conspiracy theories

Fandango’s Provocative Question #167

Fandango19 Comments
FPQ

Welcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question. Each week I will pose what I think is a provocative question for your consideration.

By provocative, I don’t mean a question that will cause annoyance or anger. Nor do I mean a question intended to arouse sexual desire or interest.

What I do mean is a question that is likely to get you to think, to be creative, and to provoke a response. Hopefully a positive response.

Are people gullible or just stupid? No, that is not my provocative question, but it seems that a lot of Americans — and not just Americans — believe in some very weird things. Of course, one of the things that almost all Americans believe in that I, an atheist, think is weird is the existence of some sort of supernatural, all knowing, all powerful being (i.e., God). But let’s not get hung up on that.

No, I’m talking about other things people believe in for which there is no evidence. Things like:

  • The planet we live on is flat
  • The planet is only six thousand years old, give or take a few thousand years
  • White humans are superior to non-white humans
  • The 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump
  • Chocolate milk comes from brown cows
  • Ghosts
  • Angels
  • An afterlife
  • Humans and dinosaurs coexisted on Earth at the same time
  • Poor people are poor because they are lazy
  • Climate change is not a real problem
  • The Holocaust was a fabrication
  • The moon landing was produced on a movie sound stage
  • Evolution is “just a theory”
  • A whole host of conspiracy theories

I’m sure, if you thought about this, you could probably come up with your own list of things people believe in for which there is no evidence.

So, my provocative question this week is…

Why do you think so many people are so confident in beliefs that can’t be proven?

If you choose to participate, write a post with your response to the question. Once you are done, tag your post with #FPQ and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments. But remember to check to confirm that your pingback or your link shows up in the comments.

It Must Be True, I Saw It on Fox News

Fandango29 Comments

“We are witnessing the burial of individual freedom in our country due to all of these mandates to wear masks and get vaccinated,” William said, disgorging phlegm from his throat and spitting it on the ground at my feet.

“Your crazy conspiracy theories beliefs are as distasteful as your gross habits,” I said. “I totally dispute your notion of lost personal freedoms. Do you vaccinate your children for measles and chicken pox?”

“It’s not the same,” William said. “Measles and chicken pox are real. This whole COVID nonsense is a liberal hoax.”

“Again, that’s crazy,” I said. “But if you’re so concerned about individual freedoms, why are you opposed to women having the freedom to choose to have an abortion?”

“Because abortion is the murder of innocent babies and I’m opposed to murder,” William said.

“And yet you’re in favor of capital punishment and you have no problem with people someone like Kyle Rittenhouse shooting and killing non-violent protesters. Plus, you are opposed to common sense gun laws.”

“Gun ownership is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution,” William said. “I own four guns and you better believe, I got skills, so you better watch what you say next.”

“Ooh, I’m shaking in my boots,” I said, mocking fear. “Let me ask you, would you use your skills to defend Americans’ right to vote, which is also in the Constitution?”

“Not illegal votes, fraudulent votes, or votes by people who aren’t real Americans,” William said.

“Like white Americans, you mean?” I said.

“It was my ancestors, not theirs, who made this country great,” William said.

“I think you need to break the chains tying you to Fox News and try to come back to reality here on Earth One,” I said.

“Fox News is like the Bible,” William said. “It speaks only the gospel truth.”

All I could do was shake my head in despair. This country is in deep doo doo, I thought.

Written for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (burial), Ragtag Daily Prompt (freedom), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (disgorge), Word of the Day Challenge (tasteful), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (dispute), Scott’s Daily Prompt (I got skills, and My Vivid Blog (chains).

Photo credit: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutters.

Share Your World — 8/9/22

Fandango34 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Melanie’s Share Your World prompt. Today’s questions are:

Restrictions are being lifted all over the world. Do you feel it’s safe to go out and mingle in crowds in light of the Pandemic?

With the surge in new COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant and other mutations, along with the refusal of certain segments of our population to get vaccinated, to wear face masks, and to maintain social distancing, my answer is a resounding NO.

What are some things that are okay to do occasionally, but definitely not okay to do every day?

Consume a cannabis-infused edible. Certainly not every day but maybe once a month. My favorites are Mellows.

Would you relocate for love (romantic or otherwise)?

No, not for love alone. But I did relocate for a job and my wife relocated with me. I assume she did that for love.

Do you believe in any conspiracy theories (no judgment)?

The only conspiracy theory I believe is that all those who promote conspiracy theories are actually aliens from another world whose job it is to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) into our civilization.

The Fourth Estate

Fandango10 Comments

When it comes to the so-called fourth estate,
the pendulum swings both ways.
It starts out as just a trickle,
but then the power brokers begin to amplify
what turns out to be vapid proclamations
given false legitimacy by the mainstream media.

And then, when the political winds change,
which they are wont to do,
all of the ideological conspiracy theories
get sent away and put into storage
until the pendulum once again swings
back in the other direction.

Written for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (estate), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (pendulum), Ragtag Daily Prompt (trickle), MMA Storytime (amplify), Your Daily Word Prompt (vapid), and Word of the Day Challenge (storage).

One-Liner Wednesday — QAnon

Fandango31 Comments

Nearly three in ten Republicans say they believe the widely debunked QAnon conspiracy theory that “there is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power (i.e., Joe Biden and the Democrats) and restore the rightful leader (i.e., Donald Trump).”

Source: Public Religion Research Institute

And if you think that’s fucked up, the same survey said that…

28% of Republicans say that “because things have gotten so far off track” in the U.S., “true American patriots may have to resort to violence” to save the country.

Or how about this?

Almost a quarter of Republicans say they agree with the baseless QAnon allegation that “the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.”

What the hell is happening in — and to — America?

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.