While I don't find it particularly endearing that you are trying to dunk on a guy that is admittedly not engaged in the topic, I'll bite

the body of the thread a posted on c/knowledgefight,

I’ll take a listen to the podcast, but I think you are right in that it’s only tangentially relevant. Although it’s existence shows the topic won’t die easily.

Personally, I think we should move the conversation there since posting here feels like you're trying to get more eyeballs on this stuff. I find this stuff dangerous, and it's usually best discussed in a more focused group.

I don't recall calling the episode tangentially relevant. It contains the best evidence I've heard for Pizzagate.

I'll be honest, I have no idea what that last sentence ("Although...") is supposed to mean. These things won't die easily because there is nothing that will ever stop people like Alex Jones screaming that Democrats drink baby blood. People believe him, and are loud about it. The fact that an idea shows no signs of dying out is not going to get me to believe it. (I'm a Taurus, after all.)

No victims coming forward.

Such a bad argument. Are you expecting an abused kid to file a police report? Look at Epstein’s Virginia Giuffre who is now 40! At least the guardian’s of the kids in the Instagram photos should have been questioned.

Bad argument? At least engage with it. You ask me to look to Epstein's Virginia Giuffre. Who as you know, was a victim who came forward. This is the kind of evidence I'm asking for.

Please, and I mean it, please I want to see it, show me any pundit that "bunks" pizzagate talking-points that also said anything about Epstein before Giuffre's public assertions.

There are no victims in pizzagate. What are you doing bringing Epstein into this? He was brought down by victims coming forward. The lack of evidence is no reason to point fingers.

No suspicious activity.

There was enough to send 4chan and reddit into a frenzy. I think you mean that there was no definitive proof.

Oh lordy. Was I dismissive of things that sent 4chan and reddit into a frenzy? I'm sorry. That must sting a bit. That is your best evidence so far.

The only thing interesting about pizzagate is how strongly people can hold on to beliefs with zero backing.

I thought the most interesting thing was how hard the pushback was. Pizza owners on the news, 10 min features on Colbert, NYT and Rolling Stone articles, banning of subreddits and censoring of search results. Try to find the steemit article I linked above. There was a well organised PR campaign against “nothing”.

We're both just stating our opinions here. But I thought the pushback was perfectly inline. How else do you reach the kind of people who believe things based whatever they hear from pundits claiming to have secret knowledge?

I suspect some of the conclusions being drawn from highly circumstantial evidence were too close to the truth for some influential people’s comfort.

That's very vague and spooky. Does it have a meaning?

I’m sure 99% of posts about pizzagate are LARPing really.

Initially all politicians were suspected (e.g. Hastert is republican). It turned into a right wing topic after qanon stoked the fires.

Wow. Bold of you to bring up another known pedophile. His downfall was the FBI seeing suspicious cash withdrawls. So who was that money going to? That's right, a verified victim of molestation by Denny Hastert. You known, one of the (sorry to call them) characters I'd like to see in this pizzagate accusation. You only get to call Hastert a pedophile because a victim came forward.

And qanon stoking fires is another conspiracy point I will simply not engage with. Qanon is too unfounded for me.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say, the fact there is no evidence backing it up is precisely why this stuff is so dangerous.

True. On the other hand, vigilantism occurs when the police say they’ve investigated but actually haven’t. (Sorry impossible to back this statement in 2024. If you doubt me, find some official DC police reports unrelated to the gunman attack)

I live in America. That investigation went as far as it could before violating the rights of a private business owner. Your parry here truly shows how dangerous this is.

However, out in the dangerous part of the world, no one cares about this. It’s so fucking easy to dismiss this stuff. Why would anyone believe it?

It happened in Belgium, UK, France, Portugal etc. People there cared. Why not also in the US?

I'm sorry. I was being metaphorical here. When I said "out in the dangerous part of the world", I was speaking for the POV of the fictional infowarrior. By the dangerous part of the world, I simply meant reality. Where people do not engage with these fear-mongers who actually proclaim that Democrats drink the blood of babies. Reality is where these baseless ideas and beliefs make one feel isolated. This is last I will engage here as I feel I'm being quoted out of context.

This feels like persecution, gaslighting, and like “they” are all in on it.

Podesta and Alefantis have certainly been persecuted by the Internet. And probably still are being 8 years later. Their no comment policy certainly backfired.

I have no idea what this is supposed to mean. It sounds like you are bragging about making peoples lives miserable based on nothing.