Why Do Americans Embrace Conspiracy Theories?

Why do Americans embrace conspiracy theory? This is a question asked by a lot of non-Americans who come to ATS. The content of this web site is a lot to take in when you see it for the very first time. Membership is drawl from all over the world. Even so, Americans seem ready, willing, and most able to jump in and talk about many of the topics you see here like they're old news. Why?

The simple fact of the matter is that we have a long and inglorious history of mistrusting government and corporations. Our acceptance of the Constitutional virtues of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" have come with a price that can best be described as eternal vigilance. Acknowledging everyone's freedom to say what they think while making a buck also means keeping your eyes and ears open...and…one hand on your wallet.

America’s wily optimism has its roots in our Colonial past. As rough-and-ready frontier dwellers, our men and women bent to the challenge of making a life for themselves. Regional climates were and still are hostile. Technology has diminished the hazards of terrain, though we still enjoy carving our fortunes out of the land. Then, as now, we think of ourselves as being the masters of our own destinies.

The “misunderstanding” which erupted between the colonists and the Crown generated bad blood that is still with us today. It’s not out of line to suggest that the tax legislation enacted by the English parliament leading up to the Revolution looked like one thing to the Crown while being something else altogether to the people of the colonies. Differences in perspective and time-lags in trans-oceanic communication contributed to one of history’s greatest political miscalculations. The Americans got rubbed the wrong way, and they still haven’t forgotten it.

Post-Colonial national growth happened at such a reckless and unrestrained speed that the European class system never had a chance to take hold. Our look forward was colored by the knowledge of our past. We’ve never gotten over the sense of betrayal we felt as we marched off to war against our mother country. Even today, as we continue to get along well with Britain, we harbor the knowledge of that long ago falling out like sibling nurses a grudge against a parent or an older child. That bad attitude translates to a modern-day expectation that our own domestic government can and will betray us.

If time heals all wounds, its fair to say that many of our historical lacerations are still open and bleeding. We don’t have a thousand years of history to draw on, hide behind, or help us forget what came before. As memories fade, documents are lost, and times change, those countries with long histories can and do get over some of their past hurts. Get back to us in another eight hundred years and we’ll see if we’re still cranky about that misunderstanding with England.

From approximately 1790 to 1861, Americans were mistrustful of foreign regimes while at the same time being hypocritically tolerant of their own and its rampant corruption. It was easy to turn a blind eye to what we knew was going on, and we did so with righteous and indigent self-assured glee. The most genuine hubris. Our civil war came as a complete and total shock to the average American. Once again, our populist lack-of-faith in government was reaffirmed. Citizens and newspapers alike subscribed to the belief that politicians and greedy business operators alike shared the blame for this book bath.
1861 to 1865 can be described as a period of self-inflicted government-sponsored martial trauma that most Americans still think of as the fault of a grasping Federal government. Our civil war was and still is a celebrated event in the minds of the majority because of the lofty goals expressed by Abraham Lincoln and the civil rights reforms that have been enacted since. Modern historians find it all too easy to poke at Federal improprieties of that period. The perpetuation of those misdeeds adds to the fuel that keeps our conspiratorial flame alive.

We’ve always asked more of our politicians than they seem equipped to deliver. Elected leaders at all levels of our society who put forward the image of proper comportment and civil behavior often have a great deal of misbehaving to hide. As voters, we know it, and we expect it. Those politicians who can withstand the scrutiny to deliver some or most of what we ask for in terms of virtue often find themselves lauded to great heights. When they appease us in this way, they can get away with anything short of bloody murder.

As long as times are good, we like to ignore our politicians and their misdeeds. It’s what we expect from them, and they do know it. When the failures of government become too numerous to ignore , or if times get bad; we suddenly decide that we’re just not going to take it any more. The longer we remain agitated, the more ‘stuff” we remember. It’s a capricious convenience that we truly enjoy. Like a spiteful nagging spouse, we don’t think twice about keeping score when the chips are down.

Rather than aspire to greatness, our political and social elite have continued to chase dollars instead of ideology. In America, your social standing is predicated on your bank balance. Because some millionaires dress in rags while some of the poor put on their best designer duds, you can’t judge us by outward appearance alone. One can easily be in line for fast food with a person who is rich enough to own the entire company. In spite of our vast and varied wealth, a majority of us agree that our government can’t be trusted.

