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Trocisp

I didn't see him criticized at all - and I most certainly didn't. I just made a joke.

It's called humor - without it, life would be horribly dreary.

I'd say he's all the way there now.

Yes, damn "them" for using logic when examining statements...

Wait a second....

No disagreement from me.

No it's not.

It's very, very difficult to accept the idea. Why? Because it goes against the principle "the simplest solution is the correct one, unless evidence to the contrary is present." Occam's Razor.

Basically, if you turn on the TV and the weatherman says "Stay inside, big tornado coming this way!" and you stay inside until the next day, when you come outside to find that a tree is ripped out of the ground, what do you assume caused it?

Aliens or a tornado?

If you assumed it was aliens, you would need to know 1)aliens existed, 2)aliens had the ability to rip trees out of the ground, 3) aliens had the ability to travel from their home planet, 4) that aliens had the inclination to do this act mysteriously, without actually revealing themselves...

Or, you could assume it was a tornado, which has factual evidence to support it!

No... the problem with the idea is that it doesn't make any sense.

Hey, at least we can agree that they're fictional enemies....

If you want to help the world, make it a better place, I'll give you a few ways...

1. Donate blood. You can save lives.
2. Donate to Doctors without Borders. You can save lives.
3. Donate to the Red Cross. You can save lives.
4. Donate to honest, charitable organizations. You can help improve peoples lives.
5. Volunteer. 1 day a month for 2 or 3 hours is better than nothing.

Remember, all donations are tax deductable and you can help save peoples lives.

You do realize that "governments, big businesses, etc." are simply run by... people, right? They're not monolithic entities that simply have the urge to "do bad" to people.

I completely agree.
Be active in the democratic process! You have a voice! Vote.

Really, I'm not kidding. Voting is one of the absolute best things you can do if you want to change the world.

Hyperbole much?

This is neither the Empire from Star Wars, nor Nazi Germany. Stormtroopers are not going to bust into your house and put "a microchip in your ass."
I couldn't agree more!

So why groan the ones who post in this thread? Swabeky, Plains, THC, to name a few.

Seems counter-productive to groan people who you are the only thing that will bring about "change." (which is such a catch phrase - we don't need "change," we need improvement, change can be for the better or worse.)
Address what concerns? He didn't post with "concerns," he posted with a typical "I have insight into something you don't have" conspiracy theory that every other conspiracy theorist does.


Oh no! I disappointed someone I've never met.

No one "mocked," we poked fun. Relax.

You know the expression? "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."

It applies here.

I didn't go out of my way to ridicule anyone, neither did anyone here.

We didn't go to "www.conspiracytheoriesthatmakenosense.com" we came to marijuana.com, just like most of us do on a daily (or not) basis. We saw a thread which we thought we could post in.... and we did! Oh my! Such rude behavior.

And if you were a mod, this forum would be much, much less interesting.

Lucky for me, I don't have to listen to you, I can post anyway!

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"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." - Sir Winston Churchill
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche
"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." - Oscar Wilde
"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies." - Aristotle

 

THC Fiend

Why? I would make fun of Dan Brown if I ever saw him... or knew what he looked like.

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"Nietzsche is dead."
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brevity is... wit

StonedImmaculate21

Alright, here goes:

Yayo came here with a legitimate concern (or at least a concern he felt was legitimate). The sources for his information are obviously untrustworthy, and the theories are "a little out there" at best. However, instead of engaging him in an intelligent conversation and perhaps explain the faults inherent in these theories, most of you chose to respond with jokes about tin-foil hats and killer reptiles while adding no useful input. While I'm sure no one intended to mock him, that's how it comes across. Unfortunately, I, like most other people, am unable to read minds; I have no way of knowing your intentions, and neither does Yayo. If I were in his shoes, I would feel deeply insulted, that's why I came out in his defense.

Now on to the particulars:

That, Trocisp, was the ever-elusive humor. I phrased the statement the way I did for a reason. I poked fun at his theories too, but I also added something useful to the conversation.

Very true. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like you. For some people it really is easier to believe some shadowy government agency is in charge of everything than it is to take personal responsibility for what goes on in the world. This is why I responded the way I did; if all the responses were just tin-foil hat jokes, Yayo goes away feeling insulted without having learned a thing, he might wind up just another conspiracy nut sitting in his parents' basement watching the Zapruder film all day (this is obviously an exaggeration, but I'll point it out just to be safe) . I didn't want that to happen to a seemingly intelligent person.

Okay, okay, I didn't say it was the only problem . . .

I knew I should have elaborated more . . . Yes, I'm fully aware that these institutions are run be people. The problem is the types of people they are run by. You know the saying "the scum rises to the top"? Most of these institutions are headed by people fueled by greed and lust for power who operate with little or no oversight other than the docile, apathetic citizens. That's why they're a threat.

More of that elusive humor--easy to miss if you're not looking for it. I guess I should try using more smilies next time . . .

I only groaned the posts that offered no useful insight. I'll be happy to remove them provided the posters in question contribute something that is actually helpful.

