If you have insufficient evidence to a question you still want to answer, you piece together all that you know. Anti-government conspiracies work because the US government has a history of questionable answers.
"I did not have relations with that woman." there are more, but this is fine for my example.
Imagine the well spring of aliens and government cover ups. Why is it believable? The government lied too many times to be credible. At Roswell, they reported a UFO crash landing, then it wasn't that it was a weather balloon, then fifty years later, they detail it was testing high altitude parachuting and survivability of the pilot. So three statements, none of which match ... does the government lie?
"There is no Area 51." OK, then later, hard drives were lost ... data stolen from Los Alamos Labs in famed Area 51. So, there isn't, there is ... the government is incredible.
Oliver Stone had to sue the government for them to release the JFK video. Video tapes showing the jet crashing into the Pentagon were all confiscated for evidence, but only one video was released to the public. Again, the government makes itself incredible by what it does. It fosters distrust.
The election of Bush over Gore, people felt disenfranchised, elsewhere elected officials getting away with crime and more. Conspiracy theories "work" because people feel weak, powerless, and know they are given lies. Whether the disinformation like Roswell was for National Security (working on the ejection seat and parachute for spy plane) or like those used by the CIA in Cuba during the Bay of Pigs, the United States government needs to stop lying.
It will be the undoing of America if the citizens completely distrust the government. If the reports of UFO activity are returned with blackened out sections, that feeds the fear, the distrust. Conspiracies work because people distrust authority naturally, and the government isn't forthcoming naturally.
The use of propaganda to get the US into the war in Iraq doesn't help America have a whole ton of faith in the government as well. This goes beyond the President, but the whole of government. I'd rather see America stick around rather than be purged due to stupid lying on the part of those in power.
The US government should help itself and lie less. A trusting people are easier to govern rather than increasing numbers of factions.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Why conspiracy theories sell well
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"The use of propaganda to get the US into the war in Iraq doesn't help America have a whole ton of faith in the government as well. This goes beyond the President, but the whole of government. I'd rather see America stick around rather than be purged due to stupid lying on the part of those in power."
People like to conveniently forget that intelligence leading to that war also came from England, France and other sources outside the U.S. government. In hindsight, it was determined that Saddam Hussein was telling those outside his very, very small circle of semi-trust that he did indeed have WMDs. This because of his very tenuous hold on power.
So... bad example.
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