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How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 23 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories?

I was talking with someone today about nutrition. This person has a PhD in material science. They mentioned eating beef daily and I asked about the cholesterol implications. The answer was about a vague 'they' wanted us to think that, but it wasn't true anymore.

I hear the vague 'they' so frequently now it's just a normal conversation. In truth, as soon as I hear the vague they I dismiss the speaker's credibility on the subject, but how did we get here? Vague they wanted us to think X is a valid counter argument by the most highly educated people in our society?

This sounds like more of a rant than a question, but I do truly want to know how this happened? Was it pop culture like the X Files that made conspiracy theories main stream? Was it social media? When will the vague they stop being an accepted explanation? Has it always been this way and I didn't notice?

Thanks, love you!

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Speak for yourself. Whenever I hear the vague "they" I ask who exactly that is supposed to be. Sometimes in earnest, sometimes I just sarcastically throw it back at them: They?

But as far as I can I try to make sense of what people are trying to tell me.

BTW a PhD does not protect one from being nuts, please perish the thought.

In the case you mentioned I'd really like to know why they said it wasn't true anymore, in addition to who "they" are.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 18 hours ago

I do the same with "we". Someone will say something like "How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories?" and my first thought is "Who is 'we'? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" because I personally don't feel like I am casual about conspiracy theories. It doesn't matter if that's accurate or not. When someone uses "we" like that, they are speaking for others in a way that might not be true and in my opinion that's a manipulative way to trick some people to think incorrectly and excludes the possibility that other people might think in a different way. I don't like when others speak on my behalf, I am not part of their "we" world.