Conspiracy theories – such as those surrounding the death of Princess Diana – are more likely to be believed by people who are willing themselves to conspire, new research at the University of Kent has shown.
In a paper to be published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, Dr Karen Douglas and Dr Robbie Sutton, two researchers from the School of Psychology, found that – in keeping with the psychological process called projection – an individual’s perception that “I would do it” informs his or her perception that “they did it”…
The more that participants indicated a willingness to conspire, the more they found the same conspiracy theories to be plausible, interesting, and worth considering…Further, the researchers found that participants who were highly Machiavellian – defined as willing to exploit others for personal gain – were more likely to indicate willingness to conspire, and as a result, were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories…
‘We found that in their search for explanations under such uncertain and confusing conditions, people rely partly on projection – the assumption that others would behave much as they would.
Har.
Howard…I agree. Remember this guy’s clothing…a thobe…any of those things could have been hidden within his thobe, assuming he had some amount of warning about the attack.
I’m waiting for the Wikileaks version.
Alfred, you are just jealous that Obama gets the credit. Really, who gives a shit. Osama’s dead, whether it was because of Obama or yo mama. The “problem” is still very much alive, and God, as usual, is as impotent as ever… or he’s a Muslim.
@ tea dud
You say Osama’a bodyguards are trained to kill him if we get close enough to take him. We get close enough – they shoot him. Soooo who killed him again? I’d say mission accomplished… with a clear conscience no less.
@52
So Obama isn’t man enough to say he misunderstood or was perhaps incorrectly informed? I think not.
Presidents aren’t supposed to lie (and get caught doing it.).
Well when he does, and you have legitimate proof, then get back to us. In the meantime–and it will be a long time until you get anything resembling legitimate proof–will you please just stop?
Tin foilers are just another magical religious belief sect. As long as they people around like the Koch’s to fund them, they will continue to be willing stooges.
‘Dude’ I’m sorry what was the lie about the Osama Raid and what is your proof? This lie needs to have come out from Obama’s mouth. If a statement was modified as more facts were known is does not count as a lie.
Now be careful ‘Enough Already’ you could wind up in court libel or your god might send you to hell for bearing false witness
so tell us Mr. Conspiracy the Lie and give us your proof (show your work) it’s elementary
#48
or he could have “The Clapper” rigged to set off a nuke if he flinches shoot him in the head.
I always get a bad wrap.
“Entia non sunt multiplicanda preater necessitatem” –Willam of Occam.
Never put down to complicated conspiracy what can be much more simply be explained by simple human stupidity.
Here’s a for instance:
Why do we build nuclear reactors where we do, often near our drinking water and usually in bucolic settings of pastoral squalor, when we know when (not if but when,) something finally happens there’ll be nine kinds of hell to pay, instead of burying the damn things at the bottom of a mine shaft to begin with?
Because engineers ass-u-me that noting will go wrong?
Nope … dumber than that…
Because the bean-counters never worked for mining companies.
what a load..
This study will be used to further the whole “Pre-Crime”
meme that the “powers that were”
will try and used against all those who actually think for themselves.
-s
BTW, I’m all for releasing pictures and even films on this. The press has given a sanitized free pass to this war on terror. I’m also for the press releasing pictures of Iraqi, Afghan, American, British, Canadian, etc killed and injured.
You either are transparent or you’re not.
I read the first paragraph and alfie came to mind immediately. I just substitute birth certificate for princess diana. Wow, how Freudian.
Princess Alfie. Follow your dreams!
The seals were sent in with orders to kill while everyone else involved gives lip service to arrest if possible. That bit of falsehood is a “diplomatic” tactic to keep the anti-government douche bags as quiet/calm as possible.
The “don’t target individuals for assassinations” crowd goes from the UN and the Catholic Church all the way down to pro-totalitarian/dictator/terrorist supporters to the weak willed libertarian crowd.
Thank god there are relatively few of this sort or that they have no political power outside of their own sanctuaries.
