Irrational Rational

Enough already about the hoax!  It's obvious the conspiracy theories are a total nonsense. 

So why do people come up with these dumb ideas?

I think there are four reasons.  Here they are...

  1. Basic lack of knowledge.  The hoax-geeks that go around telling people it's all lies just don't understand enough about physics, engineering or photography.  No, I'm being too generous; they know nothing about any of them.  They come up with ideas that show they don't understand.  Which is fair enough.  We can't all be experts on everything.   But our hoax-geeks go further..
  2. Don't do any research.  If you know you don't know much about something most people would try and find out about it before sounding off on it.  Not our hoax-geeks.  Don't know much about engineering?  Well, just make up stuff that sounds about right to you!  As long as it supports your initial suspicions.   Don't attempt to find anything out!  Don't believe anything told to you by people who've studied this stuff for years!   This becomes more necessary the longer your hoax theory lasts.  As each part of your 'proof' falls apart you need to go further in order to come up with stuff to support it.  More and more of this depends on the fact you have not done any research.   Don't know how spacesuits could have worked?  Don't attempt to find out how NASA said they did!  They may actually have considered every problem you can think of long ago!  Just declare it impossible!
  3. Apply your Earth bound common sense to a lunar situation.  Many of the hoax theories are the result of applying what seems like common sense on Earth to the Moon.  Things on the Moon are weird.  Many of the weird things that hoax-geeks claim are faked practically prove they happened on the Moon.
  4. People love a conspiracy.  Same reason that people believe them, they like to make them up.  Particularly if you can then sell your theory to others.   Want an idea for a book?  Make up a conspiracy theory!

And why is it that people believe them?

I think there's five reasons.  And funnily enough, here they are too.....

  1. People are stupid.  Sad, but true.  People are stupid and they like gossip.  Tell them something that sounds even remotely possible and assure them it's true and they'll bite your hand off swallowing it.  Just don't ask them to think for themselves.
  2. People, while stupid, like to think they're smart.  So smart that they're not falling for that official fodder for the masses that the government pumps out.  Noooo, they can see through that stuff.  They are, instead, more in tune with those smart and incorruptible whistle blowers who put in all the little clues in the Apollo photos.  They rigged them up for smart people to see, and they are smart people.  See?
  3. People like to be in on the secret.  Makes them feel important.  The more pathetic and inconsequential they feel their life is, the more they need this. They know something you don't, they know something you don't!  Shall they tell us?  Shall they?
  4. People are paranoid.  There's a certain class of folk, particularly in the U.S., that are convinced their government is up to no good, keeping the people down and lying to them. This explains why their life is so bad.  Nothing to do with them, it's that there Government up on Capitol Hill.  So quite simply they'll believe anything that reinforces that.
  5. People Always Believe What They See On TV.   Amazing, isn't it?  Sit on sofa : switch off brain.

Want to hear a conspiracy theory?  They're easy.  Here's one I just  thought up:

The conspiracy theorists are actual in the pay of NASA.  Their purpose is to keep the moon landings in the public mind so that everyone over looks the fact that NASA haven't been there in over twenty five years.  They lob NASA the stupid theory and NASA steps up and hits it out of the stadium.  Professional kook gets paid and public attention, NASA gets more tax dollars.  Everyone goes home happy.

And my proof for this theory?  Well absolutely none, of course!  All the very best conspiracy theories have none. That way no-one can go about disproving them!  Did you like the bit about tax dollars?  That always gets conspiracy junkies juices going.  Gives them something to get their teeth into.