25 Oct Conspiracy Theory – FT#11
Show Notes
Conspiracy theorists often create unfalsifiable arguments, using a combination of goalpost moving, arguments from ignorance and circular logic.
Trump
We started out with Trump talking about the rigged election:
We followed that with this Trump tweet:
How amazing, the State Health Director who verified copies of Obama’s “birth certificate” died in plane crash today. All others lived
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2013
Then we looked at these mutually exclusive arguments about Kavanaugh:
And finally we heard from Trump on paid protestors in these tweets:
The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Don’t fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love! #Troublemakers
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2018
The paid D.C. protesters are now ready to REALLY protest because they haven’t gotten their checks – in other words, they weren’t paid! Screamers in Congress, and outside, were far too obvious – less professional than anticipated by those paying (or not paying) the bills!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2018
Mark’s British Politics Corner
Mark talked about this collection of clips that triggered conspiracies around Brexit:
Fallacy in the Wild (Sting: Crazy Horses by The Osmonds)
In the Fallacy in the Wild we looked at this clip from Monty Python’s Life of Brian:
Fake News
Here are the statements from this week’s Fake News game:
- I think somebody else had a lot to do with that book. I think he wrote the second book, which was certainly not a masterpiece. I’m very good at books, and it certainly wasn’t a masterpiece.
- 20, 30 years ago, you never saw this. We used to have beautiful blue skies. We never saw clouds like these. A lot of people think there’s something going on and it’s not good.
- They go in, they get this monster shot. You ever see the size of it? It’s like they’re pumping in, you know, it’s terrible the amount. And they pump this into this little body.
Click below for the answer
Mark got it wrong this week, and is currently on 20%
DNA is not a logical fallacy
We talked about Elizabeth Warren’s DNA
The stories we really didn’t have time to talk about:
- After a week of helping to cover up a journalist’s murder in order to preserve an arms deal, Donald Trump praised the combat technique of journalist-body-slamming-Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte. Trump isn’t actively calling for violence against reporters, but he’s also not not doing that. All I’m saying is you can see why the Saudis would assume he’d be cool with them torturing and murdering a Washington Post reporter.
- And Trump keeps changing his story about how many jobs he’s protecting by refusing to condemn the Saudi government. Whatever the real number is, he’s also ignoring the fact that Saudi officials insist 50% of the spending – and 50% of the jobs, will be in Saudi Arabia. So it’ll only cost an arm and a leg instead of er… two arms and… two legs – hmm too soon?
- Seemingly out of desperation, Trump is also completely inventing ‘unknown middle easterners’ in the Central American migrant caravan currently heading for the US, fabricating imaginary riots in California over sanctuary cities, and totally making up a new tax cut for the middle class which he says is happening in the next couple of weeks, despite Congress not being in session. Honestly, we’re about a week away from him promising everyone a pony if they vote Republican in the midterms.
- And speaking of ponies, Trump called Stormy Daniels ‘horseface’ on Twitter this week and seemed super proud of coming up with such a brilliant insult. In fact, according to the Daily Beast he ‘workshopped’ the nickname with friends and staffers before deciding to ignore the senior aides who told him to let it go, and tweet it out anyway. Because what kind of pussy doesn’t rage-tweet a playground insult at the porn-star they paid off? Losers.
- Melania Trump claimed in an interview with ABC to be one of the most bullied people in the world. *COUGH*Christine Blasey Ford*COUGH* But to be fair, she knew what a bully Donald was when she married him.. Also last week, Melania said she wished people would pay more attention to what she does instead of what she wears. The fact that she said this while cos-playing as Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark did NOT help.
- Artificial sun-worshipping idiot stares directly at the real solar eclipse – using just his eyes – declaring “I have a natural instinct for science”. And cos he’s the president he therefore literally Trumps 97% of all professional, skilled, experienced, well-read, researched and objectively peer-reviewed actual scientists and their view that climate change is man-made. Like he said to Lesley Stahl on 60 minutes as justification of everything “I’m the president and you’re not” – is it seemly for a grown man to still be saying nyer nyer nyer nyer nyer?
- A Southwest Airlines passenger has been arrested for repeatedly groping another passenger’s breast during the flight. In his defence, the President has said that grabbing women by the private parts is OK. That’s not a joke. The man literally said that in his defence. We are living in the darkest timeline.
- Speaking of which: this headline from Rolling Stone – A Deceased Brothel Owner Is Still Likely to Win a Nevada Midterm – Dennis Hof’s candidacy does not automatically end despite the fact that he is no longer living. Nye County Commission Chairman John Koenig agrees. “I think the Republicans in this town will still vote for him because they want a Republican in the chair. But I wouldn’t bet money either way.”
If you wanted to buy a T-shirt featuring this fallacy, you could click here. No pressure
And if you have some money left over after that, Jim’s book, 2000 Mules and One Big Lie: A Stubborn Conspiracy Theory is available now.
