Thinking Out Loud about Conspiracy Theories
I’ve written about the popularity of conspiracy theories before. I think about this phenomenon a lot. America has become a nation that thrives upon conspiracies. There’s a new one almost every day.
The emotional content of conspiracy theories is addictive.
Often there are much simpler explanations, but they don’t provide the rush we’ve grown accustomed to feeling with a good, old-fashioned conspiracy.
However, disinformation professionals have latched on to our love of conspiracies and created entire businesses with their self-proclaimed insider’s knowledge.
It can be very lucrative.
We must remember that before we understood many things like weather patterns or pandemics, human behaviors and natural disasters, every culture on the planet had developed conspiracy theories that became the appropriate explanations for what’s going on all around them.
Let’s face it. Life ain’t easy, and we have a need to know why shit keeps happening to us.
Religion is a perfect example of conspiracy theories that thrive among most populations even in this modern day and age. We now have far better explanations for many things and our knowledge base is growing, but the vast majority of people prefer the mystical world of gods and demons.
It’s amazing how quickly and easily we accept these often nonsensical religious explanations for what’s going on around us only to stubbornly resist logical possibilities, let alone scientific data.
Once again, our big brains let us down. Just as they’ve done over and over again for centuries. Where is Spock when we need him most? We have chosen to listen to tarot card readers and men dressed in funny hats instead.
You can’t tell me that you’ve never noticed that religious leaders down through the ages have created the weirdest damn hats to wear.
These hats add to their mythological influence. We’re easily impressed with strange hats, flowing robes, statues, chanting, candles, incense, and the like. Aren’t we?
OMG! Yes! (pun intended)
I apologize for this little impromptu musing. Oh, ok — rant. I’ll admit that it’s an exercise in recording my own personal stream of consciousness. I woke up thinking about this and voila, here it is.
However, I contend that our love of conspiracy theories has added to the divisiveness of American life these days.
EVERYTHING is controversial. EVERYTHING! There isn’t a topic on the planet that doesn’t quickly become steeped in conspiracies.
Will Smith apparently punched Chris Rock last night on live television and in less that an hour the internet was abuzz with conspiracy theories.
It was staged. Will faked it for publicity. Chris Rock and Will collaborated on a piece of live acting. Blah, blah, blah, blah …
The pot was stirred a billion times.
Incidentally, I got all my secondhand information about Will Smith’s big punch via the internet as I don’t watch the Oscars — or go to church for that matter.
I follow El Pais, however, a news outlet in Spain, because I winter in Spain. The news of the great fake punch had spread to Spain like wildfire within hours. That’s how I found out about it.
Trust me. People are people no matter where you live. We can’t seem to help ourselves. Or maybe it’s something THEY put in our drinking water? Inquiring minds want to know.
Teresa Roberts is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
