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I found out recently someone I slightly know (friend of a friend) is convinced that crap is real. This is an upper middle class woman who seemed intelligent and normal. Not only does she believe, but she just disowned her 3 sons because they tried to intervene and reason with her. Apparently in her view the only reason her sons don’t see the “truth” is because they went to a “liberal” college and were “indoctrinated”.
This woman is not mentally ill or unstable, but somehow she fell down the rabbit hole of BS and now believes a conspiracy theory centered around activity at a...... pizza parlor?
I am STILL seeing people tonight who believe this. Trump losing his Twitter is supposed to mean that the storm is here finally. Soon it will all be revealed, they say...we will all be so shocked. So many people will be in Gitmo or executed. Blah blah blah.
I don't think it's mental illness. It's just brainwashing. Very powerful stuff. The internet makes it easier to get involved and buy into the message of the cult like political groups.
There are countless examples of otherwise normal people getting brainwashed; Look at the NXIVM sex cult. There were successful actresses involved in that. The members of Jim Jones People's Temple were not said by family to be mentally ill and look what they were led into. It's very scary and I feel this may get worse with the QAnon folks.
One difference is there is a lot of sympathy for other groups who are brainwashed. It's considered tragic. I feel sorry for these people too.
Last edited by motownnative; 01-09-2021 at 12:18 AM..
I too, think most of these people are not mentally ill, however Trump is, and as the leader, his embrace of these absurd alternative facts has led to the brainwashing.
Trump definitely contributed no doubt about it. I have to be honest though, with all the 20 years I have in reading message boards, I am aware of these extremists being around a long time before he came on the scene. The brainwashing has been going on for years. It's now turning into the perfect storm as all these fringe groups can rally around one person: Trump.
Conspiracy theorists of all types exist among us. Always have and always will. The funny thing is that occasionally yesterdays conspiracy theories become tomorrows factual truth. I've always been interested in conspiracy theories because I like finding out how they started, what happened to make someone or a group of someone's start believing something that doesn't seem believable.
Trump definitely contributed no doubt about it. I have to be honest though, with all the 20 years I have in reading message boards, I am aware of these extremists being around a long time before he came on the scene. The brainwashing has been going on for years. It's now turning into the perfect storm as all these fringe groups can rally around one person: Trump.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear it's not over.
No they aren't. There are plenty of FRINGE leftist who are just as batshyt as anyone on the right. People do have some reasons to believe shady stuff is going on because it's gone on very publicly for 4 years and we know it. I've been a Trump supporter ever since he got into office. I was pretty happy with how things were going in the country and the world with him as leader. I only wish the vitriol against him, the medias constant lies , the Dems constant lies, didn't happen. I think if they had all found a way to work together, or at least no be actively trying to take Trump down, some more good stuff could have come out of it.
Sometimes you have to work with people you don't like, or work with the person who won instead of your candidate, but our LEADERS were too immature to do that. Everyone should be scared.
Conspiracy theorists of all types exist among us. Always have and always will. The funny thing is that occasionally yesterdays conspiracy theories become tomorrows factual truth. I've always been interested in conspiracy theories because I like finding out how they started, what happened to make someone or a group of someone's start believing something that doesn't seem believable.
Oh yeah, I totally agree. I have a curious mind and like to read offbeat things. Many things labeled as conspiracy theories end up being true. Who knows what this year will bring? There is supposed to be some announcement from the gov't about UFO's this year. The DOD doesn't set up a UFO Task Force for no reason.
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