It’s wild.
No, we just have a larger presence on the internet relative to our share of the global population, meaning our idiocy is noticed a lot more often.
Call it the Florida Man effect, it’s not that other states don’t also have crazies, it’s just that Florida’s are more well documented and publicized.
Studies have found ( for example ) conspiracy thinking correlates with extremist political beliefs, especially right wing political beliefs, across countries. That linked study found the effect was strengthened by lack of political control.
So countries with more political extremists, especially far right wing in media platforms, leads to more popular conspiracy theories.
We conclude that conspiracy mentality is associated with extreme left- and especially extreme right-wing beliefs, and that this non-linear relation may be strengthened by, but is not reducible to, deprivation of political control.
To add to this, radicalism spreads thru a social contagion effect and requires repeated reinforcement, and social media acts as a catalyst. However, local organizing also plays a vital role in the spread far-right extremism.
Here is an article I have written on my blog detailing how people become radicalized. I have ads turned off and do not benefit in any way from my blog.
One important section I’d like to share here is for the false ‘both sides’ arguments:
There is a stark difference in the means with which the two groups engage in acts of extremism. In a study evaluating Left-Wing and Right-Wing domestic extremism between 1994 and 2020, there was one fatality as the result of Left-Wing extremism, versus 329 fatalities resulting from Far Right extremism in that 25 year period. [5] The Far-Right movement is the oldest and most deadly form of domestic terrorism in the United States, and The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism found that the Far-Right is responsible for 98% of extremist murders in the U.S. [24] Furthermore, for nearly every year since 2011, Far-Right terrorist attacks/plots have accounted for over half of all terror attacks/plots in the United States. [21] In the U.S., Right-Wing extremism was responsible for two-thirds of all failed, foiled, or successful terror attacks in 2019, and was responsible for 90% of attacks in the first half of 2020 alone. [21] Since 2013, Far-Right extremism has been responsible for more terror attacks/plots than the Left-Wing, ethnonationalism, or religiously motivated attacks/plots. [21]That was a really interesting read, thank you for sharing.
The blog comes across a lot more professional than expected, cheers
That is the finest example of begging the question I have seen in years! It’s really rare to see in the wild.
Oooh, could you expand on that? I’ve always had a tough time identifying begging the question and a real example would help.
You are MOST welcome, it took me ages to make it click, this is the best example I have found:
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How come the iPhone so popular?
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Because it’s the hottest thing on the market right now.
Ha! I’d discarded that as just a tautology and went looking for something else.
TYVM.
YAMBB
you and me both bro
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Eating Pork will slowly turn your heart inside out
Now I want to know what they think happens when it’s half-way inside out.
I really think it’s a question of the sheer amount that is aimed at them through propaganda foreign and domestic. There’s definitely a huge, deliberate push to destabilize the US.
This 100%
Low educated people are more prone to being superstitious. End of conversation.
E: Oh, right, it also gets much worse if you hardcore propagandize it.
Educated people are harder to control. It’s why Republicans attack education at every opportunity.
It’s why fascists always attack education at every opportunity.
Yeah, that’s what I said.
That’s what I said, too! We should be friends.
Yes we are! It’s a result of all the subliminal messaging we receive from our kitchen appliances.
Yvan eht nioj
Nice try, refrigerator.
That’s why you cook everything on a wood fire in the middle of your kitchen.
Make sure you punch a hole in the roof for the smoke!
IDK if it’s that or just the fact that there’s both a lot of us and a great sense of nationalism instilled in us from a very young age. I’ve been to Mt. Rushmore twice. Only recently did I learn about how it was a sacred site to the native people that we promised to leave alone, before stealing it and blowing it to hell.
What I’m getting at is that we’re taught that America is the greatest nation on the planet, and we’re encouraged to be loud about that statement. So when a certain group of people in the government who are also very loud about their beliefs start saying some things that might sound completely bonkers to a foreigner, a lot of people find themselves agreeing purely because they like the attitude of the people talking.
Visiting Rushmore as a non-American is even weirder than you imagine.
