Welcome Thread - New Members Post Here

Hi All,
I'm Stay Weird. Found this site while specifically looking for debunking of the "Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025" whitepaper. Your site came up in the search.

I'm in my 40's, professional, remain healthily skeptical while still looking into 'conspiracies' and alternate hypotheses since I was 26 years old. Glad to find this forum for more points of view. Thanks.

~A

Hello, my name is Matthew.

I am a software engineer, writer, and painter. These pursuits consume most of my time.

I found this site after researching some claims about Flat Earth.

Although I am a deep believer in science, certain videos about Flat Earth make startling claims that, if true, are intriguing; I suppose it is in the way in which these claims are presented that pulls people in. Couple these claims with a general distrust of government(s) and people are sucked in.

I've spent years on a well-known conspiracy site, my intentions and initial interests innocent enough: UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster. I was quickly drawn into 911 conspiracies, false-flags, Illuminati, etc. I'll openly admit, I am unsure about many conspiracies and leave them open until disproved (or at least generally debunked.)

I look forward to my time here on this site.

Welcome New members!

Lisboneu said:

I'll openly admit, I am unsure about many conspiracies and leave them open until disproved (or at least generally debunked.)

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I appreciate having an open mind, but in light of the sentiment expressed I would like to suggest that there ought to be some caveats that have been expressed by others and upon which much of healthy skepticism is based;

From RationalWiki

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" was a phrase made popular by Carl Sagan. However, Laplace writes: "The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness."[1] Also, David Hume wrote in 1748: "A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence", and "No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish."[2] and Marcello Truzzi says: "An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof."[3]

Either way, the phrase is central to the scientific method, and a key issue for critical thinking, rational thought and skepticism everywhere.

The evidence put forth by proponents of such things as gods, ghosts, the paranormal, and UFOs is highly questionable at best and offers little in the way of proof. Even if we accepted what evidence there is as valid (and it is highly debatable if we should), limited and weak evidence is not enough to overcome the extraordinary nature of these claims.

Thank you for your reply, Critical Thinker.

The quotes in your post make great sense to me.

I actively attempt to moderate my thought processes. This takes work considering the society/culture we've grown up in.

Conspiracy theories have seemingly become a source of entertainment; people have always been interested in mysteries and many movies and novels have used this as the basis of their content. However, although mysteries are interesting and entertaining, conspiracy theories have now pulled people into a what seems like a real-time group of "mysteries" that may actually involve us... supposedly.

This is a massive topic and not simple to unravel and explain in one post as much of it is has to do with psychology. Also, religious thinking. I believe there may be a close relation in the part of the brain that endeavors to embrace/disseminate religious thought/belief and conspiracy theory; both require a certain degree of faith in order to flourish.

Thanks again for your reply.

Hi everyone:
I hope I'm posting this in the right place. If not, could a moderator please move it.
I have been following Metabunk for about a year, but only recently signed up for the Forums. Most of the contributors have far more expertise than me, so I don't often feel I have much to add. I finally signed up because I had some ideas to offer in a flat-earth discussion, but in the event someone else made much the same points before I got round to it.
I became interested in 'flat-earth' a couple of years ago, when there was an article in the Guardian newspaper about the rapper B.O.B. and his flat-earth beliefs. At first I thought this was hilarious, but when I read the Guardian comments thread, hilarity turned to horror, as I realised that apparently literate and sane people (well, Guardian readers) could be profoundly ignorant of basic science, and suckers for the most absurd conspiracy theories. I then started following YouTube discussions on flat earth, which also led me to check out Metabunk.
If I do comment in these Forums it will probably be on flat earth and related issues, but I reserve the right to chip in on other subjects!

Aloha,

Came here via your contrail pages and was impressed enough with the rationality demonstrated here so joined up.
bartwell

Greetings!

I don't like to repost memes without doing at least a quick fact checking, so I was searching for a quote by Aldous Huxley and found myself on this site, where I ended up following so many fascinating rabbit trails that I ended up forgetting about my original post!

I was raised in a religious home abounding with conspiracy theories, and it took me too many years to read my way out of that. I still have a few family members and long-time friends, though, who still cling to some conspiracy theories, so I love to read well-researched explanations, like some of what I've seen here.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your fascinating discussions: thanks!

Hi All!

My name is Oleg, from Bulgaria.

