TED Conversations

Nikhil Tummalapalli

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

The genesis of conspiracy theories..

So I started reading about conspiracy theories a few days back, and to be honest, they are fascinating. It's like almost every big story has to have another side to it. Maybe its just human tendency to create a second story and make things convoluted.

One conspiracy theory that really stupefied me was the discovery/'invention' of HIV/AIDS. Some people believe that the CIA agents actually created the virus to wipe out homosexuals and African Americans. This is still one of the most debated topics, like JFK's death and the Moon landing.

My questions is, do you think these conspiracy theories are actually legitimate or nothing but concocted BS?

+1
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • thumb

    peter lindsay 30+

    • 0
    Nov 29 2012: "In Argentina the public was convienced that the rich were responsible for all of their problems ... the government took their wealth. That did not solve the problems so then it was the middle class that was the cause ... so the government took all of their money and property as well. Argentina went from the second most powerful and economically strong country in the world only behind England to the poorest in a few short years because the government kept telling them it was everyone elses fault that the government and the country was going broke. Is this an example of government conspiracy? "

    I hear this story alot from citizens of the US but it is highly inaccurate. The history of Argentina involves a long sequence of political and military dictatorships leading up to the re-establishment of democracy in the mid 1980s. Ironically it was after the re-establishment of democracy that the financial collapse occurred. Argentina never achieved full industrialisation with an economy based on agriculture even at its height. In Australia we have many Argintine immigrants who fled the country during the 70s and early 80s.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_Argentina
    • thumb

      pat gilbert 50+

      • 0
      Nov 29 2012: I only skimmed the wiki article. Under "Causes of progressive decline" they make no mention of the increased government spending. WTF?

      A couple of things I see as contributing factors would be that their rule of law is not stable it appears they prefer a coup to an election?

      Land ownership was limited to land grants in the past I don't know about latter

      Peron instituted tariffs which is similar to Hoover's boned headed Smoot Hawley act that instantly shot unemployment up a lot. This was in the mid 40s

      But the thing that is telling is the graph that shows per capita production plummeted from about 1935, that is the correlation that one should look at. Ok here is your huckleberry in the 1930's Argentina instituted a program called ISI which cut off trade which was another bone headed idea.


      To understand further why this is important I recommend these insanely elegant videos

      http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_ridley_when_ideas_have_sex.html


      Notice the comment on South American land ownership in this video

      http://www.ted.com/talks/niall_ferguson_the_6_killer_apps_of_prosperity.html
    • thumb

      pat gilbert 50+

      • +1
      Dec 2 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk_-XWpUFmU

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.