Moot found a great article on the psychology of conspiracy crackpots hope he dosnt mind me reposting it here...
Originally posted by moot
Not directly related, but reading your conspiracy stuff made me curious about the specifics of crackpot psychology. I didn't have time to really dig up much, but found this, and thought it was interesting.
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=864
I think I agree with that article
I wouldn't worry too much about me turning into a conspiracy crackpot.
I have the attention span of a gnat and find it more enjoyable to explore multiple points of view of somthing than to cling to one view.
i would say this is a valid point of view and could explain why I am an agnostic and do not cling to one version of faith as the only true one.
I think humans by nature will distort reality for themselves and others as the article said to maintain normality and allow life to continue... normally. This is a valid and not undesirable thing up to a point and I like the way the declaration of independance says this...
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
our government is not at all reducing us to despotism but it may be endangering us if other countries decide to intervine drastically when our ambitions become to great.
and I have experienced true world crushing depression and can truely say that at this time in my life I find my existence a pleasant and happy one. I enjoy my normality and after the initial shock of seeing the crackpots viewpoint I do not really see their view which is distorted or the accepted view which is also distorted as a viable threat to my continued enjoyment of normal day to day life.
I hold no need to think that our dear government is our friend or our enemy as I feel the powers involved are greater than one person by a magnitude of millions. I voted for bush twice. the second time i voted against kerry and not for bush and thereby voted for bush by default because I thought kerry was worse than bush but bush sucked too.
but back to crakpot theories which they are rightly called..
what I think is neat is that if even a grain of the crackpot's views are true it makes the world we live in more interesting than it actually is in that we would have a modern day hitler overtaking a relatively young democratic country.
however I find this unlikely. Bush is a seemingly delusional moron who compares himself to winston churchill. the article could be applied to bush and his views on normality quite readily in that he thinks that although everyone hates him he will be appreciated in 20-30 years and thus this illusion helps maintain his ability to function in society.
but while bush is playing cowboy on his ranch and maintaining his normality he has subed out most of his presidential responsibilities and intelectual workload to dick cheney.
that is a bit worisome in that cheney has been showing blatant disregard for about everything that would stand in the way of increased executive power.
it is not a stretch of the imagination that our VP would easily convince our weakminded President that it is in our interest to engage in war in the middle east. I mean why not we need oil right? whoever controls the oil controls their own economic security.
I have attempted to look at this whole thing from a historical viewpoint of how such things happen in the past.
its not so much a matter of importance as a matter of being interesting in that this has all been done before and is recorded in history over and over and every time it happens people will continue to uphold their perception of normality as long as posible.
I personally do not care if bush/cheney decide to invade the whole middle east. I will continue to live my life with my day to day normality and I truely find it more high on my agenda to bone my wife as much as she will let me than to lose more than one nights sleep to the crackpot views on current events.
But I can not deny that I find it addictive to explore what would seem to be an objective reality of why things happen and why governments do what they do.
from what I have seen of both sides of this argument this is what I consider to be the most likely reality ...
9/11 was at best on the administrations affiliates and backers wish list and at worst on their to do list.
afganistan refused to allow a oil pipeline through there country to be built to benefit US allies but was begining construction on one with ties to iran. the pipeline is now being planned by the new afghan government and its US backers.
The US wanted to wage war on Iraq. found a frivolous reason and went to war with iraq. The US decides by design not to use Bush the elders strategy of massive numbers but instaed uses minimal forces with maximum technology and blitzkreigs the entire country in a matter of weeks. however this shock and awe does not win the war for the US. Iraq degrades into a civil war. The fighting is constant and neighboring countries seem interested influencinig the events and course that the iraq war will take. Iran is often blamed for heavy influence in the fighting and procurment of weapons for the insurgents.
The president is "steadfast" in his comitment to Iraq and though it is not spoken of much most construction and rebuilding in iraq is for permenant US bases heavily fortified and defended.
that brings it up to the present day.
I don't find this view of reality dilusional. I think it is pretty objective and realistic. my view may be a small departure from normality in that I do not think our government always tells the truth about their intentions.