Jordan Klepper traces the origin of the belief that JFK Jr is alive

[wnylib]

In a podcast with two guests, Klepper discusses how this conspiracy theory started, who is most likely to believe it and why.

One guest is an expert on political conspiracy theories and the other is a doctor, but I didn't catch what type of doctor. They talk about the effect that believers have in real life, where Qanon might go in the future, and how many people are actually dedicated believers.

[yankee87]

1. They know all

Everyone who doesn’t believe in their reality, is a brainwashed sheep. Have family members that believe this crap. I just don’t their challenge because they go from 0 to 1000 in a millisecond. Not worth arguing, their mind is 100% made.

[wnylib]

2. I thought the podcast's explanation

of what people believe about it was interesting. They don't believe that JFK Jr died in the plane crash, but that he faked his death. Since both JFK Jr and Trump were socialites in NYC, the assumption is that they were friends and planned the fake death in order for JFK Jr to hide from the Deep State (who supposedly killed his father). Then he could come out later as Trump's VP in a noble fight to destroy the Deep State.

Crazy, yes. But the "logic" behind it reveals why people believe it. It goes neatly with their belief, promoted by Qanon, that Trump is a heroic fighter saving the country from the Deep State.

[mopinko]

3. ya know, it occurs to me that the % of ppl who believe the pedo thing

might just coincide w the % of ppl who were victims of pedos.
it's always hard to take this stuff on, cuz conspiracies to cover for pedos do, indeed, exist.

[wnylib]

5. That's occurred to me, too.

Some people who were victims of pedos could still be dealing with unprocessed emotions about it that get conflated with the Qanon messaging.

Yes, taking it on is problematic because there are pedos who have been sheltered and protected from prosecution and have been allowed to continue with impunity. But the difference between real pedo conspiracies and Qanon is in the evidence and credible testimonies from victims of the real thing.

[mopinko]

7. fersher they have a lens so twisted as to be worthless.

and i also think there is much conflation btn- the bond of pedos =/= the way the whole f'ing world works. the same ppl have way more in common than sex. more important things in common.
but it is all of a piece.

[peppertree]

4. Would it that he were!

[wnylib]

6. Yes, such a sad loss.

But it defies reason that he would have been a Trumpist if he were alive today.

I wonder how Caroline feels about the ridiculous conspiracy theories about him.

[peppertree]

8. He'd no doubt be using George to roast and lambaste Cheeto and his toads month in, and month out

He'd be getting calls all the time, urging him to run for president too - but he'd probably refuse.

"This is where I can do the most good," he'd say.

And since Repugs love a good conspiracy theory, I wonder how they'd react if they knew that when he died JFK jr. was working on an exposé on Old Man Bush's role in his father's assassination.

The briefcase where he kept all the research material, that never left his side, disappeared from the plane.

But then - that's not the kind of conspiracy theory Repugs like.