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[Leafsnail]

Information is power and control.  It's perfectly reasonable that the press, government etc. would propagate false information as a way of keeping you clueless.  Always consider the source and don't believe anything that contradicts your common sense or instincts.

That having been said, often simpler explanations are the correct ones.

The points of contention I'd have with this:

- "The press" are a really, really fragmented group.  They're business rivals who often hold very different views and generally hate each other.  Why would they cooperate to spread disinformation as part of a campaign?
- Similarly, "The government" changes hands quite regularly.  Wouldn't, say, the Democrats want to reveal any secret conspiracies the Republicans had been involved in and vice versa rather than continuing with those conspiracies?
- "Common sense" is an interesting thing.  Used correctly it can be a powerful tool, but when applied to the wrong situations (generally new ones very different to your everyday life) it gets things wrong.  After all, common sense is based on your experience.

Governments are bad at basically anything that doesn't involve mass murder and oppression.

Just out of interest, what is so fundamentally different about organising intricate plots for mass murders and organising basic day to day state run affairs?

[Hiiri]

It's easier to control people if you have them believing some neo-paganist "save the planet" mumbo jumbo.

Oh come on..  it doesn't take a politician or a scientist to see that pollution is bad. It's irrelevant whether or not the planet is ASSPLODING!

You'll have to pardon me if I remain skeptical.  I'd expect any difference to be on par with any other cultural differences.  You make it sound like "ZOMG something is wrong their brain chemistry -> conservatives are diseased!!!!11one"

Well.. no, I didn't mean to say it like that. But what a funny coincidence, because that's exactly what I think.

Governments are bad at basically anything that doesn't involve mass murder and oppression.

I don't know.. they cured my insomnia pretty well. They're also real nice providing transportation for me. Hmm, and I guess it's nice that they're providing education for the youth also. I can't exactly remember the last time our country killed or oppressed anyone, except a few afghans that were firing at them. Ah yes, it's also nice when they put out our fires. And come to help, when I'm in any trouble.

Do we live on the same planet, by the way?

[Bauglir]

It's easier to control people if you have them believing some neo-paganist "save the planet" mumbo jumbo.

Oh come on..  it doesn't take a politician or a scientist to see that pollution is bad. It's irrelevant whether or not the planet is ASSPLODING!

In the interests of not strawmanning, I find it doubtful that that's his argument. I disagree with it, but I think the gist of that argument goes, "Well, it's not ideal, but it's not really hurting the world, so there are better uses of our resources than reducing pollution."

[Hiiri]

... like reducing taxes? 

Oops, am I putting words in someone's mouth?

[Leafsnail]

In the interests of not strawmanning, I find it doubtful that that's his argument. I disagree with it, but I think the gist of that argument goes, "Well, it's not ideal, but it's not really hurting the world, so there are better uses of our resources than reducing pollution."

Not so much to raise taxes but as a means of control.  I don't believe in anthropogenic global warming.

It's definitely an argument, but not the one he's making.

[Cthulhu]

Those are some handy catch phrases and statements, you have throughly out reasoned me, and i bow, defeated by your superior arguments.

I love this, and I am keeping this, and I am going to steal it.  I have always hated the witty-quip-as-argument thing but never knew how to tell the witty quipper so in a way that really stung.

[Nikov]

This thread demonstrates that I should move to Kenya where people are sane.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

This thread demonstrates that I should move to Kenya where people are sane.

As I heard it, a large number of Kenyans are Birthers, probably due to wanting to believe a citizen of their country managed to stealth his way into being President of the USA. I'm afraid sanity is going to be in rather short supply wherever you go.

[Cthulhu]

On the subject of conspiracy theories:  Since Osama's death and the spate of disasters we've had, and the equally catastrophic conspiracy theory wave, I've been insisting to anyone who brings it up that 9/11 was pilot error.

Open your eyes, sheeple.

[RedKing]

Nice. I'll go with "Bin Laden died of lead poisoning!" (administered via high-speed, forceful injection to the brain....)

I have to say, the events of the last 36 hours or so have left me somewhat shockingly isolated from my peers. I have a bunch of friends who are being the Kumbaya types and tut-tutting sadly that anyone could take joy out of the death of another human being. I have others who I have managed to cordially disagree with in the past insisting that this is a fake and/or going out of their way to grouse about Obama in ways that are uttery hypocritical. I have yet others who seemingly refuse to acknowledge that anything important happened at all. Kinda makes me want to say, "F*ck all y'all" and move to new pastures. 

There just seem to be a level of cognitive dissonance in the general population that's reaching a fever pitch -- in EVERY political stripe.

[Leafsnail]

I've been insisting to anyone who brings it up that 9/11 was pilot error.

...Of course!  All those pilots have the most to gain from covering up their terrible incompetance and making it look like a terrorist attack.

[Cthulhu]

My response to the kumbaya people is always the same "Okay Gandhi.  Why don't you go back to meditating over there?"

[Nikov]

Nice. I'll go with "Bin Laden died of lead poisoning!" (administered via high-speed, forceful injection to the brain....)

What was the last thing to go through Osama's mind?

5.56.

[Funk]

the idea that the bush lied over the wmds,no but the true level of iraq chemical weapons was vasty over stated.

[Sowelu]

My favorite has got to be the 'global warming was invented to raise taxes' conspiracy theory. As if the government doesn't have the power to raise taxes or something without a vast conspiracy among tens of thousands of people worldwide.

Not so much to raise taxes but as a means of control.  I don't believe in anthropogenic global warming.

Maybe you should take a chemistry class, because that's about as sane as saying "I don't believe in internal combustion".  The chemical processes involved in anthropogenic climate change are extremely well-documented and well-known because they are simple science, regardless of what they do to the weather.

Now, what the final effect is going to be is open to debate, but saying "mankind won't have a major impact on the climate" is intellectually dishonest if you have any grasp of science whatsoever.