It is quite a time to be alive and a witness to "reality." The world is in upheaval and everybody is searching for answers. The problem is.... nobody has any... so people are starting to believe just any old thing. I suppose it brings some false stability, but that breeds false comfort so when one starts spouting off conspiracy nonsense, that can lead to a world of trouble. Facts are indeed facts. Do your research, think before you speak.
Redditor u/moon0750 wanted everyone to discuss the stories that others believe that are too unbelievable to digest by asking.... What is the strangest conspiracy theory you've ever heard of?We Dare You!
tim burton aliens GIFGiphyThe Cold War was actually America and Russia saying "we will nuke this place try us" to the orbiting aliens intent on invasion.
Tiny Spies
The government has tiny helicopters that are injected into your bloodstream and fly around in your blood vessels and control you. They never clarified if the helicopters were being piloted by tiny people.
Plus, why not submarines? Didn't they ever see Fantastic Voyage? Never mind, hasn't been on TV lately. And were the helicopters black?
Those Homo Floresiensis
That leprechauns were actually a smaller hominid species that migrated to Ireland from Africa way before humans got there but the Irish wiped them out.
That one could theoretically be true (unlikely, but possible). Homo Floresiensis is believed to have been a separate species of archaic hominids that were 3-4ft tall.
So the possibility of another similar species in Ireland is theoretically possible.
Of course the idea that they survived long enough to enter into folklore while simultaneously leaving no traces is a lot less likely.
The Devil's Deal
sassy mariah carey GIFGiphyMy uncle strongly believes that all celebrities have sold their souls to the devil to be famous. He really believes in most of conspiracy theories.
The Order
Project Blue Beam is arguably the weirdest one of all. It's about NASA creating a advanced projection device to simulate the Second Coming of Christ to trick the world to believing it while the Antichrist is orchestrating a New World Order.
Yup that's the gist of it.
Right? It was the plot of a Heinlein novel. I mean, not NASA, but the projection device.
Revolt in 2100.
One of the main characters used to work in "Applied Miracles", which was essentially "Using special effects to depict miracles being performed on 'live' TV."
The backstory is actually more frightening than people believing in this:
In the fictional history, written in 1940, the First Prophet, a televangelist named Nehemiah Scudder, rode a populist, racist wave of support to the Presidency in 2012, named himself dictator, and no elections were held in 2016 or thereafter.
Electric Wrath
Aunt of a friend believes ball lightning is gods punishment for atheists. Not regular lightning, only ball lightning.
The logic is rarely that well developed. I remember my dad was just dumbfounded that I called it bad luck when he showed me a video of a thief's car getting struck by lightning. He literally could not process why it would matter that non-thieves also get struck by lightning and many thieves don't. He just saw it and thought "yup, that's god's wrath."
The Biggest Secret
My particular favorite is that all world leaders are baby eating shape changing lizards from outer space.
I've actually read that book, The Biggest Secret, it's quite clever in the way that it tries to persuade the reader.
It starts off with a lot of reasonable assertions: people through history have depicted snakes and reptiles... royal families have bloodlines... powerful people tend to protect their power... it gets you nodding along then hits you with 'therefore the Queen is a baby-eating reptilian shapeshifter that uses monoatomic gold to maintain human form'.
Seriously?
steve harvey smh GIFGiphyMy particular favorites are 'JFK shot first' And 'Australia doesn't exist, it's just a scam by the government to sell plane tickets'
Sir Paul. Is that you?
That the real Paul McCartney died in the 60s and was replaced by a look a like.
I was 15 when that whole thing was the craze. I read the stupidest newspaper article "explaining" it. That was when I found out not all reporters actually research a subject.
Mischaracterizing the whole point of Fool On The Hill, misquoting lyrics I had heard hundreds of times, the whole shot. Still somehow royally creeped me out.
And as I keep saying, if it were true, the guy who replaced Paul has been Paul way longer than Paul was Paul.
The Wonder
stevie wonder deal with it GIFGiphyMy top has to be the conspiracy that Stevie Wonder isn't actually blind.
