What if QAnon had been right about everything?

[tom p]

Aren't ghost prohibited by the laws of physics !!?? Moving forever with no energy input - that'd make em perpetual motion machines - No ??

People report feeling a chill when a ghost is around. Therefore, they could be siphoning heat energy from their surroundings.

[shpalman]

Aren't ghost prohibited by the laws of physics !!?? Moving forever with no energy input - that'd make em perpetual motion machines - No ??

People report feeling a chill when a ghost is around. Therefore, they could be siphoning heat energy from their surroundings.

To do useful work with heat they'd need something even colder to dump the entropy into.

[dyqik]

These are good points. I suppose there are fairly objective behavioural differences between me/ dyqik versus a stereotypical wingnut. I also deliberately keep a broad social circle, use generalist online forums rather than echo chambers (it's always reassuring to be disagreed with by smart people, in a way), and so on.

A friend's dad has been youtube radicalised during lockdown, and is now a full-on flat earth QAnon antivaxer.

Online algorithms are especially pernicious. A while ago Reddit added a new default algorithm, described opaquely as showing you the "Best" content. Suddenly, everyone agreed with me and were posting about topics I'm interested in. I reverted to the old algorithm, "Top", which shows the content that has the most positive engagements from other users, and suddenly there was a lot of boring stuff and stupid opinions. And then I sorted by "Controversial", which also factors in negative engagements, and hooooooly sh.t it magically filled up with trolls and c.nts.

At least Reddit is transparent. Facebook and Twitter and stuff also manipulate the content you're shown based on how they think you'll react (whatever holds your attention best for selling you sponsored content). So everyone is just getting radicalised by algorithms all the time.

Scrutable shows posts in chronological order, no funny business. You're safe here, friends.

Bump.

[dyqik]

Aren't ghost prohibited by the laws of physics !!?? Moving forever with no energy input - that'd make em perpetual motion machines - No ??

People report feeling a chill when a ghost is around. Therefore, they could be siphoning heat energy from their surroundings.

To do useful work with heat they'd need something even colder to dump the entropy into.

I think they use the souls of sceptics as a heat sink.

[dyqik]

I do think this whole thread might demonstrate an interesting thing about people's mindsets. Because, seemingly like BOAF, I do sometimes wonder if it's me or the wingnuts that are wrong... then assess what I know about the world and come to the conclusion that the wingnuts are indeed wingnuts, and, for example, Covid-19 is real.

Indeed. I mean I'm pretty sure on QAnon and covid the wingnuts are definitely wrong.

But perhaps a reasonable person should assume that while no single view of theirs is ostensibly wingnutty, they probably are a wingnut on at least one of their views.

Absolutely. I'm sure I "know" stuff that is wrong. But QAnon and the CoVID denial type conspiracy theories are all encompassing, requiring very large numbers of everyday things to be part of hiding the truth.

[tom p]

Aren't ghost prohibited by the laws of physics !!?? Moving forever with no energy input - that'd make em perpetual motion machines - No ??

People report feeling a chill when a ghost is around. Therefore, they could be siphoning heat energy from their surroundings.

To do useful work with heat they'd need something even colder to dump the entropy into.

Maybe they siphon the heat energy from humans, becoming warmer than their surroundings, then dump the entropy into the room as a whole

[Martin Y]

They dump the heat energy into ponds. This explains why frogs think it's normal when the water they're in starts to get hotter.

[tom p]

They dump the heat energy into ponds. This explains why frogs think it's normal when the water they're in starts to get hotter.

Of course! It all makes sense now!
We're through the looking glass here, people

[Bird on a Fire]

Broke: QAnon
Woke: ScruAnon