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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#116376: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:02:05 AM

Relevant as well. It may not be obvious at first, but it will become clear soon enough. Just bear with me.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#116377: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:02:51 AM

What I find to be really weird about the Illuminati conspiracy theories is that they always act like the new establishment is always some sort of "final step" in the Illuminati's plans.

Leviticus 19:34
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#116378: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:04:50 AM

There is no final step! There is only the latest step!

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#116379: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:06:15 AM

Conspiracy theories don't have as much punch if there isn't a sense of urgency to them. A distressing number of people believe the moon landing conspiracy theory, but nobody's getting up in arms over it because it's in the past. The same is true of the JFK "Grassy Knoll" theory. But whatever the recent election is, that's a rallying cry to tear down the evil secret dictatorship before they destroy the world.

Ultimately, conspiracy theorists are like evangelicals: they desperately need the world to end tomorrow because it's the only way anyone's going to pay attention to them.

edited 17th Mar '16 10:08:15 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#116380: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:07:43 AM

I always thought that if the Illuminati existed, they really suck at what they're trying to do. "We're going to make a One World Order, with everyone under our control! Oh, by the way Jeeves, remind me to exacerbate the tensions between Pakistan and India. Yes, encouraging all these regional disputes will certainly help us unify everything under our control!"

There's also the thing that many, if not most, conspiracy theories require the government to be extremely competent in one specific area, but the government is clearly not all that competent in most things.

edited 17th Mar '16 10:09:15 AM by Zendervai

CassidyTheDevil Since: Jan, 2013
#116381: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:10:36 AM

I thought the Illuminati were supposed to be like the Men in Black. They've already taken over the world, just nobody realizes because of their alien brainwashing technology.

Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#116382: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:14:55 AM

[up][up] You mean like they think they're in control, but actually are nowhere near to being in control of events?

Keep Rolling On
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#116383: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:18:16 AM

It could be that the Illuminati wanted to the whole 1984 thing and have different groups turned against each other so that they don't get noticed.

Having said that, even if an Illuminati-like group really did exist, they probably have about as much power as the UN, which is to say very little.

Leviticus 19:34
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#116384: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:21:17 AM

You guys use machines? We still do it on paper over here
It varies by state, like so many other things. For example, some states have touch-screen, machine-only voting, but my state has a paper ballot that is subsequently fed into a machine.

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#116385: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:24:52 AM

Half the fun of conspiracy theories is that when reality utterly fails to resemble whatever secret order you're presupposing, you can just say that's part of the conspiracy.

I remember when everyone thought George W. Bush was the genius mastermind behind a million and one different conspiracies.

edited 17th Mar '16 10:25:09 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#116386: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:26:47 AM

I believe that people who believe in the Illuminati are also generally the people supporting Donald Trump, which makes their beliefs all the more ironic. It isn't much a secret that the Republican Establishment is out to deny Donald Trump the nomination through any means necessary or that they had a secret meeting on a private island with the richest and most powerful people on how do deal with Donald Trump.

In essence, by crusading against the Illuminati, they have created their "Illuminati."

Wizard Needs Food Badly
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#116387: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:29:38 AM

@ Protagonist:

Having said that, even if an Illuminati-like group really did exist, they probably have about as much power as the UN, which is to say very little.

Quite. Probably also an Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering.

Keep Rolling On
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#116388: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:34:58 AM

[up][up]From what I understand, it actually isn't too uncommon for dictators to also be conspiracy theorists. Both have a common thread in paranoia. They usually consider themselves to be La Résistance against a global conspiracy.

Leviticus 19:34
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#116389: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:36:16 AM

The U.S. and/or Europe are usually the ringleaders in those particular conspiracies.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#116390: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:37:21 AM

Way I see it, the rush or the power of conspiracy theories is something a lot more individualized than something born out of proper research.

The important part of a conspiracy is not that the secret handshakes of the illuminati, or the Jews' connectios unveiled and their behaviors all tailored towards one goal exposed, or that you have succesfully proven that Abraham Lincoln had an alien egg inside his hat an Putin is actually the messiah.

The important part about conspiracy theories is that I have the truth. I have something no one else knows. It is not about the truth it is not baout fear, it is about a desperate disenfranchised mind taking a old of the only thing he or she could find to gain relevance. This on the more extreme side of conspiracy theorists. Others simply use them to validate some stupid beliefs.

Like Trump or many others do. It benefits them to disbelieve Climate change, so they will disbelieve it and a basic way to discredit it is to link it to some nebulous organization. Doesn't mean they are conspiracy theorists: It just means they are stupid as fuck.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#116391: Mar 17th 2016 at 10:39:45 AM

[up][up]Well to be fair, considering we like to topple dictatorships and even democracies for fun and because certain businesses asked nicely enough there's something of a valid fear there.

Iran or that whole mess with Chiquita Banana for example.

Oh really when?
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#116392: Mar 17th 2016 at 11:36:01 AM

So...this ad popped up. And it made some Russians upset apparently.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#116393: Mar 17th 2016 at 11:48:22 AM

Hillary is fucking devious. I would be more afraid of her than I would be of Putin in a negotiating table.

Trump's skills are equal to those of...the Kim Jong family.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#116394: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:08:10 PM

[up][up]That is hilariously stupid.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#116395: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:28:32 PM

Why were Russians upset about that?

Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#116396: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:30:55 PM

Marco Rubio announces he will not seek senatorial reelection.

I’m not gonna be anybody’s Vice President. I’m not interested in being Vice President. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. I’m not gonna be Vice President; I’m not running for Governor of Florida. I’m gonna finish out my term in the Senate and over the next ten months we are going to work really hard here — we have some things we want to achieve — and then I’ll be a private citizen in January.

When a reporter asked for clarification, he said, “No. No, I’m not running for reelection to the Senate.”

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#116397: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:32:17 PM

[up] Guess losing on his own state hit him hard.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#116398: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:32:29 PM

Let the succession battle commence, then!

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#116399: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:36:43 PM

[up]x3

"Demonising Putin".

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#116400: Mar 17th 2016 at 12:46:38 PM

Wow. Rubio ragequits for keeps. He's quitting politics for good.

I feel sad for the guy but, at the same time, I don't feel it's a very tragic loss for the nation.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

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