a question on conspiracy theories and how to deal

[zedro]

Yes, it is obvious, isn't it?  But then, you've chosen which side of the bifurcated system you wish to be on, so you look at things through that prism.

You are on the side of personal liberty and sovereignty.

Those on the other side, are trusting in the "system" to do the right thing, and willfully defer their power to those in charge.

Choices have consequences, and it's very difficult for an individual to change which side they are on right now since the deception is so strong - you either see it and are repelled by it, or can't see it at all.

True, I tend to forget that it's not necessarily (or at all) about understanding but rather values (unprocessed as they may be). For some 'slavery' is a choice, and not even regarded/recognized as such. It took me awhile to fully understand the brilliance of Orwell's 1984 seemingly paradoxical slogans, which to my initial instinct felt like obvious dichotomies/falsehoods designed to torture people intellectually, but in reality to others they may actually be simple conceptual truths: (edit following Meadow's reply: to avoid any confusion, the following is to illustrate the thought process of the master/slave dynamic, it is not my belief system)

WAR IS PEACE (without war there is a lack of social cohesion, so war creates unity)
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY (slavery creates actual freedom as you abdicate responsibility to a higher authority)
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH (strength is drawn from avoiding the confusion stemming from ones own incompetent ideals)

Two people can live in entirely dualistic realities in which these have different meanings, if only at the subconscious level. The tricky part is when actual historical realities diverge to support such conscious states.

(Note it's been ages since I read 1984, that interpretation is just what resonates with me right now)