5. Conspiracy Theories and the Media

• What is a conspiracy theory?

• Provide examples of conspiracy theories.

How do mass media contribute to the formation and circulation of conspiracy theories?

A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization. More broadly, it explains the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public. Conspiracies may exist, but most are mere theories and found to be untrue.

The term "conspiracy theory" is frequently used by scholars and in popular culture to identify secret military, banking, or political actions aimed at "stealing" power, money, or freedom. Conspiracy theories are based on the opinion that complex plots are put into motion by powerful hidden forces.

First, conspiracy theories claim to explain what institutional analysis cannot. They appear to make sense out of a world that is otherwise confusing. Second, they do so in an appealingly simple way, by dividing the world sharply between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. They trace all evil back to a single source, the conspirators and their agents. Third, conspiracy theories are often presented as special, secret knowledge unknown or unappreciated by others. For conspiracy theorists, the masses are a brainwashed herd, while the conspiracy theorists in the know can congratulate themselves on penetrating the plotters' deceptions.

Some scholars argue that conspiracy theories have become commonplace in mass media, contributing to conspiracism emerging as a cultural phenomenon in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Also they tell about possible replacement of democracy by conspiracy as the dominant paradigm of political action in the public mind. Belief in conspiracy theories has therefore become a topic of interest for sociologists, psychologists and experts in folklore.

The types of conspiracy theories as follows:

• Event conspiracy theories. The conspiracy is held to be responsible for a limited, discrete event or set of events. The conspiratorial forces are alleged to have focused their energies on a limited, well-defined objective. The best-known example in the recent past is the Kennedy assassination conspiracy literature

• Systemic conspiracy theories. The conspiracy is believed to have broad goals, usually conceived as securing control of a country, a region, or even the entire world. While the goals are sweeping, the conspiratorial machinery is generally simple: a single, evil organization implements a plan to infiltrate and subvert existing institutions. This is a common scenario in conspiracy theories that focus on the alleged machinations of Jews, Freemasons, or the Catholic Church, as well as theories centered on Communism or international capitalists.

• Superconspiracy theories. Conspiratorial constructs in which multiple conspiracies are believed to be linked together hierarchically. Event and systemic are joined in complex ways, so that conspiracies come to be nested together. At the summit of the conspiratorial hierarchy is a distant but powerful force manipulating lesser conspiratorial factors. Superconspiracy theories have enjoyed particular growth since the 1980s, in the work of authors such as David Icke and Milton William Cooper.

EXAMPLES:

Some of the most popular Conspiracy Theories are about the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Elvis Presley. Other conspiracy theories are rooted in New World Order speculations, or from tales about Area 51 to secret societies like the Illuminati, the Skull and Bones Society, and the Da Vinci Code.

Here are some popular conspiracy theories:

• The U.S. Government was behind the attacks on September 11.

• Elvis Presley is still alive and living incognito.

• Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in JFK’s assignation.

• The Apollo 11 moon landing was fake.

• The bar codes on every product label are the “mark of the beast.”

The Da Vinci Code book and subsequent movie produced a flurry of conspiracy theories. The “Code” brought to light the mysterious Priory of Sion and Opus Dei societies. In addition, it began a firestorm of speculation about a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which is totally false. The tragedy with author Dan Brown’s fiction is that it wholly misrepresents and misleads those in search of biblical and spiritual truths. The uninformed take the book or movie to be true since it claims to have biblical basis.

An interesting example is a UFO conspiracy theory. It argues that evidence of the reality of unidentified flying objects is being suppressed by various governments around the world. Such theories are often intentionally hoaxed, and are backed by little or no evidence, and absolutely no reliable evidence despite significant research on the subject by non-governmental scientific agencies, and therefore, are considered pseudoscience. They commonly argue that Earth governments, especially the Government of the United States, are in communication or cooperation with extraterrestrials despite public claims to the contrary. Some of these theories claim that the government is explicitly allowing alien abduction.

Some basis for truth

Some conspiracy theories can have a basis for at least some truth. For instance, the “mark of the beast” bar code theory is based on the Bible’s warning of a time coming when the world will be under an anti-Christ’s rule. Though God forbids receiving it, the mark will be required on every person in order to buy and sell anything (Revelation 13:17). People have taken this concept and base a conspiracy on it.

The quest for world domination is nothing new. Wars have been fought for centuries for such a purpose and continue today. The desire for a New World Order is being promoted currently by many nations’ leaders. As the world is falling into total economic collapse and religious turmoil, some believe moving toward a global currency, a global government leader, and a global religion is the answer. The Shiite branch of Islam is looking for such a global leader, the 12th Imam or Al-Mahdi as he is sometimes called.3 In order for his appearance, it is believed the world must be in total chaos for him to bring peace under his universal rule. When compared to the Bible’s end time’s events, the Mahdi is more in line with the anti-Christ description rather than the world’s savior.

Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True:

The Mafia: This secret crime society was virtually unknown until the 1960s, when member Joe Valachi first revealed the society’s secrets to law enforcement officials. What was known was that organized crime existed, but not that the extent of their control included working with the CIA, politicians and the biggest businesses in the world.

Asbestos: Between 1930 and 1960, manufacturers did all they could to prevent the link between asbestos and respiratory diseases, including cancer, becoming known, so they could avoid prosecution. American workers had in fact sued the Johns Manville company as far back as 1932, but it was not until 1962 that epidemiologists finally established beyond any doubt what company bosses had known for a long time – asbestos causes cancer.

Bohemian Grove: For years, many conspiracy theorists were saying that the rich and powerful met every year in the woods and worshiped a giant stone owl in an occult fashion. It turns out, ABC, CBS, NBC, and many other credible news agencies investigated this and found out, it’s true. It is said to be just all fun and games, like brotherhood style fraternity stuff.

THE MEDIA

So, when something cannot be confirmed or explained, some tend to let their imaginations run amok. This is how conspiracy theories begin. Then they are spread through word-of-mouth, email forwards, and online posts. Of course, the media helps to do it.