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Kylie Dixon

Instructor Tyler

ENG 1201

6 November 2020

How are people affected by conspiracy theories?

Conspiracy theories are a non-mainstream definition of anything in our society

that involves unknown, strong, and sometimes sinister organizations. There are

numerous conspiracy theories in today's news. Such things as, Wayfair’s cabinets being

used for child trafficking, 5G towers causing COVID-19, QAnon theories, and Bill Gates

wanting to embed microchips into the human body. There is a lot of speculation on how

conspiracy theories affect people, what they should and shouldn't believe. While some

conspiracy theories have led to important in-depth research, people shouldn't believe in

conspiracy theories because they are harmful, misleading, and can cause paranoia.

People might support the fact that sometimes terrible things only happen in

anxious, unpredictable moments, but that’s not always convincing. The theorization of

conspiracy is a very convenient way to put all the blame on them for negative stuff,

encouraging the illusion that other things will be peachy. Conspiracy theorists need to

reduce uncertainty and make sense of the world. The mind will continue to search for

reasons that link the dots when a person feels anxiety over confusion or attends a large-

scale incident. A conspiracy theory is most likely to be accepted by people with poorer

reasoning skills and less tolerance for confusion. This is because theories of deception
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can also offer reasons for incidents that appear ambiguous or disturbing and followers

can conclude they are being purposely fooled. Naturally, people are often likely to look

for evidence that supports their present beliefs, which is regarded as a preference for

affirmation.

The Sandy Hook mass shooting took place on December 14 th 2012 and caused

multiple conspiracy theorists to be delusional to what actually happened. Adam Lanza

killed 20 students and six teachers before killing himself minutes after. Only twelve

students survived the attack. Early that day, Lanza killed his mom before leaving the

house with the weapons. Investigators concluded that in preparing and carrying out the

attack, Lanza, went to the elementary school as a child, acted alone and did not find a

reason for his actions or find out why he was attacking the school (Sandy Hook School

Shooting). Some claim that the motive behind the "hoax" was to force tougher

restrictions on weapons control and taking away weapons from survivors. Some people

that are for owning guns feel that they have a privilege to firearms and that the

government is seeking to suppress the people so that they can be more efficiently

monitored. Many of these people are skeptics who assume that there could be a

potential world crisis and that weapons will be paramount to survival before they come.

Conspiracy theorist have been harmful to some people over the years including

Lenny Pozner who was targeted after losing his child at the Sandy Hook shooting.

Conspiracy theorists believe that the Newton school shooting was a fake and that the

20 children were "crisis actors" and that his son Noah never existed (Pilkington). He has

moved eight times in the past five years to try and stay ahead of the conspiracy

theorists that haunt him. He’s had people pinpoint exactly where he lived in Florida.
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He’s received death threats and threats over the internet about his son. Pozner pleads

there is no one to help.

Some conspiracy theories have helped solved important questions like does

cigarettes cause cancer? In the beginning of the 1950s people assumed tobacco

companies were hiding evidence that smoking causes cancer. “The UCLA researchers

examined this potential risk on their own and found the radioactive particles could cause

between 120 and 140 deaths for every 1,000 smokers over a 25-year period” (Jaslow).

The researchers said that by methods found decades earlier, tobacco firms might have

eliminated this radiation, but decided not to. According to Karagueuzian, the business

had recently reported that these methods could be expensive and harmful to the

environment, he discovered a significant explanation during his research. He stated the

cigarette industry was afraid that the approaches would make it much harder for

cigarettes to consume brains of smokers, removing them of the toxic rush of nicotine

(Jaslow).

Millions of people have been diagnosed with lung cancer through smoking

tobacco. Annette S. occasionally smoked as a teenager and soon became a daily

smoker by age 20. At age 52, she visited the doctors because she was having a hard

time breathing and was told by doctors, she had a lung cancer. It was so bad that she

had to get one of her lungs removed. She then developed oral cancer a couple years

later and had to have surgery again. After she quit smoking, she beat cancer and is now

cancer free at age 57 (Annette S). Many people have had similar routes and struggles

with smoking and all the damage it has caused, but with the help of research people

now know smoking can ruin lives.

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Some conspiracy theories can save lives while others can cause paranoia, like

the government spying on people. In 2017 alone, an agency was able to get statistics

from millions os phone calls and text messages (Cahn, Government spying). Many of

that was because people were accused of committing a crime. Even so, it’s a situation

where people could feel unsafe from the government getting private information that we

didn’t want to be shared. If there is any kind of webcam the government could also be

spying through that. People have covered up their camera lens from being paranoid that

someone is watching. Even a former FBI director named James Comey covers his

laptops webcam. Whether it's true or not it's something that has the country thinking

about.

