steve crandallseems like a reasonable way to interact with those peddling conspiracy theories.
william.maggosI told a "buddy" with a conspiracy podcast who believes Alex Jones about Sandy Hook that his recently deceased dad was probably still alive. he didn't like that.
cowvin@stevecrandall If you recall, this is kind of how the "birds aren't real" thing started.
cowboybanjobiker 🤠🪕🚴@stevecrandall I do this all the time. It does freak them out!
LetTheWookieeWin@stevecrandall I just immediately jump to “It’s all a simulation anyways.” which so far has a 100% success rate in ending their rant.
Coyoty@LetTheWookieeWin @stevecrandall Actually, it's written by a character from a neverending story. We're all fictional characters written by fictional characters written by fictional characters, all the way up and down and sideways. Like copyrights, realities come into being upon writing. So let it be written, so let it be done.
@coyoty @stevecrandall so you’re saying it’s turtles all the way down? I’m mentally prepared for this. Everything I think is relevant inside this current frame of reference.
@LetTheWookieeWin @stevecrandall Do you honestly think the reality we're in isn't a dark satire?
Eugene
Ali G - Buzz Aldrin (HQ)
Dahie@stevecrandall Image description: Text: "Next time a conspiracy theorist tries to tell you 'what really happened', present a more outlandish theory and accuse them of covering up the truth". Below a drawn picture of two women in a kitchen in a arguing. One say "The moon landing was faked!" The other responding "Pfft, you believe in the moon?"
TipI no longer engage in any way except to say "well, that's stupid" and walk away.
vox popsicle vox dei@stevecrandall Great stuff. Filing away "pfft, you believe in the government?" in my default response list.
cuan_knaggs@stevecrandall if you don't have the time or inclination to come up with a better theory, you can always use "that's what they want you to think."
Aris Adamantiadis 
💲Paid@stevecrandall it's a good comeback for a quick laugh, but it won't help the person make progress on their position. They believe sincerely in that crap, by showing an insincere answer to it, you're just validating that there's a difference between your crap and their crap and reinforcing their belief. That's why movements like "birds aren't real" have failed, reductio ad absurdum does not work against absurd beliefs.
@aris just for humor. Dealing with it with maga relatives is difficult as so much seems to be part of their identity. They feel the same about me, so our conversations are lately superficial these days.
@stevecrandall I feel you, I have a close relative who's became very involved in antivax/pseudoscience/pro russian propaganda and all I can do is nod and move to something else because it's impossible to have a discussion with him.
ScottinSoCal 🇺🇦 🕊 🏳🌈The moon is just a graphic printed on the inside of the dome that covers Platter Earth. They cover it so the air doesn't leak out.
Matthew Daly@stevecrandall A good general purpose version of that might be "That's what they want you to think!"