When do conspiracy theories jump the shark?

[Nosi]

No, the hoaxtards will just claim they went to the moon to plant fake evidence to support the hoax.

Ask them how someone plants fake evidence on the moon.

 

[slowsmile]

Ask them how someone plants fake evidence on the moon.

Secret technology known only to the PTB/NWO/Illuminati - and naturally enough the barmier posters on CT interwebs

 

[Patrick1000]

Governmental Conspiracies Never Jump The Shark.....

This won't please the conspiracy minded, but it is a simple fact that literally none of the various conspiracy theories touted in this forum or the one next door have made the slightest genuine headway in the real world (not least because they're all howlingly, screamingly wrong).

The rejection of 9/11 Truth, Moon Hoaxing, Holocaust Denial, Birtherism, JFK theories and NWO/Illuminati theories is essentially unanimous in all relevant parts of the adult world - the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, in every single country in the world (except maybe Iran); all scientific and investigative agencies; academia and universities; and virtually all of the media.

It should be perfectly obvious to everyone that these theories are never going to make any headway; that if they ever had a chance then that moment has long passed. Time moves on, and we find ourselves 10 years from 9/11, nearly 50 years from the JFK assassination, et cetera. Some of the theories arguably never even had a 'moment' when they were even vaguely fashionable. Some did, but the unifying characteristic of all of the above mentioned CTs is surely that they have now all jumped the shark.

Not only that, but if we think of the 90s and Noughties as a heyday for modern conspiracism, then surely that era is now passe, and so easily parodied/ridiculed that we now have Conspiracy Fatigue. Conspiracy theories in general may have jumped the shark.

Yeah, we know: belief in a certain set of conspiracies is now typical of a few subsets of retarded American youths and middle-aged losers, who have cut themselves off from the mainstream. But they're never ever ever going to make any headway in the mainstream, and now appear to be little different to their granddaddies' generation when cranks mailed each other pamphlets and newspaper clippings.

Yeah, we know: there is a seemingly inexhaustible supply of stupid out there, but stupid is as stupid does. And the one thing all the major theories share in common is that they're mind-numbingly, epically stupid.

So stupid that they don't notice they're backing the ideas equivalents of 8-track tapes, or might as well be touting MC Hammer as cutting-edge pop music for all that they have noticed that they're not actually riding the wave of the future.

Governmental Conspiracies Never Jump The Shark.....The role that they play in a culture, our culture, is ever so vital for its continuation, its life. When government lies finally jump the shark, that means there is, or soon will be, revolution.

 

[LSSBB]

Governmental Conspiracies Never Jump The Shark.....The role that they play in a culture, our culture, is ever so vital for its continuation, its life. When government lies finally jump the shark, that means there is, or soon will be, revolution.

He's talking about Conspiracy Theories. Cover-ups and conspiracies will happen, but the ones the Conspiracy Theorists rant about never get proven.

 

[Dave Rogers]

Governmental Conspiracies Never Jump The Shark.....The role that they play in a culture, our culture, is ever so vital for its continuation, its life.

'Fraid not. Imaginary government conspiracies never jump the shark for the simple reason that they start out on the far side of it.

Dave

 

[Paradox74]

"When do conspiracy theories jump the shark?"

Easy. Whenever they involve David Icke, Alex Jones, Shapeshifting-Reptoids from-another-dimention-who-are-controlling-humanity-in-some-kind-of-a-computer-matrix, and in-which-case-why-can't-they-simply-input-some-cheat-codes-like-in-any-other-simulation-and-get-all-the-goodies-that-they-want-without-comming-up-with-half-baked-plans-such-as-flying-airplanes-in-broad-daylight-spraying-chemicals-all-over-the-place-because-of-the-wind-and-the-height-of-the-aircraft...

*gasps for breath*

Oh, and anything that involves Elvis.

 

[DGM]

Hey, come on! I liked 8-track tapes!

Damn right.............You could cruise around all night and never have to worry about flipping over the tape. Things like that could be very distracting and become unsafe when you were cursing around "stoned as a bone".