Hey everyone,

Name's Dennis, 3D artist from the Netherlands and obsessed with anything science. I intend to make my contribution to debunking the Flat Earth movement.

Hi all!

I am a student of astronomy who recently became aware of the online Flat Earth movement. I found this forum from a Youtuber that was debunking some Flat Earth arguments. I will probably end up posting debunkings at some point in time.

Looking forward to some fun discussions. Thanks all!

Hi All

Great site - I joined today after watching Mick West on Joe Rogan. I can't believe what folks are believing in this age of information - I love a mystery and a fun conspiracy but some of this stuff can be dangerous..

I grew up a conspiracy theorist (UFOs - mainly) - horrible insomnia, UFO books in the 80s and no internet to fact check was the recipe.

I grew up only 20 minutes from Joliet State Prison which I thought was cool as I once believed the "guy who really shot JFK - James Filles..lol" was housed......Now I'm the opposite (skeptic) and being a former conspiracy believer helps me understand where they're coming from a bit...

This is a great site and I would personally love to see Mick West debate Steven Greer and Tom Delonge on UFOs/Secret Technology. It would be entertaining..

Great discussions here and happy to be a small part of this great site....

Hello All. After decades of being fed possible misinformation by my school teachers, government, media and even my parents relating to santa flying around at the speed of light in a magic sleigh and coming down the chimney with a giant sack if i was a good boy. humbug.
The fact from the fiction is my interest, particularly concerning incidents involving loss of health and life, and loss of possessions.
Peace and goodwill to All

Hello. I enjoy this site and am eager to contribute.

Ahoy hoy Mick, I joined this site after seeing you on Joe Rogan's Podcast, and also reading the comments from people calling you a "ShillSheeple", so I'm a fan already.

For what it's worth I'm also a big fan of James Randi, Michael Shermer, Sam Harris etc, etc.

Hello. New member. Hoping to have some interesting discussions with ya'll.

Hi guys. A bit of a late contribution, almost 300 posts in, but I've come to appreciate the many different reasons people are here and different interests they have, so will share mine.

I believe that 9/11, apart from being a tragic attack, is now a deeply political event that continues to shape domestic and foreign policy in damaging ways. It's a common criticism that the attacks were seized on to provide barely-legitimate or outright fraudulent pretexts for war or curtailing of constitutional protections. But as several academics have pointed out (e.g. Graeme MacQueen, Peter Dale Scott), there is very little scholarly consideration of the actual events of that day. It seems very likely that the way the attacks succeeded, the way WTC 1, 2 & 7 collapsed, and the manner in which investigations were conducted afterwards imply complicity and facilitation by actors or factions within the Bush administration (and earlier administrations). If so, then of course 9/11 was not just a horrific attack but, as David Ray Griffin puts it, a 'state crime against democracy' of the kind we only expect to happen in authoritarian regimes. That is why a new investigation is needed, one that is more powerful, evidence-based and independent than the 9/11 Commission was.

And, for a bit of light entertainment, UFOS. I think that phenomena witnessed and experienced by people of all walks of life, in all parts of the world, represent something new, rather than something already understood by public science. Whether that phenomenon is 'natural', living, terrestrial or extraterrestrial remains to be seen, but above all we need open-minded, rigorous, scientific inquiry.

Flat Earth, chemtrails, the Illuminati etc do not interest me, and I don't actually know (or want to look up) what a 'shill' is.

Hello, my name is SilverishGoldNova. Lets have lots interesting discussions, ay?

Oh hai Metabunk, my name is RJ im from the depths of hell in New Jersey, I like to listen to podcasts, check out comedy shows and best of all sulk in a deep harden depression!

RJ Polanc said:

Oh hai Metabunk, my name is RJ im from the depths of hell in New Jersey, I like to listen to podcasts, check out comedy shows and best of all sulk in a deep harden depression!

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Don't sulk, listen to some NPR podcasts... not the political stuff....the stuff where real people talk.
Like......

The Moth

This American Life

...there are so many more, that reveal that anyone's situation is unique, or not unique.... and sometimes shared by many.

Hi everyone! I've heard about this site before, and have used it to look into some things. I was just searching on some old ideas I had about 911 to see how much I've grown in respect. My first search landed me here and I was pretty impressed I must say. I've come out the conspiracy realm and have now settled into the skeptic realm. I also recently heard Mick on JRE(Joe rogan experience). Thanks for putting this together Mick. I think it's a real benefit to society.