Some theories can even be misleading, like the Osama Bin Laden death. Some

people believe that Seal Team Six was a hoax for the Al Qaeda’s commanders' death.

One theory is that he died in December of 2001 to Marfan Syndrome, or that the

operation that killed the terrorist had been a cover-up so that he could retire. Another

crazy theory is that Pakistan captured Bin Laden in 2006. Someone by the name Bashir

Qureshi told people that Osama didn’t even live in Abbottabad. There is also a

speculation that the United states arrested Bin Laden sometime before 2011. Insanely

enough people even believe that Osama was frozen by liquid nitrogen so that later it

could be announced that he was captured. These speculations are all just that though,

speculations.

The truth to Osama Bin Ladens death is that a U.S. special forces called Seal

Team Six took out the assassin on May 2, 2011. The soldiers went through years of

training and precise design for the mission to only last 40 minutes. The operation had to
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be perfect and the group delivered on it. Once Osama was found he was killed within 9

minutes by a gunshot wound to the head above the left eye. Even if some people

believe he isn’t dead there is plenty of evidence that serves that he indeed is in fact

dead. America and even the world can rest easier knowing that this dangerous man is

no longer causing harm.

Another misleading event is 9/11 and if it was truly a terrorist attack or not. The

proof is overwhelming that the Sept 11th 2001, terrorist attacks was actually the

outcome of a plot. There is no question about it, the facts clarify that conspirators

plotted and executed it carefully. Of course, the mystery is who the conspirators were.

The story involved Osama bin Laden and a team of hijackers, but what about President

Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney? Have the top Bush leaders, including Paul

Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld, coordinated with bin Laden or permitted the assaults

to take place intentionally? (Marks) Could this have been an inside job? In the

"approved account" of the attacks, people think so, and look to a catalogue of possible

contradictions. Popular Mechanics magazine dismissed many of the technical

conspiracy theories in early 2005, although other accusations are rejected by clear

logic: if, as is sometimes claimed, a stolen aircraft did not crash into the Pentagon, then

where is the plane and its passengers? Could they be at Hangar 18 with the Roswell

aliens? Bureaucratic negligence is frequently mistaken for treason in many

conspiratorial theories. As the logic goes, our government is so powerful, competent,

and capable that it could not have messed the job up so badly in spotting the plan early

on or reacting to the strikes. It's really difficult to trust this though.

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Maybe even the most recent conspiracy theory and the most questioned one is

something that has taken over how we live today is the deceiving theory behind the

COVID-19 pandemic. There are many theories to the outbreak of this virus. One of

which is it is used to reduce the population of the world. Another belief is the virus is

used to kill old people but mainly old men. “Believers say 70% of the old people that are

dying are men.” (Limberger) That all sounds ridiculous but what about the theory that

the aliens made the virus, now that’s crazy. This virus is very unfortunate for everyone

but it seems everything has some sort of conspiracy theory behind it.

An article called “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures” written by Cass

Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule is one that needs to be read for those that are interested

in how conspiracy theories affect people. It gives a multitude of examples explaining

how certain conspiracy theories came about. It also tells how they can be false, harmful,

and unjustified. In the second part of the article the authors tell how the government is

tied to some conspiracy theories. This article is well put together and gives the reader

many reasons to believe what they are saying. It keeps you intrigued from beginning to

end.

In Karen Douglas’ article “Understanding Conspiracy Theories” she writes about

the factors that are linked with conspiracy beliefs. She believes that there are wide

range of results that include psychological, political, and social factors. She also talks

about how the theories are communicated. They are spread from one person to the next

by social media platforms mainly. Are there any rewards or even risks associated with

conspiracy theories? She thinks there is more harm than good. At the end of the article,

she suggests many helpful options for future research on conspiracy theories. This
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article has tons of insight on conspiracy theories and gives a great point of view from

beginning to end.

There is an overwhelming amount of conspiracy theories that are bad for people

that can push them away from what is real. It's possible that once someone has got into

deep at believing one of these bad conspiracy theories that they want to read about

other bad ones. Getting too into the dangerous theories can take away time from family,

life, and just being logical. Theories can make it seem like there in control of everything.

It will make the brain question everything and make life hard to enjoy. People just need

to be careful in their approach to researching and believing certain conspiracy theories.

