I am curious about the occasional reference to "tin-foil hats" ...

[chicagojoe]

I can imagine, somewhat, what this might be about, but I'm not sure.
Could someone shed some light? Thanks.

[NMDemDist2]

1. tin foil hatters=conspiracy theorist

:tinfoilhat:

edit to add a link to the DU glossary

http://dug.seattleactivist.org/

[Syrinx]

2. what the Arizona Dem said

And I wear my tinfoil hat proudly. Conspiracies are part of everyday life. Otherwise, why would there be laws against conspiracies?

[rucky]

3. wouldn't you like to know

[chicagojoe]

4. Thank you all very much !

I figured it was something like that; I just wasn't sure.
Are these hats very protective, or just a fashion statement ?

[hansberrym]

5. Tin foil hats are worn to prevent one's mind from being read, especially

by persons who believe the Government has electronic surveilance eqipment capable of reading anyones mind, and also capable of mind control sort of like the manchurian candidate(though that was more in the vein of hypnosis/brain washing)


The term is also used as a condescending reference to those who believe in conspiracy theories in general.


Note: the term is actually a misnomer since most are actually constructed of aluminum foil, or so I am told.

[Sapphocrat]

6. If you can stomach Mel Gibson...

...see the movie "Signs" for a literal demonstration of tinfoil-hat "protection".

[Tom Kitten]

7. Somewhere I have a tape...

off a radio interview done about 8 years ago on KBOO FM with a lady who did research into a beam weapon the government (CIA maybe?) had developed that could alter a person's behavior if it was used on you....It could turn a placid individual into a murderer, she cited OJ Simpson as a possible victim....Also she said "they" were recruiting Bloods and Crips, among others, to hide in wooded areas along the freeways and turn them on unsuspecting motorists passing by...
Now tinfoil hats might do the trick insofar as deflecting these beams when they are directed at you, I have no idea at all, although she did mention copper mesh helmets as being the best defense...
What I'm saying here is I don't really believe this, but I can see how some might...I used to ride the bus home with a nice middle class man who insisted the moon landings were faked and used to show me his ream of printouts about the benefits of that most suppressed of miraculous inventions that could cure illness, the orgone accumulator...