NationStates Jolt Archive

The US state department has started a website to combat urban legends and conspiracy theories that make the US look bad. It's entertaining to see how absurd some of the conspiracy theories are, and it may be of use to some people here.

http://usinfo.state.gov/media/media_resources/misinformation.html

The US state department has started a website to combat urban legends and conspiracy theories that make the US look bad. It's entertaining to see how absurd some of the conspiracy theories are, and it may be of use to some people here.

http://usinfo.state.gov/media/media_resources/misinformation.html
Yeah, because we all know that the State is the best source of information.

Because if there's one group of people who are up front and above board with shadowy conspiracies and conflict of interests that make them look bad its the US government.

Besides the private sector saw this market a long time ago: www.snopes.com

Granted, it's a biased source that will try to make the USA come out innocent as often as possible, but some of the conspiracies are absurd. Do you people really think AIDS was engineered to kill off the populations of third world countries? Especially when through globalization the rich, who have loads of influence in Washington, profit from making those same populations work in unsafe factories for pennies per hour.

Yes, some of them are absurd. But the nice thing about absurdity is that it is very easily recognized as bullshit by anyone with more than a dozen working neurons. I don't need the State Department to tell me the obvious.

I second snopes.

Yes, some of them are absurd. But the nice thing about absurdity is that it is very easily recognized as bullshit by anyone with more than a dozen working neurons. I don't need the State Department to tell me the obvious.
Then again, you've got people who actually beleive that the CIA and Israel plotted 9/11. Not everyone's that rational.

Then again, you've got people who actually beleive that the CIA and Israel plotted 9/11. Not everyone's that rational.
Answer me this: If they really think that, do you honestly believe that the State Department is going to change their minds? This site is useless in every conceivable use of the word.

Answer me this: If they really think that, do you honestly believe that the State Department is going to change their minds? This site is useless in every conceivable use of the word.
I agree, it won't change anybody's mind if it's already made up. Maybe it will help those who have heard rumors and aren't sure what to beleive. The internet has a presence in every nation on earth. Maybe it will actually prevent a few people from being decieved by crazy rumors.

Bah, the whole idea is stupid. They needed to have all this stuff posted by a source that seemed unbiased. No conspiracy theorists are going to believe something written by the government, and no intelligent people believe 99% of these conspiracies in the first place, so the site is kind of a bad plan.