ipl-logo

Barack Obama's Conspiracy Theory

1712 Words7 Pages

The controversial theory that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya surfaced in the media after he was elected president of the United States in 2008. There was also speculation that Barack Obama’s birth certificate was in fact forged and he was not born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but instead born in Kenya. This erratic conspiracy theory entails that Barack Obama’s position as the president of the United States should be voided because he is not a natural born United States citizen. In his conspiratorial articles, Paul Joseph Watson from Infowars.com, questions whether or not Barack Obama was surely born in Honolulu, Hawaii and not in Kenya. The conspiratorial nature of Watson’s articles lead to the conclusion that these articles have the characteristics …show more content…

According to the “The Conspiracy Theory Indicator” article, a conspiracy theory seeks to “commingle facts and speculations” and fails to distinguish its degree of possibility or factuality. (Shermer) In the article, “EVIDENCE OBAMA BORN IN KENYA GOES BEYOND 1991 BROCHURE”, Watson fails to include a reliable source of validity for any of his claims. The article uses quotes from imaginary people as evidence to support the theory that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. “Another source who met Sarah Obama told World Net daily…. A separate Kenyan government official agreed, stating…” (Watson) Who exactly is “another source who met Sarah Obama”, and what type of credibility do they have as a source? Who is this “separate Kenyan government official” and why is their name not included as valuable information? The article merely states its theory and then fails to offer some sort of factual support. The lack of credible sources in this article is a conspiratorial feature. This is a major characteristic of a conspiracy theory. According to the “Echoes of a Conspiracy: Birthers, Truthers, and the Cultivation of Extremism” article, conspiracy theories, “Fenster says‘…suffer from a lack of substantive proof, dizzying leaps of logic…’”(Warner and Neville-Shepard) The article uses words that show reluctant support of its theory. If the article is confident that the homeland

Show More
Related

Twyla's Phone Calls: A Case Study Of Serial Killers

427 Words | 2 Pages

A friend of mine, Twyla Johnson, of Des Moines, Iowa needs your help. Twyla 's sister was murdered in 1975. No one has ever been held accountable for this murder. The detective on the case in 1975, now retired, has told Twyla the names of the persons believed to be guilty. He went to the prosecutor 2 times, but it was said there wasn 't enough evidence to convict.

Read More

Elizabeth Korbert The Things People Say Summary

689 Words | 3 Pages

The article, The Things People Say, written by Elizabeth Kolbert examines the consequences of group polarization by utilizing the outbreak surrounding President Obama’s birthplace and citizenship. During the 2008 elections, the media played a huge role in spreading the concept that President Obama was not born in the United States and that the birth certificate he revealed was a fake. The author analyzes not only the falsification of the story itself, but also the larger idea regarding the internet’s interference with extremism that can cause misinformation. The tone that was used by the author proved most evident when examining this article.

Read More

Conspiracy Theories: The Lincoln Assassination

323 Words | 2 Pages

Five days after the Confederacy’s surrender, John Wilkes Booth had successfully killed one of the most influential presidents in American history to do what he believed would redeem power to the southern states. Booth’s main goal was to tear down the Union’s government by taking down their leader and his successors, but the original plan did not involve the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Historian Christopher Hammer explained in his article "Booth's Reason for Assassination", the former actor had created a group of co conspirators and designed "a ploy on March 17 to capture Lincoln as he traveled in his carriage [and had] collapsed when the president changed his itinerary—and several of Booth’s conspirators ultimately left the group.” (Teaching History). Since the failed capture of the president, Booth hatred towards Lincoln grew after hearing the president’s goal to officially abolish slavery in his Second Presidential

Read More

Mexican Americans Justified Dbq Essay

776 Words | 4 Pages

To review the facts behind the actions of the war reveal Mexico to be slightly less guilty, with a stronger basis to support their participation in the Mexican-American

Read More

Db Cooper Conspiracy Theory

889 Words | 4 Pages

So what might have happened the day D.B. Cooper stepped out of that plane? Mysteries are hard to conclude, as there are many different conspiracy theories supporting what might have happened. D.B. Cooper is known for hijacking and using false identities. Cooper is also known to be really mischievous and to stay hidden easily. Unfortunately, investigators have insufficient evidence to demonstrate how this all went downhill.