The levels of over the top blatantly performative “patriotism” is quite bizarre to be surrounded by.
And the suspicious looks we got for not participating enthusiastically was discomforting (no, I’m not going to recite a pledge of allegiance to your country. Why would you expect me to?)
Now imagine a Confederate version with more racism and you have Stone Mountain.
I hate this country sometimes.
The country is okay. It’s just the people I don’t like.
Yeah sorry about that. They’re similarly awful to live near.
And the reality is Mt Rushmore is mostly going to be visited by people like that and foreigners. Mt Rushmore is one of the principal sacred sites of the American civil religion. Treat them like religious pilgrims because they kinda were, but they don’t even realize it. The pledge of allegiance is a prayer to adherents.
You think brainwashing may have something to do with it?
Yeah that’s essentially what I wanted to describe.
I agree. Definitely brainwashing.
You can read “The Paranoid Style In American Politics” from 1964 for some insight: https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/
American politics has often been an arena for angry minds. In recent years we have seen angry minds at work mainly among extreme right-wingers, who have now demonstrated in the Goldwater movement how much political leverage can be got out of the animosities and passions of a small minority. But behind this I believe there is a style of mind that is far from new and that is not necessarily right-wing. I call it the paranoid style simply because no other word adequately evokes the sense of heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy that I have in mind. In using the expression “paranoid style” I am not speaking in a clinical sense, but borrowing a clinical term for other purposes. I have neither the competence nor the desire to classify any figures of the past or present as certifiable lunatics. In fact, the idea of the paranoid style as a force in politics would have little contemporary relevance or historical value if it were applied only to men with profoundly disturbed minds. It is the use of paranoid modes of expression by more or less normal people that makes the phenomenon significant.
It’s written at a higher than 6th grade target, so it might be a challenge for anyone who’s not used to that. Please give it a good faith effort to read.
Thinking about it, the low literacy rate in the US might be an aggravating factor. Something like half of US adults cannot read at a 6th grade level. That’s going to hurt their ability to deal with complex topics.
It’s written at a higher than 6th grade target, so it might be a challenge for anyone who’s not used to that. Please give it a good faith effort to read
You know, you lose a lot of people with comments like that, talking down to everyone. You’ve provided a source that makes a lot of good points, but that’s some alienating phrasing that’ll make people feel you’re elitist.
On the one hand, you’re right.
I wrote that bit because when I was reading the linked article, it felt harder to read and understand than what I’m used to. So it wasn’t really coming from malicious elitism.
On the other hand, I want to live in a world where people don’t feel insulted (even when it was by accident, like here!) and just completely stop listening. I know I do it too, but it sucks.
Especially with the “elitism” facet. Sometimes other people actually are better than us on whatever topic. That’s okay. Like if we were talking about math and you were like “This uses some complex algorithms so it might be hard to follow if you haven’t done more than algebra in a few years” I’m not going to be mad. What would I even be mad about?
I’m sorry for assuming your intentions were less than innocent and positive. I also want to live in that sort of world, and I hope it didn’t seem like I was jumping on your case or calling you a jerk. I just think it’s important to choose our words in a way that encourages people to read. Too often people think they’re bad at reading or math or something and so they avoid it, when it should be more like singing; it doesn’t matter if it sounds good, we sing as a manner of expression. Reading should be for everyone. But, I was misguided, and you weren’t disagreeing with that notion, and so I’m sorry.
It is very rare for anyone on the internet to apologize or admin fault. Well done. Thank you. I understand your intent and I’m not mad. Apology accepted.
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Oh no. Telling the truth alienates all of the idiots? We should really coddle them more, because that’s what’s important- their feelings.
Thinking about it, the low literacy rate in the US might be an aggravating factor.
“Read at a 6th grade level”
I thought it worked like, when you know how to read, you know how to read, and if you don’t, you won’t.
There are different reading levels, but I don’t know a lot about them because I’m not in education.
You can probably recognize it even if you never thought about it before. “See spot run” or “Green eggs and ham” are very simple texts. Something like “the Great Gatsby” or “the Hobbit” are more complex, and a 2nd grader would struggle to read them even if they technically know how to read.
