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Where did this HAARP nonsense I keep hearing about come from? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by onlooker@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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So, I heard several people now mention HAARP as the cause for all the natural disasters that have been happening lately. And here I thought the cause was rampant pollution and global warming!

But seriously, I'm looking at the HAARP page on wikipedia and it seems to be an array for studying the ionosphere? How in the hell do you go from "we're using this to see what's happening way up there in the sky" to "this causes tornadoes"? Who even started this garbage?

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[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Long story short, the HAARP nonsense has its origins in psychology. If you want the long version, check this article. It also answers how conspiratorial thinking in general works, not just the nut jobs spreading wild stories about HAARP.

Because these delusions are based on defects of the mind, there’s no amount of facts that you can throw at this problem and expect it to be fixed that way. What wasn’t reasoned in, can’t be reasoned out of a broken mind like that. These people are in need therapy and support more than anything else.

If podcasts, are more your thing, consider listening to You’re not so smart - episode 197 conspiratorial thinking. I think the part about the history of small and large conspiracies was particularly fascinating. Grand conspiracies are impossibly difficult to pull off, because there’s always a weak link somewhere which will make the whole thing collapse sooner or later. On the other hand, small conspiracies are a reality, and there have been numerous documented cases of those happening in real life.

[–] onlooker@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because these delusions are based on defects of the mind, there’s no amount of facts that you can throw at this problem and expect it to be fixed that way. What wasn’t reasoned in, can’t be reasoned out of a broken mind like that.

This hurts to read, but I have to agree. Especially because the person who first told me about HAARP has a freaking degree in psychology.

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Well, I know someone with a PhD in chemistry, and he still believes the covid vaccine is designed to kill people, cause a global collapse and all that. The human mind just is never truly safe from this type of thinking.

[–] Dr_Cog@mander.xyz 33 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A PhD doesn't mean anything other than that you are a fast learner and are dedicated enough to work on a project for years. It doesn't mean you are intelligent or even that you know everything in your field, however it does usually result in you being an expert in a very specific small corner of your field.

I have a PhD