Conspiracy theories carry quite the negative aura around them, but are there grains of truth hidden in the mounds of information these theories expose?
Before we can answer that question, it’s important to analyze and breakdown conspiracy theories and understand why they are conspiracies. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a conspiracy theory is a belief that some covert authority is responsible for some kind of event. However, many conspiracy theories are way out in left field and seem unfathomable.
Alex Jones, the poster child of outrageous conspiracy theories, has done more harm than good to the reputation of the conspiracy theory community. Jones has done this by espousing theories that are easily disproven. While some of the things he has said in the past do have some merit, his negatives outweigh the positives.
Obviously, the credibility of the person giving the conspiracy theory is an important factor in deciding the validity of a given theory. Someone who is known for espousing claims that have no foundation in truth and only need a quick internet search to debunk, of course, should be subject to more suspicion than the average conspiracy theorist.
I won’t go into specific conspiracy theories, but I will say that conspiracy theories shouldn’t be disregarded immediately. We shouldn’t shove them to the side right away. By sheer principle of always questioning authority, we should take everything into consideration and analyze them.
As a society, we should always question authority and the status quo. Politicians, while serving as our elected leaders in the U.S., are not to be trusted to the bitter end. Even journalists aren’t exempt from skepticism.
Mainstream media outlets have become notorious for being biased, using misleading headlines, using clickbait articles, distorting facts and the list goes on.
We’re all better off when we fact-check and hold each other accountable. This goes double for those who hold any kind of power.
Conspiracy theories can actually be healthy mental exercises. Questioning the status quo by itself is great, but analyzing and digging deep to find the truth is even better. When we decide to immediately disregard even the most absurd theories without any thought, are we doing ourselves any good?
