Your favourite Conspiracy Theory

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

I've been reading a series of historical novels, about a particular English titled family and their various offshoots, based around real events like the Crimean War, World War 1, Titanic etc. Fascinating stuff, I love it.

Anyhoo, some of the characters went on the Titanic but managed to survive the disaster. Years after they came back to England, they were confronted by a crewmember who had survived. This man said that it was Olympic that sank, not Titanic. He said that because of Olympic's run of bad luck and the fact that it was uninsured, the White Star Line would have lost a huge amount of money on it. So instead of fixing it properly, they were still constructing Titanic, and changed it so they looked almost identical. Apparently they intended all along to sink Olympic, as Titanic, but they didn't expect the rescue to take so long, didn't account for a few different factors, which led to the huge loss of life.

That fascinated me, so I googled it....and apparently it's a real theory!

Points

• A lot of the White Star Line bigwigs were booked on Titanic for her maiden voyage, as was normal for a maiden voyage, but at the last minute all of them, except for J Ismay, cancelled.
• The captain had been getting iceberg warnings all day, yet Mr Ismay told him to go full speed ahead through the ice field.
• There is an unexplained course correction, nobody knows who ordered it, that took Titanic onto a collision course with the iceberg.

Absolutely fascinating stuff, I love reading things like this. Do you have a favourite conspiracy theory?

[onthefly]

I don't have one, but this reminds me of a really interesting review of a book The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths I read in The Economist. Can't link, but you can search for it on there.

... Mr Shermer is interested in how such beliefs come to be held, and why they can persist even in the face of what, to others, can seem to be the overwhelming evidence that contradicts them.

The first part of the book is a mixture of psychology and trendy neuroscience research that presents the evidence for Mr Shermer’s central claim: that, instead of shaping belief around painstakingly gathered, soberly judged evidence, people most often decide upon their beliefs first, and then use an impressive range of cognitive tricks to bend whatever evidence they do discover into support for those pre-decided acts of faith.

In the second part of “The Believing Brain” Mr Shermer applies those observations to the almost infinite variety of weird and wonderful beliefs that people hold, from alien abductions to government conspiracies to bring down the World Trade Centre—and, inevitably, to religion (a chapter on politics, by contrast, feels misplaced and forced).

[luna moth]

Port Arthur. The theory goes that Martin Bryan was actually a patsy placed by the CIA to allow a government kneejerk reaction to disarm the citizens, making Australia a more compliant ally, and easier to invade if need be.

[Epacris]

I really, strongly dislike conspiracy theories generally but I have one exception: The trucks that are “broken down” on Pennant Hills Road aren’t really broken down at all, they’re parked there to stuff all the traffic up so people will be forced to use the M2 (toll road) and pay money $$$.

[Trillian]

I really, strongly dislike conspiracy theories generally but I have one exception: The trucks that are “broken down” on Pennant Hills Road aren’t really broken down at all, they’re parked there to stuff all the traffic up so people will be forced to use the M2 (toll road) and pay money $$$.

I love a good conspiracy theory, but I'm choosy as to which ones I believe LOL. I don't know if I really have a favourite though.

[peanutter]

A teacher at my high school was convinced that people haven't actually made it to the moon.

He had a long list of reasons "proving" that it was a big fat hoax.

Not exactly a conspiracy, but similar

[Astrid]

Port Arthur. The theory goes that Martin Bryan was actually a patsy placed by the CIA to allow a government kneejerk reaction to disarm the citizens, making Australia a more compliant ally, and easier to invade if need be.

After having lived in Tassie during that time, I really doubt that one. Have heard other conspiracy theories about the massacre, but that is the first time I have heard of that exact one.

Don't have a favourite theory at the moment. My Mum used to love them.

[Floweryfields]

911 being all conspired by the US government.

[wysiwyg]

The moon one is quite popular and some people put the 'evidence' that we haven't been across quite convincingly. Mythbusters did a great show though talking through the 'evidence' that we haven't been and doing some experiments - there verdict was the Myth is 'BUSTED' (e.g. we have been to the moon).

I am not a fan of conspiracy theories either - will have to think if have a favorite, but I always think is either a conspiracy or a C O C K up then is 90% chance is a C O C K up - and I reckon most conspiracy theories require more secrecy and planning than we are capable of (especially in this day in age keeping secrets seems almost impossible)

[indie24]

I used to like the one where they said that the pyramids were built by aliens. They say there is a formation on Mars that looks like a pyramid and matches the ones here on Earth (Its been a while since I read about it so sorry if some details are incorrect but that was the general gist of it).

Maybe not a conspiracy theory as such but I still like it

[AnyDream]

The Ansett collapse was engineered by business interests (some of which were quite close to the govt of the time) which did very nicely out of taking it off the scene.

But my real favorite is the one about a race of reptilian aliens that live underground (never worked out if that meant literally or figuratively) and control the entire modern world order and a lot of politicians and merchant bankers are in cahoots with them.

ETA and big pharma has had a cure for cancer for at least a decade but is suppressing it because cancer is such a tidy little income earner for them.

[Floweryfields]

ETA and big pharma has had a cure for cancer for at least a decade but is suppressing it because cancer is such a tidy little income earner for them.

Ah yes, I've heard that one a number of times - I believe my version is something simple - like extreme oxygen therapy being the cure for cancer and that in itself would make big pharma very little moola.......I think I believe it.

[Traveller]

I quite believe people have been to the moon, but not when they said they did. The original landing was clearly fake

Also, Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the assassination of JFK (if he was even involved at all). It was a government conspiracy to incite hate against Ciba and to get rid of a catholic president. Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were also assassinated, their deaths were no accident.

Also, aliens landed at Roswell, New Mexico. The government covered it up. They cover a lot of things up.

:/

[Kimbles01]

But my real favorite is the one about a race of reptilian aliens that live underground (never worked out if that meant literally or figuratively) and control the entire modern world order and a lot of politicians and merchant bankers are in cahoots with them.

Like a reverse Men In Black scenario?