Conspiracism in America

    

     We live in a world full of paranoia, questions, and the desire to be entertained. It is no surprise that conspiracy theories have overtaken the media. From 9/11 to the moon landing to the illuminati, anything that can be turned into a conspiracy has been. These theories can take any event and create an outlandish story behind it. It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the start of conspiracy theories as they have been going on for centuries. However, they have been growing over time and now have massive media attention.

            One of the earlier conspirators was the John Birch Society. 

They were incredibly influential in the ’70s. They were a far-right, anti-communist group that warned that it was lurking around every corner. This started paranoia among all those who listened to them about how the communists were after them. They were finding things that were not relevant to the issue and blamed it on the communists. These people influenced modern-day conservatives, such as Alex Jones. There are also many links between the conservative views of this group and Donald Trump. Regardless, this group was a major influence on conservative conspiracies.

            As I said, The John Birch Society influenced a man named Alex Jones. Jones is the perfect example of an irrational, hot-headed conspiracist that feeds into extreme paranoia. He is known for taking his theories to the extreme and ignoring practical logic. For example, after the Sandy Hook Shootings, Jones made claims that it was staged with actors. He stated that this event took place to spread fear of gun violence, to then lead to stricter gun laws. This was obviously not the case, and there was an outrage at the insane allegations that Jones spread. He has been ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to the families of the victims for his false claims.

            Another conspiracy I would like to talk about is the anonymous QAnon (also known as the “Q’).

Supporters of this theory believe that the world is controlled by the DeepState and that will be taken down during The Storm by Donald Trump. It originated in 2017, and they dubbed Donald Trump as being the trustworthy leader who can defeat the evil Deep State. Followers of this theory claim that the 2020 election was rigged, and that Trump will come back to save us all. A lot of their theories have some sort of prejudiced undertones, and they widely spread the Pizzagate conspiracy. It has gained massive followers in its short lifespan, some of which have gone as far as to take part in storming the capital. This shows the lengths people will go to when following a conspiracy that to others may seem absurd.  

     We can see how conspiracies have paved their way into the media. They spread untrue and sometimes harmful theories that install fear and anxiety into the public. They get are able to convince people to believe them by putting in the fear of a higher power and convincing them they cannot trust anything. While some little theories may seem silly and like no big deal, they can escalate drastically. It is important to always do research and only listen to the facts instead of what the conspirators want you to think. As long as we allow conspirators to feed into our fear and convince us of outlandish theories, conspiracism will be a major part of our media.  

-Hannah Crumley, section #11