Conspiracy Theories are Narratives on Steroids
President Obama's Birth Certificate Doesn't Quell Conspiracy Theory that He Isn't an American Citizen
Conspiracy theories are narratives on steroids. In a story, the plot moves forward when one thing causes the next. In a conspiracy theory, cause is an outsized malignant force that knows everything and controls all events. Nothing happens randomly, all events are tied to the larger purpose of an always mysterious, always malefic agent. The amplification of current events into objects of global scrutiny also amplifies conspiracy theories, making them powerful agents in shifting public opinion. Thus with the so-called Birthers framing of President Obama as a foreigner, despite the overt presentation of facts proving that the president was born in the American state, Hawaii.
Conspiracy theorists stubbornly resist the facts at hand, finding reasons other than those given for why events unfold the way they do. Many Pakistanis appear to doubt that Osama bin Laden died as reported in mainstream news. According to a Gallup poll, “nearly half (49%) thought that the whole incident was actually staged for some reason or other. Only 26% thought the al-Qaeda chief was really killed on the night in question.” That’s a lot of people who think that the story circulated in mainstream media is crackpot, at best. And this week, 57% of respondents to a French poll believe that Dominique Strauss-Kahn is the victim of a conspiratorial plot by political rivals, rather than the victimizer of a hotel housemaid, as has been reported. Continue reading