Conspiracy Rising Analysis

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.

It is well-known as one of the 20th century’s greatest mysteries, and still, years later, incites thought in today’s society, where historians are investigating possibilities, interviewing different people, and expressing conspiracies.

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

Widely regarded as one of the most beloved presidents, John F. Kennedy is still remembered to this day. President Kennedy was involved in one of the most controversial topics in the history of the United States. Although a few presidents prior to JFK were unfortunately assassinated, JFK’s assassination is the one most discussed. Although many Americans know that Lee Harvey Oswald was the man that shot President Kennedy, no one knows what motivated him to do so. The FBI concluded that he committed the crime on his own will without ties to any groups. However, not everyone believes what the FBI tells them. One of the more popular theories regarding the President’s assassination is that CIA had plotted to kill him. In an online article, “The CIA and the JFK Assassination” written by the Mary Ferrell Foundation, the author of the article discusses the theory of the CIA killing the President and how the evidence supports the theory. This conspiracy theory garners a specific audience as the text targets those who are in fear of national security, have beliefs in Christianity, distrust the U.S. government, interested in socially significant events, and value knowing the truth.

In the controversial essay, which was first published in the November 1964 issue of Harper’s Magazine, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” Richard Hofstadter argues how the prevalence of paranoia in American politics has dominated the country. Hofstadter asserts American politics have been governed by paranoia since the creation of the United States, and it has manifested itself into the minds of both average and intellectuals Americans. He contends that paranoia has played a pivotal role in American politics by fostering fear in citizens regarding issues such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion—and proclaims the reason fear is heightened in citizens has more to do with the style in which panic is spread than any other factor. Furthermore, the author claims the sole issue dictating American politics is not simply paranoia, but rather a problem internationally caused, primarily, through misconceptions and false imaginations. Hofstadter also explores the affiliation paranoia has to power, to corruption, and to the government. Additionally, he examines the reasoning behind many skeptics and paranoids in the country today and describes the techniques with which they spread panic and hysteria, through methods such as books, speeches, and media. “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” by Richard Hofstadter, demonstrates the critical role paranoia plays in dictating American politics through the utilization of academic diction, anecdotal evidence, logical appeals, an explanatory tone, and chronological organization.

Bill O’Reilly’s and Martin Dugard’s book Killing Lincoln delves into the events leading up to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the repercussions upon the people involved, as well as a detailed analysis of the ongoing war efforts and the affects one has upon the other. While unraveling the conspiracy and its members, the reader is given compelling evidence and speculative reasoning that leads the reader to believe that the plot to assassinate Lincoln involves additional people, and could in fact be a conspiracy that reaches into the regions of power far above what is historically proven.

The repercussions of September 11, 2001 have been numerous and one thing that certainly cannot be repudiated is that 9/11 resulted in Americans needing a scapegoat. In his book, Scapegoats of September 11th, Michael Welch devotes the first chapter, “Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror,” to a discussion of how the September 11th attacks have resulted in stereotyping and the discrimination against a few ethnicities and religions in the United States. In looking at the aftermath of the attacks, Welch also talks about how politicians responded to the attacks and the strategies that they used to advance their political ambitions.

There are many conspiracy’s that were and to this day, still operated by the government that cause major disruption in the United States. Conspirators and other similar persons around them began to wonder what the government was really up to behind closed doors. The Conspiracy of Operation Northwoods, a false flag Operation, was a proposition presented to President Kennedy via the DOD and JCS; Operation Northwoods was going to be used to gain political support for a war against Cuba – Northwoods was a conspiracy of which terrorist attacks were going to be planned to kill innocent Americans and Cubans in the United States and place blame on Cuba; In connection, the terrorist attack of September 11th were said to be conducted by the United States but was blamed on al Qaeda; Operation Northwoods seemingly shows how ruthless, cruel and the distance the government is willing to go in order to gain political support by attempting to start wars with foreign communist countries.

