"We now have the digital equivalent of a medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn" Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr Bean)
What are Conspiracy Theories anyway?
It was only a few decades ago that the term Conspiracy Theory took on the derogatory connotations it has today, where to call someone a conspiracy theorist is to insult and shut them down, used in conjunction with cancel culture, and firmly placing them on the fact-checking radar.
"From at least the 17th century to the 1950s, conspiracy theories were a widely accepted way of understanding the world and often the official versions of events. They were articulated by elites and usually targeted external enemies or subversives who were allegedly trying to undermine the state. It was only during the late 1950s and early 1960s that conspiracy theories started to become a stigmatised way of explaining big events."
"It’s reasonable to suppose many of the views that are now dismissed or mocked as conspiracy theories will one day be recognised as having been true all along. Indeed, the net effect of terms such as “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracism” is to silence people who are the victims of conspiracy, or who (rightly or wrongly) suspect conspiracies may be occurring. These terms serve to herd respectable opinion in ways that suit the interests of the powerful."
David Coady Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Tasmania
The Narrative
Labels of conspiracy theorists are given to someone who speaks out against the establishment orthodoxy, not because their theory is rooted in falsehoods and quackery, but because the powers-that-be are attempting to control the narrative.
This comes in the form of cancel culture, state-sanctioned propaganda, censorship, and narcissistic gaslighting, such as labelling. The war on free speech and free thinkers ramped up via sudden censorship and fact-checking of everyday Australians on social media in timely conjunction with Covid.
Labelling and humiliating people who question the narrative has the purpose of squashing public scrutiny into the agendas behind social groupthink, government actions, mandate enforcements and hidden agenda directions (such as smart cities, pandemic mandates and foreign involvement in Australia's future direction). Main Stream media (MSM) and recent legislation implementation is there to protect virtually any topic which the government and think-tank giants want society to tow the line on.
Using the term 'conspiracy theorist' transfers the spotlight off those making false claims, and onto those who are questioning or disclosing the narrative and often speaking the truth (which usually comes to light as indeed being the truth down the track). Knowledge is Power, and the powers-that-be will use every tactic available to discredit those who disclose even a semblance of truth.
Seekers of truth - now compared to extremist groups in a MSM & Government-fuelled division tactic
Labels given are intended to malign and publicly humiliate, divert attention and divide communities.
Examples of such labelling are: White supremacists, Right-wing extremists, Neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists, disinformation spreaders, domestic terrorists, quacks, tinfoil hatters, cookers, militants, fringe dwellers, agitators, anti-government protesters, nationalists, activists, ideological extremists, delusional. Queensland Police have recently been directed to focus on any individuals who appear to fit the above criteria even if they don't.
Other examples include being labelled as Asperger's or autistic, unhinged, paranoid and a nutter. However, the simple fact is that these are mostly regular folk questioning and seeking the truth behind the narrative.
Prior Australian and global heroes who the media glory-gushed over prior to them speaking out against mainstream narratives, are now publicly vilified with the most vile and venomous belittling.
It is disgraceful and shameful reporting from so-called 'journalists' at best. MSM is meant to bring fair, just and unbiased reporting, but they are simply owned-minions doing the cancel culture bidding of the current 'regime' in charge.
"To characterise a belief as a conspiracy theory is to imply it’s false. More than that, it implies people who accept that belief, or want to investigate whether it’s true, are irrational.
On the face of it, this is hard to understand. After all, people do conspire. That is, they engage in secretive or deceptive behaviour that is illegal or morally dubious.
It’s a function similar to that served by the term “heresy” in medieval Europe. In both cases these are terms of propaganda, used to stigmatise and marginalise people who have beliefs that conflict with officially sanctioned or orthodox beliefs of the time and place in question.
One bad effect of these terms is they contribute to a political environment in which it’s easier for conspiracy to thrive at the expense of openness. Another bad effect is their use is an injustice to the people who are characterised as conspiracy theorists.
These terms it can constitute a form of gaslighting. These terms of 'conspiracy theory' are the products of an irrational and authoritarian outlook."
David Coady. Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Tasmania
The Truth of the Matter
Breaking down factors of theoretical reasoning in the pursuit of uncovering the truth
Hypothesis: - A hypothesis is an assumption that is made based on some evidence. This is the initial point of any investigation that translates the research questions into predictions. as a reasonable, educated guess. It includes a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences.
Theory: Theories are developed based on observing similar outcomes over and over again. One piece or even bodies of research cannot "prove" a theory true; rather replication provides further evidence to support a theory—it strengthens a theory. A theory is an explanation of observed regularities; it’s not just some unestablished guess.
With Evidence we can also form sensible beliefs about things through theoretical reasoning. We can’t wait for there to be a nuclear war before we can tell anything about its probability, but we can make an educated guess on the likelihood of that happening due to evidential and anecdotal observations of how things have played out recently and over the decades.
The majority of so-called Conspiracy Theorists are quite the opposite of the slanderous labels imposed by the media and politics
Examples backed up by psychology theorists:
Truth tellers, dot-connectors, researchers, independent thinkers, fact tellers, divergent thinkers, intellectuals, broadminded, curious, mentally robust, systematic social thinker, not easily hoodwinked or manipulated, autonomous, synthesized thought (as opposed to rote learners), critical thinkers, people who can read between the lines, skeptical, logical reasoning, analytical, higher order thinkers.
Communistic Laws intended to Malign the Truth
Normal citizens who exercised their civil rights and body autonomy, those who voiced concerns over government actions during the pandemic and other national issues, were labelled by ASIO under the umbrella of neo-Nazi extremism groups, and on the radar as domestic terrorists.
This has also been placed into legislation where regular folk cannot criticize the government, cannot voice an alternative opinion or belief, and cannot exercise independent and intellectual thought. These are now seen by these draconian laws and Marxist measures as incitement, conspiring, dis-information and domestic terrorism. Hate speech laws and identify and disrupt legislation have been activated to counter public scrutiny or opinion which questions the governmental Delphi Method narrative.
Essentially, the government and ruling authoritarian regime are, as they have throughout history, attempting to silence public scrutiny. When you control the narrative, you control the people.
See related articles here.
Manipulation Of The Mind: Is YOUR Cognitive Liberty On The Line?