The last two decades of the 19th century in America witness more than just post-civil war reconstruction. Once again, we were presented with a period of unmitigated growth and another chance to ignore and possibly forget the sins of the past in favor of a more rosy view of the future. These long stretches of stability and prosperity where each relative to the times in which they took place, but the fact remains that we were blessed with more than one opportunity to ignore Washington D.C. and…we did.

Conspiracy theory, as Americans think of it today, didn’t take root until after World War Two. We expected government corruption, and we got used to the idea that we could and would win the wars we got involved in. No matter how foolish that involvement might have been. It is true that the frequency or pace of scandal might have been somewhat less in those days, its important to remember that the speed of global communications increased a great deal after World War One. By the mid 1920’s, coast-to-coast communications in the United States transformed our world view and changed the way we looked at our politicians.

The intensity and success of World War Two distracted us from many of our government’s activities. Our mistrust of public officials flagged, but never went away. As the Cold War began, we looked forward to another shot at prosperity and yet one more chance to forget about the sins of the past. Spies in the field along with certain avante guarde thinkers may have seen what was coming, but the rest of us were taken by surprise. The simple historical truth is that our political and social elites had acquired more power and wealth in the last five decades than any of us realized. By the end of the calendar year 1945, the national stage was set for events which are still playing out today.

From approximately 1960 to 1990, it was a bad thing for any American to actually be called a conspiracy theorist. The term carried with it many negative social and intellectual connotations that are still in force today. Its worth remembering that the events of 1947 in Roswell (New Mexico) which gave birth to the modern UFO movement in America hadn’t gained national prominence until the 1960’s. Contemporary historians are in general agreement that the Kennedy assassination of 1962 succeeded in sparking nation-wide interest in conspiracy theories.

The Kennedy “event” had the distinction of being seen as a government misdeed and a social scandal at he same time. A popular figure who appeared to embody many of the virtues that we so highly prize was the victim of an official government cover up. At the very least, that’s the way it still looks to us, even today. If Kennedy’s personal failings had been known to us at the time, its unlikely that he would still be an iconic figure. Even so, JFK’s death marked the beginning of America’s obsession with conspiracy theory.

Modern telecommunications have made it possible for anyone to question anything and be heard, seen, or read by millions around the world. As free thinkers, Americans have embraced this new trend in global idea-streaming. With our mistrust of government and big business still largely in tact and unchallenged, we’re not surprised when we meet up with people in other countries who think like we do. The fact that so much of what we worry about happens to be fretted over by others seems to bolster our notion that we’re really on to something. How can we be wrong to mistrust our government if people in other countries fear their own leaders?

Today’s conspiracy theorists are still regarded as being “out there,” but many have attained a certain degree of legitimacy as writers, bloggers, and journalists, that wouldn’t have been possible prior to 1990. Mainstream language and professional methods of presentation are now the hallmarks of the “good” conspiracy theorist. Academic verifiability separates the kooks from those-who-know. With such a long list of government cover-ups and corporate misdeeds to draw on, it seems unlikely that 21st Century conspiracy-minded Americans will be at risk of becoming social outcasts.

NOTE: Some of you have asked me about Conspiracy Fiction, of the kind that I am known for. I will try to get something up for you in the weeks ahead.

Why Do Americans Embrace Conspiracy Theories?

That is a good question, I guess behind any conspiracy is a bit of truth.

When it comes to some non-Americans they get over whelmed by the amount of information in this site, many people do not take the time to research on their own so they expect others to fill the gap of information that they are missing.

When it comes to government, it is well known that they are always hiding their corruption from the population that elected them, one of the beauty of our constitution is that protects our rights to question every single action that they do that affect us.

It's that "awareness of corruption" that we need to concern ourselves with. Good citizenship means being aware ofw hat's going on, along with a certain willingnessto use your vote to do something about it. It's very tempting to ignore what goes on in america today. Don't get a paper, don't turn on the t.v., and stay off the internet news sites. We're not powerless...yet...but we could be if we don't use our voices while we still have them.

