What Is A Conspiracy Theory?

What is a conspiracy theory?

Conspiracy means that people get together in secret. These people are called conspirators. They want to achieve a common goal. However, the goal often harms other people, so they keep it secret. A conspiracy theory is an assumption about such a conspiracy.

In a conspiracy theory, there are assumptions and thoughts about how something could have happened. There are assumptions about what a group of conspirators might have done or planned.

People who believe in a conspiracy theory are also called conspiracy theorists.

There is a well-known conspiracy theory about the first moon landing, for example, which states that the first landing on the moon did not take place. The film footage of the moon landing was made in a film studio. But that is wrong. There are satellite images on which the landing sites of the astronauts can be seen. You can also see materials that were left behind during the landing.

A conspiracy theory mixes reality and invented facts.

How can you recognise conspiracy theories?

Conspiracy theorists ask:

Who has benefited from something? If they have found someone, they believe that they are to blame. Sometimes certain people are also said to be guilty! An example: In many shops you are now supposed to pay with a debit card. You are supposed to pay without cash. Some conspiracy theorists therefore say that powerful people in the financial world have always wanted to take cash away from us. They are now achieving their goal because you are supposed to pay with a debit card. Therefore, these people from the financial world are to blame for the coronavirus.

Conspiracy theorists think that those who profit from a crisis must be to blame.

Another conspiracy theory says that Bill Gates is responsible for the coronavirus. He and his wife Melinda Gates are said to have created the coronavirus. They want to rule the world and control humanity through compulsory vaccinations.

Bill Gates is very rich. He founded the computer company Microsoft. He has been campaigning for health protection for many years. For example, he has given a lot of money to the World Health Organisation.

Conspiracy theorists believe that he is only doing this to rule the world and to make a lot of money from vaccines. Some conspiracy theorists also believe that Bill Gates wants to misuse the fast mobile internet 5G. They believe that he wants to use it to control people. In this conspiracy theory, Bill Gates is the bad guy.

However, it is often impossible to make a clear distinction between good and evil. Many things have both good and bad sides. Many things have different sides. They are complex. Opinions and decisions are also complex. Opinions have good and bad sides. Decisions can harm some people and the same decision can benefit other people. Conspiracy theories do not take this into account. They make a clear distinction between good and evil. Conspiracy theorists say:

- There are conspirators who are evil.

- There are victims who are good.

Conspiracy theories therefore simplify difficult questions.

Most conspiracy theories have these three characteristics:

1. nothing happens by chance, everything was planned

A group of conspirators acts in secret.

2. nothing is as it seems

You only realise what is really going on when you recognise the secret group. This group has planned everything. When problems arise and questions are asked, conspiracy theorists give similar answers. They say that there is a secret plan behind the conspirators' group.

3 Everything is connected

Institutions and people work together that you would never have thought.

These characteristics also show that conspiracy theories cannot be true:

1. there are coincidences in our world.

2. not everything in our world can be explained very simply.

3. not all events in our world are connected.

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?

People feel the need to explain things in the world. But some things are difficult or even impossible to explain. For example, the coronavirus crisis is difficult to explain. The coronavirus crisis can therefore be frightening. Many things can cause fear. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics. So they can take away some people's fear. Or they can give them a sense of security. People then have the feeling that they know what's going on and have found an explanation. Or they have found someone to blame through the conspiracy theory. Although this reduces fear, it is a false sense of security.

Some conspiracy theories are harmless: if you don't believe in the moon landing, you don't endanger those around you.

But other conspiracy theories can also cause fear. For example, they can cause fear of the supposed group of conspirators or the end of the world. These conspiracy theories then harm the people who believe in them.

Some conspiracy theories are also dangerous for many people. For example, some people are against vaccination. Conspiracy theorists spread the false theory that vaccination causes autism. If many people believe in this theory, perhaps many people will no longer have their children vaccinated. Dangerous diseases, such as measles, can then spread more quickly.

If people believe that the corona crisis does not exist, this can also be dangerous. These people then don't follow the precautionary measures. They don't wash their hands as often and don't keep their distance. This puts themselves and other people at risk.

