Not sure if a crocodile is ever gonna cuddle up like a cat or be loyal like a dog, though. 🤷

Obviously, you shouldn't mess with reptiles; they have their own world, and we have ours with our pets.

Some billionaire who forces austerity on the public, cuts Social Security, and pays workers pennies $533... all just to pad his own pockets? That’s a person without a soul, someone with zero morals, just pure cruelty living inside them.

Animals are basically symbols. We keep pets because they love us, while a crocodile survives purely through its predatory nature. 🤷

bluemason3 said:

mistygull16 Asks:
The people have quantity and numbers on their side. Why should they put up with these arrogant billionaires? 🤷

Humans aren't islands. We don't just function in a vacuum; we’re social creatures, which means everything eventually requires some level of organization.

Even bad organization beats having none at all.

History shows that people have always been good at toppling an elite, only to immediately install a new one—often a much worse version of the old guard.

Those who control the flow of information clearly possess a level of competence in managing social dynamics and structures that far exceeds the average person.

I'm not sure how one would even go about changing that. To be honest, I'm not even certain if it's actually a problem.

If things actually start shifting, the real game-changer will be the evolution of communication tech and how fast information flows.

Individual awareness is also key to making society better and fairer, but the last decade feels like a massive step backward... like everyone’s getting dumber.

Conspiracy theorists always bring up lithium, fluoride, those contrails left by planes (what's the word for those?), vaccines, and the school system (kids today struggle with basic logic; back in my day, us lazy types used logic as a substitute for actually studying) as ways to keep people lobotomized. 🤷

Not sure what the chemists have to say about the whole lithium and fluoride thing.

Then there's talk about banning foraging (started with asparagus as a test run), with the goal being to eventually grab a monopoly on plant seeds.

And hemp wasn't banned to protect teenagers; nowadays, unfortunately, schools are crawling with cheap synthetic drugs while the police basically sit on their hands.

Speaking of the police, it seems like local beat cops are thinning out because of budget cuts, but there's more SWAT stuff—the kind that goes after farmers and laborers.

Ryan Wilson2 said:Well, we’re on an alternative platform now, so we might as well speculate. 😁

The stability of our entire financial system relies heavily on those who hold the most capital—the massive corporations, the Illuminati, and so on. Because of that, there isn't any real danger to the status quo. Stock trading, the stock exchanges, and all that business aren't much different from gambling if you don't possess
the necessary insider information.

And how does one quickly pull in another million when you control everything? It couldn't be easier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Flash_Crash

(though I highly doubt anyone will actually bother reading this 😁)

So, the premise is that the financial market is controlled by a small group of people. By doing so, they can manipulate the masses. The question remains... why?

I'm not ruling out the possibilities suggested by the likes of Aikavci

But, staying true to the spirit of the topic, perhaps the craving for conspiracy theories is merely a camouflaged longing for religiosity? A desire for there to be something above us controlling things, thereby providing a sense of purpose to our lives. After all, I see no fundamental difference in the logic: whether we are being watched over by an almighty God because we are special, or being watched over by an evil Alien because we are tasty.

Imagine the horror if we were to realize that neither God, nor reptiles, nor the Illuminati exist... and that we are simply left entirely to our own devices. 😲

Screw that, we're already on our own anyway 🤷

Unless someone actually holds the "true knowledge," and even then, how would we ever know if it was legit?

So, I guess we gotta come up with some kind of game plan to figure out what counts as the real deal 🤷

mistygull16 said:Burning cats is absolutely disgusting, and if we're talking about "reptiles," I mean people who lack any shred of empathy.

Not sure if a crocodile is ever gonna cuddle up like a cat or be loyal like a dog, though. 🤷

Obviously, you shouldn't mess with reptiles; they have their own world, and we have ours with our pets.

Some billionaire who forces austerity on the public, cuts Social Security, and pays workers pennies $533... all just to pad his own pockets? That’s a person without a soul, someone with zero morals, just pure cruelty living inside them.

Animals are basically symbols. We keep pets because they love us, while a crocodile survives purely through its predatory nature. 🤷

I’m obsessed with alligators and crocodiles—they're fascinating. Anacondas and pythons? Absolutely stunning. I also have a huge soft spot for rattlesnakes and copperheads, plus lizards and frogs. Honestly, I don't get why some idiots feel the need to project all their filth and malice onto reptiles—especially since we've been dealing with that snake business ever since the Garden of Eden. 🤷

God, I honestly have zero patience for anyone who claims to believe in God but lacks even an ounce of basic logic—seriously. If you actually think God created everything... Every single living thing.He created the reptiles, too. And let’s be real—He created everything else, the good and the absolute filth—so what’s with all this mental splitting? Seriously, why does everyone need to overcomplicate things like that? What's the point? 🙄

Sometimes I think Nature would finally be free if we could just scrub all this human garbage off the face of the earth—that mental pollution where people look at actual Beauty and only see ružnoća, and then try to turn that ružnoća into some fake set of Laws.

