Monday, December 15, 2008

ABC News: “Conspiracy Theorists” Are Mentally Ill

ABC News
December 13, 2008

Editor’s note: Note the lengths ABC goes to convice us that people who believe the government pulled off 9/11 and had Kennedy assassinated are akin to the guy who thinks the postal worker is after him. It has filed this “report” under “Health > Mind & Mood News.”

A man standing on a street corner with a sign reading “the lizard people rule you all,” or, “my neighbors are spying on me for the government” isn’t likely to get many supporters.

But give that man a Web site template, or let him produce some slick videos on YouTube and, lo and behold, he may have thousands of people across the world supporting him.

Such is the story of several extraordinarily popular conspiracy theorists and theories online today.

Take the victims of gang stalking — a subculture of people who think their friends and neighbors are all secret government spies ready to turn them over to the authorities. The movement has recently spawned gang stalking support groups, forums and advice Web sites.

Or take the former journalist and BBC sports announcer, David Icke, for example.

Icke was laughed out of the public eye in the early ’90s when he started wearing only turquoise and explaining that voices had sent him on an important mission to save the earth.

(Read full article)