My Top 5 Favourite Conspiracy Theories.
Conspiracy theories fascinate me. They seem to defy all reason, but there are an insane number of people who truly believe them. Like really, really, believe. No matter how outrageous the claim or how many facts you throw at it, it doesn't matter. The narrative simply changes to fit and if it can't, then simply claim that the powers-that-be are hiding the truth. It's ingenious, really. And, thanks to the internet, these stories are able to find a much larger and eager audience.
So, whenever I come across a CT post I like to take the opportunity to practice my debating and researching skills. Not only is it a great opportunity to learn about these topics, but also about the people who believe them.
Here is my countdown of my five favourite conspiracy theories.
5. Reptilians or Lizard People.
This theory originated through sci-fi and fantasy literature, but was popularized by David Icke. People believe that the human race is being controlled by shape-shifting reptilian aliens. It is believed that these aliens either hold positions of power in government or control those humans who do.
4. Chemtrails.
There is a natural phenomenon that occurs when planes fly at high altitudes called contrails. They are line shaped condensation trails caused by the plane's exhaust. The chemtrail conspiracy is that these trails are, in fact, chemical or biological agents being sprayed by government agencies for various reasons. Some believe it's for mind control, others believe it's to control population growth. (That one seems like a fail to me.) While others believe it is to make people sick in order to benefit "Big Pharma."
3. Obama is not an American citizen.
The "Birther" conspiracy began during Obama's 2008 campaign. The theory is that Obama wasn't actually born in Hawaii, as he claims, but was in fact born in Kenya. Even after releasing his long-form birth certificate showing he was a natural-born citizen, a 2011 poll found that 13% of American adults still doubted his citizenship.
2. Angela Merkel is the daughter of Hitler and Justin Trudeau is the son of Castro.
This is a two-for-one since they're kinda the same thing. Recently a photo of Hitler and a young child (I'm pretty sure it's actually a young boy) that some claim to be Angela Merkel, the current president of Germany. The photo is originally from a book published in 1937 and those who believe that it is Merkel believe that she is actually much older than she claims to be by about 20 years. Others believe that Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, actually escaped and Merkel is their daughter making the child in the photo not Merkel thus invalidating their proof. This is where cloning comes in. (I'm not even joking.)
There is also a similar theory about the current Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Fidel Castro. While the two do look remarkably similar, so does a young Pierre Trudeau. The main problem is that Margaret Trudeau (Justin's mother) and Castro didn't meet until five years after Justin was born. So, there's that.
Drum roll please...
1. Pizzagate.
This one has been my favourite just for the sheer ridiculousness of it. This one started in 2016 after Wikileaks released e-mails that supposedly contain secret coded messaging referring to child trafficking. Apparently, members of the DNC were involved in, not only the trafficking of children, but in performing satanic and cannibalistic rituals in the basement of a pizza parlor where the trafficking ring was supposedly being run out of. (You get all that?) The thing is, the pizza parlor has no basement. And that's just for starters. This is a case of people seeing things as evidence because they want to see it as evidence.
So, why do people believe such fantastical things even when faced with facts? It's not really too surprising that people would, really. From the time we are born we're told stories and fairy tales and taught to suspend belief. It's really no wonder that so many people have difficulty differentiating between illusion and reality.