Skeptical Libertarian

The Skeptical Libertarian is a blog which seeks to debunk pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. The blog's preferred targets are "libertarians" that promote woo and conspiracy theories.

Make your own conspiracy theory!
After attempts at mocking conspiracies fell through, the folks at the Skeptical Libertarian decided to make a guide of how to make your own conspiracy theory:


 * Pick bad thing X that happened (it doesn’t matter what or when).
 * Postulate a conspiracy was behind it (it doesn’t matter who or why). This is all you need to get going, but there are a few techniques you can use to fill in the blanks about what really happened during X.
 * Cherry pick factoids, take details out of context, mine quotes from public figures, elevate obscure minor incidents to center stage, juxtapose unrelated events, obsess over coincidence, point to suspicious lack of evidence that (if it existed) would support your theory, and always, always have pictures with big red arrows pointing to nothing in particular.
 * The general rule is: stitch together everything that vaguely supports your theory or calls into question the mainstream explanation, and ignore or deny everything that does not fit.
 * In later stages, once your campaign to uncover the truth is well-developed, create a really poorly-produced internet “documentary,” set it to scary music, and have your college roommate narrate it.
 * Denounce skeptics and scientists who debunk your claims as tools of the conspiracy, and make it clear that anyone who doubts your theory is a Moreaun human-sheep hybrid creature afflicted with narcolepsy. Tell them they need to, “Wake UP, SHEEPLE!”
 * Compile a list of a tiny number of “experts” that support some of your claims, and use it to lend a veneer of scientific credibility to your theory. Wherever possible, use misattributed, unsourced, and out-of-context quotes from experts who do not support your theory to imply they do.
 * Create lists of “unanswered questions” that, regardless of how well-answered, will always remain “unanswered.”