American Conspiracy Theory

Late one summer night in July of 1947, a couple saw a large glowing object quickly fly across the sky. It was later reported that a weather balloon crashed nearby. People have often wondered if it actually was a weather balloon, and some have believed it to be a downed alien craft that the government covered up. Theories about a Roswell coverup did not become widely known to the American public until a few decades after the crash. This change in public knowledge demonstrates the variability of conspiracy theories--some become popular immediately following the events they try to explain, and some can take years to catch on. From the crash in Roswell in 1947 to current day, America’s public knowledge of theories about Roswell has grown at an unsteady pace, driven by the types of technology used to disseminate information. America’s knowledge of the Roswell incident has developed in three phases. First, immediately after the crash in 1947, there was some attention given to the crash, but it was mostly local news reports. Second, after the testimony in 1984 of an eyewitness who was a major in the air force, conspiracies blossomed. Finally, after interest diminished had begun to diminish, the internet ignited another increase in Roswell theories.

Brian Keeley’s short essay, “Of Conspiracy Theories” discusses conspiracy theories and their value in an epistemological context. Keeley defines a conspiracy theory as “a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons-the conspirators-acting in secret (Keeley 1999, pg. 116).” Keeley seeks to answer the question of why conspiracy theories are unwarranted. His interest in the warrant of conspiracy theories focuses on ¬the unfalsifiability of conspiracy theories and how conspiracy theories are founded upon an extraordinarily large amount of skepticism. In section III, Keely discusses what a conspiracy theory is, and contends that there is no grounds for

Maggie Koerth Baker’s piece titled Why rational people buy into conspiracy theories represents the reasons why rational people believe in conspiracy theories. Throughout the article Baker tries to explain the reasons behind the belief of conspiracy theories supported by research and evidence. This paper will review Baker’s article as well as her main arguments, will evaluate the quality of Baker’s writing and focus on any areas of weakness within the article.

Texas Theater where Oswald was arrested says that Oswald was at the theater the exact moment Officer Tippit was killed. “The bullet shells from an automatic pistol found at the Tippit killing scene don't even fit Oswald’s only known handgun which was a revolver” (Groden 23). “The doctors who labored in a futile effort to save Kennedy’s life at the Parkland hospital all had stated that in contemporaneous interviews that the wound in his throat had been and entrance wound. Wade and the FBI had concluded that Oswald was directly behind the president and that he alone had fired a weapon in Dealey plaza.” (Lane 17). So if he was directly behind the president how could he create and exit wound in the front of John F. Kennedy’s throat. Also if the

Throughout history, and still today, Americans have looked to popular media outlets to stay up to date on the current issues our nation is involved in. Many Americans take the news reported at face value instead of digging deeper than the headlines to do a little of their own research. A clear majority of those Americans believe if they read it in the newspaper or see it on social media, it must be true. However, the media is notorious for manipulating the facts in order to advance the American government’s agenda. A manipulating media circuit is nothing new. An example of this is the USS Greer incident. Multiple media reports helped advanced President Roosevelt’s desire to engage in war by publishing inaccurate reports from the September 4, 1942 incident.

The perpetuation of misinformation can be very difficult to correct and may have lasting effects even after it is discredited. For instance, if an audience is reliant on the information provided by the media to make an informative decision about a topic involving their morals, the validity of the author’s claims will determine the mass majority of their decisions they make in the future. As a result, false information may continue to influence beliefs and attitudes even after being debunked if it is not replaced by an alternate causal explanation.

In, “One Man’s Rumer I Another Man’s Reality, Gregory Rodriguez, an author of the Los Angeles Times he argues about the power of broadcasting the truth and its effect on the people. As a result, “can false rumors and off-the-wall theories be corrected by broadcasting the truth” (Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2009)?

