Zoilo ‘Bingo’ Dejaresco III l February 14, 2024 l Business Mirror
WIKIPEDIA on “Conspiracy Theory” (CT): It is an explanation to an event that asserts the existence of a conspiracy by sinister groups, when other explanations are more probable.”
We were ourselves victimized by such CTs in the Maui, Hawaii fire that killed scores and destroyed massive historical and tourist iconic places.
The fake theory (with scores of doctored pictures and videos) was produced to “prove” powerful people (in government) and real estate moguls conspired to test a military high energy weapon and depress real estate prices for takeover by land buccaneers. And we wrote about it. In truth, it was “pure wild forest fire fanned by strong typhoon winds” that did Maui in. Mea maxima culpa.
With technology, conspiracy theorists can propagate their CTs in seconds around the globe and lure millions to their line of thought.
Psychologists postulate that people need to be provided comfort with information on things that they cannot explain so they lean on CTs. The proponents demonize the other side and convince people that they have an “existential struggle with those who do not “share their beliefs.”
“Stolen election” was the anthem that drove thousands to the Washington Capitol in January 2021 and sowed mayhem and violence. Russia, meanwhile, propagandized that Ukraine is really part of Russia, its citizens wanting to become Russians again and was being run by Neo-Nazis to justify its unjust annexation.
Today, in the Israel-Hamas war, thousands of pictures and videos have been altered and passed on as legitimate news in another aspect called “war propaganda.” A University of Virginia study says that CT followers “believe facts don’t matter and create their own universe”— believing what they want to believe. A different University of Maryland survey showed that of the US violent attacks, 166 of those happening in 2020, were prompted by CT prodding.
Recent conspiracy theories
A fairly recent CT development is the so-called Taylor Swift (recently turned billionaire) CT which says that the Democrats rigged the Superbowl by making the Kansas Chefs (where Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce plays for) win over the Baltimore Ravens. In the greatest sports event that is the Superbowl finals—Taylor Swift is said to perform at halftime- and then-VOILA- endorse the reelection bid of Joe Biden for the presidency. Swift has an incredible 600 million followers on social media.
The Associated Press reports that half of Americans believe in at least one CT which while not necessarily leading to violence can always result in radicalization and social isolation.
The Covid-19 phenomenon had spawned implausible theories like the implanting of microchips in vaccines to track people, vaccines leading to certain diseases and death and were used by the likes of Bill Gates to decrease fertility and control world population growth which Gates says (sic) is untenable. Thus, vaccine clinics have been attacked, nurses and doctors threatened, and vital vaccines destroyed when they were needed, as a consequence.
One ridiculous CT concerned the bombing of the Twin Towers and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, stating that this was the workings of the government of President George Bush. That the buildings were aided by “controlled demolition” to ensure their collapse and that the Pentagon was really hit by a missile (not just the crashed airplane). Bush’s objective: justify the Afghanistan war and get the oil of Iraq. Very Hollywoodish, indeed.
Largely, there is a CT school of thought that the propaganda versus the Marcoses was to demonize their name and prevent their election into power and were, therefore, all untrue. Especially the CD voting market, many fell for this and was reportedly the reason why people voted Bongbong Marcos to the presidency.
Older conspiracy theories
THE most telling and revolting is the continued anti-Semitism globally that tries to downgrade the Holocaust of 6 million Jews killed by the butcher Adolf Hitler between 1941-1945. A 2014 survey conducted over 100 countries showed, despite documentation to the contrary, that 30 percent do not believe the figure is accurate and those under 60 years normally have qualified belief if the Holocaust did happen at all.
Even America’s landing in the moon of astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin in 1969 was questioned by 30 percent of Americans in the 1960’s, many saying the landing pictures were just photographed in a rugged terrain in Nevada. Believe it or not, a significant 10 percent of Americans still have of the same belief as late as 2019.
On November 23, 1963, American President John F Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Texas during a motorcade; Oswald was in turn shot dead by Jack Ruby on his way to a trial. In the 1960’s more than 50 percent of Americans believed Oswald never “acted alone”—way up to 2017, some still believed in that CT. They reasons cited by the CTs for the assassination include: the failure of the “Bay of Pigs” attack in Cuba, retaliation of the Mafia vs. Robert Kennedy and the CIA-military complex anger at JFK for slowing down interest in building armaments of war. Imagine those.
CT believers proposed that the car death of the beloved Princess Diana in Paris aboard a car with a drunken driver and her lover—film mogul Dodi Fayed (who was to propose marriage to the divorced Diana that night) was not an accident. The sons of Diana (Harry and William) were reportedly against having a Muslim (Fayed) as a stepfather. Wow, on this one. (Better than the fertile mind of Steven Spielberg).
CT proponents say the popular Area 51 in Nevada, on the other hand, is kept off limits because of the presence of UFOs and new battle weapons being developed by America there. And that the American government’s silence or ambivalence on the existence of the UFOs are proofs of their existence. Say that, again, Sam.
Qanon CT followers seem to be the most notoriously radicalized. For instance, the Associated Press reports that a man allegedly killed his two sons with a speargun in the mistaken belief that his wife” was possessed by a serpent DNA and passed that on to their children.” If the above were not as macabre and horrifying, many of these Conspiracy Theories aftermath could be a rich ground for producers to generate storylines for horror and violent movies. No need for ChatGPT and Bing.
*** Zoilo P. Dejaresco, a former banker, is a financial consultant, media practitioner and author. He is a Life and Media member of Finex. His views here, however, are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Finex and the BusinessMirror. dejarescobingo@yahoo.com.