by Henry Chester Gellis: Conspiracy theories have been around for thousands of years.
Dictators and tyrants have capitalized on them in order to control and subjugate the masses. Today is no different. This article will explain what a conspiracy theory is, and what makes them popular, while summarizing some of the more widely circulated ones. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the need to be wary of them.
Why Conspiracy Theories Gain Momentum—
We are living in uncertain and turbulent times. Our own country is sharply divided, politically and culturally, our elections have been challenged, and we are still grappling with post-pandemic inflation. The reflex is to try and make sense of the hatred and divisiveness that these circumstances have brought, and it is all too easy to blame evil conspirators. But we must be cautious in buying into unjustified plots and hyperboles.
According to a 2018 study, certain personality traits predispose one to finding comfort in conspiracy theories. Some of these shared characteristics include paranoid thinking, the need for safety, believing the world is a dangerous place, belonging to a social group, and wanting to feel unique—as if one is part of a special group with secret information.
Once the conspiracy thinker has latched onto one of these ideas, the tendency is to force the dots to connect, even where no meaningful pattern exists, as a way to patch together a pseudo rationale for the story.
In other words, the thinker buys into the conclusion first, then stitches together weak premises, rather than the other way around—where solid premises would support a justified conclusion.
But as long as enough people believe these machinations, corrupt leaders will continue to exploit widespread gullibility, and use conspiracy theories to their advantage.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. ~ Lord Acton
What a Conspiracy Theory Is—
A conspiracy theory is traditionally defined as a belief that some secret, but influential organization is responsible for an event or phenomenon. How do you tell the difference between an article that tells the truth and one that is fabricated? Just like a real criminal case, which is tried in a courtroom where hard evidence is presented, a credible news story presents its idea in the context of justified and corroborated support for its thesis claim. Conspiracy theories do not hold up when you look into them with any detail or due diligence.
Just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true…
Example 1: One of the most disturbing conspiracy theories spread in the wake of one of the many mass shootings, specifically the one that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, which killed 21 first graders and six school staffers.
Alex Jones said the shootings were completely fake and that the slain children were hired actors. This has happened with other mass shootings such in Parkland, Florida, at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed. The right-wing media called them “crisis actors.”
Imagine if you were a parent and had lost a young child to a school shooting, but instead of support and compassion during your grieving, you turn on the news to hear Alex Jones saying that it was all just a show put on by actors!
Some of the parents received death threats, some moved, others were compelled to hire security, and now the grieving parents are afraid for their own lives.
The travesty is that Alex Jones was only the most well-known of many other conspiracy theorists, all of whom put forth other variations of the conspiracy. The bottom line is that 26 people died that day in 2012. 20 were children and six were staff.
Robert Jacobson, who worked for Jones for 13 years, said “He will just lie… straight up lie, like nothing’s going on. Like it’s real. And the issue with that is that a lot of people believe him”
Caolan Jones, a former employee, said that “Jones only cares about the sales of his products.” He elaborates: “At the show’s end, the first thing he will say is, ”What were the sales during the show?” Jones’ ex-wife Kelley agreed, that it’s all about the money, rather than the truth.
As of November 2022, Alex Jones has been fined one billion dollars by the courts. He admitted in court that the school shootings actually happened. Now he is raising money for his defense.
In August 2022, Fox News host Trey Gowdy, a former republican representative and district attorney, had this to say about Alex Jones. “He is a career offender for denying the obvious” “He has denied some of the worst tragedies this country has ever suffered through. Lying about anything is bad, but it’s particularly abhorrent when you tell parents who buried a child that their child is not really dead.” In a Texas courtroom this week, Alex Jones finally admitted that he lied. He said the children were murdered and that it wasn’t a hoax or false flag.”
He added, “He’s the one who turned the death of a child into a ten-year long torture chamber for the parents.” Gowdy went on to say that “He tells lies for money and then when his own money is on the line, he admits the obvious. The only war he is waging is on the truth.”
Here are some other popular conspiracy theories to complete our list…
Example 2: On November 22, 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination of John F Kennedy. Two days later, Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby, a Texas nightclub owner while being transported to jail. Over 60% of the country believes that all of this was part of a big cover-up. Some say he was assassinated by the CIA, Cuba, the mafia, or a second unknown shooter.
Example 3: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to land on the surface of the moon. But soon thereafter, and until this day, many Americans believe the moon landing was faked. They point to the unparalleled shadows cast by Neil Armstrong, when this is easily explained by the low angle of the sun. Or they point to the flag, which seems to be blowing in the wind when there’s no wind on the moon. But this too, is no mystery, as the flag is simply wrinkled from being scrunched up during flight.
Example 4: On September 11, 2001, nearly 3000 people lost their lives in the destruction of the World Trade Center. To this day, many people believe our government set explosives in the towers to rally the American people to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq for oil.
