A rumor is a subject of propaganda whose veracity is not hurriedly or ever confirmed. It is an account of events that are of public concern and circulate from one person to another. The information circulating could be true or false. Rumors are the oldest form of media. Word of mouth was the only form of communication before the modern forms of communication were invented. With the new inventions, rumors have become even more specialized. However, there is little known about rumors, and it is a significant social phenomenon as it constitutes no man’s knowledge (Kapferer, 2011).
A conspiracy is any occurrence in action that in combination brings about a predetermined result. There are several theories that may be termed as conspiracy theories. These theories usually cannot be proven by historical method and are not similar to each other, even when verified.
The conception that rumors are mysterious is erroneous. They comply with strict logic with mechanisms that can be illustrated. We can answer many questions brought about by rumors and also translate the rumors. They play major roles in our daily lives. They help us to comprehend on how to tackle situations in life. The very heart of rumors is their logic and the fundamental aspect of belief.
It would be dangerous to dismiss conspiracies as just mere curiosity of any given culture. Over time, many dramatic events have provided reminders of the link between mass violence and conspiracy culture. Conspiracy theories are often stories about global power; they fall among the rich societies, movements and political cultures that feel marginalized. Some leaders may reach out to conspiracy theories to justify their economic failures as a means of reinforcing their power...
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...theories and rumors are a form of historical explanation of events. They could be regarded as rational theories if the explanations are intentional. They keep the society aware of the occurrences and explanations of nature. Those who are aware of the explanations can understand the truth about those statements. They choose what to believe according to their wants and needs. Hence, it is correct to say that rumors thrive in the minds of only those who have been predisposed to believe in them. Therefore, truth is in the ear of the beholder (True or not true)
Works Cited
Byford, J. (2011). Conspiracy Theories: A Critical Introduction, Palgrave Macmillian.
Kapferer, J.-N. (2011). Rumors: Uses, Interpretations and Images
True or not true. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2014, from www.psaudio.com: www.psaudio.com/vanilla/discussion/4377/true-or-not-true./p1
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).
Knapp believed that human emotion and rumors go hand in hand due to fears, hatred, and desires. These classifications are then followed by rules of what makes a great rumor. This source will further help me explain why rumors spread and why people believe them. I can also explain how some human characteristics vary between individuals and attract different crowds with different rumors.
This, of course, was never proven, but people still spoke of these rumors like they were
Conspiracy is a business that many people thrive on daily for their career. The number of theories associated with the John F. Kennedy assassination should show people that conspirators do not know the truth themselves. If there was one conspiracy that was proven a fact, there would be no need to continue making up others. The conspiracy theories of the assassination of John F. Kennedy do not show enough evidence to be considered fact.
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 distinguishing a warranted conspiracy theory from an unwarranted conspiracy theory (UCT). Keely expands upon section III in section IV, by introducing falsifiability and skepticism and giving a deeper analysis on the difficulties of UCTs. In section V, he discusses the issues raised and the implication of their popularity. A brief conclusion is given is section VI, in which he discusses the morals that should be taken away from the essay.
Urban legends can be effective conveyors of entertainment and morals. We all have heard urban legends during our lives, whether it was in a dorm room, the dinner table, or around the campfire, but rarely do we take the time to fully appreciate the value of the stories. Urban legends have this rare ability to make us question reality. We have this feeling in our minds that says “Oh, this cannot possible be real,” but then our imagination questions that and reels us in and plants a lingering doubt. David Emery, a writer and follower of urban folklore, defines urban legends as “told [to be] true, and plausible enough to be believed.” Besides this lingering suspense, urban legends and similar folklore often have underlying morals that are hard to uncover, but when they are, the stories become clear. When collecting stories, the best and most unique one was a local story native to a town in New York State. I vividly remember how he told the story:
It is hard to believe that a country founded on honesty, hard work, and good morals is involved with lies, deception, and manipulation. Since birth, as U.S. citizens, there has always been an underlying theme to accept things as is. Questioning the way society runs has never been popular. There are very few who actually go against the grain and offer inquisitions when they suspect things are differently than they appear. Rather than dismaying the skeptics or completely trusting the media, everyone should examine the facts individually and question the amount of government involvement and distorted truth in the American people's lives- and particularly in Sandy Hook on December 14, 2012.
In the article, “Why We Believe Obvious Untruths”, by Philip Fernbach, Fernbach argues that people need to realize their individual ignorance in order to differentiate truths from lies. He believes that people are quick to believe anything they are told, even is what they are being told is obviously untrue. Fernbach convinces us of the nescience of human nature through the use of logical reasoning, scientific evidence, and a clever metaphor.
Unwarranted Conspiracy Theories (UCTs) are defined by Kelley as conspiracy theories that hold the general characteristics of all Conspiracy Theories (see Definitions of ‘Conspiracy Theory’), but have additional aspects that make them unworthy of belief.
Perhaps some of the best stories told are classified as urban legends. Urban legends have become a part of culture, and a way to tell stories. They can tell us things about ourselves and about how we lead our lives. They serve to entertain us, but can also teach us lessons, such as morals to live by. Urban legends are passed on between generations, and become a part of the oral history of a place. Whether the stories are true or not, urban legends are often taken to hold at least some truth about a culture. No matter how radical some of the stories may be, people often take the urban legends to be true. People may take these stories to be true simply for entertainment purposes, but mostly because the morals the stories teach are important. Urban legends can become a part of the place where they originate, and can help define a culture, and shape its history.
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...
In researching this and many other conspiracy theories, one can see many uses of sensationalism, mainly by the media. This media- the news (local and national), magazines, tabloids, television shows, movies, and so on- has a huge e...
“Look, if you think any American official is going to tell you the truth, then you’re