Summary Of Likely Fall Victim To Conspiracy Theory By Lara Millman

The Naysayer
Those skeptical of Lara Millman’s article likely fall victim to conspiracy theories themselves due to mistrust of their government and media. Conspiracy theories provide explanations for government actions that the public can not comprehend. It is easy for individuals to fall victim to proportionality bias, which is the belief that big events require big causes. Sometimes it is difficult for people to accept events as they are, such as the fact that the twin towers were destroyed during 911 by hijackers with box cutters – they want a more complex reason, which leads to the conspiracies. The difficulty is disproving conspiracy theories, which is where the mistrust occurs. For even if there is a way to disprove a conspiracist's theory,

On top of that, they tend to have a hard time believing mainstream media due to their mistrust of media in general. Millman addresses this tendency conspiracists have and explains that as a conspiracy grows, individuals find validation in each other which motivates them to dive deeper and deeper into the conspiracy. By clarifying how people get involved in conspiracy theories, individuals can learn how to avoid falling into that trap, and those who already believe in the theories might begin to understand what their motivations are. By forcing people to reflect on their position they might detach from their beliefs on their own. However, if they still need a push Millman illustrates the harms that occur from mistrusting sources by illustrating a hypothetical situation. In her example, she talks about anti-medicine conspiracies where most people are passive believers, meaning they still go to the doctor when their sick despite being vocal about their distaste of the healthcare system. However, what if some people believed in the conspiracy to the point that when they needed help they did not seek medical attention? Not only do they become harmful to themselves, but they also pose a risk to the rest of society who could be impacted by their illness. Rhetorically, Millman has appealed to her audience’s logical thinking by presenting a situation in which rational people can understand the faults of this specific