The universe is indeed a terrifying and overwhelming place, one overflowing with

apparently unpredictable occurrences. There are differences in our perception of how

wrongs and disasters exist. There are days for each of us where nothing appears to

make sense. When a conspiracy hypothesis emerges, claiming to make sense of the

insensible, it can be very tempting. Research suggests that while people experience a

deep sense of doubt, they are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. This is true

of people who have a high desire for emotional closure—in other words, they feel

profoundly anxious if they don't get answers. This is bad for people because they tend

to overthink everything and feel they have to always watch their back.
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Fig. 1. This chart shows some conspiracy theories that are grounded in reality

and then shows the dangerous conspiracy theories that detach people from reality

(Hunter Infographics).
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There are tons of negative results that believing in conspiracy theories bring. One

of which is believing in theories that aren't true can cause people to refuse treatment

from doctors. They believe the medicine will cause a different type of disease or illness.

Refusing to take treatment can cause health problems to one's self or public health by

spreading whatever the person has. The danger of doing too much research or trying to

acquire too much knowledge can put everyone around in a threatening situation.

Conspiracy theories have been around for hundreds of years, but with the growth

of the Internet, the pace with which they circulate has escalated, and their influence has

increased. It's easier to get people's attention over the internet. Its shockingly easy to

persuade people to believe what is not true just because they’ve read something. This

is why conspiracy theories need to either be researched with intention of knowing all the

facts or just have a mind that can't be manipulated into believing something that can be

dangerous.

There are tons of conspiracy theories, the ones that are talked about in this

essay are just the most well-known few around the world. Many people devote a lot of

time finding research on conspiracy theories and some even put money into it.

Conspiracy theories can be bad for people because it can draw so much interest from

people that they only care about being right about what they believe. They have so

much pride in their stance that they are willing to get into heated arguments with others

in front of the whole world. Some people even get ridiculed for having a different belief

on a topic. As soon as someone famous says that they believe something that is so

farfetched it is put out for everyone to read about. Conspiracy theories can draw away

from the truth and get people's attention to look somewhere else. Overall conspiracy
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theories should be avoided and ignored from society as it seems it can only cause harm

to those putting their life on hold to either find information on it or defend themselves

while putting others down that don’t agree with them.

Works Cited

“10 Conspiracy Theories about CoVid-19.” Earth Mystery News, 3 Apr. 2020,

earthmysterynews.com/2020/03/21/10-conspiracy-theories-about-covid-19/.

“Annette S.'s Story.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 8 May 2020,

www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/annette.html.

Cahn, Lauren. “9 Ways You Didn't Realize the Government Could Be Spying on You.”

Reader's Digest, Reader's Digest, 23 June 2020, www.rd.com/article/ways-

government-could-be-spying-on-you/.

Douglas, Karen M., et al. “Understanding Conspiracy Theories.” Political Psychology,

vol. 40, Feb. 2019, pp. 3–35. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/pops.12568.

History.com Editors. “September 11 Attacks.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

17 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks.

Hunter, Infographics. “The Conspiracy Chart - ‘Shaming People Who Believe... -

InfographicNow.com: Your Number One Source For Daily Infographics & Visual

Creativity.” InfographicNow.com | Your Number One Source For Daily Infographics

& Visual Creativity, 12 Oct. 2020, infographicnow.com/featured/the-conspiracy-

chart-shaming-people-who-believe-2/.
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Jaslow, Ryan. “Big Tobacco Kept Cancer Risk in Cigarettes Secret: Study.” CBS News,

CBS Interactive, 30 Sept. 2011, www.cbsnews.com/news/big-tobacco-kept-

cancer-risk-in-cigarettes-secret-study/.

Marks, Julie. “How SEAL Team Six Took Out Osama Bin Laden.” History.com, A&E

Television Networks, 24 May 2018, www.history.com/news/osama-bin-laden-

death-seal-team-six.

Pilkington, Ed. “Trapped in a Hoax: Survivors of Conspiracy Theories Speak Out.” The

Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Jan. 2019,

www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/23/conspiracy-theories-internet-

survivors-truth.

“Sandy Hook School Shooting.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 Dec. 2013,

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gunman-kills-students-and-adults-at-newtown-

connecticut-elementary-school.

Stilwell, Blake. “The 6 Wildest Conspiracy Theories About Osama Bin Laden's Death.”

Military.com, www.military.com/history/6-wildest-conspiracy-theories-about-osama-

bin-ladens-death.html.