Technical manuals, works on a specialist topic, or … my knowledge fails me a little here, but like more complicated novels, may be more advanced. More advanced in vocabulary, sentence structure, and things like symbolism, metaphor, or whatever cool shit House of Leaves was doing.
I don’t know how legit this site is, but it seems to cover the topic https://www.weareteachers.com/reading-levels/
I think this is a sample of a text written at the 6th grade level https://www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-level-test/reading . I looked it up when that article about how most adults can’t read and comprehend at that level was going around.
The Great Gatsby is shit, and the Hobbit is even worse. It doesn’t affect the situation here, but just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.
So reading level is basically a stupidity meter. If you can read this text, you’re a moron. But you’re less of a moron if you can read this text.
I don’t think we’re really on the same page. Literacy and intelligence aren’t the same thing. But if you take nothing else away from this, I think you got the “higher reading levels are more complex” thing. Maybe.
Also I think you have a typo and one of your
canshould becan'tBold of you to assume I have a point, and that’s not a typo. That’s the duality of existence.
I think there may be a factor of sample size; There’s something like 40 million Canadians, 40 million Australians, 60 million British, and 340 million Americans. So if you take a random sample of English speech on any topic, it’s statistically most likely to be from an American.
You forgot Russia, india & china
No I didn’t. India might be an asterisk.
The anti-vax movement is alot bigger in the US than any other western country, so yeah.
That’s basically the answer.
No. An old colleague of mine is on LinkedIn non-stop posting crazy QAnon shit and RT headlines. Anti-vax more-or-less started in the UK with the Andrew Wakefield affair and it seems to be super-popular in Australia too. Conspiracy Theory kind of helps people rationalise the absolute chaotic mess of the world we live in by reducing it to simple narratives where a defined enemy is out to get us.
It’s easier to think everyone is out to get you. Than that you are just an insignificant self sabotaging fuck up. Not even on the radar of the elder gods
I wouldn’t say individuals are more susceptible to it, but the US’s history is intertwined with conspiracy theories from the start. The founding “father” Sam Adams had tracts printed claiming the British had a secret plan to enslave white colonists ahead of the American war of independence.
The Spanish American war was stoked by a conspiracy that Spain had sabotaged our warship “Maine”. If you’ve ever wondered why the US Navy has a base in Cuba.
The “corrupt bargain” of 1824 was a supposed deal between JQ Adams and Clay to exclude Jackson from the presidency despite his electoral victory. Jackson too, was the subject of a theory that he and congressmen disgruntled over tariffs would dissolve the union and install Jackson as a military dictator should he loose in 1828.
People believe there is a magic sky dad who loves you so much they send you to suffer for eternity with the original naughty child who apparently wants to punish you for doing what they want.
Religions generally make conspiracy theories seem rational.
There are plenty of crazies believing in conspiracy theories all over the world. Not just US or even the western world.
We see a lot of efforts to convince suckers of absurdities in the US because there’s a lot of economic value in swinging American votes.
In other countries that either don’t have voting, or don’t have a lot of economic power, there’s less to be gained by befuddling morons.
There is a hidden assumption in your comment: conspiracy theories are intentionally created or reinforced with specific strategic goals.
While I think that it’s probably rare, there have been conspiracy theories that are intentionally crafted to achieve goals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_INFEKTION
And I am very sure that there have been many efforts to amplify existing conspiracies; you can look at disinformation research.
I think that the majority of conspiracy theories are asroturfed, even those that actually started as grass roots. The Russians clearly admit that reinforcing propaganda rhat sticks, is a big part of their strategy.
My conspiracy is that conspiracies are a conspiracy
Absolutely not. People might give you reasons Americans are but that’s because they don’t know about the crazy shit people believe elsewhere but there’s nowhere that’s immune to conspiracy theories.
The thing that differentiates America is that it’s a major country (so on TV a lot, in English) and a low-trust society. But Italy and Uganda and Japan all have wild ass conspiracy theories. (Italy has some actual conspiracies like Propaganda Due.)
