conspiracy theories

 What are conspiracy theories? There are several questions to ask yourself when considering the motivations behind conspiracy theories. Who are the people that are buying into these conspiracy theories? What is the atmosphere in which these conspiracy theories operate, and who benefits from this atmosphere? Lastly, what does history teach us about conspiracies in general?

Conspiracy theories arise when a group of people come together to believe an idea should be true even though no one really knows if it's true or not. They work best with hard to understand subjects and require a belief in "the power of an invisible hand" guiding events. This power usually has nothing to do with a deity or intelligent designer but instead is attributed as the dark machinations of all-powerful men or groups.

When someone becomes a believer in a conspiracy theory, they become what is known as a "true believer" or "zombie." This type of person has entered into an altered state of consciousness where they are somehow separated from reality and become totally obsessed with the subject. When this happens, true believers are completely oblivious to any evidence that disproves their belief. Ultimately, it's all about them and what they want to believe regardless of the facts.

One thing true believers do share is their fear of authority figures. They believe that anyone who is rich, powerful or successful is somehow part of the conspiracy against them personally. Who are the conspirators? The first question to ask is who benefits from these conspiracy theories. There is little doubt that those who benefit are in positions of power and influence. 

The success of a conspiracy theory turns on the atmosphere and ideas with which it operates. This is in contrast to something a respected historian might write about an event and have it accepted as fact by historians worldwide. A conspiracy theory doesn't have that burden of proof, and as such can perpetuate stories that sound good but have no real basis in reality. An example would be the false claim that Hitler escaped World War II and became an advisor to the United States Government. Even though there are hundreds of people who believe this story, it has been universally rebuked by historians and is seen as a hoax by many others.

On the other hand, history has an abundance of conspiracies that have turned out to be true.  History may not always favor conspiracy theories (comparable to how we think conspiracies work today) but they do live in a strange alternate reality where both sides of a conspiracy are equally guilty of perpetrating a hoax if that hoax turns out to be false. In other words, if it is proven that someone lied about a conspiracy theory then you can hardly blame them for being sneaky about it.

A key element of conspiracy theory success is its ability to turn on a dime and shift from hero to villain at any moment. A conspiracy theory should never claim any moral high ground over anyone. This gives it the ability to evolve and survive in its preferred environment. It also doesn't need consistency for it to be successful, so being able to change its mind is a plus. For example, the people who believe that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States.

In all of these cases, you have a group of people who are looking for answers to complicated questions. They may not agree on everything but they find common ground around them that want to believe the answers are there. They won't accept any answer that doesn't fit, even if it's proven to be true. They are willing to believe supernatural explanations and will dig as far down into an event as is necessary to make a connection.

They're not searching for truth; they're searching for the story line they want to believe. They do this by appealing to emotion and then attacking anyone who disagrees with them in fear of being labeled as a liar or out of spite of not being able to control their emotions. This is why you'll always see people trying to push a certain narrative over another.

Then when every angle is explored, the conspiracies explode and shift into something even more ridiculous because there are no moral bounds keeping things from evolving into a completely insane new direction. This is why there are so many different versions of the same theory all over the internet. It's also why you sometimes hear people say "this isn't a conspiracy theory anymore" when it clearly is one. It's because once people have been triggered into believing a certain version of events, they'll believe it no matter what it turns out to be.

What made the JFK murder conspiracy theories so exciting was that they weren't everyday things. They were something that would never be believed by anyone because it was too outrageous. But once people were tricked into believing them, they believed them with such zeal as if they found a treasure map out in the middle of a field. It was all over the news and everyone wanted to find the next person or secret organization that would take them to this hidden treasure of truth.

Conspiracy theories are like parasites feeding on emotions and any sort of mystery. They thrive on paranoia and conflict where no one wants to think about their own role in something bad happening. This is why the vast majority of conspiracy theories are about things that are controversial and/or tragic. It's also why you hear so much about anti-Semitism in conspiracy circles. The only real way to resolve anti-Semitism is to confront it, which is something people who believe in a conspiracy theory will never do because it's the very foundation of their belief system.

History teaches us those conspiracies happen even when they're not wanted or predicted. The Holocaust, the Spanish Inquisition, and all of the other atrocities we've seen throughout history were almost certainly planned by some group with no public voices or names. They just did it with great secrecy and no one really believed it until after the fact. Conspiracy theories are a way for people to think out loud, but they are not really important when you stop and think about them logically.

If you want to believe in something that sounds good, go ahead. Just don't believe anything that can't be proven or is based entirely on speculation. Even then, you should always be careful about what you believe because if you choose wrong, someone will try to crucify you the very next day for doing so. This is the story of human history. The only way we can get through it is together and while we're at it we might as well have a good time along the way.