Law Skinner said:

Hi everyone! I've heard about this site before, and have used it to look into some things. I was just searching on some old ideas I had about 911 to see how much I've grown in respect. My first search landed me here and I was pretty impressed I must say. I've come out the conspiracy realm and have now settled into the skeptic realm. I also recently heard Mick on JRE(Joe rogan experience). Thanks for putting this together Mick. I think it's a real benefit to society.

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Thanks! Maybe you could consider sharing your story in the "Escaping the Rabbit Hole" forum:
https://www.metabunk.org/escaping-of-the-rabbit-hole-former-believers.f29/

Mick West said:

Thanks! Maybe you could consider sharing your story in the "Escaping the Rabbit Hole" forum:
https://www.metabunk.org/escaping-of-the-rabbit-hole-former-believers.f29/

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Ah, that's cool! I just may do that at some point.

Hi Everyone
I am a new member from Australia. I have been lurking for around a year and thought I might as well finally join metabunk. I came across this sight while trying to debate online a guy who claimed "the Jews" were responsible for 9/11 (you know the type of person I mean, who searches for Jewish people hiding under his bed every night) and as a person with a Jewish background I felt quite alarmed by the anger and hatred, as well as his paranoia.
I very much enjoy this forum, although I am alarmed by how quickly in some people's minds everything becomes a conspiracy. Are there bad people with power around, yes of course. But looking for conspiracies in every terrorist act, mass shooting, plane crash etc distracts us from the real conspiracies such as big business tax avoidance and politicians abusing power for their personal interests etc.
I work in the pharmaceutical industry and maybe that's where I can occasionally add a bit of knowledge. I find the anti vaccination people both amusing but also concerning as they put their own children at risk based on unwarranted and baseless claims. I have seen a few "conspiracies" in my time in the industry, but they are mainly things such as off label promotion (where a drug is promoted for a condition where it's not approved in my country, but still always has got strong evidence for that condition) or daily "bribes" by big pharma where we meet a doctor for lunch and buy him/her a 12 dollar sandwich when our code says we can only buy a 10 dollar sandwich.
Anyway, keep up the good work all you usual posters. Sorry if I went on for too long. I will continue to read this forum, even if I don't have the knowledge to contribute too much.

Hello.

Joined a long time ago but never posted because I didn't have anything to add that other more knowledgeable members didn't already cover. But thought now was the time to at least activate my privileges.

So once again, hi all!

Hi all, My name is Vic, from Nottingham , England. I am a computer technician by trade, but i love art, photography, music and most recently astronomy. I started astronomy after learning of the flat earth movement, i just got the sudden urge to look up into the skies and add it to my photography repertoire.

I love making music, proud owner of a Gibson flying v (Michael Schenker), I cant sing to save my life though, so I am melodic instrumental (Joe Satiani) - or mental as my wife says, I also make guitars now a couple of nice efforts.

Anyway I hope i can contribute to the cause as I think some bunk is dangerous or leads to danger. Also this is a good resource for knowledge, i like tech and using it and i want to know what makes things work or in the case of computers - not work.

Hi everyone

Vic Thornley said:

I love making music, proud owner of a Gibson flying v (Michael Schenker), I cant sing to save my life though, so I am melodic instrumental (Joe Satiani) - or mental as my wife says, I also make guitars now a couple of nice efforts.

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Welcome mate, always good to have another guitarist around, I'm a PRS an myself.

Greetings Gang!

Newbie here. My name is Jay and i'm from back in the quaint Hills of Tennessee. Well, I actually stumbled my way in here via an AOL Search on UFOs, of all things! LMAO. And for what it's worth, I look forward to adding my two-cents.

-"Skepticism is the Antiseptic of the Mind."

23-Skidoo.

Hi, everyone, Luc here from the Sceptiques du Québec, local chapter in our province being infiltrated by Creationists right now, well, that's another story..... I found your wonderful site through the USS Nimitz incident, which i am investigating at the same time you are and writing an article on the media I work, Huffpost Québec

Whitebeard said:

Welcome mate, always good to have another guitarist around, I'm a PRS an myself.

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I echo this sentiment (apart from the PRS thing, I would be a Vigier man if I could afford one) I did contemplate buying a flying V once (specifically a V2 with the boomerang/v shaped pickups) but then I came to my senses.

