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Following his trial for defamation of the families of the children and school staff killed in the Sandy Hook massacre, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is using Valve Corp.’s Steam, the world’s largest digital distribution platform for PC games, to sell an Infowars-themed video game. Jones claims to have earned hundreds of thousands in revenue from the video game, yet he has refused to pay the Sandy Hook families. Alex Jones: NWO Wars also mirrors and cartoonishly repackages the conspiracy theorist’s regularly violent, hateful rhetoric despite the platform’s policies against hate speech.

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[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

You talk a lot about instagram

Because that is where Alefantis posted.

There are no other pictures related to this child.

There are more. E.g. wearing a "pizza slut" t-shirt.

YOU are claiming the other photos are connected.

Yes. Alefantis commented on most or is connected via his restaurant.

Also notice that the simple explanation isn't good enough

If you want to claim a slamdunk debunk then the simple explanation must be the only explanation, or the suspicious explanation is shown to be impossible.

Your "debunk" falls far short.

The only claim I made is that I have seen no proof of illegal activity.

You claimed pizzagate is absolute garbage. That it was debunked.

2 dudes on a street correr and a BMW parked nearby is not proof of illegal activity. But it is suspicious. You want the police to check it out.

I'm worried about one who see that photo as normalization of child abuse.

Dude, you're the one obsessed with this particular photo.

"There is a gay person in my life that I love, and they live a meaningful, fulfilling life." Send your gay strawman away.

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Please remove the quotation marks. That's not how words work.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

There is a gay person in my life that I love, and they live a meaningful, fulfilling life. I love gays. Great fun.

What I don't like seeing them being irrelevantly dragged into arguments in an attempt to distract and score cheap points.

This has nothing to do with showing that the claims made by pizzagate are impossible.

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Cool. There are gay people I love too. Wouldn't change a thing about them.

Dude, you’re the one obsessed with this particular photo.

Sure am. You see someone showed it to me in a document they linked. They called the dossier the best evidence of pizzagate. That dossier has this particular photo. It even said "We might as well start with this picture of a girl taped to a table, which is probably the most widely referenced one." Of course, that " girl taped to a table" was standing on the floor with her arms affixed to a table with masking tape, and not even a lot of tape.

That photo sure stirred up a frenzy. My claim was that anytime anything that is purported to be concrete evidence is investigated, it sure looks like nothing upon inspection. The pizzagater always plays the Homonym Game. "I was talking about a different photo?" Well, I'm talking about this photo.

So if you argue that frenzies show there must be something happening, I will point to THIS picture. Because it is THIS that picture that by itself caused a frenzy. Read the words around the picture. Then read my proposal of the only definition of pizzagate i can agree with

Pizzagate: The believe that real world damage can be caused simply by never admitting any harmless explanations regardless of plausibility.

So 4chan decides to use Pizzagate as a weapon to sick on this shop owner and his friends and family. It fits just fine.

You act like I'm cherry-picking, because you know most people aren't going to check, and the kinds of people that do check don't fall for this shit.

Well, that piece of "evidence" is clearly trash. Anyone trying to sell it to me thinks I'm stupid. Why would I bother?

Do you have a dossier that does NOT include wastes of time?

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

They called the dossier the best evidence of pizzagate.

Did they? It's not a bad introduction but voat had much better documentation.

That dossier has this particular photo.

Again? Let's discuss this one instead.

Well, I'm talking about this photo.

The photo is not illegal, but it is suspicious, especially when combined with Alefantis' other posts.

Because it is THIS that picture that by itself caused a frenzy.

See. You have to add in and highlight "by itself".

So 4chan decides ...

4chan didn't make him post suggestive comments or host suspicious files on his website.

Well, that piece of "evidence" is clearly trash.

You have failed to make this argument clearly.

Do you have a dossier that does NOT include wastes of time?

So one item labeled a waste of time allows you to disregard the rest. This is a repeat of the "no basement=debunked" argument.

Pizzagate debunkers are just as illogical as Pizzagate true believers.

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I'm not talking about another photo. You have a mountain of evidence. Please edit out any trash designed to waste time. That picture is a pretty clear litmus test. I'm not stupid enough to be scared of that photo. If you think I am, this will not go anywhere.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I'm not talking about another photo.

Then you aren't going to debunk them.

Please edit out any trash designed to waste time.

If you had been able to debunk pizzagate this step would not be necessary.

That picture is a pretty clear litmus test.

Sadly I think I agree.

I'm not stupid enough to be scared of that photo.

I'm not really interested in measuring how stupid you are.

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I’m not really interested in measuring how stupid you are.

Then what are you even doing here? Honestly. You asked if my favorite podcast had a pizzagate episode.

I said, i don't think so. I'll ask others. I don't like talking about pizzagate because every claim is dumb. I said:

The only thing interesting about pizzagate is how strongly people can hold on to beliefs with zero backing

In fact, I’d go as far as to say, the fact there is no evidence backing it up is precisely why this stuff is so dangerous. If some one is mentally unsteady enough to accept any reason to hate their enemies, they are probably pretty dangerous to be around already. Now use a massive media operation so that person need no other source of news. He (sorry to be sexist, but I’m going to stick with “he” for the easily influenced viewer’s pronoun) knows he’s right. He hears nothing but that he is right. However, out in the dangerous part of the world [to clarify, i mean reality i meant to put quotes], no one cares about this. It’s so fucking easy to dismiss this stuff. Why would anyone believe it?

