I think it's always been the case that the occult, spiritual and other fringe elements of society have harboured some unorthodox ideas. As I was getting into the occult in the 1990's I came across a few of these, I read a few of David Ickes books and somebody gave me a tape recording of his Robots Rebellion talks which I listened to a few times and was reminded of a kid I knew in primary school who would tell fantastic stories which we would accept not because we thought they were true, but because it made things more exciting to act as if they were real. Later I discovered that some of his core ideas were lifted from other, more obscure sources (the stuff about reptilian 4th dimensioners), and he was tapping into a whole underground movement heavily influenced by American science fiction writers, one which I was just dipping into, and at that point had no way to access directly.
Being an enquiring type even then, I delved in to some of it, and arrived at a couple of conclusions. Firstly, so what? If true there was little to be done. Secondly, so much seemed fabricated from snatches of mythology, sci-fi and fantasy and conspiracies about the royal family, the US presidents, and a ream of other things that it was really a patchwork of interwoven ideas, constantly evolving, changing, and impossible to pin down. Icke even refuted some of his own early claims about the nature of the reptilian shapeshifters at one point, only to go back on himself at a later date, so was evidently uncertain even of his own account.
These days the whole movement has gone much more mainstream, thanks to the internet communication spreads much more rapidly and further than second hand cassette tapes and a few hard to find books. Many of my friends have been drawn into this world. As a scientist working in the field of climate change I have to deal with misinformation on a regular basis. I don't like to take my work home, but on the other hand do I ignore it when my friends repeat this stuff as if it were gospel truth? In addition, I have to ask, do they seriously believe this stuff, or are they like I was with my tale spinning friend, believing him because I want it to be true, it makes for a better narrative than the banal but more complex reality.
I wonder at times whether the phenomena is similar to religious belief, in that it is so integral to a persons world view that they literally cannot see except through the lens of their article of faith. This may be why conspiracy theorists, just as religious fanatics, get angry and go on the attack when their articles of faith are questioned. As far as they are concerned, you are attacking them, their whole world, and they have no recourse but to fight back in self defense.
It's a tough thing to do, talking with such people, you can lose friends in the process, and in my case I am usually dismissed as 'haughty', and 'elitist' when I insist on being at least factually correct resisting the unwarranted leaps of logic and other devices. So, I have come up with a few rules of thumb for dealing with this sort of thing.
1) Conspiracy theories and misinformation are a Hydra headed monster. If you cut off one, another will immediately take it's place. It becomes a war of attrition.
2) Never fight a battle you are not properly armed for. Stick to what you know, and don't address things you don't have a fairly strong background in. If you have to quickly google things to make an argument you are stooping down to the level of the conspiracy theorists, and they will beat you with experience. In general, check your sources, who is saying what and on what grounds?
3) Choose your fights. Is it worth your time and energy discussing things? You can waste a lot of time and energy chasing shadows when you could be doing something useful, like sitting in zazen.....
4) Emotion and feelings trump intellectual rigour, you can't win an argument even when soundly refuting it because facts slide off like Teflon if they don't fit the narrative. Your opponent will most likely become more intrenched in their conviction, so be prepared to lose friends if you engage.
5) If in doubt, remain silent. Every engagement takes an energetic toll on you, and empowers both the person you are arguing with and the fabrications they are peddling. Most of the time it's not worth giving them the oxygen of attention.
These are only my cursory thoughts. I may develop and amend them as time goes on. I will not be attempting to refute this or that idea (see point 1), and I have my own work to do in the world which doesn't involve trying to fight everybody, not am I in a position to do so (point 3). On the other hand, the whole thing is so prevalent in society and online that I would be remiss if I ignored the phenomena entirely, since I do feel that the whole thing plays in to a culture of falsity and illusion which is anathema to the practice of any of the 'spiritual' arts which require the utmost honesty and integrity.
As a final point, it might be worth considering what the person telling you these things is actually saying. What does their involvement in this stuff signify? What are they not getting that they seek through involvement in what is a highly exclusive sub-culture. This I think is the best weapon, not the sword that cuts through argument, but the cup of compassion and reflection. Speak less, listen deeply to the silent voice below the threshold of verbal communication, and connect, not with the surface layer of confusion, but the deeper need of the human on the other side of the divide.
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