Conspiracy Theories
November 01, 2020
A conspiracy theory is like a distorting lens forged from the consensus of its believers. This optic tool provides comfort in complex and uncertain times even when the conclusions drawn from these theories are highly improbable.
As values and beliefs are challenged some turn away from the reality that confronts them. Uncomfortable facts are revealed. It becomes necessary to suppress these revelations with magical thinking.
The unraveling of the global order established after World War II provokes anxiety in America. From the end of World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War defined America’s sense of identity. During the Cold War, America felt confident in its role as the champion of the free market economy and of universal human freedom.
After the end of the Cold War, America’s role in the world had to be redefined. Francis Fukayama described the end of history. The task left for free market economies after the fall of Communism was to solve the world’s problems though market solutions. America was left unchallenged as the sole superpower in the world.
9/11 and the ascendancy of global terrorism shattered confidence in the idea of a world beyond serious global conflict. Before then the primary adversaries in the world were nation states that were easy to locate on a map. Hidden, lethal foes provoked new fear and uncertainty.
9/11 gave rise to many conspiracy theories. Most prominent was the theory that United States government demolished the buildings at the World Trade Center. Perhaps it was too hard to come to terms with the fact that a group of loosely organized terrorists could orchestrate the worst foreign attack on US soil since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It became easier for some to believe that the US government razed the World Trade Center and killed 2,977 of its own citizens.
Evolving demography is another major source of anxiety in post World War II America. The hegemony of traditional Anglo-Saxon values is challenged. The expansion of civil rights and changing immigration patterns add to the complexion and make up of American society. This change provokes anxiety and magical thinking among segments of the population who cling to the past.
Perhaps the most obvious example of a conspiracy theory shaped by this anxiety is the Birther Movement that surrounded Barack Obama’s Presidency. Led by none other than Donald Trump, followers of this movement believed that Obama’s birth certificate was a forgery and that he was actually born in Kenya. They also believed that Obama was a secret Muslim despite Obama being a practicing Christian. For some it became easier to believe a fantastic tale than to believe that a black man could be elected legitimately as President of the United States.
The United States’ diminishing global role as well as the challenge to traditional Anglo-Saxon hegemony in America have created the perfect conditions for a society enthralled with “alternative facts” and “fake news.” Add to this economic upheaval that has decimated the traditional middle class. As a result many Americans retreat from the reality and into conspiracy theories.
While conspiracy theories are not exclusive to any part of the political spectrum, some of the most alarming in recent years have come from the right. Pizza Gate, the shooting at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas and the attempt to kidnap and execute Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, are only some of the examples. The level of violence inflicted or threatened by adherents is in proportion to the fear they feel. They feel a profound loss of power, control and relevance in a changing country and world. Gross distortions of judgment and morality are hidden from their view by the distorting lens that only reveals glib assurances.