Taxed Enough Already Dude
proof or rot in your gods hell
proof or stop lying
proof not just your conspiratorial brain farts.
now Step Off! YOU have nothing to contribute to an adult conversation
my advice to you is to get busy repenting or Osama might just be your neighbor for eternity
thoroughly document his corpse was done your morbid longings will just have to go unfulfilled smarter heads are in charge
—————-
#64 foobar said
“The press has given a sanitized free pass to this war on terror. I’m also for the press releasing pictures of Iraqi, Afghan, American, British, Canadian, etc killed and injured. You either are transparent or you’re not.”
agreed except on this Osama thing I know Alphe would only be happy with Osama head on a spike in the middle of Time Square but of all the bad solutions to what to do with his body and photos instant sea burial and archive the images for 50 years then let history have them is the least bad.
#68
free speech
you can say what you like but if you accuse others of lying you better have proof
“Tin Foil Hat Wearers of America how ’bout this:
In 1331 (see where I’m going with this already?), year 7 of the Weil Hung dynasty, a secret order of Shaolin Monks set off on a great journey westward to rape, pillage and burn*.
These monks were under the thrall of an Amazonian princess called “Bilchi-Maa Davaa” who resided in Tuva with her throat-singing minions**. (Its wasn’t the best address, but the real-estate was real cheap.)
She had fabulous tits, and enchanting smile and shiny sharp teeth which she flossed with the intestines of failures, retainers and, since she wasn’t born yesterday, fawners and other hangers-on. (Needless to say she was one dangerous bitch and you didn’t wanna fuck with her!.)
She started a whole series of expeditions departing from Tuva.
Since the science of cartography was yet to be invented, none of them ever managed to come back (or at least that’s the excuse they gave.)
Some went on to do rather well for themselves, embedding various fallacious concepts amongst the barbarians that they encountered; things like:
• the Yeti (Is it here? Not yeti!),
• the clanging sound of the Fallen Gong,
• the idiotic practice of Kong Fool (usually with prat falls),
• pictographic writing (usually with Polaroids,)
• sun worship (usually with Ray Bans or a seen eyes doug.)
After spreading these ear-worms into the minds of the sheeple they encountered for hundreds of years, they invented accountancy and began to take over every kingdom they encountered with puissant, big juju things like double entry book-keeping and their crowning scam: zero based budgeting.
Then they took over every governmental (emphasis on mental) department and ever since the fifteenth century they, (yes! The great mystical them,) have controlled the making of a profic from every act of stupidity perpetrated since then.
They are YOURoverlords: the Mighty Morphin’ Masonic Ranger Heroes on the Half Shell.
*which is where they went wrong, its usually pillage then burn. These Chinese faced with bringing back a pile of burnt offerings to their Amazon Queen decided that they’d rather stay in the west.
**They later recorded a series of albums one of which was “Deep in the heart of Tuva” (ASIN: B0000059U3)
#72–Alfie==you have the better argument. I should have added World Court and Naive short sighted Purists within the american government to my list of similar fantacists. Thank you.
I don’t know what happened at the compound. I wasn’t there. They most likely didn’t pose the dead with guns. Any guns present should have been collected and put under guard until after they left.
OBL had a reputation for keeping a short barreled AK-47 handy. Such a gun got mentioned.
I’m not sure what the law is relating to terminating a foreign national in another nation who has claimed credit for killing thousands of our citizens and is clearly responsible for the deaths of some staggering number of people. I’m not sure you have to render due process. Unless you have an advanced law degree anything you say on this topic is almost certain to be pure BS.
I’m still wondering how many of the storage devices were encrypted.
They should have stored part of the body: chopped of an ear or something for a DNA reference.
I guess I regard this in simplistic terms. He owed used blood debt and we collected. End of story. Time to move on.
I knew it – yer all agin’ me!!
Oh and by the way – you want Faraday cages, not foil hats. Yokels!
And a swing and a miss for alfie.
Time line of presidential findings for political assassination.
http://tinyurl.com/3qylqgt
If Bush II said its legal, I’m willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt on this one.
If osama had been taken out unarmed by a predator drone during Bush’s second term what would be the difference between that and one bullet in the head beyond the expense?
Just glad he’s dead.
