Life is really at a crazy point.
I mean every day you watch the news and wonder if it's written by "The Onion" or if we're living in SNL sketches.
Or even worse, our dystopian books of yesteryear were correct all along.
Conspiracy theorists. We laughed at them.
Mocked them. And as it turns out... they were the actual prophets.
I'm exaggerating, but not by light-years.
RedditorSpecificallyNerdwanted to hear about what so called "unreal bonkers" idea turned out to be true. They asked:
"What were the conspiracy theorists right about?"
I figure that conspiracy theories are like gossip magazines, there is a morsel of truth somewhere.
Oh Norma Jean...
marilyn monroe hello GIFGiphy"Marilyn Monroe was being spied on by... everyone. Seriously. When another owner of her former residence decided to renovate, the number of wires and bugging they found was astounding."
MidorBird
What's Due
"Propaganda Due: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due. Propaganda Due, an Italian masonic lodge that included many high profile people like Berlusconi, the house of Savoy pretender to the throne, heads of secret services, bankers, religious figures etc."
"The stuff they were up to is insane, and also resulted in the government of Italy passing a law prohibiting secret societies. They were behind journalist murders, press takeover, government policy, bombings etc. They had an organized plan to effectively take over Italy and rewrite the constitution."
emix75
'undesirables'
"There were, in fact, incidents where 'undesirables' (certain races, disabled people, etc) were sterilized without their consent, going back as far as the 1800s. And there are still allegations of this happening, today."
TheRealPyroGothNerd
We See You
"PRISM :- Turns out the government was spying on you. There is a deluge of information from millions of people so while the government may have your data there isn't someone actively looking at it. Should you get yourself noticed by the government however, I'm sure they can filter through that trash very quickly."
Kaiserhawk
"ECHELON was public knowledge for decades, people are just too lazy to read and too stupid to understand that spy agencies are paid to spy."
Realistic_Truck
SOS
Looking Back Britney Spears GIFGiphy"They were right about Britney..."
Rex_Lee
"Ms. Spears posted weird videos on instagram, seemingly normal at first glance but extremely creepy and weird the more you watch them. Some people said she was calling for help."
Swawks
God Bless Ms. Spears. We did it! She's free!
News Everywhere...
daily news GIF by CLGiphy"Operation Mockingbird. The 'news' is the same everywhere even the local news."
Dismal_Scale_8604
"I remember seeing a compilation of different news stations with the EXACT same speech, the video would cut from anchor to anchor but the monologue was seamless."
Flightless_Rocket
Murder
"The FBI did want Martin Luther King Jr dead . They may not have put a gun in James Earl Ray's hands, but they were happy with the outcome."
huncamuncamouse
"I had a professor who worked on that FBI team. Told us lots of stories of the phone calls that they had tapped, the notes/threats they sent MLK, things they sent to MLK's wife, etc."
Quesabirria
"I've had a longstanding theory that the government has been involved in the death of almost every civil rights advocate in American history, including MLK Jr., JFK, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and Eazy-E."
Gabzop
In the paperwork...
"Pretty much everything in the Panama Papers was part of one conspiracy theory or another and they were all proved pretty much right."
DisownedByMother
"The point is that the Panama Papers pulled the wool back even further to show how the ultra wealthy is robbing the rest of us blind through tax evasion. People around the globe unnecessarily live in misery and even die because some morons don't want to be a tad less rich by paying their taxes. This is very tangible harm, it's immoral, and in most cases blatantly illegal."
"Meanwhile, people get distracted by finger-pointing about the occasional strange sighting of something zipping around in the atmosphere. This is worthy of more investigation, but it should not take priority over the thievery of the masses that causes pain and suffering. The elites love it when people focus on UFOs instead of issues that actually impact us all."
YorockPaperScissors
Ops
"Not officially confirmed as far as I know, but I think Gary Webb was likely correct about the CIA flooding black neighborhoods with crack in the 1980s to fund thier ops in Nicaragua. This was covered in his book series 'Dark Alliance.' He was later found with two gunshots to his head and his death was ruled a suicide."
DanishWonder
They Knew
season 2 hair flip GIF by PortlandiaGiphy"The 1960 weed-smoking hippies complaining about the rising police state and the federal surveillance programs? We owe them a whopper of an apology."
Uriel-238
Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
"Effective lies require repetition. Repeat a lie enough times, from multiple sources. From trusted sources. People will start to believe it is true."
croc_socks
"This isn't always true, sometimes you need to support effective lies with false criticisms that actually support the original thesis. That's another way to subtly repeat the lie, but also make it seem critical, and through that repetition, from multiple sources, including falsely critical sources, people will start to believe it's true."
TacticalDM
Not for me...
