Dinostar77 wrote:

I'll say it before some else does: ITS ALIENS SCULLY!

GooberTheHat wrote:

It's still important to call out bullshit when you see it though.

The human mind is a pretty stupid thing. Here's a few reasons why just discussing crazy things, without a counter argument, can be dangerous;

When it comes to believing something of which you personally have no way of verifying:

• Multiple sources are more persuasive than a single source, especially if those sources contain different arguments that point to the same conclusion.

• Receiving the same or similar message from multiple sources is more persuasive.

• People assume that information from multiple sources is likely to be based on different perspectives and as such worth greater consideration.

• Communications from groups to which the recipient belongs are more likely to be perceived as credible. The same applies when the source is perceived as similar to the recipient.

Now, let's talk about just talking about stuff:

• Repeated exposure to a statement has been shown to increase its acceptance as true.

• The “illusory truth effect” is well documented, whereby people rate statements as more truthful, valid, and believable when they have encountered those statements previously than when they are new statements.

• When people are less interested in a topic, they are more likely to accept familiarity brought about by repetition as an indicator that the information (repeated to the point of familiarity) is correct.

• When processing information, people often save time and energy by using a frequency heuristic (favoring information they have heard more frequently).

• Even with preposterous stories and urban legends, those who have heard them multiple times are more likely to believe that they are true.

• If an individual is already familiar with an argument or claim (has seen it before, for example), they process it less carefully, often failing to discriminate weak arguments from strong arguments.

But we all know its bollocks right? It's just a bit of fun, no one really believes the crazy stuff, right? :

• In a phenomenon known as the “sleeper effect,” low- credibility sources manifest greater persuasive impact with the passage of time. While people make initial assessments of the credibility of a source, in remembering, information is often dissociated from its source. Thus, information from a questionable source may be remembered as true, with the source forgotten.

• Information that is initially assumed valid but is later retracted or proven false can continue to shape people’s memory and influence their reasoning.

• Even when people are aware that some sources have the potential to contain misinformation, they still show a poor ability to discriminate between information that is false and information that is correct.

Yeah, but we have evidence, and expert witnesses!" There's a reason why people who are trying to convince you of a conspiracy theory claim they have 'evidence' when they don't, and that people are 'experts' when thay aren't:

• The presence of evidence can override the effects of source credibility on perceived veracity of statements.

• In courtroom simulations, witnesses who provide more details—even trivial details—are judged to be more credible.

• Peripheral cues, such as the appearance of expertise or the format of information, lead people to accept—with little reflection—that the information comes from a credible source.

• Expertise and trustworthiness are the two primary dimensions of credibility, and these qualities may be evaluated based on visual cues, such as format, appearance, or simple claims of expertise.


So, by all means keep discussing crazy things, but when you start talking about nonsense like baby farms in Brazil, don't take it personally when people shout it down as the nonsense it is, they are doing you a favour.

Diluted Dante wrote:

Dinostar77 wrote:

I'll say it before some else does: ITS ALIENS SCULLY!

superflyninja wrote:

An alien wrote that. Its what they want you to believe.

GooberTheHat wrote:

• Receiving the same or similar message from multiple sources is more persuasive.

• Communications from groups to which the recipient belongs are more likely to be perceived as credible. The same applies when the source is perceived as similar to the recipient.

• Repeated exposure to a statement has been shown to increase its acceptance as true.