Conspiracy Theories
September 20th, 2013 at 1:30:35 AM
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Conspiracy Theories
I am sure that throughout history, in just about every tribe or country, there have been conspiracies. Groups of individuals with the same desires get together and try to manipulate or defeat other groups or individuals or control various aspects of their society. I doubt anyone could possibly question that such conspiracies exist. Just look at the Democrats and Republicans – those are two groups conspiring to take control of the country at any given time. Within those groups are sub-groups trying to manipulate the main group. And on it goes.
Some people believe the government is conspiring to cover up the existence of UFOs or a gay conspiracy to take over the public schools or a Hollywood conspiracy to have people screwing around like rutting rhinos without benefit of marriage. These are, actually, rather small conspiracies if you think about it. They are contemporary in the extreme. And they may or may not actually exist. But the world is not being controlled by these supposed conspiracies for century after century.
However, there are small conspiracies such as the above and then there are CONSPIRACIES, the capital letter kind being those conspiracies that while using superficial logic connecting this, that and the other thing to one another appeal to some people --- often called “conspiracy theorists” --- and these kinds tend to be, as they say in acting, “over the top.” Most of you have heard or read of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy and the World Trade Center conspiracy. These are small but might wind up being CONSPIRACIES when attached to other conspiracies.
You have various groups that have been singled out for focus as true CONSPIRACIES that have transcended their own times; indeed some go way, way back in time. You have the Illuminati (a real group from Bulgaria that has transmogrified into a modern day CONSPIRACY) and the Knights Templar and going further back you have Satan and his minions and such conspiracies go throughout recorded and perhaps unrecorded history. In some religions all of reality is a conspiracy against humanity.
Now, those world-encompassing conspiracists like to tie in all the small conspiracies to make the big CONSPIRACY and give power to their arguments. Logic can do wonderful things. Pick a certain thing from that time period in history and join it to that information from this country and that information from some written document and you can link all as a part of “something big,” something connected, controlling everyone and everything. Yes, some conspiracy theorists resort to plain and simple lying but most look over events and ideas and decisions made by governments or religions or (what have you) and bingo! everything is related to everything else and we are being manipulated for some dreadful purpose.
Do I think there are really big conspiracies of control going throughout history? Maybe. Every religion is a kind of conspiracy. Kids are brought up to believe a given religion, some extremely extreme. I have friends from different religions, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists (yes, some atheists have a kind of religious fervor) and all of them see their beliefs as significant in their lives. Different types of governments try to get their citizens to believe (or fear) their type of government. You can go on and on.
But seriously, the true believers in CONPSIRACIES go way beyond anything I can say. They have made CONSPIRACY their religion. They see just about everything through the lens of a worldwide CONSPIRACY that they wholeheartedly believe in. They are convinced that brilliant people have been manipulating mankind for a long time.
There is an excellent article in the current issue of “Skeptic Magazine” about the BIG conspiracy called “The Sovereign Scam.” The issue also deals with the Kennedy conspiracy as well. While it is obvious that conspiracies exist; taking this truth to make it this TRUTH is an effort in extremism.
I am sure that throughout history, in just about every tribe or country, there have been conspiracies. Groups of individuals with the same desires get together and try to manipulate or defeat other groups or individuals or control various aspects of their society. I doubt anyone could possibly question that such conspiracies exist. Just look at the Democrats and Republicans – those are two groups conspiring to take control of the country at any given time. Within those groups are sub-groups trying to manipulate the main group. And on it goes.
Some people believe the government is conspiring to cover up the existence of UFOs or a gay conspiracy to take over the public schools or a Hollywood conspiracy to have people screwing around like rutting rhinos without benefit of marriage. These are, actually, rather small conspiracies if you think about it. They are contemporary in the extreme. And they may or may not actually exist. But the world is not being controlled by these supposed conspiracies for century after century.
However, there are small conspiracies such as the above and then there are CONSPIRACIES, the capital letter kind being those conspiracies that while using superficial logic connecting this, that and the other thing to one another appeal to some people --- often called “conspiracy theorists” --- and these kinds tend to be, as they say in acting, “over the top.” Most of you have heard or read of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy and the World Trade Center conspiracy. These are small but might wind up being CONSPIRACIES when attached to other conspiracies.
You have various groups that have been singled out for focus as true CONSPIRACIES that have transcended their own times; indeed some go way, way back in time. You have the Illuminati (a real group from Bulgaria that has transmogrified into a modern day CONSPIRACY) and the Knights Templar and going further back you have Satan and his minions and such conspiracies go throughout recorded and perhaps unrecorded history. In some religions all of reality is a conspiracy against humanity.
Now, those world-encompassing conspiracists like to tie in all the small conspiracies to make the big CONSPIRACY and give power to their arguments. Logic can do wonderful things. Pick a certain thing from that time period in history and join it to that information from this country and that information from some written document and you can link all as a part of “something big,” something connected, controlling everyone and everything. Yes, some conspiracy theorists resort to plain and simple lying but most look over events and ideas and decisions made by governments or religions or (what have you) and bingo! everything is related to everything else and we are being manipulated for some dreadful purpose.
Do I think there are really big conspiracies of control going throughout history? Maybe. Every religion is a kind of conspiracy. Kids are brought up to believe a given religion, some extremely extreme. I have friends from different religions, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists (yes, some atheists have a kind of religious fervor) and all of them see their beliefs as significant in their lives. Different types of governments try to get their citizens to believe (or fear) their type of government. You can go on and on.
But seriously, the true believers in CONPSIRACIES go way beyond anything I can say. They have made CONSPIRACY their religion. They see just about everything through the lens of a worldwide CONSPIRACY that they wholeheartedly believe in. They are convinced that brilliant people have been manipulating mankind for a long time.
There is an excellent article in the current issue of “Skeptic Magazine” about the BIG conspiracy called “The Sovereign Scam.” The issue also deals with the Kennedy conspiracy as well. While it is obvious that conspiracies exist; taking this truth to make it this TRUTH is an effort in extremism.
