Comment on Birds Aren’t Real? How a Conspiracy Takes Flight | Peter McIndoe | TED

SinningStromgald@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• marcos@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Turns out you can’t make a joke so absurd that a dozen trolls won’t pretend to believe on it, some 3 or 4 journalists won’t take it seriously for the clickbait headlines, and 1 crazy idiot won’t actually believe is true.

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  • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That crazy idiot’s name? Rusty Shackleford.

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    • Kolanaki@yiffit.net ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      “Have you also downloaded the classified instruction manual for this tank from Vladimir Putin’s website, took a correspondence course in Russian, translated the manual, memorized it, and eaten it? Have you Hank? Putin?”

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• bemenaker@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It was at first. Like Qanon, it was a mockery conspiracy that became a real conspiracy.

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  • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Same with the modern "The earth is flat" bullshit. It started as a 4chan troll in the early '00s.

    All are an weird corollary of Poe's Law:

    without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of those views.

    Corollary to Poe's Law

    If you post a joke conspiracy theory, some idiot will believe it.

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    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yep now both are real conspiracys. I literally met people who believe birds aren’t real. When try explain it was prank they double down. Same for flat earthers.

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    • Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Someone should compile a list of 4chan joke-turned-real

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