5G
Coronavirus is spread by 5G masts. How would that even be possible!? The earth being flat is also a good one.
Came here to say the 5G towers too. lol i'm positive schools cover bacteria and virus in science class... at least in depth enough to know a cell tower can't give you a viral or bacterial infection. lol.
Theories and theories....
crazy family guy GIFGiphyI like the "conspiracy theory" conspiracy theory best. The term is made up by the CIA, to hide the real secrets by throwing in a bunch of crazy stuff. If you believe 9/11 was a inside job, you are probably one those crazies who believes in the illuminati ruling the world.
"the otherside"
Guy at my GFs work thought that there were people who lived under the world, like the world is a flat disk and people lived on the otherside.
It gets weirder, on the otherside there is no light as the sun doesn't rotate below the Earth, so these under-folk are very sensitive to the light.
This meant that when they come to our side, as like secret spies, they must wear glasses to be able to see properly. So basically anyone with glasses was suspicious AF to him.
Anyway, what I'm wondering is how this guy can get a job but I'm rejected from toilet cleaning jobs.
So many areas....
I honestly believe something along these lines: that Area 51 is set up to appear like the hub for the US Government's knowledge on alien visitors and whatnot, but that's all really just smoke and mirrors, and the REAL alien tech and evidence is kept somewhere far away from Area 51 at some location we've never even heard of.
That's Quacked.
cartoon network GIFGiphyBirds are cameras. The quarantine was made to replace the battery in them.
This.
UFO Plans
Nazi UFO Bunkers. The theory of Hitler escaping to Antarctica and managing to set up UFO bunkers which in turn allowed the nazis to establish secret bases on the moon.
I loved browsing the conspiracy wiki back in the day. Lmao. I went from a wiki stating humans never made it to the moon. Then reading about a Hitler Colonization on the moon. And somehow some tiny little craters make a swastika.
Stephen Knew
pennywise dance GIFGiphyThe events of Stephen King's IT were true, simply because he hasn't gone on record saying his inspiration. Guess we really do float cause of these airheads.
That actually kinda works, in a horrific and disgusting way, and as long as you take away the supernatural stuff.
He was the age of the Losers in 1958 and they were all old enough for that orgy (barely) and while I don't know anything about King's upbringing, turning a serial killer or even just one killing, a fear of sewers, clowns and giant spiders in the basement might be what you get if you separate enough of elements of the supernatural extradimensional super god that fights a turtle after years of life and cocaine.
Project Birdseye.....
About 20 years ago I worked at an apartment complex. As a joke I made this one up.
Project Birdseye. The DEA planted cameras in pigeons eye so they could tune in and watch drug deals. Pigeons stay in high crime areas because garage door opener remotes (like in affluent neighborhoods) mess with the circuits and give the birds a headache so they stay away. I told my boss this as a joke.
He must have spread it around because a week later I watched a drug deal start to go down and a pigeon landed nearby and the dealer took the customer away from the bird to finish.
Either others had the same idea as me or mine grew because I have seen it mentioned on other websites many years later.
Sad Beliefs
Magic Johnson never had HIV/AIDS. He was paid by the government to publicly announce that he was positive to change the negative stigma around the disease.
"save us"
john f. kennedy jfk GIF by US National ArchivesGiphyI have a friend that believes John F. Kennedy Jr. is alive and is going to come back to "save us" very soon. Yes, she is into Q. I hear theories several times a week. It's exhausting.
These are the same people that believed Hillary had him killed. But they seem to believe he's working WITH Trump on this.
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No matter how long ago we saw it, there are some scenes or images from movies that still send shivers down our spine or keep us awake at night to this very day.
Pennywise appearing in the sewer in It, Janet Leigh surprised in the shower in Psycho, Freddy Kreuger's tongue popping out of the telephone in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Of course, some of the scariest, most disturbing, or most emotionally traumatizing scenes from films might have been featured in films outside of the horror genre.
Even more shockingly, some of these films were primarily marketed towards children!
Redditor alina_love was curious to hear which non-horror films the Reddit community saw as children still send shivers down their spines today, leading them to ask:
"What's a non horror movie that traumatized you as a kid?"
