[ADDithers]

I have a relative that I live with I am having an issue with. Every conversation eventually reverts to the woe of the day... the bad condition of the world; either the political corruption, genetically modified food, the evils of Monsanto, Fukushima, chem trails, drones, Big Pharma, the most recent government coverup, 9/11 coverup, and on and on. At one time I resigned myself to listening to his diatribe over the Sandy Hook "conspiracy" for the rest of my life. He has no other interest other than finding the most recent blog post or news about the woes of the world. If we're sitting together he's got an alarming article he HAS to read me. I am usually busy doing my own thing - but I have to drop what I am doing to give my undivided attention to this new disastrous discovery. It seems there's no end to the reading - it's not like it's a short article. He drones on & on; one disastrous article after the other. Alex Jones videos, or any other of his resources he checks ALL day long and wants me to see them & comment on them.

I cannot totally dismiss some of the things he brings up, I partly believe some of it, although I question the sources. Just because someone makes a statement in a blog doesn't make it so. Although I have NO confidence in our government, and I believe bits and pieces of the articles, I am not consumed by them. Besides it being a real downer I have a life to live and I don't want to dwell on these subjects 24/7. I have my own interests. But any effort I make to either change the subject or say "enough", he accuses me of burying my head in the sand like an ostrich.

How about it? Anyone else live with someone like this? How can I keep peace without having my head drilled every day over the woe(s) of the day?

[High Treason]

It sounds to me like this person is lonely. He wants to share his interests (conspiracy theories) with someone. I'm sure he would prefer to share them with someone else who actually wants to play the conspiracy theory game with him rather than someone who has no interest in it, but maybe he also is trying to build a relationship with you by sharing his interest. These conspiracy nuts are really the same as anybody who is engrossed in a hobby. He could be into model trains and want to talk to you about model trains all the time and get annoyed that you aren't as into model trains. It's the same thing. What he really needs is to join a group with other conspiracy nuts so he has people to talk to about his hobby who actually care.

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by High Treason

These conspiracy nuts are really the same as anybody who is engrossed in a hobby. He could be into model trains and want to talk to you about model trains all the time and get annoyed that you aren't as into model trains. It's the same thing. What he really needs is to join a group with other conspiracy nuts so he has people to talk to about his hobby who actually care.

Significantly different, since few hobbyists believe they have "the truth."

OP, why would you want to live with someone so out of touch with reality? Why would you let someone read something to you that you are not interested in. People need to be called on their nonsense sometimes, and also their behaviour. This seems like one of those cases - mainly the behaviour of talking at you rather than with you. I sympathize. My sister was like that.

[HealingNSuffering]

Try setting boundaries with him, let him know that you are skeptical of his theories and that nothing he can show you will convince you that the corruption is as extensive as he believes. Practice saying NO when he asks you to check something out. Draw a line in the sand. Check out this article with more tips about setting boundaries. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...feeling-better

As far as Alex Jones goes, nobody takes that guy seriously he's a classic case of paranoia. Even if Alex Jones did say something true, nobody would believe because it came out of his mouth. As a fellow paranoia sufferer I can sympathize with him but I cannot watch his videos because they trigger my suspicious thought patterns and I start to become delusional again. Word of caution, not all conspiracy theories are false, most of them are misleading. But they usually add nuggets of truth into them to make them more believable.

I definitely believe that this country is under mind control, which is why the term "conspiracy theorist" is so stigmatizing and degrading. People who pointed out that the Mafia existed were once called conspiracy theorists. Galileo was considered a conspiracy theorist for pointing out that the earth is not the center of the universe. Try to peak his interest into philosophy or some other topic besides conspiracy theories. I found the best way to deal with people like this is to change the subject. People who I don't agree with, I won't talk to about subjects we disagree on because the debate can escalate into an argument, which can escalate into a fight, which can escalate into me being thrown in a jail cell.

[archipelago]

Tell the truth, that hearing about these things in such detail gets you down and also that you have other interests of your own. You don't necessarily have to deal with the issue that it's conspiracy theory, just the time factor that you're getting pulled into to something that brings you down and takes you away from things you'd rather be doing. See if that works. It's sorta non-confrontational about the issue of conspiracy theories which I suspect if challenged might lead to a fruitless and frustrating fight.

See if you say you don't believe in the conspiracy then he might try to push harder to prove it and that's the opposite of what you want. And to say it is wacko stuff will just be taken wrong and produce defensive or aggressive behavior that will lock you in even more.