People are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories if they are unable to deal with uncertainty. The theories then provide security. During the coronavirus crisis, many people feel insecure. Nobody knows exactly how the coronavirus crisis will continue. That's why conspiracy theories are appealing to many people at the moment.

People feel the need to explain things in the world. However, some things are difficult or even impossible to explain and can be frightening. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics.

People feel the need to explain things in the world to themselves. However, some things are difficult or impossible to explain and can cause anxiety. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics. (© Pexels )

Where do conspiracy theories come from?

There are three reasons why someone invents or spreads a conspiracy theory:

1. some people believe they have discovered an important piece of information.

They want to do something good for the world. They think they are helping other people with their conspiracy theory. They are convinced of their conspiracy theory themselves.

2. some people make or spread theories because of their political views

They often do not believe in the theory themselves. For example, they invent a theory that says: citizens of a country should be exchanged for refugees. So perhaps some citizens of the country are then against refugees. Such theories are often supported by right-wing or racist groups.

3. some people spread theories in order to make money.

They spread conspiracy theories on YouTube, for example. They then earn money from advertising when many people click on their page. Or people spread conspiracy theories and then sell remedies that are supposed to help against something. Some people spread the false theory that the government is mixing poison into the drinking water. They then sell pills that are supposed to help against the poison. However, the tablets are useless and sometimes even harmful. These three reasons can also be combined. People who believe in a conspiracy theory may also want to make money from it. People who have invented a conspiracy theory may eventually believe in it themselves.

How do you deal with people who are convinced of a conspiracy theory?

Some people firmly believe in a particular conspiracy theory. In such cases, it no longer helps to say: "What you believe is a conspiracy theory." Rather, it can help to ask:

"Where does your information come from?"

"Why do you believe that?"

"Why do you believe a certain author over others?"

Perhaps the person will then think about it and eventually believe less in the conspiracy theory.

It's different for people who don't believe in conspiracy theories at all or just a little. You can explain to them how conspiracy theories work and which ones there are. We have tried to do this in this article.

Where can you find information?

There are many fact-checks on certain TV channels and on the internet.

Once you have fact-checked a theory, you will know better. You can then say something against a conspiracy theory in conversations, in news apps or on the internet. Or you can ask people why they believe in a certain theory. This way, more and more people will know what conspiracy theories are and what can be done about them.

The journey is just as important as the destination.

Kalpana Chawla

Many thanks to everyone who helped me get 250 likes!

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A simple question: How could it come to the point that considerate living together on the basis of friendliness and understanding by people always discussing all topics in dialogue together in order to find the best possible compromise is no longer possible?

How can it be that for some social groups insults, open hatred, violence, so-called political incorrectness in the form of open verbal violence is part of the accepted norm?

Characteristics of the political system that lead to regression and ultimately to a dictatorship of the so-called good. Because only they know what is good for everyone, i.e. for themselves, here every individual in a society does not really play a role.

Parents and schools have a responsibility to turn children into responsible social adults who realise that the world is complex and that everyone should find a place in society that makes them happy. However, this is only possible if everyone in a society works together to shape it in such a way that the best opportunities are created for everyone, regardless of religion, educational level, skin colour or sexual orientation.

In order to then advance civil society as a whole and ensure the happiness of all. And not just the interests of a few.

To meet the challenge of the future, societies need every head on their shoulders - this is the only way to avoid a creeping catastrophe.

The eternal preoccupation with ourselves as humanity in the form of wars, conflicts and any irresponsible behaviour for individual interest groups is fatal for the next generation.

What if we concentrated on the really important issues?

If your house is on fire, you should put it out and not get angry about your woke neighbour.

mod

A country for old men.

Who would have thought that you would call a coup after a regular election and not be imprisoned or even shot! No, instead you get to reach for power again and stand for election.

Just imagine if the film hero had instigated a coup d'état based on his ability to lie constantly, sexism was his daily business and deception and fraud his modus operandi coupled with homophobia and racist insinuations. Think the film would be a flop..... but wow in reality no problem.

