http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_u...inty_and_doubt
The FUD Factor.
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.
Argument NUMBER ONE for a conspiracy theory ALWAYS uses this FUD factor.
I invite discussion.FUD techniques may be crude and simple, as in claiming "I read a paper by a Harvard professor that shows you are wrong regarding subject XXX", but the paper does not exist. (Were the paper to exist then it would not be FUD but valid criticism.) Alternatively FUD may be very subtle, employing an indirect approach. Someone who employs FUD cannot generally back up their claims (i.e. "I don't recall which professor or which year the paper is from"). To dispel FUD, the easiest way is to ask for details and then provide well researched hard facts which disprove them. For instance, if it can be shown that no Harvard professor ever has written a paper on subject XXX, then the FUD is dispelled.
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