Something needs to be done about the conspiracy theories forum

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117909978#Comment_117909978

This is pure sh1thousery of the highest order.

Why not apply the same standard to people who post in the religious forums? Or how about the cycling forum? There's an echo chamber if ever one existed.

Yet again a thread about making improvements turns to cheap point scoring.

Fighting Tao

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911831#Comment_117911831

You should just just have asked for Boards to be shut down since you don’t like discussions.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911873#Comment_117911873

Providing an idea for something that's actually needed, is point scoring now is it?

Given the cross over between some of the C.T. and religious forums posters, yep same link for both might be needed.

As for the cycling forum don't visit it, as I've no interest in cycling other than a bit of personal exercise, but it seems that they have offended your sensibilities also.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912071#Comment_117912071

Providing an idea for something that is actually needed?

Are you a psychologist? Can you prove beyond reasonable doubt that everyone or indeed anyone in a particular forum on this site is in need of mental services?

I don't believe that your comments were based in anything resembling concern for people's mental health and consequently I saw your comments as an exercise in point scoring.

I look forward to your detailed, clinically sound response.

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912187#Comment_117912187

Actually, the ones who make this claim

"Look at me sneering at conspiracy theories. It means I have an education, did you know that? It also means I must be of above average intelligence."

Along with the old

"I'm a successful business owner"

Tend to be the conspiracy theorists, they feel they have to make this claim especially when thier "theories" tend to get debunked and thier claims are shown to be nothing more than a very thin tissue of lies.

nullzero

This thread is mostly nonsense at this point. When was the last reasonable post making actual suggestions about improving the CT forum?

We're continuing the bickering and point scoring as well as suggesting medical treatments across a broad spectrum.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912237#Comment_117912237

Can't disagree.

The only sensible option suggested has been Sydthebeat's and your own suggestion of the template format.

There IMO needs to be an acceptance that when a poster presents a theory, that it needs to be at least that. A theory presented with the evidence, inferential, circumstantial or definitive and the train of thought that led to the poster adopting it as plausible.

The template deals with that as well as can be done without a system where posts must be approved (Which I would not be in favour of).

I think at the very least agreement can be reached across the spectrum that a theory needs to be just that, and not random shower thoughts or hypothesis.

Those need a separate forum or a discord group 😉

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912095#Comment_117912095

Are you as vocal complaining about the sticky for mental health reresources on the covid forum?

Plenty of people on here have mental health issues, they freely talk about them.There was a long running thread on the subject in After Hours for years started by someone suffering with issues as a way to discuss it and as a way to encourage people to get help. It's actually how I came across Boards when searching for information when my friend and then flatmate started showing signs of what turned out to be bipolar disorder.

As for point scoring, or other ridiculous nonsense, I stand by my suggestion that the links should be sticky, if it offends you, well there is nothing I can do about that.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912255#Comment_117912255

And how would you suggest we handle evil, evil conspiracy theorists who don't address every one of the myriad of mundane and off-topic questions posed to them? (You know - the ones that require a full time job-worth of commitment and full access to published journal articles to answer) Should the thread be closed? Should they be banned?

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912307#Comment_117912307

The only people requesting the CT forum be shut down are CTr's.

The "opposition" myself included are happy to discuss the theories but when they are presented as ideas with no substance it's hard to find any grounds for discussion without digging into the motivations or evidence the poster relied on in their idea.

buzzerxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117907338#Comment_117907338

100% Agree. The same band of people are all over Boards insulting people and demanding evidence for all theories.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912289#Comment_117912289

Did I mention the covid forum?

You are suggesting that anyone who takes an interest in conspiracy theories must by definition be in need of mental health support.

That is an incredibly presumptive stance and based on nothing but your personal opining.

If that isn't point scoring against a group of people I really don't know what is.

Talking about the covid forum as if it in some way justifies what you're saying is ridiculous.

Again I'll ask you, are you a psychologist? Or do you have any grounds (for example, a qualification in a related field) for making assumptions about the mental health of other users beyond your own opinion?

Also it would be interesting if you could clarify if you believe that mental health supports are required for all conspiracy theories forum users or only one group or the other.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912307#Comment_117912307

The "conspiracy theorists" want to change the charter to create a safe space and make it so their views can't be discussed or challenged normally. Shutting down debate.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912342#Comment_117912342

You do realize the difference between a theory and an idea?

Theories require evidence, asking for it is part and parcel of presenting one.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912294#Comment_117912294

An answer of "I don't know" or "I haven't proof of that" would go a long long way towards moving a discussion forward

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912357#Comment_117912357

No, it wouldn't though..

In all honesty it would be just met with the usual barrage of borderline abuse..

"Oh, well, why are you posting when you don't know?" etc..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912345#Comment_117912345

What's your qualifications to say that they don't? As an example if someone starts a thread claiming in any forum that covid vaccines are just a way to track you through 5G, then yes in my personal opinion and from personal experience with my friend they need to talk to a health professional.

Also if you read my original post, I never said what you are now claiming, that anyone with an interest in conspiracy theories needs to avail of mental health services, you are making assumptions again.

Are you now also claiming that people don't talk about their mental health on this site as you previously asked me?

Josephfromdowntheroad

Just seems everyone wants to prove the other person wrong on here which is disappointing.

