We've all been assuming that the hoax 'believers' actually believe what they're saying. Suppose at least some of them are just trolling us?
I think that's absolutely true. I'm one of those who believes that Kaysing started out knowing it was all BS and either got caught up in the story and couldn't admit he just did it to poke at a government he hated or (I don't think he was entirely mentally stable) said it so often he started believing it.
I also think it's likely that at least some of the more outspoken ones are just entertaining themselves - the folks who always wanted the contrarian side on the debate team. They know there's no hoax, they just enjoy the argument.
Yeah, personally, I don't think a demonstration of "why" the landings were hoaxed would prove a thing. Questions of motive only mean so much. Questions of motive can never really be proven. The landings are a question of fact, and the only rebuttal is to show that the facts are wrong and to show facts that replace them. That's what it would take to show me that the landings were hoaxed. A complete demonstration of all the facts of how the hoax was accomplished.
Agreed about motive. I've heard more than one DA say that it's a common fallacy (mostly an artifact of TV) that the prosecution needs to show motive in proving a criminal case. While it can be helpful, it's not necessary at all - sometimes it's never really known why an individual does something. All that's required, just as you said, is to prove the facts of the case.
Wouldn't you hate to be a DA with an HB or two on a jury? Any physical evidence is faked, and all prosecution witnesses are lying, either because they've been paid off, or are under a death threat, or some such. Hell, the whole thing was probably a guvmint op, and the defendant is a fall guy.
What would convince me is a Ken Burns documentary.
Not the documentary per se, but the environment in which such a documentary would be made; in which all sorts of material becomes available about the hoax, the process of the hoax, the people who made it possible.
The documentary would be lots and lots of talking heads of people describing the struggles and travails and improvisations and doubts and small victories. And all the moments where it looked like the (hoax) project was going to fail, but due to luck or some stroke of genius or a whole bunch of grueling long just-plain-work, the thing got back on track again.
And there would be technical studies and pictures of the equipment and behind-the-scenes of the filming. And all sorts of surprising esoteric stuff most people would have never thought needed to be part of the hoax, and that took all sorts of clever work to pull off.
And they would be proud, too. A little sad -- especially sad that it hadn't been possible to go to the Moon -- but aware of their place in history and of what they accomplished in fooling the world. And they'd want to talk about it. They wouldn't be frightened, they wouldn't avoid interviews; they'd be pleased to have a chance to finally talk about it, and to get back together again with the men and women who had been involved in that escapade with them.
Wouldn't a well made mockumentary like that be hoot? Sort of like Dark Side of The Moon but focused more on the technical side? Of course, the HBs would quickly adopt it as their own.