Steven Cruz3 said:I’m obsessed with alligators and crocodiles—they're fascinating. Anacondas and pythons? Absolutely stunning. I also have a huge soft spot for rattlesnakes and copperheads, plus lizards and frogs. Honestly, I don't get why some idiots feel the need to project all their filth and malice onto reptiles—especially since we've been dealing with that snake business ever since the Garden of Eden. 🤷

God, I honestly have zero patience for anyone who claims to believe in God but lacks even an ounce of basic logic—seriously. If you actually think God created everything... Every single living thing.He created the reptiles, too. And let’s be real—He created everything else, the good and the absolute filth—so what’s with all this mental splitting? Seriously, why does everyone need to overcomplicate things like that? What's the point? 🙄

Sometimes I think Nature would finally be free if we could just scrub all this human garbage off the face of the earth—that mental pollution where people look at actual Beauty and only see ružnoća, and then try to turn that ružnoća into some fake set of Laws.

I mean, I probably wouldn't let a kid mess around with a corn snake, a rattlesnake, or a crocodile, either.🤷

And I definitely wouldn't let a kid go swimming if there was a shark or a lethal jellyfish nearby.

Or let them play around near a black widow or some hornets.🤷

Was watching this documentary here in the United States about how pythons showed up out of nowhere. Turns out, some "snake lover" wanted one as a pet, then dumped it back into the wild. Now they've got two types of pythons popping up—some smaller and more dangerous ones, others bigger but less so—and now everyone's freaking out that they might breed into some kind of super-snake that's even bigger and nastier.

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years just out of respect for animals, but wild creatures belong in the wild. If we have extra love to give, there are plenty of miserable people who need it way more than a wild animal does. You shouldn't disturb wildlife by dragging them into your house... honestly, seeing birds in cages just drives me nuts.

Think about animals more like fundamental principles—like, their bodies are just physical manifestations of certain traits. Those same patterns are baked right into us, too. That’s why we say someone eats like a pig, or can tear you apart like a crocodile, or purrs like a cat. It's all there.

The soul basically evolves from wild beasts, through domesticated animals, until it finally hits human form.

mistygull16 said:I mean, I probably wouldn't let a kid mess around with a corn snake, a rattlesnake, or a crocodile, either.🤷

And I definitely wouldn't let a kid go swimming if there was a shark or a lethal jellyfish nearby.

Or let them play around near a black widow or some hornets.🤷

Was watching this documentary here in the United States about how pythons showed up out of nowhere. Turns out, some "snake lover" wanted one as a pet, then dumped it back into the wild. Now they've got two types of pythons popping up—some smaller and more dangerous ones, others bigger but less so—and now everyone's freaking out that they might breed into some kind of super-snake that's even bigger and nastier.

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years just out of respect for animals, but wild creatures belong in the wild. If we have extra love to give, there are plenty of miserable people who need it way more than a wild animal does. You shouldn't disturb wildlife by dragging them into your house... honestly, seeing birds in cages just drives me nuts.

I was at this zoo in a neighboring state a while back—they do these constant educational programs for kids—and they actually pulled different snakes out of their enclosures. They let the kids hold them while an educator went over the basics: what species they were, where they live, all that stuff. She also made sure to hammer home the most important part: if you spot a snake out in Nature, just leave it alone. Some are venomous, some aren't, but the point remains the same. The kids absolutely loved it. Honestly, if you teach kids this way—before their brains get filled up with useless crap—they won't grow up being terrified of animals. Instead, they'll just have that healthy, natural caution about not touching wildlife. Animals need to stay exactly how they are—wild and free in Nature.

mistygull16 said:I mean, I probably wouldn't let a kid mess around with a corn snake, a rattlesnake, or a crocodile, either.🤷

And I definitely wouldn't let a kid go swimming if there was a shark or a lethal jellyfish nearby.

Or let them play around near a black widow or some hornets.🤷

Was watching this documentary here in the United States about how pythons showed up out of nowhere. Turns out, some "snake lover" wanted one as a pet, then dumped it back into the wild. Now they've got two types of pythons popping up—some smaller and more dangerous ones, others bigger but less so—and now everyone's freaking out that they might breed into some kind of super-snake that's even bigger and nastier.

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years just out of respect for animals, but wild creatures belong in the wild. If we have extra love to give, there are plenty of miserable people who need it way more than a wild animal does. You shouldn't disturb wildlife by dragging them into your house... honestly, seeing birds in cages just drives me nuts.