It's an interesting issue, why people get caught up in this stuff. Sure there are conspiracies out there, but most of it is just kinda warped and not really all that healthy. Suppose the conspiracies were all true, what does endlessly going over them do about them? Absolutely nothing. Unless you become an activist for a good cause like environmentalism or civil liberties and devote your time and energy (and money) to such causes then just arm chair quarterbacking about them does absolutely nothing so how could it be productive at all? If it is a true obsession that he can't control then you might have to point that out. It sounds invasive, like you can't get away from it, so even if he were talking about fine wine or types of grass, it's sounds like it has characteristics of an addiction. Enabling that when it's clearly not healthy for you and questionably not healthy at all seems like something to consider in general.

[JadeAmethyst]

in situations like this I might say:

"Interesting, tell me more."
"Why would ask me something like this?"
Usually, they will stop a moment, take a breath, and sometimes that's all that's needed.
No harm done for either person, is my goal.

sincerely
Jade

[ADDithers]

Thanks all - this is a catch 22 situation - even though there may not be any easy remedy for this situation your sympathies & comments help !!

[Harley47]

It'd be best, I think, to be honest with him. Granted, I know that's easier said than done...the guy in your post sounds precisely like one of my college buddies, whom all he posts on facebook or EVER talks about is conspiracies and one world people and all that..*ahem*...stuff. It, frankly, drives me nuts. But that being said, it's ultimately easier for you to politely ask he exclude you from such talk...if he respects you, he should comply.

Hope things work out for the best.

Hugs,
Harley

PS: Just curious, as I've yet to get a clear answer out of my aforementioned buddy...what's the problem with drones? Maybe it's the part of me that wanted to go in as a JAG talking, but I tend to be a fan of the things. Just curious for his perspective, is all, as I've heard similar discontent regarding them.

[ADDithers]

Originally Posted by Harley47

PS: Just curious, as I've yet to get a clear answer out of my aforementioned buddy...what's the problem with drones? Maybe it's the part of me that wanted to go in as a JAG talking, but I tend to be a fan of the things. Just curious for his perspective, is all, as I've heard similar discontent regarding them.

Drones - I think the phobia is, non human technology unleashed upon the population, like being rounded up & put into FEMA camps by the likes of these guys:

.

Ironically one of the last clashes I had with him was over drones. He was reading an article about how someone in Colorado (I think) is proposing to ban drones from their community & offer a reward for destroying drones. This was after listening to almost an hour of other "woes" of the day & I just exploded with "WHAT IS YOUR SOURCE? WHO is proposing this law!!!?"

[Rosealea]

Originally Posted by ADDithers

I have a relative that I live with I am having an issue with. Every conversation eventually reverts to the woe of the day... the bad condition of the world; either the political corruption, genetically modified food, the evils of Monsanto, Fukushima, chem trails, drones, Big Pharma, the most recent government coverup, 9/11 coverup, and on and on. At one time I resigned myself to listening to his diatribe over the Sandy Hook "conspiracy" for the rest of my life. He has no other interest other than finding the most recent blog post or news about the woes of the world. If we're sitting together he's got an alarming article he HAS to read me. I am usually busy doing my own thing - but I have to drop what I am doing to give my undivided attention to this new disastrous discovery. It seems there's no end to the reading - it's not like it's a short article. He drones on & on; one disastrous article after the other. Alex Jones videos, or any other of his resources he checks ALL day long and wants me to see them & comment on them.

I cannot totally dismiss some of the things he brings up, I partly believe some of it, although I question the sources. Just because someone makes a statement in a blog doesn't make it so. Although I have NO confidence in our government, and I believe bits and pieces of the articles, I am not consumed by them. Besides it being a real downer I have a life to live and I don't want to dwell on these subjects 24/7. I have my own interests. But any effort I make to either change the subject or say "enough", he accuses me of burying my head in the sand like an ostrich.

How about it? Anyone else live with someone like this? How can I keep peace without having my head drilled every day over the woe(s) of the day?

Wow, I thought I was the only one, phew. My husband does this all day, earth is flat, we live under a dome there is no gravity, ugh I'm always telling him to keep quiet, I draw the line completely when he starts showing my sons these videos and crap, I'm always being to,d to wake up...I don't get it don't even remember how he got started in this....2-3 years now, he calls him a "watcher?"?