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merrily

(45,251 posts)
33. With which person or entity not within Volkswagon did Volkswagon conspire?
Sat Oct 24, 2015, 05:21 PM
Oct 2015

It's one thing to say certain individuals within Volkswagon conspired to do something. That would be a correct use of the word. And then, you would charge them individually. But Volkswagon is a single entity or "corporate person." So Volkwagon itself, as a corporation, did not "conspire" unless someone outside the company participated.

Maybe what I said is easier to grasp if we leave corporations out of it for a second. If one person kills someone, it's murder, not conspiracy to murder. If five people plan togeth to kill someone, it's a criminal conspiracy, even if the murder never happens. See what I am trying to say?

I addressed the issue of a conspiracy having to involve more than one "person" because I had actually seen someone post "conspiracy theory" to something involving only one person. Doubting that something happened does not automatically make the accusation that it did happen a conspiracy theory if only one person is involved.

Also, if someone has been convicted of something, we usually drop the word "theory."

The assassination of JFK was the only time the term was used most of my life, it is a symbol of the orpupilofnature57 Sep 2015 #1
The only time? I've seen it used on DU alone in all kinds of contexts other than the assassination. merrily Sep 2015 #2
Oh I agree, and what gets lost is identifying the implements of Usurping by author ty in Bail-outs, orpupilofnature57 Sep 2015 #13
Ichingcarpenter's Reply 21 is very interesting. merrily Oct 2015 #41
Thanks, Your so right, it's fascinating info . orpupilofnature57 Oct 2015 #46
One of the arguements against c.t. is TexasProgresive Sep 2015 #3
Depends on the theory. As few as two people can be co-conspirators. merrily Sep 2015 #5
My point is if you had a group of people-not just 2 TexasProgresive Sep 2015 #11
Got it, thanks. I don't have a lot to say about the Kennedy assassination. merrily Sep 2015 #12
Yeah, I don't have any hard and fast theories about JFK's death TexasProgresive Sep 2015 #16
I don't think we'll ever know--and, at this point, does it matter? merrily Sep 2015 #17
There are a lot of mysterous "coincidences" in politics and the more people try to rhett o rick Oct 2015 #25
I understand your position. For me, fresher stuff would be the priority for actual investigation. merrily Oct 2015 #37
In my opinion there is a conspiracy by the 1% to neutralize our Constitutional powers. It's not rhett o rick Oct 2015 #42
"Openly" may be the key word. merrily Oct 2015 #43
That may be true but I am going a different direction. IMO the main point when people refer to rhett o rick Oct 2015 #44
Yup. 'conspiracy' can be as simple as a news organization sitting on a story that will affect the Erich Bloodaxe BSN Sep 2015 #4
Your post is worded correctly, but your subject line is not. merrily Sep 2015 #7
'one news organization' is not 'one person'. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Sep 2015 #9
Tell it to Scalia. merrily Sep 2015 #10
Speaking of "many news organizations" and conspiring is a good place for the following opinion. rhett o rick Oct 2015 #27
I remember that. It was the NY Times over warrantless wiretapping. robertpaulsen Oct 2015 #22
I think this term is used to discredit what might actually be the truth newfie11 Sep 2015 #6
It's certainly used in attempts to dismiss and discredit. merrily Sep 2015 #8
I don't like the term because of its connotation of fringe Jim Lane Sep 2015 #14
Good points merrily Sep 2015 #15
The news organization came up in a sub-thread Jim Lane Sep 2015 #19
Well put . orpupilofnature57 Sep 2015 #18
K & R historylovr Oct 2015 #20
“Conspiracy Theory”: Foundations of a Weaponized Term Ichingcarpenter Oct 2015 #21
Thanks for the great post. Conservative authoritarianism abhors Conspiracy Theories rhett o rick Oct 2015 #24
Thanks for that. zeemike May 2016 #47
What a great OP. This is exactly what I think this Group is for. This is an important subject rhett o rick Oct 2015 #23
It certainly is an interesting topic. There are tons of conspiracy theories on 9/11 for example. still_one Oct 2015 #26
Good luck finding irrefutable evidence of something your government is trying to keep secret, merrily Oct 2015 #31
I have a more optimistic assessment. If more than one person is aware of something, the truth will still_one Oct 2015 #34
I don't agree. However, until it does come out, the idea that it happened is not a whacko merrily Oct 2015 #35
I think the corporate-owned news media propaganda organs are the ones who PatrickforO Oct 2015 #28
The burden of proof is on the conspiracy theorist emulatorloo Oct 2015 #29
Kindly point out which woo woo being pushed by Jones or Beck I attempted to mainstream. merrily Oct 2015 #32
Kindly re-read my post, as I said no such thing. I just have a different opinion than you emulatorloo Oct 2015 #36
Re read your own suggestion that I am attempting to mainstream woo woo ala Jones and Beck. merrily Oct 2015 #38
Merrily, I am just not interested in fighting with you emulatorloo Oct 2015 #39
Asking you to reread your own post after you told me to reread your post is fighting? Interesting. merrily Oct 2015 #40
No the labeling does not disprove it. But IMHO burden of proof is on the the one proposing it emulatorloo Oct 2015 #45
Well, hmmm Doubledee Oct 2015 #30
With which person or entity not within Volkswagon did Volkswagon conspire? merrily Oct 2015 #33
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