I'm drawn to ask, "Is there a link the conspiracy thinkers share?" Might be sophomoric of me to wonder about a DEEP need to feel attached to a belief and those who share it. I'm assuming it would feel empowering to hold an underdog belief. That could explain why there's no interest in questioning it. I think loneliness and isolation nurture conspiracists.
Yes, definitely. In many of the responses I see a strong sense of both alienation (the world is full of liars and deceivers, which is why it seems so mysterious) and community (I belong to an exclusive club of people who can see the truth). From that perspective, any evidence contrary to their belief is either a falsehood or an attack, automatically invalid either way.
Brilliantly written and equally entertaining, Corey!
I once thought that most conspiracy theorists (excluding pranksters) must be largely uneducated, but recent interactions have convinced me that many well-educated folks can be unknowingly brainwashed into believing most anything.
Case in point: modern day politics!
Unlike you, I don’t handle these interactions very well, when my attempts to convince otherwise fall on deaf ears.
So nice to acknowledge your brilliance, again, after all these years! 😁
Huh! I was just thinking about you, recalling teachers who had a big impact on me. I saw the name and wondered, "Could that be the same Jim Buckingham?" Thanks for writing.
Hi Corey--I think that the desire to share arcane knowledge, unknown to the general run of humanity, has immense appeal for some people. I wonder how many of them would believe in one of their theories without anyone who agrees, i.e., a conspiracy of one. But perhaps the joy generally rises much higher when there's a club of those who share the secrets--a full spectrum from the Elks through the Freemasons to the Simpsons' Stonecutters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpOjj4YD8c) and beyond.
I'm drawn to ask, "Is there a link the conspiracy thinkers share?" Might be sophomoric of me to wonder about a DEEP need to feel attached to a belief and those who share it. I'm assuming it would feel empowering to hold an underdog belief. That could explain why there's no interest in questioning it. I think loneliness and isolation nurture conspiracists.
Yes, definitely. In many of the responses I see a strong sense of both alienation (the world is full of liars and deceivers, which is why it seems so mysterious) and community (I belong to an exclusive club of people who can see the truth). From that perspective, any evidence contrary to their belief is either a falsehood or an attack, automatically invalid either way.
Brilliantly written and equally entertaining, Corey!
I once thought that most conspiracy theorists (excluding pranksters) must be largely uneducated, but recent interactions have convinced me that many well-educated folks can be unknowingly brainwashed into believing most anything.
Case in point: modern day politics!
Unlike you, I don’t handle these interactions very well, when my attempts to convince otherwise fall on deaf ears.
So nice to acknowledge your brilliance, again, after all these years! 😁
- Your 7th grade Algebra teacher
Huh! I was just thinking about you, recalling teachers who had a big impact on me. I saw the name and wondered, "Could that be the same Jim Buckingham?" Thanks for writing.
Hi Corey--I think that the desire to share arcane knowledge, unknown to the general run of humanity, has immense appeal for some people. I wonder how many of them would believe in one of their theories without anyone who agrees, i.e., a conspiracy of one. But perhaps the joy generally rises much higher when there's a club of those who share the secrets--a full spectrum from the Elks through the Freemasons to the Simpsons' Stonecutters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpOjj4YD8c) and beyond.