What is wrong in a country when the poor and religious people believe that the devil's right hand is the saviour?

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This type of leader appears everywhere in history and is always extremely destructive",

Do not sin when you become angry! The sun must not set on your anger! Give the devil no place in you!

Ephesians 4:26-27

Because, of course, Satan does not arrive "in person". He has his servants - and they can use wise words - mixed with a little bit of poison. And already their whole message is poisoned! Again, it was the apparent wisdom of the Corinthians that made them impervious to these attacks from the devil. They honoured people as apostles who were in reality false workers, false apostles, servants of the devil. If they had exchanged the wisdom of this world for the wisdom of God, they would have remained "simple-minded towards Christ". And that alone would have preserved them, because they would have recognised that Satan looked like an angel of light on the outside, but that the voice of the good shepherd did not speak from him. In truth, this light is darkness - and corrupts our attitude, our thoughts and our way of life.

I find it fascinating that the basic attitude towards alternative lifestyles of religious people in American society drives them right into the hands of the servants.

The most important thing is not that the truth dies in war, but the battle for the sovereignty of interpretation of words.

To put it bluntly, what happened on 7 October cannot be legitimised by the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom, which had its final outcome in this event, as some would have the world believe.

Terrorism differs from resistance movements, guerrillas or national liberation movements less in its choice of weapons than in its choice of objectives: A national liberation or resistance movement is usually militarily expansive, whereas terrorism attempts to attract as much attention as possible with its acts of violence in order to undermine closed power structures and to exemplify the vulnerability of such structures and make them publicly accessible to the population.

Women, children and peaceful people who are unsuspectingly and bestially murdered, raped or cruelly abducted are only the targets of butchers and never the target of a freedom fight, no matter where in the world it takes place.

What took place on 7 October was a massacre of civilians like the Nazis started in the Second World War and cannot be weighed against the injustice that preceded the massacre.

But the strike against hamas, which was initially justified on the basis of reasons of state, has become a punishment of the entire Palestinian people and can no longer be legitimised.

Israel's legitimate self-defence has turned into a campaign of annihilation.

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Driving people from one side to the other in order to get a free field of fire and then in a kind of continuous loop where ultimately there are only temporary protected spaces for civilians contradicts every rule of civil defence. And can be regarded without reservation as an act against humanity.

However, the comparison with the genocide caused by the systematic extermination of the Jewish people by the Nazis is not accurate. That would simply be wrong, even if the injustice being done to the Palestinian people is inhumane.

Yes, it is a crime, but it is not genocide. The systematic extermination of people is not the case here, no matter how much you want to make the comparison, it does not reflect the past.

On behalf of all those murdered, I stand here only as the face of a person whose life was far too short.

Life is a human right that was denied to me.

In memory of the innocent victims

What happened on 7 October stands alone and is a crime against humanity.

Stop relativising it and comparing it with the consequences it has triggered.

mod

With men, there is never such a hype when they get old, and the same should apply to everyone else, full stop

This also includes being able to age. The more you are in the public eye, the greater the attention paid to the loss of youth by the general public.

We were born to die but no matter how old someone gets the true fire of lust for life can be seen in the eyes.

The eternal delusion of youth in our societies is like trying to catch the wind with your hands and then realising it's gone.

Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.

Benjamin Franklin

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

Vernus more or less

Everyone has the right to age as they like and to use every aid to make this as bearable as possible.

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Plastic surgery is the management of flaws, once one is removed the next comes to light. The state of perfection is therefore unattainable. It is okay for everyone to exhaust all means to come to terms with ageing. Even if you ultimately become grotesque to yourself, it's ok. The beauty of old age is based on a misconception coupled with the myth that wisdom is inherent in old age.

Youth is sweet and well, But doth speed away!, Let who will be gay, Tomorrow none can tell"

Lorenzo de' Medici

Stupid remains stupid - even age doesn't help.

mod...... Unfortunately, I had to watch it thousands of times.

“Quant'è bella giovinezza,

Che si fugge tuttavia!

Chi vuol esser lieto, sia:

Del doman non v'è certezza.”

Lorenzo il Magnifico