Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Conspiracy Theories

"Conspiracie theory" is a term that's mainly used to dismiss a theory, belief, idea, etc - as in "oh that's just a conspiracy theory." In criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future (Wikipedia). Zillions of people are daily charged by authorities with conspiracy all over the world. If it turns out that my friend Moneyya and I are secretly plotting to overthrow a small country's government and establish ourselves as the surpreme leaders, and that we get caught doing so, I don't think that when we're charged and the evidence is presented, that we'd be able to defend ourselves with, "Ah - that's just a conspiracy theory."


There are lots of crazy conspiracy theories being spread by important people with power and reach, at least they look crazy to me. But many people will believe the most outlandish things - especially when they're repeated a lot. At the end of a meditation retreat here in Bali, as soon as noble silence was lifted and we could speak, a guy from Sulawesi sitting across from me at the lunch table, started going on about how Hilary Clinton is a key figure in a global child sex ring. What he read on the Internet absolutely proved it to him. I was in time able to nudge the conversation over to something less irritating.

Some conspriacies are offensive but not necesarily illegal such as orchestrated efforts made to influence election outcome through targeting undecided voters with lots of made up stuff about the opponent and repeating these made up things on Twitter, in interviews, speeches, etc. Courts have so far ruled that information illegally obtained - such as who those undecided voters are and everything about them they've shared online - may be used legally by other parties. First ammendment.

Some conspiracies look pretty noble on their face such as the love-bombing that the Moonies practice  or at least used to in order to make Moon the king of the world. There's a low-key group called "the Family" that does that and uses it to get to people, especially the most important people in the world in order to share their vision of Jesus. I just saw a five part Netflix series on the 80 year old Family and it was fascinating how extensive their reach into the chambers of the powerful has been. I had no idea that they created the National Prayer Breakfast and host it year. Invitation only Almost everone who's invited wants to go. All of congress, the prez and cabinet, supreme court etc are invited, lots of Russians - they're really into Russia. And they are into men who lead as they were chosen by god - and the women who serve and pray for the men. If only Katrinka would fall in line like that. And the Family's goal is a global theorcracy led by God and Jesus. Check em out. They're brilliant.



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