Look, you’re out here trying to force your values on everyone else—I don't have some desperate need to love "pitiful people who need my affection." I don't get that. But? I do feel a drive to love wild animals. I wouldn't exactly invite them into my living room, obviously, but I'd fight tooth and nail to make sure our species doesn't wreck their habitat on Earth. Humans have overpopulated this planet to a ridiculous degree, while wildlife is shrinking by the day. We're watching beautiful species go extinct because of the mess we made, yet idiots still spend their time babbling about "evil reptilians" instead of facing reality. 😁

mistygull16 said:I mean, I probably wouldn't let a kid mess around with a corn snake, a rattlesnake, or a crocodile, either.🤷

And I definitely wouldn't let a kid go swimming if there was a shark or a lethal jellyfish nearby.

Or let them play around near a black widow or some hornets.🤷

Was watching this documentary here in the United States about how pythons showed up out of nowhere. Turns out, some "snake lover" wanted one as a pet, then dumped it back into the wild. Now they've got two types of pythons popping up—some smaller and more dangerous ones, others bigger but less so—and now everyone's freaking out that they might breed into some kind of super-snake that's even bigger and nastier.

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years just out of respect for animals, but wild creatures belong in the wild. If we have extra love to give, there are plenty of miserable people who need it way more than a wild animal does. You shouldn't disturb wildlife by dragging them into your house... honestly, seeing birds in cages just drives me nuts.

You’re just as terrified of wild animals as you are of wild women, mistygull16. 😁

There’s no way for a soul to evolve if it doesn't respect ALL life on Earth—it won't ascend any higher, and it sure as hell won't reach some state of Enlightenment. It'll just stay stuck right where it is, trapped inside its own tiny, human little mental cage.

Steven Cruz3 said:I was at this zoo in a neighboring state a while back—they do these constant educational programs for kids—and they actually pulled different snakes out of their enclosures. They let the kids hold them while an educator went over the basics: what species they were, where they live, all that stuff. She also made sure to hammer home the most important part: if you spot a snake out in Nature, just leave it alone. Some are venomous, some aren't, but the point remains the same. The kids absolutely loved it. Honestly, if you teach kids this way—before their brains get filled up with useless crap—they won't grow up being terrified of animals. Instead, they'll just have that healthy, natural caution about not touching wildlife. Animals need to stay exactly how they are—wild and free in Nature.

Look, you’re out here trying to force your values on everyone else—I don't have some desperate need to love "pitiful people who need my affection." I don't get that. But? I do feel a drive to love wild animals. I wouldn't exactly invite them into my living room, obviously, but I'd fight tooth and nail to make sure our species doesn't wreck their habitat on Earth. Humans have overpopulated this planet to a ridiculous degree, while wildlife is shrinking by the day. We're watching beautiful species go extinct because of the mess we made, yet idiots still spend their time babbling about "evil reptilians" instead of facing reality. 😁

You’re just as terrified of wild animals as you are of wild women, mistygull16. 😁

There’s no way for a soul to evolve if it doesn't respect ALL life on Earth—it won't ascend any higher, and it sure as hell won't reach some state of Enlightenment. It'll just stay stuck right where it is, trapped inside its own tiny, human little mental cage.

and maniacs too 😉

People say don't go looking for trouble, and they say those Asian hornets are slowly making their way over to Europe... honestly, I can't say I blame them. 😉

Speaking of wild beasts, I saw this...

Even reptiles couldn't pull this off. Way out of their league.

mistygull16 said:and maniacs too 😉

People say don't go looking for trouble, and they say those Asian hornets are slowly making their way over to Europe... honestly, I can't say I blame them. 😉

Look, a hornet or some reptile isn't half as bad as hypocritical, moronic people and their idiotic, two-faced "gods" who claim to hate Nature—even though they’re the ones who supposedly created it themselves. 😉

Subliminal messages? I mean, it’s easily one of the most plausible conspiracy theories out there, yet somehow nobody ever seems to talk about them.

Steven Cruz3 said:Look, a hornet or some reptile isn't half as bad as hypocritical, moronic people and their idiotic, two-faced "gods" who claim to hate Nature—even though they’re the ones who supposedly created it themselves. 😉

You actually put together a whole little essay on that asceticism thread, didn't you? ☕

crimsonhawk47 said:Subliminal messages? I mean, it’s easily one of the most plausible conspiracy theories out there, yet somehow nobody ever seems to talk about them.

Like, for instance... 😕

Conspiracy theories are really just a massive, heavy-duty excuse for being too powerless to actually change anything. Even if someone has this grand vision for what the future should look like, they still can't make it happen. So, instead of looking inward, they go hunting for villains everywhere else. It’s wilder if you think about it—people will do just about anything to avoid taking responsibility for themselves!