People come up with crazy ideas all the time, many of which are torn apart by scientific evidence. However, some ideas are crafted so precisely and detailed; they are accepted as fact by millions of people. These alternatives to accepted history are known as Conspiracy Theories, and the people who create them are of a special breed. It is difficult to imagine having the time and passion to craft an alternative reason behind many of the world’s events and tragedies, but these people are born to do so. There is a specific recipe for such a person, a carefully crafted powerful concoction that breeds the hatred for government and the quest for the “truth”. Such people have been around for thousands of years,

Although a majority of conspiracy theories are a load of baloney, some of them turn out to be true, and just a couple of instances where the government is not completely truthful about an event will cause people to doubt its integrity. Belief in conspiracy theories correlates with anomia, a combination of interpersonal distrust and fear, according to sociologist Ted Goertzel. When faced with perplexing tragedies, conspiracy theorists' distrust leads them to disregard popular explanation and make wild assumptions about what "really happened". The 70s and 80s were a goldmine for conspiracy theories, and some of them, such as the Kennedy assassination, the Watergate scandal, and the Iran Contra turned out to be true. There had also been tensions between Iraq and the U.S. before 9/11, and people knew that Bush was pushing for an all-out war. Untrusting citizens believed that 9/11 was propaganda in support of the war. After several conspiracy theories had been proven true and people had reason to distrust the government, citizens tried to think for themselves and make up their own reasons for what happened based on evidence that could possibly contradict the government's

It has now been fifty-one years since President John F. Kennedy’s (JFK’s) assassination, but there are still several unanswered questions lingering in the minds of the American people. For example, there are a large number of conspiracy theories floating around on the internet describing President Kennedy’s murder, along with mistakes made due to various flawed government agencies. Along with all of the publicity, there are quite a few rumors surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination, however, various articles and books provide factual evidence concluding that several mistakes were made on behalf of the United States secret service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and local Dallas, Texas police officers.

Olmsted is arguing that the American interest in conspiracies today is the result of a group of amateur conspiracy theorist, who were positive that the U.S government was hiding the truth about the assassination of President JFK. Olmsted argues that at the time of the JFK assassination 76% of the public trusted the government, however, by 1990, in the wake of the “citizen sleuths” determination to find the truth, a mere 21% trust the government. (Both statistics can be found on pg.672, pg.690)

Conspiracy theories have a massive influence on our society through literature, film and music. Such conjectures may be absurd to the commoner, but they serve an important psychological, and sociological, purpose in their practice. Conspiracies often target the powerful from the position of the powerless, reaching to explain what otherwise is unexplainable, or unsatisfactory when explained. These are an important aspect of democratic society, even if some speculations can reach into the extremes of absurdity.

The tragic events that occurred on September 11th, 2001 will live on forever in the history of the United States as citizens shed fresh tears for those lost every year. Hundreds upon thousands of articles have been written since the life-shattering catastrophic event, most of which – unsurprisingly – focus on the politics of the entire situation. In one article, “9/11,” Susan Sontag ruthlessly criticizes the government response following the attacks, making bold claims that they were withholding information from the public and leaving citizens blind and ignorant. Though Sontag is effective in describing a valid argument against the government’s response after the events of 9/11, her success is lost in her failed establishment of ethos in her lacking appearance of knowledge, little fairness toward the government’s side, and lost credibility due to inadequate facts and strong emotions.

And an individual experiencing a stressful life event may begin to engage in a particular way of thinking, such as seeing patterns that don't exist." (Putting the stress on conspiracy theories: Examining associations between psychological stress, anxiety, and belief in conspiracy theories)/ One more psychological phemomena which drives people to look for another control sources when they lose it, is called compensatory contol.A study „ Achieving Order Through the Mind, Our Institutions, and the Heavens “ showed that that when personal control is threatened, “people can preserve a sense of order by perceiving patterns in noise or adhering to superstitions and conspiracies.”In such wise, it can be supposed that the first thing, which could help to reduce the number of conspiracy theories supporters is the reduction of stress. Of course, it