None of that has changed. The more I say, the more you shift and want me to look elsewhere. It's clear to me that anyone who could read that doc and not be embarrassed that they are trying to spook you with that picture, is not worth engaging with.

You picked out me saying "no victims coming forward". You know there's still not any, right? No matter how many different things you tell me. You called it a "bad argument". I'm not here to argue. You brought this shit up. It's not an argument. It's a fact. You can keep claiming not to make an claims. But facts are facts. Calling them "arguments" makes them sound like they can be "bad". Nope. I said a fact, and you took personally.

So you link some homophobic shit. i don't want to read that. There's some horrible allegations that if some unhinged individual who has a fuzzy notion of epistemology reads, things could get and have gotten ugly.

Your lies are consequence free. Is there anyone (journalist, pundit,...) with a reputation to protect that says anything about this?

If you had been able to debunk pizzagate this step would not be necessary.

Can you show where I had expressed any desire to debunk this? This might be my first use of the word in this thread.

I said it's not interesting. I haven't seen any claim attached to anything concrete. Why would I engage? I'm not a witness.

The only document you have has claims that no one can be serious about. I'm asking you to remove those. You're just wasting my time.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You asked if my favorite podcast had a pizzagate episode.

Yes. Thanks for that. Sincerely.

I don't like talking about pizzagate because every claim is dumb.

A lazy, blanket statement leading to this lengthy thread.

The only thing interesting about pizzagate is how strongly people can hold on to beliefs with zero backing

It's also interesting how claims that it was debunked dissolve when examined.

the fact there is no evidence backing it up

I linked to some evidence. It's hard to do so now that search engines have been scrubbed and voat has died.

Why would anyone believe it?

Because the claims are not impossible, or even unlikely.

The more I say, the more you shift and want me to look elsewhere.

At the beginning I gave you the NYT and a steemit link with additional evidence. Nothing has shifted.

You link some homophobic shit. It's clear to me that anyone who could read that doc and not be embarrassed that they are trying to spook you with that picture, is not worth engaging with.

I didn't write it. There are not a lot of other options that search engines index. Just view the pictures if the text offends you.

Your lies are consequence free.

All the linked evidence is factual. I've not drawn any conclusions. Not sure what I could have lied about.

Is there anyone (journalist, pundit,...) with a reputation to protect that says anything about this?

This was the closest

Can you show where I had expressed any desire to debunk this?

Whenever you state that every pizzagate claim is dumb.

The only document you have has claims that no one can be serious about. I'm asking you to remove those.

Ok. I'll remove everything from that document except for this

[-] ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Is there anyone (journalist, pundit,...) with a reputation to protect that says anything about this?

This was the closest

No one will touch this with a 10-foot pole. People that the pizzagaters victimized have been hurt, and some of the worst offenders of the conspiracy theory were arrested. No one will put a stake on this.

All the people that used to talk about this have disappeared. There once was a rush when people were talking about that document. Adding new threads. Making connections. This was going to be it. But nothing came.

I believe you may be chasing a high that was at its peak when it looked like pieces were coming together.

Everything fizzled. Now you're trying to get strangers worried about a list of files. It's not the same.

The emperor has no clothes here. No one else will put their reputation on the line.

I'm sure you have people in your life that you get along fine with. This is, provide no one brings this up. That has to feel isolating. Most people have moved on.

I was being honest. I'm not interested in pizzagate. But I have heard from so many people describing what it was like to have once believed it. And what it felt like when they were able to reconnect with people who pushed them away.

Obviously, I don't know you. You're fine to tell me I'm way off base. We're strangers here, but it's just food for irl-thought.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

People that the pizzagaters victimized have been hurt, and some of the worst offenders of the conspiracy theory were arrested.

One crazy person has been jailed. No-one was hurt. All because the police failed to investigate.

All the people that used to talk about this have disappeared.

Because there is nothing new to talk about. Although if someone had done a thorough debunking then that would be new information of interest.

I believe you may be chasing a high that was at its peak when it looked like pieces were coming together.

This may be true for people searching the Internet and finding clues. Crowdsourced Sherlock Holmes. I only got interested when the crackdown happened, subreddits were closed and journalists silenced. Then claims of debunking popped up (usually without logical argument).

Debunking is much more interesting, scientific and rigorous than the actual conspiracies. James Randi, moon landings, aliens, 9/11. You learn a lot from a good debunk (hence my interest in your favourite podcast)

Now you're trying to get strangers worried about a list of files.

No, I'm trying to establish if it has been debunked. That there is no possibility of truth in the claims.

If you said pizzagate was unlikely, dubious or unconfirmed then I would agree and we wouldn't be having this exchange.

The emperor has no clothes here.

Neither do the debunkers following behind.

this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2024
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