Heavy piece!

You are spot on in your assertion that America's draw to the infamous "Conspiracy Theory" is born from a rich history of getting burned by corruption and power. I'd add to it the fact that it's kind of a way of protecting ourselves. Insead of waitng to get "burned" we go looking for the danger before it hits us. It the whole Idea of "Looking for the Threat".

Tim

Originally posted by Ghost01
You are spot on in your assertion that America's draw to the infamous "Conspiracy Theory" is born from a rich history of getting burned by corruption and power. I'd add to it the fact that it's kind of a way of protecting ourselves. Insead of waitng to get "burned" we go looking for the danger before it hits us. It the whole Idea of "Looking for the Threat".

ATS draws an international crowd. I've been asked this question a lot in recent months, so I decided that it was high time that I knocked out an essay that could be put here for general reference. We might be paranoid, but that's only 'cause they really are out to get us...or so it would seem.

Anything worth doing is hard, and that includes good citizenship.

i think we embrace them because we are obviously being lied to by our media. We are constantly being fed a steady diet or fear and uncertainty.

So, since the smart ones know that the mainstream media is completely filtered we know that we have to find alternate routes to know whats really going on. The dumb ones either dont care or believe everything Fox news reports to them.

Good citizenship means...among other things...being informed. if knowledge is power, we each have obligations to be as powerful as we can. Conspirators rely on your laziness. They rely on your willingness to remain uninformed. Think about that the next time you are being lied to.

Originally posted by Justin Oldham

Anything worth doing is hard, and that includes good citizenship.

Right on! Too often we resort to complaining abot the thing is life we don't like. It is the duty of every good citizen to try to improve their country and their world for themselves, their children and neighbors. Citizenship isn't just a right to be taken at leasure, it's a responsibilty that calls on each of us to take an active intrest in our community and world.

In places like America, people need to evercise their right to vote and make themself heard. However, don't just vote to say you voted. Instead, start a few months or more Before the election, Research the issues and develop a stand. Don't just believe something to believe it, Know why you believe it well enough that you would feel cofident defending you beliefs in a debate. Remember, the people running for office are trying to sell their ideas to you. You need to have a firm stance on what you want from your government, or someone could take you along for a ride.

Having "citizen" status is Not the same as being a citizen. One is just about being allowed a given set of rights, the other is about using thoes rights wisely to help make your community and world a better place for future generations.

Tim

All good conspirators know that 'hiding' isn't the hard part. It's easy to go unnoticed. All you've really got to do is stay quiet. It's much harder to go unquestioned. Obfuscating and deflection are much harder than being silent. The most successful of conspiracies unchallenged.

Arming yourself with knowledge that you found on your own represents a greater threat to the conspirator than simple "discovery." Thats because you can't be so easily taken advantage of. when you have even the mildest of questions, you become a problem they can't solve without exposing or compromising who and what they are.

This is what our Foundinging Fathers had in mind when they Constitution-al-ized your freedom to speak, assemble, and know your accusors. In some cases, "they" really are out to get us. In other less threatening circustances, "they" mean well...but...

Most of what you see in this forum is inter-connected, which is to say that each subject matter thread relates to the others. I point this out for one reason. When the average American worries about their government, they do so with this notion of interconnectivity in mind.

A lot of good points where brought up, however, I wanted to add one of my own.

Plain and simple, I believe that we as Americans are bored. Speaking on a personal level, I have grown tired of hearing which celebrity is going into rehab and what they do on a daily basis, additionally the war in Iraq for news is upsetting. That is why I search out other media outlets.

Conspiracy Theories are exciting because it makes you think "yeah, what if"? This should be taken with a grain of salt, however, because as Confucius said, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." I do not believe that a lot of Conspiracy Theorist think like this. They take someones word for it and do not do their own research to see if what the person says is accurate or not. I hope I am not being too stereotypical but I call it like I see it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my point of view.

Originally posted by sevenelizabeth
Conspiracy Theories are exciting because it makes you think "yeah, what if"? This should be taken with a grain of salt, however, because as Confucius said, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." I do not believe that a lot of Conspiracy Theorist think like this. They take someones word for it and do not do their own research to see if what the person says is accurate or not. I hope I am not being too stereotypical but I call it like I see it.