"Remember: it isn't a left vs right issue. It is a top vs bottom issue."
"Edit: What I mean is it is those in power (top) vs those not in power (bottom). It is completely off balance with the majority of us being on the bottom and subject to those up top. 'Rules for three, but not for me.' Divided we fall. Whatever division we choose to quarrel about doesn't help the top vs bottom problem."
ndividualistic
In Cahoots
"MKUltra like someone above said, the FBI seeking out mentally disturbed people to help them plan attacks so they can arrest them right before they carry it out, COINTELPRO, Operation Northwoods and literally everything the CIA dabbles in. I also believe most people don't realize the government has worked directly with media companies since at least WW2."
"In an effort to sway public opinion in their favor. Add on the theater of left/right politics, 24hr talk shows posing as news and an executive order allowing the US people to openly be bombarded with harmful propaganda."
No-Statement-9406
Hello?
eavesdropping bel powley GIF by Carrie Pilby The MovieGiphy"Our phones listening to everything."
GayTr4sh
Invasion
"There were no WMDs. The US government used that lie as an excuse to invade Iraq in the early 2000s."
CutEmOff666
"Google 'Project for a New American Century' if you want to understand why they invaded. They weren't after Iraq's oil, it was a stupid plan to 'democratize' the region and make it friendly and safe for US business and military presence."
"Hell, it's not even a conspiracy theory, it's just an example of how clueless Americans can be. They had a website spelling it all out, and the day of 9-11, most of the signatories were in the Bush admin or involved with it."
mcarterphoto
Deep Deep
"That Tor the program that allows access to the Deep Web was owned by the CIA."
PhillHasNoCheese
"This isn’t really a conspiracy lol the deep web was literally created by the military then they realized they need to let the public have it so people won’t know when the government is doing stuff."
PepsiMangoMmm
"Honestly, I assume all encryption services are developed/infiltrated by feds."
HeatAndHonor
World Domination
"This isn't even a conspiracy but BlackRock trying to own the world. It's too much to talk about here but I suggest looking into it."
SweetRart
"BlackRock was able to get loans from The Fed at zero percent interest (overnight loans) which they used to buy up real estate everywhere."
ssjaken
"BlackRock: the company that owns everything and you've probably never heard of it."
Ph1L_474
Stay Still
Media Nick Splat GIF by Hey ArnoldGiphy"The mainstream media has an agenda to keep the status quo in power."
proximalfunk
Destroying Generations
"The CIA put crack in black communities. As a black person you just kind of grow up knowing this. Imagine my surprise when I grew up and found out that this actually happened just like they said. No conspiracy to it. There are tv shows about it now."
IreallEwannasay
She Knew
"Sinead O’Connor was right about the Catholic Church."
Arkady2009
"Could not agree more. She deserves an apology for how she was treated for calling them out. She was RIGHT."
princessangry83
Well there you have it. The truth is out.
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Redditor Jakubeu101 was wondering how people really felt about relationships with more than one lover, so they asked:
"What do you think about open relationships?"
It's certainly not for everyone, especially those who have a tendency to get jealous.
Yuck
First Date Dating GIF by OriginalsGiphy"Tried it for a year. Didn't work. It's perpetual dating which is the worst. Then they get jealous."
chewie8291
Avoidance
"All the hassle of 2 (or more) relationships needs to be something everyone involved needs to be okay with. It can be done correctly by couples that really know how to communicate and are strong in conflict resolution. (Usually this also means starting in an open relationship and not opening up later on) Unfortunately many couples use 'opening up the relationship' as a solution to avoid the need to communicate better. Those are doomed from the beginning."
CaelTyr
Shenanigans...
"My parents have been together for 40 years, married for 36. A couple weeks ago we went and stayed with one of my dad's childhood friends. As the wine got flowing, she regaled the rest of us with various stories of the shenanigans they got up to with their other friends. My mom was having the time of her life hearing all these stories she'd never heard before. (this was northern Wisconsin in the early 80s, lots of teenage drunken shenanigans)."
mstarrbrannigan
Consent
"Not for me, but I don't care if everyone's a consenting adult and no one is taken advantage of. The issue IMHO is that if you go from monogamous to open it is shifting the relationship in ways that rarely work, but if you come at it from the start there's decent chances of making it work."
Bi_Aint_Shi
All of It
"I think the idea that you've learned everything and there's nothing else new to know about a person is the first problem. I was in a polyamorous relationship for about a year and even to the end of it was constantly learning things about my partners, their SOs etc."
"I'm now monogamous and married, and years down the road I'm still learning things about my partner. They've lived a whole life before me, it will be many many years before I know 'everything' about them."
