I Want to Believe……
Concepts/definitions: Conspiracy Theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.
Originally a neutral term, since the mid-1960s it has acquired a somewhat derogatory meaning, implying a paranoid tendency to see the influence of some malign covert agency in events. The term is sometimes used to automatically dismiss claims that are deemed ridiculous, misconceived, paranoid, unfounded, outlandish or irrational.
Purpose/Goals:
v "conspiracy theory" is used to indicate a narrative genre that includes a broad selection of arguments for the existence of grand conspiracies.
v Used in popular culture to identify secret military, banking, or political actions aimed at "stealing" power, money, or freedom, from "the people".
Information:
v Based on the notion that complex plots are put into motion by powerful hidden forces.
v Uses folklore and urban legend and a variety of explanatory narratives which are constructed with methodological flaws or biases.
Well Known or Proven Conspiracy Theories:
œ The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe, one of the greatest legends of the 20th Century, is also the subject of one of the most mysterious deaths of our time. Her unexpected passing in 1962 had the world whispering about what may have really happened. Her death was a result of a massive dose of barbiturates, but whereas some say it was suicide, others argue the fatal drug was administered by someone trying to desperately prevent state-secrets emerging from her alleged affair with John F. Kennedy.
œ The Jews taking Over the World
œ The Loch Ness Monster
œ Eco-friendly Cars
œ The JFK Murder Mystery
œ Second- Hand Beatle
œ The Death of England’s Princess Rose
œ Area 51
œ Mickey Mouse Moon Landing
œ 9/11
Problems/Issues:
œ Some scholars argue that conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become commonplace in mass media, contributing to conspiracies emerging as a cultural phenomenon in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and the possible replacement of democracy by conspiracy as the dominant paradigm of political action in the public mind. According to anthropologists Todd Sanders and Harry G. West, evidence suggests that a broad cross section of Americans today gives credence to at least some conspiracy theories. Belief in conspiracy theories has therefore become a topic of interest for sociologists, psychologists and experts in folklore.
œ Conclusion: Many believe in conspiracy theories, however; there are so many facts that prove against what they believe. It is hard to change someone’s mind once they start believing something, no matter how foolish or unrealistic it may seem. The ten examples that I gave here I find to be the most commonly believe conspiracy theories that many try to disprove every year, yet so many people still believe them. People will believe what they want to believe and this will always exist in our society.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES????.....
Sites I Used:
œ Transparency and conspiracy: ethnographies of suspicion in the new world order. Harry G. West, Todd Sanders. pp 207
I'm a fan of the work of author Jon Ronson, who wrote the book "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Them: Adventures With Extremists." (If you saw the movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and thought it was stupid (as I did), don't blame Jon Ronson! The book is very different and MUCH better...) Someone else here posted about Bohemian Grove where the elite of the elite are said to meet and do all sorts of weird stuff (as weird as you'd like, depending on who you listen to!) and Ronson also has a great piece on the place in which he sneaks in (kind of). Although it's pretty hard to say with accuracy what the truly powerful people in the world are really up to, events like the "retreats" at Bohemian Grove unquestionably show that they do communicate in channels to which the vast majority of humanity is not privileged. It's to be expected that the people whose decisions actually effect change in the world would know one another to at least some extent, and would work together when appropriate. I don't know about secret cabals running the world, but it's obviously true that the ultra-wealthy have far more say in what goes on in the world than do the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI think that small conspiracies are common, but that all-consuming, earth-shaking conspiracies are unlikely at best. By "small conspiracies" I mean people working together towards some aim (how this aim is perceived, as good or evil, is irrelevant) without letting others in on the fact that they're working together. As a pretty big example of a "small conspiracy," consider the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). If you don't know, ALEC is a group consisting of a membership that is kept confidential but that is known to consist of state and other legislators (i.e., politicians) and representatives of a number of industries and corporations. These corporate interests in ALEC write legislation that serves their purposes and that is presented in a way that is politically tactful (i.e., hiding its real agenda while seeming all pro-puppies and kittens...) and present this legislation to the politicians who then (sometimes) put this corporate-written legislation forth as their own proposals before their legislative bodies. And, of course, they don't mention that such and such industry literally wrote their own laws. That, to me, is a conspiracy, and, although ALEC is kind of extreme, that sort of thing happens in little ways constantly and pretty much everywhere, as far as I can tell.
Le parnanormal n'est pas pour moi issu d'une croyance : j'ai été confronté à 15 phénomènes paranormaux qui s 'articulent autour d'un phénomène majeur qui a démarré il y a 25 ans : une Kundalini !
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