Fighting Tao

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912342#Comment_117912342

If what you say is true then they would be banned from the thread, the forum, or even Boards. The only bans I have seen are conspiracy theorists due to their insults and bad behaviour.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912408#Comment_117912408

I have to say I'm taken aback by the childishness of that response.

I said that what you originally posted was "suggesting" that all people interested in conspiracy theories are in need of mental health services, a statement that has been proven to be correct as a result of your subsequent posts.

I'm sorry to hear that your friend has had issues of this nature but one anecdotal case (for which there is no evidence that it actually occured) is not a reasonable basis upon which to suggest mental health services are required for an entire disparate group of people.

If you can give anything more substantive that would corroborate your theory other than your opinion and a single anecdotal case for which there is no reasonable expectation that you could provide any hard evidence to prove it occurred in the first place I will take your suggestion seriously.

Just to clarify, I never claimed that nobody on this site talks about mental health, I took issue with your suggestion that mental health supports needed to be advertised in the conspiracy theories forum as if it was self evident that all people using that forum are in some way defective. So far you have offered nothing in the way of evidence to support what you are saying. Consequently I believe your intent was to cause offense.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912539#Comment_117912539

I never said that an entire group of people require mental health services, I can't help your reading comprehension along with your sensitivities being offered by my suggestion that could be beneficial to someone, the same type of sticky in the covid forum was helpful to people going by the feedback on the various threads, and I feel that the same type would be helpful on the C.T. forum, among others.

weisses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912353#Comment_117912353

The only thing that is asked is to revert it back to the charter agreed upon by users. moderators c-mods and admin after a lengthy feedback process.

Its not correct to have it changed by a moderator because it doesn't suit him discussing CT's as a poster.

And then let you start a thread where you (as a skeptic) can apply some of your own ground rules ....

Before the change in 2015 the forum was destroyed by posters like you ... It went grand for 4 years until the sneaky charter change which let the likes of you have free reign again

So at least get your facts right ....Just for once

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912585#Comment_117912585

Can someone please spell out what that prior version of the charter stated - as I have already stated we cannot view any edits made prior to the change in platform a couple of months ago

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912561#Comment_117912561

This was your original post on the thread ; "Given the content of the forum and the over spill into other forums/threads I'd suggest that the site functionality be updated so that every thread that is started in the C.T. forum has a sticky to various websites for mental health services on each new page."

You didn't specify who you felt was in need of mental health services, your suggestion alluded to the fact that all threads that are started in the CT forum have a sticky on each new page of every thread. What is the reader meant to take from this?

Your original post suggests that all topics on the CT forum should be treated as if they are dangerous (as the content is likely to "spill into other forums/threads" as if the content were so incredibly toxic it needs to come with a (mental) health warning.

When a poster stoops to jibes about "reading comprehension" it's usually an indication that they are posting in incredibly bad faith, particularly when the irony of them seemingly having forgotten the content of their own posts is lost on them.

Yet again you raise issues from other forums. They aren't relevant to this discussion. You chose to come here to suggest that the content of the CT forum should come with a warning on every page. I feel that is highly insulting, and I hardly ever post there.

weisses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912606#Comment_117912606

• Do not demand proof for someone else's theories.
• This forum is for the discussion of Theories: they may not be readily conclusive. Instead, provide a constructive counter-argument. "eg. Lizard people exist in NYC subways!" "Actually a 2017 study found that subways were only populated by rats - [source link]."
• This forum is not for satire.
• Yes, we ironically mention lizard-men a lot in here, but this forum is for genuine discussion on topics of merit.
• Do not force conclusions.
• Theories inherently are based on some supporting evidence, but that evidence frequently can neither be proven true nor false.
• This is not a science forum or youtube channel.
• Discussions that expect users to absorb hours worth of media snips and/or scientific lecturing to follow the context of the discussion do not belong here. Discussions that surround a specific piece of media (Eg. Loose Change, a popular 9/11 conspiracy film) belong in their own threads.
• Do not regurgitate source material.
• This is NOT a facebook wall. Videos/media/links you do include in your arguments need to be supported with your own words, enough that a reader should be able to follow the conversation without viewing the media - users may be on dial-up, behind firewalls, etc. that restrict their access to streaming content.
• Address the topic, not the poster.
• Back and forth between a handful of posters that goes on for pages and ages is the precursor to a thread falling off the rails. See the pyramid chart below for what is considered acceptable guidelines.
• Respect the opinions of others.
• Trying to spend 100 odd posts convincing 1 or 2 specific users that your views are more valid than theirs is what causes the most issues. You have to accept that not all people are willing to alter their beliefs to suit you - and they have the freedom to hold those beliefs (short of soapboxing). Remember: many users read, but do not post, and may be interested in reading your opinions - so the opinion of 2 or 3 other prolific posters is rarely meaningful, and should neither be seen as a victory or a threat.

This is the original charter ... It is in webarchive but that site is temporarily offline ... The parts in bold were suddenly removed in 2019.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912627#Comment_117912627

Who removed the bolded parts?

weisses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912635#Comment_117912635

Overheal ... who was also heavenly involved as a poster at the time as well

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912635#Comment_117912635

Overheal..

weisses

Below is a discussion I had regarding this

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058081100/charter-feedback/p1

Beasty

Thank you

We really do not need an inquest into who made the changes - there was more than one mod for the forum and it would have been a joint decision. However that is irrelevant to what is now being discussed