Have you ever heard of an event that had more conspiracy theories than the JFK assassination? John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas at 12:30 on November 22, 1963. JFK was our 35th president of the United States, he was loved by many Americans and only some hated him, which might have led to the Kennedy assassination. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, a U.S. Marine American Sniper who secretly went to the Soviet Union for unknown reasons. The day of the assassination was a huge uproar, it happened so fast that many Americans couldn’t explain what they saw, this created conspiracy theories. A conspiracy theory is a belief that an organization or individual is responsible for an event. One can conclude that the JFK

In the early 1900s American journalism began to change before everyone's eyes. Muckrakers, or journalists that exaggerated and denounced the truth behind government and business organizations, began to appear in newspapers and magazines across the nation. It seemed as though that exposing the government for the lies they told became one of the biggest fads of the 1900s. A muckraker’s form of writing is considered to be yellow journalism, or the exaggeration of events taking place in the world. This form of writing was meant to stir up opinions and cause controversy between individuals in the nation, and stir up controversy it did.

The spread of fake news can be detrimental and life altering without checking the validity of sources and facts before passing on such news to others. Pizzagate was a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 Presidential Election campaign, which alleged there was a child-sex ring taking place and the top Democrats had something to do with it (Pizzagate: A Slice of Fake News). Some believe it all started when John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, had his email account hacked. Tons of emails were leaked and made public. His emails were said to contain coded messages that referred to human trafficking and were also connected to the Comet Ping Pong pizza parlor (“Pizzagate: A Slice of Fake News). James Alefantis is the owner of the Comet Ping Pong and also an acquaintance of Podesta. One email did contain Podesta and Alefantis discussing a fundraiser idea for Hillary Clinton, but no talk happened about the alleged child-sex ring. While this ‘news’ was spreading fast, Alefantis and his forty plus employees were receiving deaths threats, negative tweets on Twitter and Facebook, and facing harassing altercations with strangers. The staff observed social media outlets and “counted five #pizzagate Twitter posts a minute” at one point (Kang). Alefantis himself said that, “From this insane, fabricated conspiracy theory, we’ve come under constant assault.” (Kang) The only people that know what is true in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory are the ones who are

To most a fairy tale, to some an interesting topic of discussion, however, to a small population, 5 % to be exact, Government conspiracy does exist. How, you might ask, do I intend to prove that indeed government conspiracy is real? I do not intend to prove it. In fact I only intend to inform you of its ever growing ploy of world domination, capitalism and control and open your mind to the idea that government conspiracy is out there. Throughout history as it is known to repeat itself, I will show facts that support this “theory” and dismiss the legendary lies we have been taught to believe through a system known as memetics.

We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be

The US Government, via several departments and agencies, uses the media to influence its enemies. This influence takes various forms and is used to accomplish different objectives depending on which part of the government is being used. In addition, there is a direct relationship between which part of the government is doing the influencing, who the “enemy” may be, and what kinds of media tactics are used.

Certain personalities have this bizarre obsession with a denial of the obvious. There must be an alternative explanation for things. A point of view outside the mainstream — intriguing and mysterious as it is — conveys a feeling of meaning and importance. Who cares whether it makes no actual sense, as long as it excites our senses. This info-loaded age gives our imaginations the license to allege anything and make it sound convincing; even reasonable. This is what conspiracy theorists do. In a world filled with loose associations amongst unrelated circumstances, these internet driven deceivers play — “connect the dots”, until suddenly, the White House becomes a secret cover for an underground world of aliens. Publish a book stuffed with smart sounding references and — voila! — best seller and a cult following to boot. With so many opinions about so many things accessible online, the one thing inaccessible is the one thing needed — truth.

The recent surge in popularity of social media comes with a price: fake news. Fake news is defined as news or media that has been altered or modified. Journalists have begun to analyze why that fake news exists and why it continues exist. Two authors, Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin D. Williamson, both have written articles about fake news. Eoin O’Carroll’s article “How Information Overload Helps Spread Fake News,” discusses how the media has bombarded us with news stories, blurring the distinct lines between real and fake news. Kevin D. Williamson, a journalist for the National Review, writes in his article “‘Fake News, Media and Voters: Shared Reality Must Be Acknowledged” that the news is not fake; it just does not align with one’s personal beliefs. Both authors successfully appeal to their audiences’ emotions and feelings, but O’Carroll is more likely to succeed than Williamson in persuading his audience to try and combat fake news because the writer presents himself as someone the intended readers will more readily identify with and offers evidence that his readers will find more compelling.