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
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).
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.
The day that President Kennedy was assassinated, people started to view the world differently. His death was the first time that a conspiracy theory transformed into a conceivable form of knowledge among the general public. "It was because of Kennedy's death in Dallas that the conspiracy theory was born" (Wensley). It started with an article written ...
... "A Year Later, 'Newtown' Still Echoes." Education Week [Bethesda] 11 Dec. 2013: n. pag. Print.
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
Gregory Rodriguez, the author of “Truth Is In The Ear of the Beholder” shares his ideas of why there are rumors and how rumors are able to thrive because people who believe them are “predestined to believe them” (Rodriguez 484). Rodriguez supported his ideas with other’s work and gave examples to support his ideas. Throughout Rodriguez’s work he left readers questioning more about why people participate in listening and/ or spreading rumors. The reason why rumors are listen to and spread is because societies want answers and will accept rumors as answers; it doesn 't matter whether they are right or wrong as long as our curiosity is fed.
Conspiracy theorists, calling themselves Truthers, have provided evidence to support their claims numerous times in attempts to convince the general population. Truthers start by pointing out the FBI Crime They demand the government to explain what really happened and that justice be fairly served. They have not had an open playing field, however, they received opposition at every move they make with explanations, counterarguments, and information from the government, police forces, first responders, and the residents of Newtown.
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.
Conspiracy hypotheses are extremely intriguing because they permit individuals to consider unheard of options and analysis with numerous fortuitous events, changing the way individuals see well know occasion and a few different parts in life as more than only a happenstance. Conspiracy can have a noteworthy effect on society that hence prompt musings changing the sentiment with respect to convictions. In any case, I for on trust that these speculations can induce individuals into thinking and believing anything, since anyone can unite any two arbitrary facts or things together, as long as they have something in like manner. In the Ted Talk show, the moderator additionally appears to demonstrate this
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 United States will not soon forget the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut that came just two weeks before Christmas last year. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of twenty students and eight adults. Although the event shocked the nation, the rampage shootings are nothing new. Over the years, many families have lost loved ones to these horrific events. As a result, these mass shootings such as the one that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary caught public attention, leading to a push to find the cause of these events.
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.
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).
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 gossip industry has become popular in the last few decades. Our society enjoys knowing about the lives of celebrities. We obsess over celebrities on gossip websites, and even obsess to the extent of stalking these celebrities. This industry has impacted our culture immensely. It has tainted our culture in several ways from creating bad role models for our children to making stalking an everyday affair; either way, the media has changed our society greatly. The gossip industry has brought new entertainment for our pleasure, but it has come with negative consequences.