It's not just divergent thought. . .

[arayder]

Has anyone noticed the tendency for conspiracy theorists to rebrand themselves as "divergent thinkers" and opine that their right to speak freely is being denied when anyone points out that their ideas are just plain nutty?

In playing this game these folks often pair themselves with great thinkers and brand their critics as fascists.

[neonzx]

I had not heard the term/phrase.
I guess it's similar to how creationists started using "intelligent design" decades ago to make it sound like legit science.

[Maybenaut]

Or how some White House spokespeople talked about "alternative facts."

[arayder]

I saw this idea discussed in an article about holocaust deniers a few days ago.

A couple of years ago I got after Robert Menard for giving a wink and a nod to a couple of holocaust deniers who took up residence the world freeman society web site. Nazi Bob tried to beg off saying their views were just another way of looking at history.

Lately we have seen much the same thing from Christopher Bruce who seems to think that any crazy idea he repeats is brilliant as long as it isn't accepted by the mainstream. Then poor boy whines that he's being not just dismissed, but being oppressed.

[noblepa]

Has anyone noticed the tendency for conspiracy theorists to rebrand themselves as "divergent thinkers" and opine that their right to speak freely is being denied when anyone points out that their ideas are just plain nutty?

In playing this game these folks often pair themselves with great thinkers and brand their critics as fascists.

Its a little like the old joke when someone is called out for saying something foolish or outlandish. "They laughed at Christopher Columbus, too". "Yeah, but they also laughed at Bozo the Clown". Just because you have a new idea, you're not necessarily Christopher Columbus. You might be Bozo.

Telling someone that their ideas of statements are nutty, is not censorship, or denial of free speech. You may be a great, free-thinking visionary, but you may also be a fool.

[arayder]

Has anyone noticed the tendency for conspiracy theorists to rebrand themselves as "divergent thinkers" and opine that their right to speak freely is being denied when anyone points out that their ideas are just plain nutty?

In playing this game these folks often pair themselves with great thinkers and brand their critics as fascists.

Its a little like the old joke when someone is called out for saying something foolish or outlandish. "They laughed at Christopher Columbus, too". "Yeah, but they also laughed at Bozo the Clown". Just because you have a new idea, you're not necessarily Christopher Columbus. You might be Bozo.

Telling someone that their ideas of statements are nutty, is not censorship, or denial of free speech. You may be a great, free-thinking visionary, but you may also be a fool.

Well said, noblepa.

For these folks the denial reaches new heights. What actually happened in the past, or what a legal text means is subject to their interpretation. Facts are like fiction, to them. Rather than accept the facts and embrace reality, they deny there are any such things as hard facts.

It's their idea of freedom.