Example 5: Princess Diana’s death in a car accident, in Paris, 1997, was no accident. It’s believed that the royal family killed her because they didn’t want her dating Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian film producer, who also died in the crash. Others believe her medical care was sabotaged or that the driver was on the payroll of the intelligence agencies.
Example 6: Six million Jews were killed across Europe in a horrific genocide by Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler between 1941 and 1945. To this day, there are many people, mostly antisemitic, that believe the holocaust never happened. They believe that the numbers were fudged to get sympathy for the Jewish people. Interesting that the Germans, who are guilty of the slaughter, never denied that the Holocaust happened.
Example 7: One of the most outlandish conspiracy theories is that the Democrats are behind a child sex ring. Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta had his emails leaked online. He writes about the possibility of holding a fundraiser at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria and mentions ordering a cheese pizza. Conspirators claimed that “cheese pizza” stood for child pornography. The most ludicrous is that Hillary Clinton was somehow behind a child sex ring in a pizza parlor. Why would Clinton, an intelligent attorney, do this in a public venue where she could be exposed? Wouldn’t she cover this up in a private residence away from the public?
A would-be gunman from Florida came to the pizzeria and found no pedophilia ring in the back room. He then shot his rifle into the door. The gunman is now in jail for many years.
One year later, Q, who claimed to be a government intelligence officer posted on 4chan that behind Pizza Gate were democratic politicians and Hollywood elites who were satanic pedophiles drinking the blood of young children to stay young. The only person who could stop this evil cabal of deep state elites was President Donald Trump. Several Q-anon people have already been charged with violent crimes causing the FBI to label the group a potential terrorist threat.
Example 8: The Chemtrails theory alleges that biological or chemical agents that contain a toxic mix of strontium, aluminum and barium are spread by water condensation trails (contrails) of aircraft. The contrails are streaks of condensed water vapor created at high altitude, where the air is very cold. Hot air from the engine mixes with cold air causing water vapor to crystallize and form visible clouds. These clouds can last for hours or dissipate in minutes, depending on the temperature. Conspirators think this a secret government project whose aim is population control, bioweapons testing, weather modification or control of global warming.
In 2016, the Carnegie Institute published a peer reviewed study of chemtrail theory; 76 out of 77 atmospheric chemists and geochemists saw no truth in the claim of conspirators. Why would these pilots want to poison their family and friends with toxic chemicals?
Example 9: The New World Order controls industry, governments, media and Wall Street with the goal of establishing global hegemony. They are involved with most of the wars in the last 200 years and can influence the fate of nations. This secretly emerging totalitarian government will eventually replace sovereign nations. Organizations who are part of the New World order are the Bilderberg group, the federal reserve system, the Council on foreign relations, the European Union, the world bank, United Nations, the Freemasons, the Illuminati and the Trilateral commission.
Example 10: JFK and JFK JR. in Dallas. Michael Protzman, a Q-anon believer, assembled hundreds of people in Dallas Texas, in early November 2021, to welcome JFK and JFK Junior. The reality is that JFK was assassinated in Dallas in 1963 and JFK JR was killed in a plane crash in 1999, a slight formality, of course. Another small fact is that when JFK didn’t appear, the date was pushed into the future. So far, JFK has not shown up on six different dates and although hundreds of people left, dozens are still waiting.
According to Protzman he is a messenger from God, and states that the Kennedy bloodlines are linked to Christ and that JFK JR will be Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024. Before he departs in 7 days, JFK will transfer power to Trump, who is the King of Kings.
According to Vice and other online sites, Protzman was arrested for domestic violence and for resisting arrest in 2019. His home is in arrears, and due to be foreclosed in early 2022. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from believers and is giving hydrogen peroxide and bio pellets to those with Covid symptoms, for a price. He is also selling financial investments on his web site.
Example 11: Lara Logan was fired from Fox News recently, for saying that “Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn’t represent science… he represents Joseph Mengele.” Mengele did experiments on Jews in WW2 Germany under Hitler.
Months later in 2022, Logan claimed without evidence, that the Rothschild family employed Charles Darwin to come up with his Theory of Evolution, engineered the America Civil War, the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and JFK. That’s quite an ambitious lineup!
The combination of the need for satisfying answers to unspeakable disasters, the distrust of government, along with a propensity for hyperbole, come together to set up the conditions for the emergence of wild and farcical stories. And with the abundance of willing believers, the stories will spread like desert fire. A good story pacifies fear and doubt, fills a void and simulates a sense of being privy to secret information.
But it is very dangerous to believe these sorts of ideas without questioning the source of the material. Blind belief is far from harmless. False information has led to wars, genocide, and breeds interpersonal conflict and general distrust. My plea is that you do your research, check your sources, and form conclusions based on clear evidence, rather than emotion. Lies are dangerous.
