User talk:Alphax/20050516-02

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Your conspiracy theory

Maybe this could be a new game on Wikipedia - "generate a conspiracy theory linking these articles"? Alphax ^τεχ 09:29, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

A long time ago I attended an introduction to criminology lecture (at which I was just about the only non cop-wannabe). The professor showed a basket of goods bought at a hardward store. He set an exercise for the class: figure out what the suspect who had bought this stuff was going to do with it. There was a small knife, some duct-tape, some weedkiller, some chain, some wood and nails. Answers produced by the class were generally elaborate tales of kidnap, extortion, and murder. The professor then revealed that this had been his shopping basket: that the chain was for a child's swing, the duct-tape to fix a duct, the weedkiller to kill some weeds, etc. There wasn't a relationship between them, and no criminal intent. His point was that you can always spin a story that connects unrelated facts, and the more unrelated they are the more entertaining the story will be. So I'm not sure it would be much of a wikigame - it's too easy. -- John Fader (talk | contribs) 10:09, 16 May 2005 (UTC)