What Are We Willing to Believe?

Conspiracy theories and propaganda

Hi Zan, Hi Pa

Volume #14

April 10th, 2024

HI, PA: It seems that a new conspiracy theory (or several) appears and gains traction every few months or so. Why do you think people are so desperate to believe, or at least entertain, such wild stories? 

HI, ZAN:  I’d like to discuss this, but I heard that some aliens have just landed near the front doors of the Naples train station, where I’m having a cappuccino.  I know for a fact that they’ve been invited by the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, because she’s organized an uprising of all the women in the world.  I read about it online.  Be kind to us when you take over everything, okay?  Some men are not bad people.  

ZAN: You still there, Pa? Did you get your information from Facebook again, you boomer?

PA:  No, you lazy millennial, do your research! I got it from a special online site I subscribe to, God’s Truth, A Journal For Those Who Don’t Trust the Mass Fake Media.  Ten bucks a month.  Shall I sign you up?

Sorry.  The world of conspiracy theories, hacking, and faked photos is just so ridiculous at times that it’s hard for me to take seriously.  But it’s also incredibly dangerous, especially with the ability of AI to create completely false but real-seeming videos.  I read recently about teenage girls (a much smaller number of boys, too) being traumatized by fake, highly sexualized videos and photos where their face is attached to a naked body.  The day before I wrote this, Alex Jones claimed that the fatal bridge collapse in Baltimore was an attack, not an accident, and that “WWIII has started.”  And of course, Putin announced that  the terrorists involved in the massacre in Moscow were heading for Ukraine after their horrific assault…even though his pal, Lukashenko, President of Belarus, contradicted him.  

I realize I’m expanding the discussion from conspiracy theories to other ways of distorting the truth, but they all feel part of a package to me.  Agree?