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Purpose Of Conspiracy Theories

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Conspiracy theories are built from the foundations of rumors. They are sometimes called “quasi-theories” (Ch.3, pg. 53). The purpose of conspiracy theories is to help people bring order to a chaotic event. To do so, conspiracy theories also use accepted societal beliefs to lay the blame upon a given party and divide the participants. Commonly, conspiracy theories are used to separate people into an ‘us’ and ‘them’ category. This separation is used to help the believer direct their emotions to the appropriate party, usually anger towards the ‘them’ party and sympathy towards the ‘us’ group. This creates a sense of unity within the ‘us’ party, it also allows for a person to reside in a sense of community. Since many conspiracy theories are not the published truth, believers can take a sense of comfort from this community. Conspiracy theories is the ending product after rumors go through three stages of evolution. …show more content…

The example used through the chapter of September 11th and its aftermath is a good example to show the progress of rumor to conspiracy theory. After the towers fell and the days following, numerous rumors spread about more terrorists’ attempts and plans. These attacks caused great confusion, this level not seen since Pearl Harbor. The rumors that were spread were meant to keep people away from potential sites of terrorist attacks. Feat was rampant after the attacks and people relied more on rumors and stories to guide their lives following the attacks. People wanted to know how to cope with the new sense of insecurity and fear. After the fear has waned, rumors developed into the people seeking to know that justice was met

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He challenged this assumption by arguing that historians and South Carolina officials had written the result of the Stono Rebellion in reverse. Many of the historians and officials had assumed that there was a competent conspiracy theory to rebel before the violence even erupted. Hoffer again disagreed with this assumption. After analyzing the many causes that could’ve started the rebellion, the author came across many shortcomings and deficiencies of the traditional conspiracy theories that many individuals believe caused the rebellion.

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Conspiracy theories have become a prevalent part of today’s society as the ever-looming belief that the government cannot be trusted further continues to be present thought. A leading conspiracy theory is that the infamous serial killers H.H. Holmes and Jack the Ripper were in fact one in the same. It is believed that H.H. Holmes committed anywhere from 20 to 200 murders during the middle to late 1800’s. He was arrested and tried for the homicides in 1894, but was not convicted until 1895. The next year, in May of 1896 H.H. Holmes was hung for the murder of one of his victims, Benjamin Pitezel, later being laid to rest in a cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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These rumors have been spread due to their ability to create a sense of anxiety among society. Studies have found that repeating rumors, “reassure people that they understand something that troubles them and perplexes them…” (Goleman 487) Next, Goleman includes a quote from Dr. Ralph Rosnow in order

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There is a similarity between the play of Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Trifles regarding the idea of investigating the evidences. Eleven men who are sure the murder is guilty have made up their minds before they have even considered that the killer might be innocent. But, Juror eight gets them to review the evidence more carefully. As a group, the judges developed visions that even most jurors changed their views when the validity of the evidence was shown to be a questionable. There is a similarity between the play of Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Trifles regarding the idea of investigating the evidences.

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Take for instance the first theory where Booth is presented as a mentally unstable actor. Yes Booth was an actor, but the evidence does not prove whether or not he was mentally unstable. In fact almost all the evidence for that particular theory is based off of mere assumptions and guessing. Without solid evidence stating whether or not Booth was actually crazy, this theory cannot stand correct. Ninian J. Beall mentioned that “no psychiatrist had occasion to study Booth prior to the assassination and no opportunity to do so afterwards.”

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The author argues that the Tea Party movement flocks towards conspiracy theories, as a way to hide structural inequalities which help the rich to maintain their wealth. However, in the chapter “Spinning Paranoia” in the book Conspiracy Nation by Skip Willman, the authors argue that conspiracy theorist and their opponents, who claim to be defending common sense, tend to have a lot more in common than is realized. He further states that contingency theory, which attempts to contain conspiracy theory is a sort of conspiracy theory in its own right, in that they both work to support for the symbolic order. Demonstrating that Berlet is not aware of the fact that his arguments about the Tea Party also back hierarchical power structures. For example,

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From this little lie at the time, it caused a massive fear and hysteria throughout the town. Further in the story we find there are hidden hatred, jealousy, and lust between the people

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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.

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Compared to the Birds Aren’t Real theory, it is not as extreme but it still has similarities when it comes to persuading the audience, especially through paranoia. The conventions of conspiracy theories as a genre are evident in the language and stylistic choices made by QAnon. For example, the movement employs coded language and cryptic messages, such as references to “Q”, to create a sense of insider knowledge among its followers. (QAnon Message Board)

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This had made many people afraid and paranoid for maybe their own lives or just scared

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Conspiracy and unlawful imprisonment, both are elements that can be linked together as coexisting events that have occurred throughout history. The idea of the manifestation of a conspiracy is enough to cause mass hysteria, causing any resident within a state, to cower and prosecute any human being that is deemed untrustworthy. In the year 1741, rumors of a slave conspiracy stated to circulate the town of New York, leading the residents to coward in fear, yet whether or not these conspiracies were true remains a mystery. As a result the New York Conspiracy trials of 1741, have been considered controversial, in regards to the whether or not a conspiracy transpired. This is primarily due to the fact that the only documented evidence that modern

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While technical definitions of the word “paranoia” are about a mental disorder, it’s the only word that fully encompasses the fear, mistrust, and suspicion demonstrated by the film JFK. This kind of paranoia is generally a suspicion of conspiracy, which can be anything from exaggerated stories about Freemasons in America, to a belief that the government faked the Moon Landings, to thinking that the American government conspired to kill the president so our country could go to war. Many paranoid conspiracy theories don’t do much of anything besides hold back the people who believe in them, but others, like in JFK, can cause harm or injustice to those accused. However, in the movie, Oliver Stone puts this kind of paranoia in a positive light, as if saying that conspiracy theorists are righteous seekers of truth and justice. Paranoia is a major theme behind the movie JFK, and shows how far some people will go to prove a suspected conspiracy.

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The strength of the evidence throughout the film decreases, which is proven through the fact that many citizens stop believing the news reports the government is putting out. The evidence put forth by the government through the news station applies to everyone in the country watching the show. Huge pieces of evidences are ignored by the government. Larkhill is completely erased as well as the “terrorist” attacks on the people

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Both Olmsted and Coale use Hofstadter’s theory of paranoia in a way that is beneficial to extend and create a foundation for their own academic writing about conspiracy theory. However Fenster’s argument is effective as, by rejecting the dominant framework, he provides a contemporary way of thinking about the popular cultural discourse that focuses on conspiracy thinking and opens up what could be a more productive way to discuss, rather than disregard, conspiracy theory.

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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.

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