Conspiracy theory means different things to different people. For some, it really is a lifestyle. For others, it's a hobby. It appeals to the most cynical and jaded. You'll find any number of motivations here on ATS. I do think that some people are bored with conventional mainstream news, so they turn to the alternatives for spice.

As pointed out earlier in this thread, Americans have a long and justifiable history of mistrust. They don't trust their government, and they tend to think the worst of corporations. For the most part, they're not wrong. Yo ucan follow the historical examples I gave (in earlier posts) for yourself.

No matter what conspiracy theories you follow, you'll never make everyone happy. Nor, will you always find people who agree with you. Public opinion can be fickle. When a person says something on a conspiracy site that tends to be on target, they can find their stuff splattered all over the net. When they're wrong, they can find criticism all over the place, too.

Ten years ago, it was a social disadvantage to be called a conspiracy theorist. Today, it's what a lot of people aspire to. It's become a form of commentary that 'allows' the speaker to venture off the beaten path to think outside the box. Some people use it as an excuse to say the darndest things. Others make the most of it as they try to champion whatever their favorite issue happens to be.

Justin

Those of us here may embrace it, but i've yet to meet anyone outside of here who "embraces" it. People are afraid of the truth and like to be in denial: " If i cant change things, what do i care what's going on?" That's what i'm told all the time.

Thank goodness for this place- we try to get to the bottom of the truth.

Originally posted by dgtempe
Justin

Those of us here may embrace it, but i've yet to meet anyone outside of here who "embraces" it. People are afraid of the truth and like to be in denial: " If i cant change things, what do i care what's going on?" That's what i'm told all the time.

As I said in an earlier post, Conspiracy Theory is a life style for some people. It's not that way for me ,and I'm not afraid to admit it. CT is different things to different people. Some come to it seeking a thrill, others come to it seeking what they regard as forbidden knowledge.

When it comes to fighting back, I always point to the basic tools of civics. Using your voice. Your time, your effort, your money, and your vote, are all weapons that you have in your own private arsenal. It's hard to regard those weapons as being "potent" when you think of yourself as acting alone. It's hard for the down-and-out crowd to realize that they aren't actually alone, and I view it as a part of my 'mission' to make them realize that.

The internet is a deceptive place. It's altogether too easy to groom your image to be exactly what you want others to see. The same thing is true about the "facts" that you find on the net. Those who are willing to accept at face value what they find because it appeals to them...are doing so at their own risk and by their own choice. Thinking outside the box is good, but some times you'll run in to people who threw away the box to avoid thinking altogether.

As an ATS Conspiracy Master, I've got my niche. I know it, too. I'm here because certain things bother me. I know what they are, and I've got some thoughts on what can be done about them. The simple truth is that I am not all conspiracy all the time. In the "real world" I'm a struggling writer, and I feel no shame in admitting that. The things I'm trying to write and get published are all about the things that bother me, and what I think can acutally be done about them.

I point this out because very few people who pursue conspiracy theory posess that duality. Many of the people you meet here incorporate what they read here in to their daily lives. Some will use what they read here to help them make sense of the world around them, but most build it in to their world view to spice things up.

Originally posted by Justin Oldham
It's that "awareness of corruption" that we need to concern ourselves with. Good citizenship means being aware ofw hat's going on, along with a certain willingnessto use your vote to do something about it. It's very tempting to ignore what goes on in america today. Don't get a paper, don't turn on the t.v., and stay off the internet news sites. We're not powerless...yet...but we could be if we don't use our voices while we still have them.

I feel like our vote doesn't even count anymore. I never have understood how the electoral college works, I think it is another way to manipulate voters, I think the government and corporations think they are smarter than the rest of us when in fact they AREN'T..........I have always been a proponent of KISS............Keep It Simple Stupid.........which is why I am for the popular vote because it is the only way your individual vote really counts.

