Connedspiracy

George Monbiot of The Guardian has written a good article (take-down) of Russell Brand worth reading. I agree with him, Brand has become a connedspiracy nutcase.

When he first started his video channel, he had some good things to say, but they devolved into endless conjecture, assumptions and finger-pointing connedspiracies. I stopped watching him several years ago for this reason. Roughly a month back I took the time to watch one of his videos again to see if he smartened up – he hadn’t. Monbiot is right – “the stupidity of some of the theories he recites, or the lack of originality. He repeatedly says he’s not a conspiracy theorist, but, to me, he certainly sounds like one.”

There are a lot of online personalities that have fallen in the same manner (and a virtual army of wannabe’s). Actually, I cannot think of a single one that hasn’t fallen for connedspiracy theories. Some online channels start out ok, but it’s not long before they embrace the suck. Connedspiracy has overtaken truth, conjecture have overtaken facts, assumptions have overtaken facts, and worst of all, nobody seems to care or hardly notice that they are being fed a line of bullshit.

I do and I care, very much because I’m seeing first-hand the damage that this is causing in lives, politics, personal growth and decision making on a vast scale. It’s a global problem now and not limited to just some crazy sects or cults. This is a constant interference to everyone, sparking violence, hatred and protests. What’s so sad and so pathetic is most, if not all connedspiracies are simply false and lack validity, but that doesn’t stop millions of people from embracing them and acting out based on these false beliefs.

Americans are steeped in connedspiracies like recyled tea leaves on a daily even hourly basis. Vast sections of the Internet are totally dedicated to these themes. Many years ago I had visited these dank dungeons but found nothing but rabid stupidity, widespread assumptions and outrageous claims lacking any factual substance. Since then they have only grown exponentially, I can’t even gauge how huge this has become, but it’s evidently everywhere now. I had personally hoped that people would wise up and realize that they were being manipulated but that didn’t happen. Connedspiracies have become a global cult, gobbling up and infecting minds like dangerous prion diseases eating brains.

So far, there does not seem to be any cure because the infected refuse to use the tools, resources and methods to identify what is true and what simply isn’t. Nobody seems to have found a effective way to get the diseased to self-help themselves, and direct intervention measures often do not work. You can’t tell these promoters or their followers anything, they either ignore you or it goes in one ear and out the other without any comprehension. They also resort to attacks of which everyone who rejects connedspiracies has likely experienced.

Much of this blog over the years has been dedicated to pointing out the falsehoods and fakery and asinine antics that revolve around connedspiracy theorists. A few have been exposed and found out, even fewer have been held to account, but the global phenomenon of connedspiracy is still rapidly growing, causing unrest, division, escalating violence and widespread hatred and distrust. Institutions that once served the people are now considered enemies of the people. It’s impossible to reach people that don’t trust anything other then their own warped and misinformed judgement. They’ve come believe that they alone are the arbitrators of truth without exception. That’s a very dangerous position to hold.

Nobody is an expert in everything. Nobody is fully informed on every topic or subject. Expert, educated and experienced advice, research, commentary and explanations are actually required and essential for everyone. But if your mind is made up and you think you or your connedspiracy channel is the only voice that is right or worth listening to, you’re not going to listen to anything else, and you will remain badly informed (and manipulated) without even understanding how misinformed you truly are. Any life-decisions you make will reflect this misinformation.

The personal cost is extremely high (even deadly) and many have this found out. Countless people have died because of misinformation and connedspiracy theories they’ve held, and countless others have had their lives ruined in prison, jail, divorce, financial collapse or any number of bad decisions they’ve made. Strangely, even these outcomes and circumstances does not always result in any abandonment of connedspiracies, failures often lead to even more failures and seeking out new outlets for validation and confirmation. People uproot their entire lives to find “like minded” connedspiracy theorists to associate with, relocating families, jobs and businesses.

