Humans LOVE conspiracy theories. We love to attribute our ills to some nameless force working against us. Most of us, however, do so in jest. We understand that there isn't really some great conspiracy to make us, specifically, miserable or mislead us.
Increasingly though, more and more people seem to latch onto these conspiracy theories and the flawed "logic" (I use that term loosely) that their proponents use to justify their assertions. Most of us just read about it and shake our heads in confusion (with the odd facepalm here and there for the especially wild ones), but some people are misled into believing them.
Reddit user dank_meme_machine30 asked:
What do you think will be the next anti-vax or flat-earth?
Everybody knows...that?
Anti moon.
The moon doesn't exist.
You think you've seen it?
You're wrong.
It's just the back of the sun, everyone knows that.
Everything is chemicals, even your precious essential oils.
Since it's not that far of a stretch from anti-vax...everything is a conspiracy by Big Pharma & doctors to make more money. Here, have some essential oils.
I have an autoimmune disease and already have tons of people telling me to stop taking my medication. It's worse now that I'm pregnant; people get really mad and claim I'm poisoning my baby. The pills are to stop my body from killing my baby, f**k your essential oils.
Yep!
Not the next one perhaps, but I can see a time when people flat out deny that we as a species came from Earth.
Isn't that Scientology?
GiphyCan you really prove it?
Anti-Australia, as a sub-sect of the flat-earth movement. Been to Australia? You were on a flight flying in circles that landed somewhere outside of Los Alamos. Australians? Paid actors. Kangaroos? Overgrown squirrels.
Yeah, it's the same thing like North Dakota is not real. Do you know anyone from North Dakota? No. Do you use any product made in North Dakota? No. It's a lie made up by those filthy politicians so they can manipulate and rig the election!!!
How do we know?
Denying germ theory.
I could totally see that one catching on.
"I got a cold when I was spending a month in the woods by myself. ...BY MYSELF! So then tell me, 'scientists,' who gave me the cold 'virus?' I obviously gave it to myself with my negative thoughts!"
It would be pretty epic to see people getting sneezed on to prove a point.
I don't know anyone from Delaware, do you?
Delaware doesn't exist. I'm pushing that very hard to make it a thing. I mean do you really know anyone from Delaware?
I was messing with someone about this theory and turns out her kid went to college there.
Is she sure? Is she really, really sure?
I am currently sitting in a University of Delaware hall, I can't confirm if this actually reality. Standby.
People disappoint us, yet again.
Flat Mars
Mars landing deniers
Unfortunately that's already a thing
The cognitive dissonance must be nearly intolerable.
Anti-internet.
Nothing on the internet is real, the internet isn't real, it was created by scientists to spread lies and misinformation.
Never happen,, because these are the people that -require- the internet (FB, etc) in order to spread their bullshit...
In the same way that flat-earthers talk to other flat-earthers around the globe, on a planet that is a globe, that they are themselves existing on about the earth being flat?
There's not a science behind stupidity. They can still believe the internet was made for mind-control reasons while still using it.
Mni Wičoni, Water is Life.
Being in the water industry I am meeting more and more people who completely mistrust the public water supply. They are completely misinformed about basic treatment and complain always about the "chemicals" in the water. I've had people complain about everything from chemicals we never use in the process, strange colors and odors coming from their toilets and showers, phantom illnesses and tall tales of neighbors who died from the water. I had never met people who never drink water before starting this career path, and now I get yelled at by several a year and they legit only drink soda or Gatorade, maybe tea and coffee only. Its got the recipes of ignorance, easily spread misinformation and a helpless group of professionals only seeking the best for the public.
I'd be willing to bet some of these people don't realize soda and Gatorade and tea and coffee all have water in them.
Giphy
Redditor Isingsongstomycats wanted to hear about what can completely make us regret speaking to another person, so they asked:
"What instantly ruins a conversation for you?"
I'm ornery. Anything and everything can turn me off.
Blocked
honey boo boo phone GIF by RealityTVGIFsGiphy"Getting their phone out for no reason mid conversation."
Expensive_Pie_6943
"Sometimes I want to look up something pertinent to the conversation but I don't want to interrupt them to say that. Now when someone checks their notification mid conversation, that really burns me."
cutelyaware
Up & Up
"When someone feels the need to one up you on everything you say."
Apprehensive_Gap_368
"Had a coworker like this once, his one upping was so bad we would test it. Best one was a guy talking about catching a shark on a pole at the beach. He interrupted with the time he swam out a mile and got attacked by a shark and beat it and swam back with it."
Mess_Bubbly
Rude
"When they start saying nasty things about people they barely know."
WeirdShyKitten
"I have family like this. I once heard them go on on this rant about how the new waitress at their local coffee shop is fat and ugly. They made a thousands assumptions about this woman that included criticism to her service."
18062022
"Or start sh*t talking someone the second they leave the room. My dad's sisters do that, I was stuck in my parents house alone with them and I would get so paranoid every time I left the room. If they do that to each other, I can’t image the crap they talk about me."
vicki_chicki
War of Words
"When they ask for your opinion or talking about something fully subjective and then tell you how you are objectively wrong or get offended by you nor agreeing."
Prize_Interaction931
"Similar, but not quite the same: my old roommate would correct me on things that were objective, and not like facts."
"Like I mentioned it was hard for my folks to get a mortgage because they were self employed and he correct me that it wasn't. He wouldn't believe the story i was telling and told me what he thought might have happened with no knowledge on the subject."
"Needless to say I moved out."
SFXBTPD
Blah Blah
Bored Chris Rock GIF by BounceGiphy"When it feels like you're engaging a combination lock just to get responses to simple innocent pieces of a conversation. People who small talk you to death."
I swear small talk people should be arrested for attempted murder.
Useless
Golden Girls Rose GIF by TV LandGiphy"When someone drags a story out with useless details. Like something that happened on the drive to work but they start the story at the point when they first woke up and what they had for breakfast. Just get to the point!"
ticklemebits
Paused
"When they interrupt me mid sentence."
HelpMeSweetJesus
"If it sometimes happens on accident whenever they think of something and get over-excited it’s whatevs. Now when they constantly step over you it’s like your opinion merely feels like filler at best and they ain’t even listening. Not even worth the energy to continue at that point."
BAKED_TATER_
"One of my coworkers only listens long enough to figure out what she's going to say next, and then she interrupts. I guess we're only there to feed her lines."
Witty_Commentator
Do Better
"When someone gives you completely useless advice you didn't ask for. A couple weeks ago I mentioned to a coworker that I was glad to be going home because I didn't get more than a couple hours of sleep."
"Dude first of all had the audacity to say 'Well, you need to do better.' When I said I have medication resistant insomnia he looks at me like I'm an idiot and asks if I've tried melatonin."
errant_night
Duh
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are stupider than that. And it doesn’t take you very long to spot one of them, does it. Take you about eight seconds. You’ll be listening to some guy, and say, this guy is f**king stupid. Then, then there are some people, they’re not stupid. They’re full of crap."
"Huh, that doesn’t take very long to spot, either, does it. Take you about the same amount of time. You’ll be listening to some guy, saying, well, he’s fairly intelligent. Ah, he’s full of s**t. Then there are some people, they’re not stupid, they’re not full of s**t, they’re freaking nuts."
teaching-man
Gross...
Disgusted Emma Stone GIFGiphy"Sexualization. We're talking about a new video game and suddenly I get asked if I play naked, or if I'm turned on by a game mechanic or some such nonsense. Yuck."
GreenAppleLady
Good conversation is hard to keep these days.
Do you have any conversational red flags to add? Let us know in the comments below.