It Was Tim Burton, After All...
"'Pee Wee's big adventure'."
"Large Marge scared the crap out of little me."
"I was even scared of the fortune teller."- BlueStarrSilver·
With A Title Like "Temple Of Doom"...
"'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'."
"The scene where the guy gets his heart ripped out traumatized me for years."- Pbhf
That Funeral Scene Though...
"'My Girl'."
"Fear of death, fear of losing a friend, fear of bees, fear of puberty."- heidismiles
macaulay culkin kiss GIFGiphyJurassic Park's Got Nothing On This...
"'The Land Before Time'."
"Watching Little Foot’s mother die was awful."- HourglassSass
He'll Always Regret Not Bringing Her To The Museum...
"'Bridge to Terabithia'."- jumpstart-the-end
"Everything goes so well and it falls apart SO FAST and your left absolutely traumatized."- VortexDestroyer99
The Reason People Hold On To Their Appliances For As Long As They Do...
"The Brave Little Toaster'."- Catgurl
"The junkyard scene alone was responsible for so many nightmares."- ManChildMusician
brave little toaster animation GIF by Coolidge Corner TheatreGiphyAnd Let's Not Forget The Coachman's Smile...
"Disney’s version of 'Pinocchio'."
"The scene where kids are turned into donkeys and kept on the island and then resold was f*cking weird."
"You felt bad for that bully kid after he looked sad and nobody understood what he said because he was a donkey."- earnestlikehemingway
Few Things More Sad And Scary Than Deforestation
"'Ferngully: The Last Rainforest'."
"That evil tree scared me so bad."- slutsdotnet
Anything But "Truly Scrumptious"...
"The 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Childcatcher guy!"
"I'm still scared of him!"- Jet_Maypen
child GIFGiphyOffing Children One By One...In A Children's Movie!
"'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' boat scene."
"Honorable mention of claustrophobia when Augustus gets stuck in the chocolate tube."
"UGH!"- looseseal-bluth
At Least We Know He Had A "Sole"...
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
"That poor shoe….."- dalalice5555
At Least The Song Is Catchy...
"Neverending Story."
"Not even Artax, which was awful, but the Rockbiter and his good strong hands."- marxychick1
Neverending Story 80S GIFGiphyDorothy Gettying Electro Shock Therapy Says it All...
"Return to Oz."- Jeff_Steelflexx
"Horrifying! What about the animated wig heads?"- weensfordayz
The Reigning King Of Childhood Trauma
"Old Yeller."- IceTech59
"I remember watching this on TV during, I think, Wonderful World of Disney (Sunday nights were Disney night on TV)."
"Cried and cried and cried."
"I've never been able to watch it again and I've never shown it to my kids!"- crowwitch
Not All Friendships Are Tenable... A Terrifying Thought
"'The Fox and the Hound'."
"Still makes me incredibly sad, lol."- mental_reincarnation
best friends friendship GIFGiphySometimes, writers and filmmakers simply overestimate what might go over a child's head.
Or, for that matter, they might underestimate their emotional capacity.
Regardless, ask any of Fairuza Balk's fans which is scarier, Return to Oz or The Craft, and their answer will be immediate...
(... and it won't be The Craft...)
Sometimes it's fun to toy with someone.
Especially if it's an enemy or a loved one who simply deserves a good ribbing.
Some cryptic sentences can send anyone into a tailspin.
And oh the fun that can be had.
You have to be as vague as possible and as sincere.
You have to sell the sincerity. That's vital!
And then just watch them implode.
Redditor theary18 wanted to hear about the most creative ways to throw somebody off their game, so they asked:
"What is the best thing to say to someone to subtly f**k with their head?"
I love to come up behind someone and say "I can't believe they would treat you this way. I got you girl!"
Then I scurry away.
Tee-hee...
It's YOU!
For Me GIF by Liz HuettGiphy"Just tack on the phrase 'given your history' to any question you ask someone."
"Are you sure you want another drink? Given your history?"
"Do you mind driving? Given your history?"
hamletreset
Mean Kids...
