A Pew Research survey from June found that a quarter of American adults see at least some truth in the idea that the coronavirus was “intentionally planned by powerful people.” And it’s 48% of Americans with a high school diploma or less who subscribe to the theory (15% of people with a post-graduate degree buy into the coronavirus-was-planned notion). Hundreds of thousands of dead Americans could still be alive today if not for the deadly coronavirus-related conspiracy theories that have persuaded people to not wear facemasks.
few years ago (before apologizing to science teachers for his comments), Thag the Ugly Neanderthal was telling stories around the fire. He had theories to explain the unknown – why he felt warm when that bright star was shining, the best way to catch a zebra, or why Thaga the Lady Neanderthal was avoiding him. Of course, they weren’t called “conspiracy theories” back then... That term – according to one conspiracy theory – was coined by the CIA in 1967 to try to discredit doubters of the official line about the death of President John F. Kennedy. Conspiracy theories have evolved to be fundamentally political in nature. And while they can be a fun yarn, they can also – and increasingly do – undermine government, cultivate distrust in institutions and society, create artificial divisions between groups, and push us toward Lord of the Flies meets Mad Max . As Time magazine explained... The facts that should anchor a sense of shared reality are meaningless to [people who parrot conspiracy theories]; the news developments that might ordinarily inform [them] fall on deaf ears... They are impervious to messaging, advertising or data. They aren’t just infected with conspiracy; they appear to be inoculated against reality. Democracy relies on an informed and engaged public responding in rational ways to the real-life facts and challenges before us. But a growing number of Americans are untethered from that. And there’s a very real (and big) cost to that...
Conspiracy theories have evolved to be fundamentally political in nature... and push us toward Lord of the Flies meets Mad Max .
The thing is, almost anyone is prone to conspiracy thinking – which is just interpreting events and information through the dark prism of shadowy conspiracies. When these beliefs are supported and reinforced by others in a group – a political affiliation, members of the same church, your neighbors, wacky Uncle Earl – something that you might at first dismiss as ridiculous can suddenly seem eminently reasonable. It’s social proof at its most toxic. People stray toward conspiracy theories when they feel vulnerable and threatened. It’s easier to blame the Illuminati (a secret global cabal that runs the world – or so 15% of Americans believe) for why you can’t make your car payment, than to grapple with the real reasons
American Consequences
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