LOL @ signalfire.
Pam, couldn't agree more about the sea of disinformation and lots of it seems to be on the tinfoil/conspiracy sites as well. I too HATE sites with lots of adverts, especially if they flash. Usually I'll just close the link right away. It's apparent to me lots of people/sites are pumping up the doom/conspiracy /fear/2012 type stuff because it's an INDUSTRY.
It's an INDUSTRY people.
I think you'll find a lot of it too has it's roots in the American style Christian fundamentalism which took off worldwide last century, especially during the 70's, 80's, 90's. The Satanic Illuminati. The 666 system. The Evil Cabal which rules the world and pledges allegiance to Satan and so on. The persecution to come (FEMA camps, beheadings etc). I heard ALL THAT in the Christian pentecostal churches in the 1970's. I may be wrong but I certainly get the impression it went "mainstream". It went mainstream because the leaders of that brand of Christian fundamentalist saw it as a BUSINESS - they were businessmen, plain and simple. It was all about making money. Pay your 10% tithes (plus offerings) or you will be "cursed".
It's all operating on FEAR, fear of "God punishing you" or fear of "not surviving".
And the amount of pure, unadulterated rubbish which is promulgated far and wide is staggering.
Lots of "tin" and "conspiracy theory" stuff which goes viral can be easily disproven with 5 minutes searching on the Internet. Even when it's proven to be false some people and sites repeat it over and over for months, even years.
I'm really, really, really in favour of free speech and everyone sharing ideas....but when it's clearly nothing BUT a story to me that's not even tin/conspiracy theory but it's just plain fiction.
Orwell said "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act".
If there's one thing I do believe it's that we're heading for a world of electronic fascism (if they can pull it off). I heard someone yesterday refer to their "electronic drugs" and I thought, wow, that really is what they are like for most of the younger people of today - drugs.