Maybe Alfie is right. Obama should have:
– Asked the Pakistan government to arrest Bin Laden
– Sent a fleet of lawyers over extradite him to the Hague
– Prosecuted him at the world court
– Put him in jail in Sweden to ensure proper and humane oversight
– Rehabilitated him so he could work in a 7-11 when released
– Hugged a unicorn
– Put the wings back on the butterfly
– Found the real killers for OJ
– Have Alfie win the Miss America pageant
I wonder if they studied individuals who believe in the official government conspiracies (ie. Osama was the “mastermind” of 9/11). They too must be tinfoil hat wearing crazies projecting their own neurosis onto events they can’t understand due to government lies they are fed by corporate media. So when they attack people who believe in other conspiracies, they’re simply projecting.
Wow! And here I thought we were talking about the type of nutjobs that believe:
A) 911 was masterminded by George Walker Bush (Fahrenheit 911, anyone?)
B) Jobs “Saved or Created”.
C) Exporting jobs to China will HELP our economy!
D) “Jobs, jobs, jobs – let’s vote for jobs!”
E) Gun control saves lives.
F) Obama care will reduce our spending on healthcare.
G) Obama is a good President.
F) And other seriously deranged ideas…
The number of conspiracy theories is probably proportional to the number of conspiracies that have been carried out in the last couple of decades… Think about it. I bet a good number of them are true.
My job in IT depends on me being capable of rational thought and I do a good job. If I were highly delusional then my systems would not work. Sorry, you can call me what ever ‘tinfoil label’ you will. I just analyze the data that I can get my hands on and come up with the nearest logical conclusion. Most of my military friends believe this Bin Laden assassination thing is a farce. Many of you give people too much credit because they have ‘power’ and you think they love you or something.
Watching or reading most of the Mass Media is like watching cartoons. It’s pretty sad.
Ah_Yea said, #84Wow! And here I thought we were talking about the type of nutjobs that believe:
yup thats me
A) 911 was masterminded by George Walker Bush (Fahrenheit 911, anyone?)
not likely (W) gullible,naive, lead by the most Machiavellian team in history but masterminded 911 nope his team just tried to make the most of it. and we all know trying is the first step towards failure.
B) Jobs “Saved or Created”.
some saved, some created, some lost. the question was weather to bet on by investing in the country of just let it fall and pick itself up
C) Exporting jobs to China will HELP our economy!
not likely but if you believe in the capitalist free market and you system is setup to run with that you will lose out to country that write different rules set up to only benefit them
D) “Jobs, jobs, jobs – let’s vote for jobs!”
every one thinks there plan is the best for that take your pick they are all about the same in the end our politicians are minor players here
E) Gun control saves lives.
yes but it pisses people off so why bother, we are to immature to have our toys taken away “here’s to guns, the cause of, and solution to, all life’s americas problems.”
F) Obama care will reduce our spending on healthcare.
nothing will reduce our spending on healthcare it might slowdown the increase and get more people covered
G) Obama is a good President
.
better than some but only history gets to judge we can vote on it in 2012 Wohooo!
F) And other seriously deranged ideas…
like alphe doing everything the bible says — even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!
>> in keeping with the psychological process called projection – an individual’s perception that “I would do it” informs his or her perception that “they did it”…
The remarkable thing about conservatives is that they do the EXACT thing they excoriate conservatives for wanted to do.
It’s far beyond hypocrisy. It’s not “just as bad” — it is the _VERY BEHAVIOR_ they project on us liberals.
Sexual perversity and degrading marriage. Check.
Death panels. Check.
Massive fiscal irresponsibility. Check.
Big government. Check.
Welfare programs. Check.
Killing jobs. Check.
Election fraud. Check.
Affirmative action. Check.
Class warfare. Check.
and check and check and check.
Alfie, care to state where anyone reversed the us policy, specifically the one where it awas agreed there was no ban on assasinating foreign nationals and that concerning bin laden the gloves were off? So this whole “rules of engagement” thing of yours is wrong, what ya moving onto next?
>Obama should have:
– Asked the Pakistan government to arrest Bin Laden
– Sent a fleet of lawyers over extradite him to the Hague
Well liberals on this site were arguing that the War on Terror should be treated as a law enforcement issue because it is one.