Re:NSA Owns Everything (2015)
by specialist on Thursday August 13, 2020 @08:22AM
(#24142606)
I've long wondered how to side step the "conspiracy theorist" pejorative. Personal interest. A local newspaper called me a "sweaty paranoid kook". All true. But also a distraction from the lede.
There must be a Luntzian phrase for believing in proven conspiracies.
As other poster jitteriest noted already, "conspiracy theorist" labeling is used to stop having any discussion with those who are labelled as "conspiracy theorists".
The whole dialogue is skewed in the favor of those who call others "conspiracy theorists". Once labeled, no more dialogue. This is one of the dialogical moves, and conflicts with the cooperation principle to resolve disputes.
Re:NSA Owns Everything (2015)
by zerocrates on Thursday August 13, 2020 @10:46AM
(#24143851)
I feel like Luntz would like "conspiracy realist." Or maybe that's more of a Stallmanism.
Re:NSA Owns Everything (2015)
by jitteriest on Thursday August 13, 2020 @11:01AM
(#24144005)
Conspiracy theory is just a buzzword to stop thought. "That doesn't need to be discussed or disproved because it is a conspiracy theory."
It was a theory that there was a conspiracy. The issue is that people dismiss conspiracy theories out of hand - even when the theory is backed by means, motive and incentives.
"This power is being used to influence the political process in the US" is still a conspiracy theory and will likely turn out to be true as well one day - because again the people involved have means, motive and incentives. But incentives based predictions are a bit subjective and most people don't seem to believe that incentives overrule character.