What is this?
Schwurbler.Net is a satire generator. At the push of a button it builds texts in the style of conspiracy narratives: deliberately exaggerated, absurd and transparent.
Why satire?
Conspiracy rhetoric follows recognisable patterns: «they don't want you to know», alleged evidence from shady sources, miracle cures, circular reasoning and an invisible enemy behind everything. Once you have assembled these building blocks yourself, you spot them faster in real life. Laughter creates distance, and distance helps you think.
Our rules
- Every post is labelled as satire: with the watermark «SATIRE · Schwurbler.Net» and a notice in the text.
- Below every text there is a real fact check on the topic.
- There are no real people as culprits. The enemies stay absurdly made-up, such as the lizard people of Lake Constance.
- We mock the rhetoric, never groups of people. Antisemitic, racist and other hateful codes are blocked.
- There is no health advice. Miracle cures are pure invention, like the quantum onion.
In the spirit of the Golden Tinfoil Hat
The project is inspired by the negative award «Der goldene Aluhut», which since 2015 has honoured the most absurd conspiracy narratives and promotes media literacy with humour. Schwurbler.Net is an independent project and not part of the Goldene Aluhut.
Real information and help
If conspiracy narratives concern you, because you come across them yourself or because someone close to you is drifting into them, here are reliable resources:
- www.bpb.de: German Federal Agency for Civic Education: background on conspiracy theories (Germany, German)
- www.infosekta.ch: infoSekta: counselling for relatives and those affected, including conspiracy narratives (Switzerland)
- edmo.eu: EDMO: European network against disinformation with fact checks from all over Europe
- ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org: IFCN: list of verified fact-checking organisations worldwide, also in your language
- correctiv.org: CORRECTIV.Faktencheck: fact checks on current false reports (German)