Why are there So Many Conspiracy Theories?
What is a Conspiracy Theory and Why So Many Aliens Land on Earth
Feb 22, 2009
For some reason conspiracy theories have become very popular in the western world and social scientists have sought to uncover the reason why. Before looking at the explanations for conspiracy theories, it is necessary to ask what one is.
What is a Conspiracy Theory?
A conspiracy theory exists when one or more people believe that a group of humans or aliens is working towards harmful ends up to and including the destruction of the world, and that one or more governments of the world, or certain parts of them, know about the conspiracy but are not doing anything about it and are not informing the public about the danger. Indeed, a conspiracy theory can include the idea that members of a government or a supranational organisation such as the United Nations are prime movers behind the conspiracy.
Popular Conspiracy Theories
- The alien conspiracy that the US and other NATO governments have proof of the existence of aliens. In the case of the Roswell variant of this conspiracy, that proof takes the form of a space craft and the bodies of the aliens which died when the flying saucer crashed.
- The 9/11 conspiracy that the 9/11 attacks were known about in advance by the US government and the US intelligence agencies which did nothing to stop them as a pretext for an ultimate attack on Iraq to depose Sadam Hussein. Another variant on the 9/11 conspiracy is that the US government was involved in blowing up the Twin Towers and that there were no planes involved.
- The JFK conspiracy that has President Kennedy being assassinated by, variously, the CIA, the FBI, Cuban exiles, the Mafia or Lyndon B Johnson, the Vice-President.
- The New World Order conspiracies that a powerful group of politicians, financiers and businessmen are plotting to institute a single, all-powerful, world government which will usher in one or other (frequently apocalyptic) form of world domination.
- The Apollo Moon Landing conspiracy that the moon landings never took place and were faked by NASA in a very large television studio.
- The Princess Diana conspiracy that Price Charles’ wife was killed by the British Secret Service acting, if one strand is to be believed, on the instructions of Prince Philip.
- At a less global level, the ‘Paul McCartney is dead’ conspiracy which holds that there are sufficient clues in the Abbey Road album and its cover to prove that Paul was dead and had been replaced by a look-a-like.
Why are there Conspiracy Theories?
Some sociologists and psychologists believe that, as people search for meaning in situations and events they find it hard to accept (such as the death of someone who is much admired or young, or a major world event) they latch onto one or more elements of the event or coverage of it and build, often subconsciously and without realising it, a theory that will explain the event. This theory may sound plausible to others not in possession of the full facts and, if it is denied by the authorities, then that denial may be taken as proof of an official cover-up, thus going to ‘prove’ that there is a conspiracy.
Others believe that the rise of conspiracy theories is a result of the increased and increasing amount of information available to people in the West. This leads to those either seeking to make sense of something or with a psychological tendency towards conspiracy theories to weave this often completely unconnected information into a conspiracy theory. According to this view, the growth of the Internet will fuel the growth of more conspiracy theories about an increasing number of events and social and global developments
Is this Article Part of the Global Conspiracy?
Of course, because this article seeks to debunk and demystify conspiracy theories, it could itself be interpreted as part of one or more conspiracies because it seeks to persuade the reader not to believe so easily in conspiracies. The reader must make up their own mind!
