my brother influenced me to get into conspiracy theories as a young teenager (he got me into Zeitgeist - yes, I watched all three) and that included the works of David Icke. thankfully i actually had my head screwed on as a kid and only got through about 30 pages of his 690-page tome Human Race Get Off Your Knees before i realised what this guy was about. my brother unfortunately seemed to take his word as gospel.
despite all the misinformation and utter weirdness, i'm thankful for my conspiracy theory phase. it taught me i'm capable of critical thought (from a young enough age), but also, reading interesting theories on so many things opened my young mind up to so many possibilities of thinking. i never thought about things in the exact same way these conspiracy theorists did, but it introduced me to different ways of thought and formulating ideas about the world. i'm always thankful my brother (albeit accompanied by his drunk mates) took me to a Zeitgeist/Venus Project public lecture at such a formative time in my life lmao
I feel you. Good points made. I mean, these theories should be looked at exactly like that: as a theory you test, and try, and evaluate - and throw away if it doesn't stack up. Instead, we have people treating them like scripture. It's really cooked. Hope your brother finds a way out.
"I'm a journalist, but I'm a journalist that doesn't have an editor, and I'm an editor that doesn't have a proprietor, and I don't have a board of governors, thus what I find I communicate."
By that train of thought, we could refer to the ramblings of a clinical lunatic as journalism!
This is very true, Moses. His mentality is held by so many people these days, too. Ever since people got a platform on social media (or a newsletter *wink wink*) they assume their point of view is valid and worthy of attention.
I agree with you about conspiracy theories being kind of fun in the past. Or maybe I only entertained the silly ones cause I found them interesting and not damaging. I grew up on X-Files and watching Jaime Maussan (big UFO figure in Mexico with his own program) and used to check out loads of books on the Loch Ness monster because it was fun to think of a dinosaur in a lake. Now I see my own parents taking everything they see on Facebook as fact and it’s not so fun anymore
Conspiracy theories were fun in the past, then came social networks and with them the freedom to post and believe literally everything.
Misinformation is the greatest evil, I know many people who argue a discussion saying 'I read this on facebook' and this is really scary, more than any conspiracy theory!
(Nine-hour lecture you're kidding I got the chills!!!!)
I suppose at least if people are going to sit through nine hours, they're putting in some effort. Unlike those who spend 20 minutes on Plandemic and are won over to the cause immediately...
Look into any cult and all-day (or even better, all-night) lectures/sermons are a very common theme. The extended duration is in itself a mind control technique to break down the ego. And after watching that 20 minute video on youtube you end up clicking on the next related video and the next one and the next one so the effect is much the same.
Hi, Ben! You're right, even a simple twenty minute YouTube video can have the same effect as a day session. I don't think it's a problem of time but of critical sense!
David, I have to say this reminds me a bit of that tragic interview you had with Gene Simmons that's on Youtube. A real pain in the ass, he seemed! I'd love to hear that whole horror story... Your work is always an excellent, personal read and I'm always so pleased to get a webworm email! It makes my day a little brighter in these times. Thanks for all you do :)
yeah it’s interesting to think about things we’ve done in the past and whether or not we’d do them now or if they had a positive or negative impact. on a really small scale i think about that with things i posted or retweeted in 2013 that i definitely wouldn’t agree with now, so i can imagine you feel that times 1000.
also love that picture of you and chris carter! did you get nervous about meeting him?
I think we all live and learn, eh? And as for Chris - weirdly I was SO nervous, I stopped being nervous. He was cool. He didn't make a great movie that time, but he was cool to meet. He created two of the most iconic TV characters of all time. Had to pinch myself.
yes we definitely do, and i use that to console myself about how some people are behaving these days, hopefully they’re just in my “2013 period” and they’ll grow into better people, of course i think there’s more influence and bad rabbit holes on the internet today, or maybe i just notice it more¿
I remember giggling at the funny lizard people nutters or the whacky flat-earthers back in the day and marvelling at what it must be like to view life through such a lens. And that was pretty much as far as it went. It was harmless. Not so much now. These people are becoming increasingly serious threats to the public.
The frustrating part is that there’s no clear way to combat it. Trying to present counter-evidence to change their minds is a waste of time. It’ll be instantly labelled Deep State funded fake news and dismissed. De-platforming is probably the most effective method, but is in a bit of an ethical grey area and definitely feeds into their ‘censoring the truth’ narrative.
The only solution I’ve found is to unfollow/unfriend anyone spouting nonsense. But that’s not gonna stop some QAnon nutter shooting up a pizza place.
P.S. That X-Files pic is absolutely adorbs 🥰 V jealous.
I remember reading books from my school library based on conspiracy theories. I was into the whole ‘UFO’ theory from an early age , Area 51 , the stories of people spotting ‘The Big Foot’ in the Himalayan region, the mystery of the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ , Nessie to the recent articles of flight MH370 disappearance ...
These days it’s all about the Internet and the random posts which goes around the social media platforms which might make one believe about the power of any non fiction tales. It can turn a person’s opinion around with a simple ‘fact or fiction‘ thing .
Some people have written post about how the new epidemic ‘ Coronavirus’ is a conspiracy to gain political power over other countries .
I too followed the 2 David's avidly ...Wilcock and Icke.... boy did they do good drama! And then I realized... ..THEY were the reptilian overlords cooking our brains. Kidding.. . But kind of not.....