Yo my dudes

I think I've read metabunk pages in the past, but today I found the thread about the New York Times UFO videos. Because it was the only rigorous thought about them that I could find, I was inspired to sign up. Before this I've been slightly active at tfes.org learning the ins and outs of flat Earth belief, but I'm mainly interested in reading about and asking questions in UFO-related threads, as a family member has been taken in by Steven Greer and Disclosure.

I specialize in audio, so in the rare cases where sound is an important part of a debunk, I might actually try to contribute.

Harte here. I teach Mathematics and Physics in an inner-city high school.

A buddy of mine at work told me about this forum a year or two ago, and I've visited it a few times.
Figured I'd join.

I'm most interested in the claims made by Ancient Astronaut advocates.

Not the idea itself, just the claims.

I've been debunking them for years on other forums. So much so that I fancy myself an expert on the various claims (but not necessarily on the actual mundane explanations of those claims.)

By the way, I also "found your wonderful site through the USS Nimitz (UFO) incident."

Hello, this is my first post and I'm drawn to the site following study of the 'Gimbal UFO' footage published by the New York Times. I've spent over 20 hours studying it including stabilizing the full short clip. The entire NYT report looks like an infomercial for the proponents of extraterrestrial interpretations, an author of the piece even sells UFO books. As well it looks like you guys are fast onto the best terrestrial explanations and I'd like to add my time and observations.

Some personal background... I believe I published the first skeptical analysis of "chemtrails", in 1999 just weeks after the article by William Thomas that started the chemtrail craze, before the term had been coined.

In the late 1990s I met with the Branch Davidian's lawyers to help analyze the Waco FLIR footage. I concluded contrary to their case that the analysis of the government's scientists was exactly correct. I then published an exhaustive flash-by-flash analysis demonstrating that the flashes seen on the Waco FLIR were thermal reflections on identifiable reflective surfaces, not gunshots from government agents massacring the Davidians, as the lawyers claimed.

After the New Scientist published an article in 2006 arguing that red-colored rains in Kerala, India were caused by extraterrestrial spores, I located a co-author of a report by the Government of India, Sasi Kumar, who sent me a copy of the report, which I made available online. The report concluded that the rains were colored by a terrestrial spore. I published a report proposing a possible causal mechanism for the spores coloring rains, which was cited in a Cambridge University journal.

On my youtube channel I've been debunking lots of anti-nuclear flim flam, such as from Caldicott, Busby, Mangano & Sherman and others. But also defend the National Academy of Science's position on radiation risk -- the linear no-threshold (LNT) risk model -- that pro-nuclear advocates hate. Countering partisans on both sides with consensus science.

I love "What is it?" analyses and so couldn't avoid the puzzling 'Gimbal' footage!

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and associated with CAD Design and engineering sector. Excited to meet new people in this forum and have a knowledgeable discussion. Thanks

Hey guys. I learned about the site from Mick's appearance on JRE. I know you're gonna facepalm after reading this, but that podcast sent me down a rabbithole that's resulted in me believing in the possibility of flying saucers. I still believe it's as likely as Bernie Sanders being elected POTUS with Rand Paul as VP. It's within the realm of possibility, but not likely. I don't know if the results would be positive, but I'd be excited to see it happen.

Anyways, I really don't have the energy to be skeptical about things I don't believe. Things I do believe on the other hand are worth putting energy into skepticism. Now that I believe in the possibility of flying saucers and little green men, I'm ready to have some fun.

Hello.

A comment on a YouTube video of the TTSA Gimbal footage brought me here and after seeing that many of the posts are up my street, I registered.

Thanks.

Mick West said:

This thread is for any first time poster to (optionally) post an introductory "hi everyone" post, which will also get you "verified" (meaning you can post without anti-spam restrictions) once it has been approved.

A few words on who you are and how you ended up here would be appreciated. Or just say hi!


It's highly recommended that you first read the Posting Guidelines:
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/posting-guidelines.2064/

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Happy New Year everyone!
I've been spending much of my time off during the holidays reading various debunking threads on this site. I appreciate the lack of derogatory insults and petty comments that end up on most open forums online. The points and counterpoints I have seen are all reasonable and relative to the topic.

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Hello everyone! So glad to be a part of metabunk. Great site; great discussion.

Hi I'M Anthony good be here how everyone doing?