upvoted.

as for number 4..

  ....fnord.      

/that is all.

praise bob! "dont shave the cat it makes them harder to light"

Heh, ended up looking it up on Wiki.

Nice term =)

My reasoning is that the "conspiracy" "theories" are much better explanations for what is really going on and after becoming familiar with the reality of 9/11 I am afraid for my life and want to know what is actually happening.

Wow. Just lost a lot of respect for you. "much better explanation"? i take it you've bought into the whole moon fake crap too? After all it is a "better" explanation. I enjoy this subreddit because there are underdogs here. The whole point is that the explanations offered here are not "better" they are more interesting. It's not that the moon landing conspiracy has better evidence, it's that it's an interesting train of thought. sometimes it's the truth. Don't confuse the two.

*Yeah, downmod me, maybe you should read the whole thread.

I never bought into the moon landing conspiracy (although I am pretty sure the recent Chinese spacewalk was faked because I see bubbles in the video) and I have always dismissed supernatural ideas like telepathy, ghosts as well as alien stories (although since so much of this "crazy" government conspiracy stuff seems like it is real I may have to go back and look at that other stuff in detail in the future).

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/08/did-the-chinese-fake-their-space-walk/

although I am pretty sure the recent Chinese spacewalk was faked because I see bubbles in the video

This reminds me of the lady that saw rainbows in her lawn sprinkler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c6HsiixFS8

You have as much evidence as her, maybe less, she has it on tape. This is the shit that is moronic. I'm looking at you ithkuil.

"We as a nation have got to ask ourselves what is going on. What is oozing out of our ground"

You should post this in the Ask me anything sub.

no, it belongs right here

That was good

I believe this is what makes 'conspiracies' so forward thinking; when an event happens, ThePTB tend to lie and dis-inform, creating a wave of speculation. Why in the world are 'they' lying? What are 'they' trying to hide? The mind's desire becomes commonplace; archetypes become obsolete. People are forced into new ideas; and those are the sparks of understanding, of questioning.

I personally dislike debating one who argues from any viewpoint because they can. What do they really believe? It may be a mental excercise but ultimately a bit of a waste of time.

What do they really believe?

If you can't debate the other side's point of view you are an idiot. Seriously. It means you believe something on faith.

Being able to debate the other side is critical. Doing so when you don't believe it is cowardly if you do it often.

this dogmatic approach of presenting both sides in articles/essays comes from the tradition of law education and debate forensics.

good skill to have.

I agree, but have you been in a friendly debate where you feel strongly about something and you realize the person your debating is simply disagreeing because they can and not because they believe their position? If they sway your position they will just switch positons to continue debating. Good skills? Sure... Of course. Good idea in friendly discourse. Ummm nope.

i think that is annoying and that is a danger signal for me so I HAVE TO see it this way.

DSICLAIMER : i am talking about me and why i force myslef to think this.when i say YOU i mean "ME".

i am pretty much an emotional needy jerk/validation junkie who cant stand being disagreed with. mostly because my close friends are pretty uneducated who just are contrary and can't debate except on very crude binary absurdist consistency grounds. i think they are smart and stuff, just i try not to get dragged into weird debates especially when they are high. my attitude is slightly different with other less close friends whom i know through uni or professional life , who are very intellectual and because of them i have stopped this destructive attitude.

SO here goes people who do the devils adocate thing, whlist being annoying if that is all they do, are probably good debaters and are simply doing it because they value you as a sparring partner/ worthy adversary -- high praise. both of you learn and sharpen your intellects. like in the grand old traditions of European rational thought and debate.

if you are becoming emotionally invested in your position or "being right" your objectivity has gone.

you have lost your effectiveness. your insight, and any hope of growing nay part of you. your ego has taken over and wnats to feel "superior"

though i am a chill and non-devils advocate guy [I find the contrarians annoying really. i hate confrontation] even when i agree with the other person i will ask probing questions so they can examine why they believe X or Y. especially when i detect magical thinking or superstitious leaps of faith.

i say roll with it OR just tell them so. "I am not sparring, i hope we have been able to really thinkabout this deeply" no need to waste your energy and mental juices if you fee l like your time is being wasted.

[deleted]

Oops. iPhone miss hi. Come out of devils advocate conversations intellectually stimulated but kind of frustrated that the other person never invested their feelings on any subject. I agree that once emotions enters you've lost it to ego but some level of investment in a position is important for me to have sustained debate with hopes of 'getting somewhere'.

know what you mean like pointless verbal masturbation.. kind of like wasting your breath on someone who might as well have been not listening

Doing so when you don't believe it is cowardly if you do it often.

Often? Way to be specific.

I stopped reading at "dianetics".

Ya, It's really stupid to try to know your enemy. If you ignore them they usually go away, amirite?

Wow. Just lost a lot of respect for you. "much better explanation"? i take it you've bought into the whole moon fake crap too? After all it is a "better" explanation. I enjoy this subreddit because there are underdogs here. The whole point is that the explanations offered here are not "better" they are more interesting. It's not that the moon landing conspiracy has better evidence, it's that it's an interesting train of thought. sometimes it's the truth. Don't confuse the two.

*Yeah, downmod me, maybe you should read the whole thread.

Ya, It's really stupid to try to know your enemy. If you ignore them they usually go away, amirite?