Funny, how a guy who promotes conspiracy theories wrote a bunch of nonsense crap decades ago that is ALL coming true. Yep, crazy conspiracy theorealist that should be locked up I think.
my brother influenced me to get into conspiracy theories as a young teenager (he got me into Zeitgeist - yes, I watched all three) and that included the works of David Icke. thankfully i actually had my head screwed on as a kid and only got through about 30 pages of his 690-page tome Human Race Get Off Your Knees before i realised what this guy was about. my brother unfortunately seemed to take his word as gospel.
despite all the misinformation and utter weirdness, i'm thankful for my conspiracy theory phase. it taught me i'm capable of critical thought (from a young enough age), but also, reading interesting theories on so many things opened my young mind up to so many possibilities of thinking. i never thought about things in the exact same way these conspiracy theorists did, but it introduced me to different ways of thought and formulating ideas about the world. i'm always thankful my brother (albeit accompanied by his drunk mates) took me to a Zeitgeist/Venus Project public lecture at such a formative time in my life lmao
I feel you. Good points made. I mean, these theories should be looked at exactly like that: as a theory you test, and try, and evaluate - and throw away if it doesn't stack up. Instead, we have people treating them like scripture. It's really cooked. Hope your brother finds a way out.
It was worth it for this soundbite alone.
"I'm a journalist, but I'm a journalist that doesn't have an editor, and I'm an editor that doesn't have a proprietor, and I don't have a board of governors, thus what I find I communicate."
By that train of thought, we could refer to the ramblings of a clinical lunatic as journalism!
This is very true, Moses. His mentality is held by so many people these days, too. Ever since people got a platform on social media (or a newsletter *wink wink*) they assume their point of view is valid and worthy of attention.
I agree with you about conspiracy theories being kind of fun in the past. Or maybe I only entertained the silly ones cause I found them interesting and not damaging. I grew up on X-Files and watching Jaime Maussan (big UFO figure in Mexico with his own program) and used to check out loads of books on the Loch Ness monster because it was fun to think of a dinosaur in a lake. Now I see my own parents taking everything they see on Facebook as fact and it’s not so fun anymore
You should see the number of UFO books I own. Ridiculous!
Conspiracy theories were fun in the past, then came social networks and with them the freedom to post and believe literally everything.
Misinformation is the greatest evil, I know many people who argue a discussion saying 'I read this on facebook' and this is really scary, more than any conspiracy theory!
(Nine-hour lecture you're kidding I got the chills!!!!)
I suppose at least if people are going to sit through nine hours, they're putting in some effort. Unlike those who spend 20 minutes on Plandemic and are won over to the cause immediately...
Look into any cult and all-day (or even better, all-night) lectures/sermons are a very common theme. The extended duration is in itself a mind control technique to break down the ego. And after watching that 20 minute video on youtube you end up clicking on the next related video and the next one and the next one so the effect is much the same.
Hi, Ben! You're right, even a simple twenty minute YouTube video can have the same effect as a day session. I don't think it's a problem of time but of critical sense!
David, I have to say this reminds me a bit of that tragic interview you had with Gene Simmons that's on Youtube. A real pain in the ass, he seemed! I'd love to hear that whole horror story... Your work is always an excellent, personal read and I'm always so pleased to get a webworm email! It makes my day a little brighter in these times. Thanks for all you do :)
Oh, sweet Gene. Heh, yeah I might write some words about that one in the future. What a weird ol' day that was.
yeah it’s interesting to think about things we’ve done in the past and whether or not we’d do them now or if they had a positive or negative impact. on a really small scale i think about that with things i posted or retweeted in 2013 that i definitely wouldn’t agree with now, so i can imagine you feel that times 1000.
also love that picture of you and chris carter! did you get nervous about meeting him?
I think we all live and learn, eh? And as for Chris - weirdly I was SO nervous, I stopped being nervous. He was cool. He didn't make a great movie that time, but he was cool to meet. He created two of the most iconic TV characters of all time. Had to pinch myself.
yes we definitely do, and i use that to console myself about how some people are behaving these days, hopefully they’re just in my “2013 period” and they’ll grow into better people, of course i think there’s more influence and bad rabbit holes on the internet today, or maybe i just notice it more¿
David Icke did not say 5g caused coronavirus!
I remember giggling at the funny lizard people nutters or the whacky flat-earthers back in the day and marvelling at what it must be like to view life through such a lens. And that was pretty much as far as it went. It was harmless. Not so much now. These people are becoming increasingly serious threats to the public.
The frustrating part is that there’s no clear way to combat it. Trying to present counter-evidence to change their minds is a waste of time. It’ll be instantly labelled Deep State funded fake news and dismissed. De-platforming is probably the most effective method, but is in a bit of an ethical grey area and definitely feeds into their ‘censoring the truth’ narrative.
The only solution I’ve found is to unfollow/unfriend anyone spouting nonsense. But that’s not gonna stop some QAnon nutter shooting up a pizza place.
P.S. That X-Files pic is absolutely adorbs 🥰 V jealous.
I wonder what Bellamy/Muse think now about conspiracy theories and David Icke ? Was it just part of their journey ? Can you interview them again ?
I remember reading books from my school library based on conspiracy theories. I was into the whole ‘UFO’ theory from an early age , Area 51 , the stories of people spotting ‘The Big Foot’ in the Himalayan region, the mystery of the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ , Nessie to the recent articles of flight MH370 disappearance ...
These days it’s all about the Internet and the random posts which goes around the social media platforms which might make one believe about the power of any non fiction tales. It can turn a person’s opinion around with a simple ‘fact or fiction‘ thing .
Some people have written post about how the new epidemic ‘ Coronavirus’ is a conspiracy to gain political power over other countries .
Insane!
I too followed the 2 David's avidly ...Wilcock and Icke.... boy did they do good drama! And then I realized... ..THEY were the reptilian overlords cooking our brains. Kidding.. . But kind of not.....
Funny, how a guy who promotes conspiracy theories wrote a bunch of nonsense crap decades ago that is ALL coming true. Yep, crazy conspiracy theorealist that should be locked up I think.
He exposes more truth than you will ever comprehend, people like you are brainwashed!