11 Seriously Bizarre Conspiracy Theories
10. Fluoride In Drinking Water As Mind Control
Keeping with the theme that the government is trying to poison you, what's up with fluoride?
Well, according to people on the internet, the government is putting fluoride in your drinking water, not as a way of keeping your teeth all lovely and strong, but to poison you and turn you into a mindless zombie.
Conspiracy theorists have a couple of ideas about this. One camp claims that the fluoride makes us ill, meaning that we will spend more money on pharmaceuticals. Another group claim that it is being added as a mind-control weapon designed to keep us all stupid, docile and compliant.
The second crowd often cite "facts" about fluoride's effect on parts of the brain, usually the pineal gland. Unfortunately for them, the pineal gland has literally nothing to do with obedience (it actually regulates your circadian rhythm).
Not to be defeated, however, the Tin Foil Hat brigade will often point to a "study" that has conclusively "proven" that fluoride reduces childrens' IQ. What they often fail to mention is that this study was referring to the mega-dose fluoride levels caused by industrial soil contamination in countries such as India and China.
Not exactly the government trying to control your mind via the medium of toothpaste then, but you tried...