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This is a question Conspiracy Theories

What's your favourite one that you almost believe? And why? We're popping on our tinfoil hats and very much looking forward to your answers. (Thanks to Shezam for this suggestion.)

(, Thu 1 Dec 2011, 13:47)
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That's just good old-fashioned corruption
To be a conspiracy theory, it needs a certain pinch of utter mentalness about it. Somethign to do with Lizard People, or the postman hearing your thoughts...
(, Fri 2 Dec 2011, 14:23, 1 reply)
It's corruption when individuals pursue purely selfish individual agendas of dubious legality.
It's a conspiracy when a significant group within the government pursues a covert agenda or ideology.

Does this latter ever happen? The people who say "well maybe in other places, but not in this liberal democracy" might think of themselves as rational skeptics, but personally I think of them as naive, and I think we massively overestimate just how democratic our own countries are compared to those that get a bad press in our own media.
(, Fri 2 Dec 2011, 14:46, closed)
Corruption isn't just an individual activity
You can have fully corrupt states where 'significant groups' as well as individuals pursue their own agendas for profit/power; ie systematic corruption. Just look at Soviet Russia.

No-one is denying corruption exists; certainly, the more advanced the democracy, the more subtle it will be, but it will always be there (Power corrupts, after all). To make the leap from simple corruption to conspiracy theory requires some kind of 'plot,' not just an agenda -doing it for the sake of personal/shared profit is merely an agenda. 'Plots' tend to be more...well, mental, for want of a better word. Faking the moon landing. Controlling the entire world's currency. Putting stuff in the drinking water. All plots, all mental, all leaps of imagination.

Corruption exists - but conspiracy theories? Flights of fancy, every one
(, Fri 2 Dec 2011, 15:58, closed)
It's not just for personal/shared profit though,
sometimes it's for ideology, especially nationalist ideology.

See for instance www.newamericancentury.org/
I wish that site was a piss take.
(, Fri 2 Dec 2011, 16:55, closed)
But it's hardly a secret conspiracy when they have a whole bleeding website about it, is it?
'Conspiracy' implies secrecy, but PNAC is hardly news, it's been around for years, and I'm surprised you've only just stumbled across it now.

I emailed them back in 2003 during the run up to the Iraq War saying that we Brits weren't going to take that sort of thing lying down and that we were setting up the Project for the New British Century, which would consist of lots of men sitting around in tweed jackets drinking tea and smoking pipes and plotting to achieve Full Spectrum Dominance - just as soon as the funding was agreed, and subject to feasibility studies, and provided the supply of tea held up...etc. etc.

Never heard back from them.
(, Sat 3 Dec 2011, 0:20, closed)

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