Read More

John F. Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theory: Lyndon B. Johnson

511 Words | 3 Pages

In this conspiracy, it is said that Johnson hired two men to assassinate John F. Kennedy. At least one of the gunmen was supposedly waiting in the

Read More

Jfk Assassination Conspiracy Theory

942 Words | 4 Pages

It’s the year 1976, the United States Senate has just called for a new inquiry into the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot in 1963 during his own motorcade in Dallas, TX while running for re-election. The CIA along with the FBI were coaxed into releasing new documents on Lee Harvey Oswald, and individuals who had not given evidence previously were persuaded to come forward. Pieces of evidence such as sound recordings and photographs were being subjected to scientific research analysis using more modern equipment. In 1979 the House Select Committee on Assassinations, or (HCSA), finally came to a verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald shot three times at the president; one of which, hitting his head and killing him. It was also concluded that a fourth shot was taken from ‘the grassy knoll’, which was something that was contradicting to the statement given by the Warren Commission 16 years earlier.

Read More

Jfk Conspiracy Theory

1555 Words | 7 Pages

The term conspiracy theory is defined as a belief that powerful people or groups are responsible for events or situations due to secret plans that are illegal or harmful. There is many conspiracy theories that captivated the American people, but the most controversy conspiracy theory that leaves many unanswered questions for years is the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Friday of November 22, 1963, the 35th President of the United States, JFK, was shot at 12:30 PM while traveling in Dallas, Texas to appear for the next presidential campaign. Thousands of Americans whom was present at Dallas, Texas just witness the murder of the United States president. Many Americans believed that the United States government was behind the JFK assassination.

Read More

The Conspiracy Theory: The Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings

1258 Words | 6 Pages

Conspiracy theories are widely known in the society that we live in today. Webster’s definition of a conspiracy theory is a theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by usually powerful people or groups. Conspiracy theories are accepted by many people in the world that we live in today. A recent conspiracy theory involves the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed twenty students.

Read More

Area 51 Conspiracy Theory

1443 Words | 6 Pages

When it comes to urban legends and conspiracy theories, there is one urban legend in particular that comes to mind; Area 51. Area 51 is a United States military base located just north of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a place whose existence the U.S. government long spurned to acknowledge, until now. On August 16th, 2015, the CIA released declassified documents about the history of the U-2 plane. These documents officially acknowledge Area 51.

Read More

Things People Say: Rumors In An Age Of Unreason By Elizabeth Kolbert

584 Words | 3 Pages

The Internet is widely used around the world, originally acting as a source to find information quickly online, but nowadays it has developed so much that people also use it as a way to communicate with others, as well as sharing opinions on blogs and other social media. In the article titled “The Things People Say: Rumors in an Age of Unreason”, published in the New Yorker (November 2009), staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert discusses how individuals only believe what agrees with their views, and argues that people are the source of rumors and misinformation, especially online. Kolbert supports this claim by first introducing the video of a birther speaking out against President Barack Obama’s birth certificate as an example, describing the skepticism

Read More

The Illuminati Conspiracy Theories

1143 Words | 5 Pages

Does the secret society of the past still exist? Many seem to believe the Illuminati is still around to this day. The big question is, who is the Illuminati and where did they emerged from? Many conspirators say the Freemasons have a lot influence on them and their actions. Although it is still considered a conspiracy, the Illuminati, one of the most secretive societies do in fact exist.

Read More

Donald Trump Fallacies

734 Words | 3 Pages

Fallacies in political speeches: Donald Trump announces he is running for president. Donald Trump’s one very distinct “ability” is making a vast amount of people react to what he says. Be it good or bad, this makes him gain more attention not only in the United States, but all over the world. At the end of the day, what really matters is if his statements have, in fact, any effect on people’s votes. So for those who are not yet sure about his sincerity, it only takes a not to deep analysis of his speeches to spot serious fallacies.

Read More

Barack Obama Speech Rhetorical Devices

741 Words | 3 Pages

Obama Speech On March 18, 2008, former United States president Barack Obama made a statement to clarify the meaning and the truth behind the statements made by his pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. During this time in America, many people felt racism was very much alive in society and hoped that voting for a black president would be a major step to resolving this ongoing problem. Yet the reverends comments seem to prove to people across the country that racism was not only still existing, but that the possibly elected African American president was a racist. Using plain folk, Barack Obama was able to educate people on the truth of his views by making Americans very engaged through incorporation of known events into his ideas, making people

Read More

Essay On Barack Obama's Bases Of Power

1111 Words | 5 Pages

Power can be translated to the “ability to influence others” (Agunis, Pierce, & Simonsen, 1998, p. 456). Barack Obama has influenced millions in his lifetime by taking the power he desires to have, from being an attorney, moving up to Illinois State Senator, to becoming a US President for two terms. While he was a Senator in 2004 he was invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention. In his Keynote Address, he expressed different bases of power as he spoke. The bases of power, as explained by Agunis, Pierce, and Simonsen, are reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert.

Read More

More about Barack Obama's Conspiracy Theory

Related Topics

Open Document