"I moved to my elementary school in the 5th grade. Mid-year, a boy came up to me and said, 'I really thought you were gonna be somebody.' I'm now 45 and I'm still like, what the f**k was he talking about?"
NicklePlatedSkull
"Likely something they heard a parent say to someone. Kids love to repeat the dumb stuff you say the next day at school."
itsallgoodman2002
"All jokes aside he probably thought you were someone else. I've done the same things countless times and it's happened to me a few."
Download_more_ramram
"I would interpret this as this kid hearing there's gonna be a 'new kid' and then their imagination ran wild as to who this new star is going to be, that it will be like in some kid movie or something, but you turned out to be just another kid student."
i_was_planned
I Like You
"I don't get why other people don't like you."
Dependent_Main2643
"Another variant is..."
"I don’t care what everyone else is saying. I think you’re great!"
"They’ll take it as a compliment at first but then they’ll think about it and it’ll eat away at them."
Oh-Cool-Story-Bro
"A guy I work with says this time to me every time I help him 'I don’t care what everyone else says about you you’re alright. Literally everyone else. We did a poll.' XD guy says some crazy s**t. When he started he tried to convince us he was a flat earther. He just likes fucking with people."
ThreeBeatles
Rumors
“'I heard about you.'"
ignorantpigeon
"Whenever I hear this I always respond with 'if it’s all good, it’s all lies.' Usually shows my sense of humor and if it is bad things they heard it usually lightens the mood."
ElApolloLoco
"Years ago I worked at a cafe and function venue which was sold after a few years to a new catering company. The first time I met the new restaurant manager I introduced myself and she exclaimed 'Oh, you’re winoforever!' and I was a bit weirded out. Then not long later I met the new owner and she also said 'Oh, you’re winoforever!' I still wonder twenty years later what they’d both heard about me."
winoforever_slurp_
Problems
Drunk Party Girl GIFGiphy"Go up to someone at a party and say: 'I just want you to know that personally, I have no problem with you being here.'"
LuketheMook
"I once got drunk and effectively said that to a girl at a wedding. 'I don't care what everyone else thinks, I always liked you' or something like that."
Supersnazz
Parties are the perfect setting for these shenanigans.
Especially with the drinkers.
But get them at least semi-sober.
I got You
Okaay What GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"If you are chatting with someone and another person walks up look at them and say 'I just want you to know that I was defending you' then turn and walk off. It's a good 2fer."
could_use_a_snack
Hush
"'We know, but don't worry, we'll keep it a secret.'"
ch3rrycsmos_
"A friend in high school (actually still a current friend) said something similar to me and it definitely f**ked with my head. 'You know you're not fooling anyone, right?' He wouldn't elaborate and it took me the rest of the day to figure out he was f**king with me. As a guy with imposter syndrome, especially as a teen, that had me turned for a bit."
ablackcloudupahead
You Again
"If it’s someone you interact with repeatedly, always introduce yourself as if you’ve never met before."
Stillwater215
"I keep doing this to a guy I see very occasionally. He's a friend of my sister-in-law, but I've introduced myself to him at least four times. Right now, I'm trying to picture his face and I totally can't, so if I see him again, I'll introduce myself again. He remembers me though. And I don't have this issue with anyone else, I just can't remember this guy's face for some reason."
KrtekJim
Big Mouth
"You really need to brush your teeth."
setthepinnacle
"Somebody jokingly left a message on the 'tip' line that said 'Take a breath mint.'"
"I'm like 90% sure it was just the first thing that came to his head but it f**ked with me for weeks. I was self-conscious when talking to people, being close to them with my mouth open, and I'd constantly be brushing longer/harder taking mouthwash a couple extra times a day, and using mints."
ToFaceA_god
Head Issues
Think About It GIF by IdentityGiphy"Give all your friends a few dollars to compliment their hat if they’re not wearing one. When 50 people insist you’re wearing a hat, you start to think you’re wearing a hat. It will drive them insane."
Stillwater215
Hats off for that last one. That's harmless but devious.
Do you have any tips to add? Let us know in the comments below.