Dfnstr8r
Consequences
jealous GIFGiphy"I think it’s one of those things where both partners have to be 100% on board with what it means. There can’t be jealousy and you have to be ok with the idea of your partner sleeping with more people than you possibly. I think most people who consider an open relationship don’t really think about it means so it inevitably fails."
RaijinQ
It's not for everybody. Emotions in check first.
Stronger
Chair Stronger Music Video GIF by Britney SpearsGiphy"I'm in one. Going strong almost 8 years. Requires a ton of communication. Also, what counts as an open relationship varies wildly and the boundaries/rules are determined by the people within the relationship. There is no one size fits all."
nkorper
Bad Ideas
"I met a guy on tinder that was in an open marriage. We went on a few dates, one of which I was surprised to meet his wife and kids."
"They seemed like a happy family, very content with their arrangement. I enjoyed getting to know the guy, but he started to get impatient with how slowly I was moving. I wasn’t comfortable moving forward physically, so we decided to end it. Fast forward a year later, and he ended up committing suicide."
"His wife wasted no time posting online about how awful he was to her. It seems their 20-year open relationship was his game of control. He was a cheater and an abusive husband. I carry some guilt knowing he used me to upset her, and I sat there with a stupid smile on my face."
blahblah-user
Proven False
"Tried it, she screwed some dudes and when I picked up started getting jealous. Most open couples aren't really open. Usually someone wants it (or just wants to cheat without guilt) and someone's getting dragged into, pretending it's okay. Very few true open relationships, it's proven by how many last more than a year."
F33dR
Doing It All
"My husband and I did it...very enthusiastically... For about 6 years. We made the decision to try it after 24 years of marriage and because neither of us had had any other partners before we met. For us it was a fantastic experience. We never had issues with jealousy but we had a very strong relationship with a high degree of trust. We definitely saw a lot of marriages fail due to those issues."
"Eventually we sort of... faded out of it tho. It is just a lot of work. Finding people with the right chemistry-the on line dating scenes, going to the clubs, the meet up's that don't always work: it's exhausting. But for us it was definitely worth it. And if my hubby came to me tomorrow saying that he'd met someone he'd like to screw, I'd still be cool with it."
sabertoothbunni
"guilt free"
"I personally hate them because of an ex. I was pressured to make our relationship open for months, and I really didn't want to. That wasn't the kind of relationship I wanted to have. I later then found out that she was pushing so hard because she was already sleeping with other guys and wanted a 'guilt free' way to cheat on me, and ended up sleeping with three other people that I am aware of."
"Generally I don't mind them if that's what you want and all parties are okay with that situation. I have a friend who does that and he's never been happier in terms of a relationship with someone. But I will refuse to ever do an open relationship with anyone."
A_GuyThatDoesStuff
Not Me
No Way Beer GIF by BuschGiphy"I'm genuinely not a fan, i prefer monogamy as I feel a much closer bond can be created between two people rather than a group. however that is not how it is for everyone."
thra888
Life lesson?
You do you.
Just be honest and really communicate how you're feeling and the boundaries you feel comfortable with.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Redditor CodeBlackGoonit wanted to know what aspects of life will probably forever drive us crazy, so they asked:
"What's something you still don't understand even after many different people explain it to you?"
Math, science, love. I give up trying to figure it out.
The Fit
Giphy"How to properly fold a fitted sheet."
crystalsaladsandwich
"It’s pretty straight forward. Pretend to fold it up for 20 minutes, then just shove it somewhere."
dunnodudes
Beyond
"Fourth dimension."
Ceyram
"Think about describing something's location. 3d world is X, Y, and Z. So you could say 'My keys are on the table, 10 ft in from the front door, 5 ft to the left, and 3ft off the ground.'"
"But you go look, and they're not there. So, add a 4th dimension to your description, when were they there? Things move about in space over a period of time; time is that fourth dimension."
thinkofanamelater
Confusing Concepts
"The Krebs Cycle."
kair93
"In 8 years of higher education, I had to regurgitate and draw the Kreb's cycle on tests probably 15 times or so. I had to temporarily re-learn it every time. I still couldn't draw it today. You need to understand the concept, but the individual steps of the process are something most people will never need to remember."
GiggityDPT
Mash
"Math. Just anything more than the basics and my brain turns to mash."
gardenomette
"If it's a problem for you, look into getting tested for dyscalculia. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago and it was such a relief finding out that I'm not less intelligent, I'm not stupid or slow. That there's actually a reason. I wish they were aware of it all the years I was struggling in school. But I'm happy for the kids growing up now that they might have better access to proper help in those classes."
gardenomette
Bad Hype
Trash Cash GIF by Production ClubGiphy"NFT’s."
LeroyJr847
"There's nothing to understand. They're just another Ponzi scheme, but this time each token has a URL attached to it. They are made of hype."
