Conspiracy theories and rumors are the creation of people who have extraordinary minds to exaggerate ideas and even happenings in a non-desirable or negative way. People who spread rumors tend to have a lack of education and wisdom. However, it is also observed that even education does not stop people from sharing information that is not even known to exist. Some people disseminate information while threatening about something such as GMO foods or weapons of mass destruction. Thus, it is a continuing practice in today’s world to speak without thinking and believing in things or rumors that do not exist at all. Figuring out and understanding truth is one of the major troubling realities in today’s society. The technological advancements of today have also fueled the spreading of rumors and conspiracy theories which allows misinformation to spread within seconds; penetrating into peoples’ minds as real (Sunstein & Vermeule, 2008). People all around the world believe in the authenticity of conspiracy theories. They hold the similar belief that people in power work together so as to refuse to give the correct information about some significant practice or tragedy. The best example in this regard is the shared extensive worldwide belief that the Al-Qaeda is not responsible for the 9/11 attacks as they were conducted by the USA and/or Israel. People who approve of conspiracy theories may involve themselves in the creation of grave risks that may include violent activities. Such people also contribute in raising considerable challenges for the laws of the respective area or country. It is exceedingly important to mention here that self-sealing characteristics of the conspiracy theories is one of their major distinctive feature... ... middle of paper ... ...Hook ‘Truthers” Harass Newtown Man, Conspiracy Theories Go Viral. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.questia.com/read/1P2-34126400/sandy-hook-truthers-harass-newtown-man-conspiracy Fader, C. (2013, February 3). FACT CHECK; Misinformation over the Sandy Hook Massacre Persists. The Florida Times Union. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-321472098/fact-check-misinformation-over-the-sandy-hook-massacre Ramsay, R (2000). Conspiracy Theories. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials. Sunstein, Cass R. and Vermeule, Adrian, Conspiracy Theories (January 15, 2008).. Harvard Public Law Working Paper No. 08-03; U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 199; U of Chicago Law & Economics, Olin Working Paper No. 387. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1084585 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1084585
Sandy Hook is an elementary school in Connecticut that was invaded by a shooter, Adam Lanza. Twenty-eight people were shot and killed, twenty of them being children between the ages of five and ten. Before Lanza arrived, he shot and killed his mother who was a teacher at this school. The article was published the day of the shooting to the Washington Post. The article was written announce what had actually happened during this tragic event. The article was directed towards parents with kids and adults to inform everyone on the catastrophe and to hopefully make schools as safe as they could possibly be. Additionally the author also states that this is not the right time to try and discuss the gun control laws.
Conspiracy theories are entertaining for many to speculate and demand a great deal of thought to constitute. A conspiracy theory is defined as the idea that many important political, economic, and social trends are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public (“The Definition of Conspiracy Theory”). Many conspiracy theories are thought up around children’s shows, which offers a feeling of nostalgia and pleasure. A few children’s show conspiracies that need a deeper light shone on them are from Max & Ruby (2002-2013), Winnie the Pooh (1977), Rugrats (1990-2004), and All Grown Up (2003-2008).
Yet the so called answers pose even more questions. Such as, just how much of our media outlook has been skewed to fit what government officials have in mind (“Media-Elite Conspiracy”). It is only until red flags start appearing in stories, that high ranking officials and media begin altering viewpoints and previous information. With that being said, it seems suspicious being that the U.S government has never officially confirmed or denied that major world and national events, primarily seen as acts of terrorism or backlash, were in fact done on purpose in order to carry out a specific task or need within society. From a government official’s viewpoint it seems probable to not want distrust from citizens. On the contrary, however, the public in both federal and state governments believed that the elite were interfering too much in both state and local issues, therefore hindering trust. Stemming from this belief comes conspiracy theories. The situation of paranoia worsens when the representatives of a social interest, such as opposing theories, are shut out of the political process: having no access to political bargaining and decision making (Drezner). While the government has yet to confirm any conspiracy to this day, there are still people that give up everything to prove what they rightfully believe as truth. In a society that solely believes the government does good, these people are not only brave for speaking out, but also have some definite points they want to get across to the world. Another thought about how so these so called theories may have some truth behind them is that events that raise conspiracy flags are too convent in timely terms. Whether the government needs a law passed, patriotism up, or a reason to go to war with other countries, there has been speculation that there is a direct
... "A Year Later, 'Newtown' Still Echoes." Education Week [Bethesda] 11 Dec. 2013: n. pag. Print.
On December Fourteen 2012 Adam Lanza allegedly drove to Sandy Hook Elementary, his old elementary school, and shot and killed twenty-six students and faculty, then turned the gun on himself before apprehension by police. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary was a tragic event, it’s hard not to sympathize with the families of those killed. There is a movement, however, that claims the shooting was fake (Spaeth). IT’s believed the shooting was staged in order to pave the way for stricter gun control (Salazar). Conspiracy theorists, calling themselves Truthers, have provided evidence to support their claims numerous times in attempts to convince the general population.