Maybe it's a matter of interpretation. I didn't get that "holier than thou, I know something you don't" feeling from him at all. I saw a guy who made a discovery (albeit a flawed one) and felt the need to share it with others, maybe get some feed back from like-minded people. Again, it's extremely hard to tell people's intentions through this medium, I'm just working off the feeling I got from him.

Trocisp, I swear to to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, we could be best friends if only we could keep from arguing. I know: we'll call it "debating". I like that word much better.

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Buzzby

I approached this thread with the same attitude I'd have if an adult came up to me and told me that he found out that there was this big guy in a red suit who comes down the chimney to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

There is a certain expectation that people who have grown up in this culture either see the Illuminati conspiracy for the joke it is or they wear tinfoil hats. Those of us SI21 criticizes for being insensitive were, I think, just trying to bring the OP in on the joke.

(or is it part of the Illuminati's devious plot to make us think that they don't exist? )

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StonedImmaculate21

You might be right, I just didn't see it that way; and I didn't think Yayo, who had just come into this belief and seemed so affected by it, would see it that way either. All I wanted to do was steer the conversation in a productive direction, one where he could learn something. If someone suddenly and whole-heartedly converts to Scientology, you're not going to convince them that it's a false teaching by making jokes. They'll just get offended and walk away, as ignorant as they were before.

 

Trocisp

Legitimate: in accordance with the laws of reasoning; logically inferable; logical: a legitimate conclusion.

I'm not seeing it.
Whole heartedly agreed.

Hey now, my joke was about KY jelly, pitchforks and a rubber chicken (or was it ducky?).

Mock: to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision.

Nope, not attacked, ridiculed or derision(ed). Simply joked with.

"Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."

Even so, if I concede that he was being mocked, it would be much the same as me mocking someone for the fear that hedgehogs are plotting the forcible overthrow of the humans of the world.

Mocking, which this wasn't, ideas that hold absolutely no water isn't really mocking. It's engaging in topical conversation.

When a conversation makes no sense, flow with it!

You would feel deeply insulted for people expressing honest opinions?

Oh goody....

That's like saying you added something useful to a screen door on a submarine.

A door handle on a screen door is a great thing, but on a submarine, it's still pointless.

Yes.

And some people are delusional and believe that if the blue aliens from planet Nixtarmentixx are going to come eat their souls.

I think the Quote in my signature sums that up well enough... "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche

My point being, you can think however you want, and you can believe whatever you want. Neither makes it true, and neither means that your belief will hold up to even the slightest logical scrutiny.

If someone wont apply logic to their own thoughts and statements, what makes you think that they'll listen to yours?

I'll say it again, if you're offended by your thoughts being "joked" about, you shouldn't express them.

This is a public forum. When you post something nonsensical, expect a nonsensical response.


If I posted a thread with contents of "The red banana flew laterally beside the well, causing the rolls royce to scream." Would it be correct of me to assume I would get the same "defense" from you?

I wouldn't disagree.

Perhaps.

However, someone like the OP, who is already predisposed to believing absurd "theories" may very well believe you're being serious.

I wasn't implying you should remove them, only that you might rethink your groans in the future.

You stated intelligent people speaking out are what makes change, after you groaned at the intelligent posters in this thread... you seeing what I'm getting at?
Did you read the Original Post?

He specifically says "I don't know... if any of you people will even understand or have any idea what I'm talking about." Here, I'll show you.

Here's another bit...
He's sick, not only because this stuff is happening, but because he's one of the 10% who's intelligent enough to know it's happening.


You still don't get the bit "I'm smarter than you 'cause I can see it's happening," I don't think I can help you... (That was the humor bit)


Possible.

More likely, however (as it normally is with these kind of things...), he was trying to "share his new knowledge," much in the same way evangelical Christians try to "spread the gospel."

If you think debating things keeps you from being friends with someone, your friendships must be very, very boring.

Some of the best friends I've ever had had completely opposite viewpoints on almost everything, and neither of us ever passed up an opportunity to argue with each other about stuff.

Hell, some of the best romantic relationships I've ever been in, we've had opposing viewpoints on a lot of things. It's not whether or not you agree - it's if after you're done with the discussion, you can still be friends, lovers, or whatever your relationship was before the discussion began.


If someone whole-heartedly believes in something, no amount of logic is going to change their mind.

Buzzby

It's as good an approach as any. You're not going to convince them that's it's a false teaching by using logical arguments, either. They're already way beyond logic. The appeal of conspiracy theories and religious cults is that they make the believer feel that he's something special, that he has knowledge or benefits denied to the common man. It's an emotional appeal.

By intimating, through jokes, that the beliefs are somehow silly, you present a challenge to the true believer that might make him look more closely and from different points of view.

DaDornta

StonedImmaculate21:

You might want to check out the abovetopsecret forums, where I've been an active member for several years....

...before you jump to conclusions about who I am and what I believe.

Anyone know knows me on this board knows I am anti-NWO, know 9/11 was an inside job, realize the Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel, and that the CIA was/is profiting off the "war on drugs".

I could get more out there and talk about the soul-catchers and ancient alien spacecraft spotted on the moon, or Planet X...maybe HAARP and chem-trails are your thing.

Whatever man, I was just having some fun--toke a bowl and laugh a little.

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