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Comment by kennywinker | Hacker News Reader

One thing I know about conspiracies is it’s exceedingly hard to talk about them without spreading them. To that effect, I now believe the early medieval period is a hoax.

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I’m not saying it was a hoax. But have you ever actually SEEN an “early medieval period”? Thought not.

Clearly invented by big theme restaurant to sell more dinner theatre.

Those of us in the know call this powerful, shadowy cabal Big Theme Resta.

Cable Guy flashbacks.

I sense an effect in need of a name: Any discussion of a conspiracy theory, no matter how critical, only serves to spread belief in it.

That's called the Winkler effect after the great conspiracy spreader of the 21st century, Kenny Winkler.

See wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winkler_Effect

Page does not exist?

Definitely not getting a 404.

Conspiracy theories are a conspiracy to keep people distracted from the TRUTH.

This, but unironically. For example, "antisemitism is the socialism of fools"[1]. People believing antisemitic conspiracy theories that purport to explain why their lives suck is very good at preventing them from learning about the actual political economy of why their lives suck. Everyone knowing the actual processes that create class oppression would make it possible to change things. So conspiracy theories are actually very useful for maintaining the status quo.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_is_the_socialism_...

A memetic hazard?

I believe that your theory is true and thus we're doomed to spread conspiracy theories ad nauseam.

Yes, I can't get the conspiracy theory that Michael Jordan was betting on basketball games, got caught, but suspending him out would have hurt basketball so he played baseball to serve out his sentence.

It doesn't make sense as he should have been banned outright but the theory has infected my brain.

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