Great-Contest-1928
These NFTs. Who thought this was a good idea?
Value Craziness
Stan Marsh America GIF by South ParkGiphy"The stock market."
Tinydustbunnies
"Owning very small slices of a company. As the company's value goes up or down, so does the value of the individual slices. Some slices also pay out a share of the profits to the 'owners' (dividends)."
SomeHSomeE
WHICH DOOR?
"The Monty Hall Problem."
foxtrot419
"Do this experiment with a friend. Have them shuffle a full deck of cards, and then have you draw one face down."
"Then, have them look through every single card in the deck for the ace of spades. If they find the ace of spades, select it and place it face down. If they don’t find the ace of spades, instead select a random card and put it face down. Put the rest of the deck aside."
"Now, one of you has the ace of spades. Who is more likely to have it: you, who picked blindly from the full deck, or your friend, who got to see every single card in the deck except yours? I think after a few trials, you will very quickly see why the odds are not 50/50."
MoobyTheGoldenSock
Signs
"The greater than/less than signs, <>. I can't read them and am always confused as to which is what. Honestly don't care anymore, I made it this far this long without understanding them so I don't want to know now. But a lot of people still try to explain it to me, the alligator mouth really confuses me even more."
llcucf80
Magic Watching
"How a dvd works. Or how a record player works, for that matter. Like how does it transfer the little grooves to make… sound and light? Black magic."
lilgato443
"DVDs are pits and hills, and it's all 1s and 0s. So it's just reading a file off of the disc, which is usually a video format, similar to an MP4."
"Vinyls have the sound waveform melted into them, the needle vibrates to recreate the sound. That's the gist of it. One complication is that highs are over emphasized and lows are deemphasized, and the turntable runs the sound through an RIAA filter to get the correct sound."
skaterrj
Educational Issues
animation domination lol GIF by gifnewsGiphy"Monopoly."
Heavy_Permission5704
"It was supposed to be an educational tool about how capitalism and private property ownership funnel wealth into the hands of a wealthy few, at the expense of the working class. Then a corporation copied it, rebranded that as a good thing and sold it as entertainment."
HandsomeHeathen
$$$ Issues
"People who don't make a lot who blow all of their money on stupid things that make it look like they have money, rather than actually getting themselves ahead."
"Can explain. Grew up poor. When the basics are (barely) covered, anything else left is seen as extra or feel good money so it is spent accordingly."
Mike7676
I will never get Monopoly. And I no longer care to.
Do you have anything to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Curious to hear from the types of people strangers online prefer keeping a distance from, Redditor KnownNormie asked:
"What type of person could you never be friends with?"
Some people like in the following examples should be put in their place.
Too Many Theatrics
"Someone who constantly makes everything dramatic."
– Anxiety_Ridden_Camel
Space Hoggers
"Someone who obviously doesn't care about anyone's boundaries."
– Jay4025
Embracing The Dark
"Guilt Trippers"
"Those who think its cool and edgy to be negative about everything."
– Stormflier
How can people who think the world revolves around them expect to maintain or gain friendships?
All About Me
"Self centered people."
–needtofreemyself
The One-Upper
"Yeah, that gets old really fast. I am a reformed one upper. I would also interrupt people. I was hard to take when I was younger. I didn’t learn to STFU until I was forced to take a sales job and discovered just how crap I was socially. The last twenty years I’ve gotten a lot better and now enjoy listening to other people’s stories more than telling my own."
– MobileAccountBecause
Not My Problem
"The one who always blame others."
– Reasonable-mcArdles
We could all benefit from personal growth.
They Wait For Life To Happen
"Someone who doesn’t want to learn more about life and its intricacies. I only want friends who think deeply about things and can have varied conversations on religion, politics, the world, and all of life. This life is too vast and insane not to seek depth in it.
– Glass-Philosopher302
Don't Take Life Too Seriously
"Someone who is always serious and can't take a joke. As well as someone who gets offended on the behalf of others."
– HoarderOfPaper
These are hard "no's."
You Can Bet Your Life On It
"a serial killer."
– LongjumpingReturn555
All Creatures Great And Small
"Someone who doesn't like animals."
– InterestingMall8958
It's complicated to categorize exactly the kind of person I would prefer to not to be friends with, but I know that one of my biggest pet peeves that can jeopardize how much effort I put into all kinds of relationships is a person's lack of punctuality.
It says a lot about an individual who is perpetually late outside of an acceptable window between 5 and 15 mins–with a heads up about their tardiness.
If they're always punctual in regards to work obligations and business meetings but very late to meeting up with you for a coffee date, you're clearly not important enough for them to make an effort to avoid keeping you waiting.
And I got no time for that.