Unfortunately, I live right in the middle of one of the nations hot spots for connedspiracy adherents. I find these people incredibly stupid and misinformed. Even casual conversations reveal a shocking lack of actual truth and substance. Their lives are in a constant state of fear, anger, hatred, rhetoric and calls for violence. They sincerely believe that they are the only purveyors of truth while rejecting any information from actual informed experts. Most are poorly educated and poorly read, but not all. I’ve engaged with Phd’s about their whacked out beliefs systems who apparently didn’t get much of a real education despite having the credentials.

Connedspiracy theorists come from all walks of life but now they infect every aspect of life in the American landscape. From what I’ve been able to discern online, this is true throughout the world, in every government, every institution, every field of professional endeavor. A fifth-column of connedspiracy idiots can be found wherever you look, it’s that ubiquitous now.

Brand is among many that I gave up on, there is another guy who still runs a ‘survivalist’ channel on Youtube that went the same way. I’ve reached out to Brand and many others pointing out their flawed assessments and devolution into connedspiracies but I’ve never received any replies back. I don’t believe that anyone is actually interested in changing their beliefs, most people seem to be satisfied to stay right where they are. If it wasn’t so harmful and leading the entire country towards ruin, if not the entire world towards conflict, I’d not care – do what you want, but that’s not what is happening. Vast segments of the population, especially here in America are actively preparing for extreme violence and civil war, ALL of it based on bogus and factually wrong beliefs and connedspiracy.

That’s why this matters so much. People are getting killed, being killed and millions more are at-risk of escalating violence. All based on distortions, lies, fabrications, assumptions and made-up bullshit.

Obviously, we’ve got a huge problem.

Let me point out a few things worth thinking about:

a) Embracing a connedspiracy doesn’t actually do anyone any good. Doesn’t even matter if the connedspiracy is factually true or false (or any part thereof), there is nothing you can actually do to make any difference.

b) Ignoring connedspiracy isn’t wrong, it’s smarter then embracing connedspiracy.

c) Promoting any connedspiracy is a stupid act intending to entice others into your belief. There is no valid reason to do so.

d) Rejecting true experts, scholars, professionals is just stupid. They have the education, experience, exposure and information that you don’t have.

e) Pretending that you know more, or are “better informed” is a gross self-deception. This is highly unlikely unless you are an actual expert, rely on real facts, have the proper and relevant education in the field, including relevant experience, and can demonstrate the correct epistemology. Few average people can actually do this because they lack training and education to demonstrate what it is that they think they know. Instead, they espouse “belief” (which is irrelevant) versus evidence, assumptions versus proof (facts), and the big ones, conjectures and straw arguments versus proven correlation. None are applicable to real knowledge.

Everyone should read The Scary Truth and study what it says. You won’t find any connedspiracies in this post. You won’t find “belief” to triumph over reason and facts. Critical thinking skills are incredibly important, especially in an age where the abandonment of truth and the rejection of knowledge is so prevalent.

Connedspiracy theorists reject all of the above for a reason. They have a vested interest in keeping you off-balance and misinformed. Whether it’s money, views, advertising or validation, they don’t want you to reject their phony claims, they all seek disciples. They’re all trying to start movements. They are not on the side of truth despite what they claim. Their business (and it is indeed a profitable business) is to misinform, distract, deflect and deceive millions of people for their own ends. Virtually NONE are real experts, but they’re very adept at bravado, bullshit and posturing. Why anyone would follow or even listen to such people is shocking. What you put into your head matters.

If it is not already obvious, you’re no worse off by rejecting connedspiracy theories and connedspiracy theorists. You’re actually far better off in both the short and long-term because your life, decisions and choices are not being polluted with their bullshit. You don’t become their recruit, wasting your life diving down rabbit holes. You don’t embrace their suck and it has no control over your mind. You can live your life without their endless attempts to influence you.

Everyone needs to be keenly aware of how dangerous connedspiracy theory and connedspiracy theorists have become, as they represent a serious threat to everyone, everywhere now. Doesn’t matter if it’s the checker at the supermarket spewing the latest lies they’ve embraced or the auto mechanic who’s fixing your brakes, these people are seriously deluded and yes, they have control over aspects of your life whether you like it or not.

Related: Online tests suggest IQ scores in US dropped for the first time in nearly a century