Vogel, Steve; Horwitz, Sari and David A. Fahrenthold. “Sandy Hook massacre: New details but Few Answers.”Washington Post 17 Dec 2012: Pro Quest. Web. 17 Sep. 2013.
Olmsted presented research that gives the reader a new view of history. Real Enemies is a compelling book that answers a question; how far will our government, a political party, politician, or influential person go to carry out their agenda? This accomplished historian sheds light on this dark topic in our country’s political history. Olmsted reviewed events from World War I to 9/11 with examples and facts from well-known and reliable sources. She presented an argument showing how real evidence has influenced conspiracy thoughts over the years.
The article I chose for this week's current events assignment comes from FactCheck.org. The title of the article is "School Shooting Spawns Conspiracy Theories" by Saranac Hale Spencer.
The media claims that Sandy Hook shooting was a huge violent of killings with an intruder that came into the school and took those children’s lives. But on the other hand, many people believe that there have been many odd behaviors sand evidence that the shooting was a hoax. People believe that this tragic event was planned and an acted on the behalf by the government so people would be persuaded to believe that guns are the real problem in this society. The people that believe that this was a conspiracy are known as the Sandy Hook Truther Movement.
In 2013, research conducted by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) defined public mass shootings as events that happened in a public place where four or more people were injured or died as a result of gunfire. CRS also argued that the gunman typically selected their victims at random. J. Harris and R. Harris (2012) referred to public mass shootings acts as rampage violence. Ironically, following each tragic public mass shooting identified above, there were spirited debates about gun control among political pundits, government officials and the American people , deliberations on the influence of media and entertainment glorifying violence, gaps in mental health services and a commitment to address the problem but to no avail. With no progress made on addressing public mass shootings, it was concluded that current research on mass violence has been ineffective and required some modification (J. Harris & R.
With conspiracy theories being cornered and dismissed as nothing to be concerned, more would be belittled as they would all be grouped together as nothing but far fetched ideas with evidence only being seen at a quick glance of any situation. But, Lance deHaven Smith, the writer of “Conspiracy Theory in America”, would identify these theories as SCAD’s, or also known as State Crimes Against Democracy. The term SCAD under his own words are, “defined as concerted actions or inactions by government insiders intended to manipulate democratic process and undermine popular sovereignty.” (Smith 12), simply put, SCAD’s are actions that directly violate laws or oaths of office to exploit for personal political power, or to suppress public awareness. Out of awareness for conspiracy theorists, Smith coined the term SCAD due to public views on any relation to the word, ‘conspiracy’ and are considered to be negatively associated with far fetched ideas from unusual individuals.
When it comes to conspiracy theories there is a wide variety of them, but few people try to explain their appeal as thoroughly as the author Maggie Koerth-Baker through her article “Why Rational People Buy into Conspiracy Theories.” The author’s paper starts by talking about the incident at the Boston Marathon and how, even though one of the brothers had been arrested, there were still theories being created in order to explain the possible events and motives behind the attack. It is explained that the best way to determine someone’s belief in a theory is if they believe in other theories due to the fact that a conspiracy theory isn’t so much a response to a single event as it is an expression of an overarching worldview (Koerth-Baker 343).
Such as, did inside traders know about attacks before the event even occurred, Why did the world's most powerful air force fail to intercept any of the four hijacked planes, Why did the Twin Towers collapse so quickly and a good question is why was the crash site at Shanksville, Pennsylvania so small and why was the aircraft debris not visible. Many of these conspiracies got most of the world thinking about the tragic event that occurred on september 11, 2001 and if it was an event that was made up by the government to set up the terrorist and their
Since the beginning of settled civilizations, people have had more mutual sharings than ever before. By the same token, there have been some conspiracy theories that are usually against the culturally accepted beliefs of religions, science and society. A conspiracy theory can be described so differently. However, as in his text, Marshall Brain explicates, a conspiracy is generally defined as a theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act (Brain). Especially, after the new media has become quite popular, more and more conspiracies are theorized every single day, which aim to catch society’s attention via such media tools as the internet, journals and newspapers. Thus, people who theorize those conspiracies tend to use such objects as spiritual and mysterious ones in order to interest people. To illustrate, many examples can be given. For instance, many people have claimed that they were abducted by aliens, although they could show no evidences. Here, a citation from Blackmore could facilitate to understand the circumstance better. She states that people occasionally claim that they have been abducted from public places by aliens, in this case that may provide them with witnesses and affirmations but no evidence could be shown so far (Blackmore). As it is well known, only a small number of people believe such alien abductions, however, rating of this kind of news is quite high on media, because humankind has been wondering if there are extraterrestrial creatures out of the earth. Another example can be conspiracy theories which are about the origins of religions such as the rejection of Jesus Christ. There are some people who pay attention to...
The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories. (n.d.). America - Engaging the World - America.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2010, from http://www.america.gov/st/webchat-english/2009/