Brings back memories, My first 8-track, Magicians Birthday by Uriah Heep.

 

[Atwill]

When do they jump the shark? - when to make them viable they need a macro-conspiracy that involves ten's of thousands of people to be 'in on it'....and rather a dull public that cannot see it...

I think they jump the shark when all the theory's critics are "in on it" or it requires the complete subversion of all known physics, chemistry or biology.

This is how I would define a conspiracy theory's ultimate shark-jumping moment as well. The moment when the proponents respond to criticism by modifying their original theory to such a degree that it becomes completely unfalsifiable and all evidence to the contrary serves as evidence to support it by means of special pleading.

 

[tsig]

This is how I would define a conspiracy theory's ultimate shark-jumping moment as well. The moment when the proponents respond to criticism by modifying their original theory to such a degree that it becomes completely unfalsifiable and all evidence to the contrary serves as evidence to support it by means of special pleading.

I've seen some wind up at the 'everybodies in on it but me' point. Seems like at that stage you have to start worrying about that man in the mirror.

 

[Dave Rogers]

I've seen some wind up at the 'everybodies in on it but me' point. Seems like at that stage you have to start worrying about that man in the mirror.

This has been described by Ryan Mackey as the Inflationary Limit of conspiracy theories. I recommend reading the linked post, as well as the earlier post linked from within it.

Dave

 

[Patrick1000]

My point is they play such an important role in the community.....

He's talking about Conspiracy Theories. Cover-ups and conspiracies will happen, but the ones the Conspiracy Theorists rant about never get proven.

My point is that the big fat government lies that CT types do discuss here play such an important role in the community that they cannot be allowed to be proven in a sense. The "fraudulent as true" must be preserved or the community blows up, i.e. there is revolution.

 

[uke2se]

My point is that the big fat government lies that CT types do discuss here play such an important role in the community that they cannot be allowed to be proven in a sense. The "fraudulent as true" must be preserved or the community blows up, i.e. there is revolution.

I'd say that CT types tend to lie more than any given government.

 

[Border Reiver]

You're confusing societal myths with conspiracies

 

[Patrick1000]

Perhaps

I'd say that CT types tend to lie more than any given government.

Perhaps

 

[JayUtah]

I'd say that CT types tend to lie more than any given government.

And Patrick1000 lies more than any given conspiracy theorist.

 

[JayUtah]

My point is that the big fat government lies that CT types do discuss here play...

You mean the one for which the only evidence you can provide is that your mother said so?

...they cannot be allowed to be proven in a sense.

Except for you. You're somehow naturally immune to all the hogwash everyone else believes in.

The "fraudulent as true" must be preserved or the community blows up, i.e. there is revolution.

How about this: the "imaginary as fact" must be preserved or the conspiracy theorist's fantasy world blows up and he's left with the realization that he really isn't as smart or brave as he keeps telling himself.

 

[JayUtah]

One shark-jumping moment we haven't mentioned is the sudden admission after a lengthy losing debate that it was all just a "social experiment" of some kind, and that we all fail somehow. We file that under the variety of Awkward Exit Strategies.

 

[Robrob]

My point is that the big fat government lies that CT types do discuss here play such an important role in the community that they cannot be allowed to be proven in a sense. The "fraudulent as true" must be preserved or the community blows up, i.e. there is revolution.

Nice strawman you've constructed there.

 

[Nosi]

This is how I would define a conspiracy theory's ultimate shark-jumping moment as well. The moment when the proponents respond to criticism by modifying their original theory to such a degree that it becomes completely unfalsifiable and all evidence to the contrary serves as evidence to support it by means of special pleading.

Some have jumped a school of sharks and are still going strong however!

 

[madfoot]

This won't please the conspiracy minded, but it is a simple fact that literally none of the various conspiracy theories touted in this forum or the one next door have made the slightest genuine headway in the real world (not least because they're all howlingly, screamingly wrong).

Wow, blanket statements FTW?