Kate Howard63 said:I believe you are missing the core point being made by Baphomet. These elites possess such vast quantities of wealth that money itself has become practically meaningless to them. There is an underlying ideology driving their actions—an ideology that binds the most powerful people on Earth together. Money is not the ultimate goal; it is merely the instrument. The true objective of these elites is not the accumulation of more currency, but something far more profound.

Precisely. That was my point all along: the accumulation of wealth is merely a byproduct of some much deeper, more calculated agenda.

crimsonhawk47 said:Subliminal messages? I mean, it’s easily one of the most plausible conspiracy theories out there, yet somehow nobody ever seems to talk about them.

There is really nothing left to debate here; we aren't even talking about "theory" anymore, we are talking about plain reality.😁

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_kwong...and_it_s_magic

Ryan Wilson2 said:There is really nothing left to debate here; we aren't even talking about "theory" anymore, we are talking about plain reality.😁

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_kwong...and_it_s_magic

But then again, I guess those conspiracy theories end up taking up a pretty massive slice of the pie too.

Amanda Vaughn3 said:You sound like Laura Knight lately:
''What good would aliens do us when we're already stuck with psychopaths?'' 🤷

We could argue that religions were basically engineered to shift the blame from the individual to some external evil force—it's never my fault, it's the devil or some dark spirit instead...
Then, once you repent for those sins, everything is wiped clean.
It effectively removes any sense of personal accountability—you're essentially acting under someone else's control, so you just repent to be "pure" again...

I have finally come to terms with my feminine nature.😁

One could argue that religions were engineered specifically to shift the burden of guilt from the individual onto malevolent external forces (it isn't my fault, it was the devil, or some other evil entity)...
And then, once you repent for those sins, everything is wiped clean.
Essentially, you carry zero personal responsibility; you act as if you are merely under someone else's control, allowing you to repent and emerge "pure" again...

It is quite clearly one of the earliest iterations of applied psychology.

redbear12 said:So, we're talking about where conspiracy theories actually come from?

The Bible says people who do good walk in the light, while those doing evil hide out in the shadows so nobody sees what they're up to.

But honestly, the root of it all is just that gut feeling—that sense that something stinks. It’s that moment when you look at world events and finally manage to connect the dots. I think you have to be on a certain level of awareness to even pull that off. When someone is actually trying to be a decent person, all that darkness just becomes way more obvious to them.

Fine then. If we are following that logic strictly, perhaps we should start amputating women's hands, seeing as it is explicitly written in the Bible:

"If two men fight and a man's wife intervenes to rescue him from his assailant by grabbing the attacker by his private parts, cut off her hand; do not show her any pity."

Steven Cruz3 said:I was at this zoo in a neighboring state a while back—they do these constant educational programs for kids—and they actually pulled different snakes out of their enclosures. They let the kids hold them while an educator went over the basics: what species they were, where they live, all that stuff. She also made sure to hammer home the most important part: if you spot a snake out in Nature, just leave it alone. Some are venomous, some aren't, but the point remains the same. The kids absolutely loved it. Honestly, if you teach kids this way—before their brains get filled up with useless crap—they won't grow up being terrified of animals. Instead, they'll just have that healthy, natural caution about not touching wildlife. Animals need to stay exactly how they are—wild and free in Nature.

Look, you’re out here trying to force your values on everyone else—I don't have some desperate need to love "pitiful people who need my affection." I don't get that. But? I do feel a drive to love wild animals. I wouldn't exactly invite them into my living room, obviously, but I'd fight tooth and nail to make sure our species doesn't wreck their habitat on Earth. Humans have overpopulated this planet to a ridiculous degree, while wildlife is shrinking by the day. We're watching beautiful species go extinct because of the mess we made, yet idiots still spend their time babbling about "evil reptilians" instead of facing reality. 😁

You’re just as terrified of wild animals as you are of wild women, mistygull16. 😁

There’s no way for a soul to evolve if it doesn't respect ALL life on Earth—it won't ascend any higher, and it sure as hell won't reach some state of Enlightenment. It'll just stay stuck right where it is, trapped inside its own tiny, human little mental cage.

Alex Jones claims we’re actually dealing with a gang of rogue reptilian criminals hailing from the Draco constellation. He isn't out here trying to demonize reptiles as a whole species, mind you; he's specifically targeting this one group of cosmic outlaws. He lays out all his evidence regarding the whole thing throughout his books.
I still say this is just some minor subplot in the much larger story of how people get manipulated. It’s like that old saying goes: who even needs to worry about aliens or reptiles when we've already got psychopaths running the show?