Conspiracy theories in the United States.

[howard112211]

I have lived large parts of my life in Germany, and one thing that baffles me about the United States, in comparison to Germany and other European countries, is how deeply ingrained "conspiracy theories" are in US culture.

I mean, sure, those things also exist in Germany, but to large degree they are the same conspiracy theories that the US has, "imports" so to speak. They are conspiracy theories evolving around the United States, not conspiracy theories evolving around Germany.

I think with the emergence of the internet things have accelerated a lot. Today, not 48 hours after the deed, the web is already ablaze with theories surrounding the death of OBL.

I have always wondered why such things are so prevalent in the US.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this:

One is that events in the US are usually more "bombastic" and with more far reaching consequences than in other places. 9/11 "changed the world" because it happened in New York. The same event taking place somewhere in Norway would have been viewed as a "local" issue by much of the world.

But I think aside from that, the United States governments of the last century carry much of the blame for this. The thing is that in the US people are so used to getting lied to, and being withheld crucial information, they have come to expect it. I think it is a natural instinct of humans to fill information gaps with speculations. If government was more transparent, maybe this wouldn't happen so much.

[slackmaster]

1. I'd be quite outraged if Muslim extremists crashed planes into skyscrapers on Oslo

:nuke:

[howard112211]

2. So would I, but would we have seen wars breaking out and the erosion of civil right worldwide

as a respose? Maybe somewhat, but not nearly on the same scale.

[slackmaster]

3. You'd be surprised what a bunch of pissed-off Norwegians can do

:hi:

[dipsydoodle]

4. Yeh - they do a pretty mean folk dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwOyn4AVtKs

[Diclotican]

13. slackmaster

slackmaster

YEAH.. From 780 to ca 1000 our ancestors made a hell of mess in most of Northen Europe, when they was pissed off...

And even today, we can make a lot of hell, if pissed off.. Even tho we somewhat is less angry than we was 1000 year ago..

Just not piss off norwigians, and you have a good friend for life. If you do, you can have a good enemy on your hand too - for life

Diclotican

[Diclotican]

11. slackmaster

slackmaster

I live 25 minutes with train, from down-town Oslo.. And would be "somewhat" outraged if anyone blow up Plaza or Postgirobygget in Oslo in terrorism attack.. And for some reason I fear that many others, with less provocations, would do a lot more damage to the population of muslim faith in oslo if extremist from the muslim faith was blowing up something in Oslo... In fact I fear the police, homeguard, and some parts of our military must have been between "Us" and "them" to protect innocents, to be attaced by mob, who would do harm or harm "the others".. Not everyone on Grønland or other parts of Oslo, are SOOO happy about islamic extremists either...

Diclotican

[Waiting For Everyman]

5. For a year before the Watergate story got big, Woodward & Bernstein

were "conspiracy theorists".

[stevenleser]

7. They were journalists with a legitimate source. They werent sourceless internet users speculating

based on an agenda and a desire to seem special.

[pampango]

6. Mencken: The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy

In 1936 American commentator H. L. Mencken wrote:

The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts. He ascribes all his failure to get on in the world, all of his congenital incapacity and damfoolishness, to the machinations of werewolves assembled in Wall Street, or some other such den of infamy.

According to some psychologists, a person who believes in one conspiracy theory tends to believe in others; a person who does not believe in one conspiracy theory tends not to believe another.

Psychologists believe that the search for meaning is common in conspiracism and the development of conspiracy theories, and may be powerful enough alone to lead to the first formulating of the idea. Once cognized, confirmation bias and avoidance of cognitive dissonance may reinforce the belief. In a context where a conspiracy theory has become popular within a social group, communal reinforcement may equally play a part.

Humanistic psychologists argue that even if the cabal behind the conspiracy is almost always perceived as hostile there is, often, still an element of reassurance in it, for conspiracy theorists, in part because it is more consoling to think that complications and upheavals in human affairs, at least, are created by human beings rather than factors beyond human control. Belief in such a cabal is a device for reassuring oneself that certain occurrences are not random, but ordered by a human intelligence. This renders such occurrences comprehensible and potentially controllable. If a cabal can be implicated in a sequence of events, there is always the hope, however tenuous, of being able to break the cabal's power – or joining it and exercising some of that power oneself. Finally, belief in the power of such a cabal is an implicit assertion of human dignity – an often unconscious but necessary affirmation that man is not totally helpless, but is responsible, at least in some measure, for his own destiny.

The subscriber to the theory is able to assign moral responsibility for an emotionally troubling event or situation to a clearly conceived group of individuals. Crucially, that group does not include the believer. The believer may then feel excused of any moral or political responsibility for remedying whatever institutional or societal flaw might be the actual source of the dissonance. Likewise, Roger Cohen, in an op-Ed for the New York Times propounded that, "captive minds... resort to conspiracy theory because it is the ultimate refuge of the powerless. If you cannot change your own life, it must be that some greater force controls the world."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory#Controversy

Didn't see much concerning whether (or, if true, why) Americans are more susceptible to conspiracy theories than citizens of other countries.

[stevenleser]

8. Yep, wikipedia's definition and material on conspiracy theory is excellent imho n/t

[dipsydoodle]

9. "citizens of other countries"

understand the concept of blowback. Many citizens of the USA have no concept of that due almost entirely to a complete absense of knowledge of the real reasons for American intervention abroad for most of the last century.

[Diclotican]

10. howard112211

howard112211

Wel, its maybe becouse Oslo is far less known by most of the world, than say New York. If Oslo in Norway, had been as known as New York, or London, we might as well had been attaced by the terrorist...

And I doubt if some had hit, let says PLAZA in Oslo (the tallest building for the moment in Oslo, just the old "postgirobygget" is in the same size) had been hit by an terrorist attac, and some or most of the building had been in rubbles.. It would be a reaction to this that could be historic Im afraid of.. It would maybe been seen more like a local issue in the most of the world.. But not as an local issue in most of scandinavia and in most of the northen Europan is my guess..

But, when it came to conspirations, i feel that many americans belive what they are been told, not nessesary what is true allways.. And the conspirations around mr Osamas death is many as it is not excactly known what happend.. Maybe the government of US would not tell the story, becouse they are afraid of the backleash who would end up hurting US worse than just telling what happend when Osama was killed..

Diclotican

[H2O Man]

12. Respectfully disagree.

Two examples -- WW1 and WW2 -- which did not take place (*except for Pearl Harbor) in the USA, are viewed as rather significant.

[leveymg]

14. Conspiracy theories (and just plain lies) fill the void when there is secrecy and destruction of

evidence, and not enough full, impartial investigation, no prosecution of officials for misconduct, and diminishing chances for open and fair trials where evidence of criminal negligence or culpability is found.

That's why conspiracy theories -- and actual conspiracies -- thrive in America, and why excessive secrecy and no accountability for crimes of state will destroy what's left of our constitutional system.