You are a great writer and communicator. You mention you are a struggling writer.........is it how you earn a living?

when I not out riding with the ATS brigade, and I'm a simple writing. It's how I want to make my living. The journey has been long and slow, but rewarding in ways that you can't measure in money. If I had to do this again, I would. I've made my mistakes, but I'm a better man than I was and that counts for a lot in my own world view. I won't be able to take any of my toys with me when I die, so I might as well be a better person.

The language used to describe the electoral college is complicated, but the concept itself is simple. there is a formula that is based on population. This formula determines how many electoral votes each State gets. For example, California gets 27 and my own State of Alaska gets 3. It's all about population.

The electorial college goes back to the old days before telegraph, telephone, or even the internet. It's an out-dated system that in today's world is open to manipulation. As we have seen before, its possible to win the popular vote and lose on the basis of electoral college counts. When it comes to political conspiracies, this one ranks right up there with the most real of the real.

The men and women who volunteer to be members of the electoral college do so with the knowledge that they will not be payed for their service. At least, they're not supposed to be payed. The truth is that both major political parties wine and dine members of the electoral college like there's no tomorrow. I was once hit up to be an electoral delegate. I said, "No thanks. Some day, I'll be famous and I'll have to answer for what ever I did before I was famous. This, I don't need on my record."

Yes, I do struggle, but I also get to do some things that the average guy does not. I have a blog that gets around. For a guy who has only published one book so far with limited success, I am 'known.' I get to do a little radio, and I get to IM with some of the most interesting people...who shall remain nameless. How cool is that?

Lest we forget, everybody has to start some where. The most vocal and 'successful' advocates, experts, and thinkers all have one thing in common. At one point in time, they were nobody. As you cruise the net right now, there is a person...man or woman...who is typing away at a blog that gets two or three hits a week. They don't know it, but they're working on the next great thing. They're okay with being "nobody," and they like what they do. Ten years from now, you'll never remember that you saw their stuff...back when...they were nobody.

As open-minded as we are, or as we wish to be, its hard for most Americans to think good thoughts about government when we see our leaders doing stuff "to" us. I'd like to bring your attention to a discussion started by somebody else here on ATS that underscores the worries that Americans have about their government.

It's being reported that politicians in California would liketo put tracking devices in to our handguns. No, that's not a typo. That's really what they want to do. Please click on the link to see it for yourself.

You've read my stuff. You already know what I think. Now, I'd like to show you what you need to see so that you can make up your own mind.

Hi Justin,

I was wondering if you have read these books concerning conspiracy, Empower the People by Tony Brown and Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper?

If so can you give me your opinion on them?

Both books make some VERY EXTRAORDINARY claims in them, and even if their contents aren't 100% true...... if only 10% of what I read in those books are true we are in real trouble IMO.

Pegasus

Hello Pegasus:

I am familiar with Tony Brown's book, "empower the people." I looked at it as part of the research I did for my first novel. The short answer is that he's not wrong. You can read my own perspective on this point of view here in the forum, in the thread titled "the shape of things to come." There really is a social and political elite out there which has been slowly taking control of our governing institutions. they really do think they know better than you, and they mean to ahve it all.

Mr. Cooper's work centers around Ufology, and so it falls outside my area of expertise. I wil lsay that his study of MJ-12 is worth reading by any conspiracy buff who wants to get their feet wet.

Mr. Brown has an agent, and I do not. having said that, I will admit that I did find his work to be velidating to me as I pursued my own efforts. I started off writing in a technicla format as he did. when I realized just how dull, dry, and boring my stuff sounded, I decided to package my thoughts in Fiction. Conspiracy Fiction is a growing market, and most outsider regard what we do here as Fiction in the first place...sooo...

The struggle for supremacy that I and others talk about has been going on since the ink dried on the Constitution. However you learn about it, you should take your time without being afraid to ask the hard questions.

I embrace getting to the truth.

If getting to the truth i have to embrace conspiracies, well, then, so be it.

To me a conspiracy is Aliens have a base in the South Pole.

I dont know if they do or not, but i am curious.

I dont particularly embrace ^ something like this.

What i do embrace is getting to the truth that can hurt me right now but our government refuses to tell me- and instead tells lies. Its this kind of "conspiracy" that i want to know about. Funny, how most conspiracies of this nature turn out to be true.

I hope i'm making sense.