Conspiracy Theory

The persistence of the "Birther" movement illuminates a phenomenon that is neither new nor particularly unique to this country. When it comes to the underpinnings of their belief systems, people will show a flagrant disregard for reality. Instead we view any empirical evidence that contradicts our interpretation of the stated version of events as just more evidence of the deviousness and brilliance of the conspiracy.

AIDS was created in a government laboratory.

The CIA invented crack cocaine to decimate black communities.

The Moon Landings were faked.

The Holocaust never happened.

Hannibal didn't really cross the Alps with elephants. Nobody actually SAW him do it.

etc., etc., etc.

The difference today, of course is that modern communications and the net enable people of like mind (or out-of-their-minds as the case may be) to reinforce their theories by congregating around self proclaimed authorities on the subject. In a world where anyone with web access, time on their hands and a willingness to disregard inconvenient facts can develop and promulgate their interpretation of a documented occurrence, everyone is suddenly an expert. This is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing. Distrust of power and questioning the official line regardless of who it comes from keeps us all on our toes and is a buttress against those who would manipulate us towards achieving nefarious ends.

Skepticism is healthy, rampant disregard for the truth is another matter.

Our disdain for the findings of career journalists and other professionals, along with the rise of technologically enabled demagoguery, renders meaningless the important distinction between fact and opinion. The current media and academic landscape is littered with those who have fostered lucrative careers playing to the innate desire to know the real story surrounding anything that has piqued our interest. The email that was forwarded to me says that Obama is a Muslim. It comes from truthaboutobama.com. It must be true. Pass it on and watch that magical adsense counter rise.

In a world where everyone can generate an audience by proclaiming to know the details of some secret plot hatched by the tri-lateral commission, the signal-to-noise ratio seriously impacts our actions. How do we become well informed when the purveyors of knowledge learned everything they know from a google search? In a perverse inversion of the old saying, is everyone now entitled to their own facts? The echo chamber of self-reinforcing pronouncements is deafening.

Have to go line the hat with tinfoil now. The radio signals are beginning to give me a headache.