My Theory On Conspiracy Theories
Please note I did not entitle this “my conspiracy theory.” This is a commentary on conspiracy theories in general. Those I’ll quote have their only significance, as far as I’m concerned, in how well-known and popular they are, and to a great extend on how questionable the official story is. Whether or not I adhere to any theory in particular is beside the point of this writing, although my opinion is apt to be apparent anyway. I will say this, however: Where there are conspiracy theories, I do not totally buy the official statement or debunking. That is because, whether right or wrong, those theories are usually there for good cause, meaning the official explanations are highly questionable. Likewise, there are no conspiracy theories I totally believe. The problem with such theories I’ll get into in more detail. In any case, it is the totality of believing or not believing that I would say is foolish either way. If one side of the story is questionable, you can be sure the other side is also. That generally means we’ll probably never know the truth, whichever way it leans. And that means we should make our own best judgment of such things based on known facts as long as the facts themselves, as published, are true and honest.
First of all I do believe conspiracies happen. I do believe there are conspiracies of a wide range of magnitude and consequence in private business and public offices at all levels and in very high places every damn day of the week. Conspiracies are, in fact, incredibly common. Aside from all those little conspiracies that happen all day every day in the workplace, schoolyards, neighborhoods, and within families, the more socially significant ones range from the local school board to Congress and the federal administration, from a building contractor who pays off an inspector, to big corporations paying off or extorting congressmen, and to the assassination of a president. Secret deals are made and money is made and power is embellished and enhanced by people already in positions of power and influence, and it is almost always at the expense of and to the detriment of the public without the public ever knowing.
In most cases these conspiracies probably involve someone making some big bucks they don’t rightfully deserve or can’t come by honestly, or the installation of someone unqualified in a high office of serious responsibility. In too many instances it may ultimately involve the loss of civil liberties through some pretense, usually fear mongering and the passage of some law the people are led to believe will make them safe from the fear du jour. Sometimes those secret deals have some light thrown on them that threatens to expose those parties involved, in which case those parties attempt to hide or “cover up” what they did. That is generally the point at which the whole incident becomes questionable and is, in fact, questioned, sometimes under the pretense of officially. The existence of conspiracies and intrigues in high places has been known down through history. Someone could dispute that, of course, but frankly, they’d look pretty naïve, if not stupid, doing so. There are, however, bunches of people that naïve and that stupid.
The problem is that if it happened during the reign of Henry II of England, let’s say, it is considered history and everyone believes it. If it happened last week in the White House or somewhere in the present administration, then it’s just another conspiracy theory despite the evidence, including film and other substantial records, and the testimony of whistleblowers or even disinterested witnesses. Once the term “conspiracy theory” is slapped on something, however, that explains it all away as far as these particular multitudes of naïve and stupid people are concerned, which statistically, are about two-thirds of us nationally. (In the more outstanding incidents one-third of the American public still questions the official story.) There are those out there who really do believe and practice: “Never question authority.” It is a mindset with the appearance of normality and rationality…they seem to believe. That means that to never question authority insures one retains a semblance of normality and rationality whether they possess those traits or not. It simply makes them look good to not believe or otherwise use their own mind and think through the logic in the facts of the matter.
Imagine this sequence of events and “official explanation” that seemingly goes officially unquestioned by most: An airplane hits a very tall building, one hundred and ten stories high. A while later another airplane hits an equally tall building right next to it. A while later the first building totally collapses straight down at the speed of gravity. A while later the second building does exactly the same thing. Six hours later a third building, forty-seven stories high, which didn’t get hit by an airplane but is near by, collapses in the exact same manner. The explanation is that fuel from the jet airplane ignited and melted the steel structure bringing the first building straight down at the speed of gravity, which film of the event demonstrates, and it collapsed neatly onto its own footprint, never drifting the slightest in any direction. Had it been a professional demolition job, a good number of professional demolition experts have said, it would have been rated as the best of the best…couldn’t do any better professionally demolishing a building, particularly of that size. A while later, not long, exactly the same thing, without the slightest variation, as neat as can be, happens to the second building, and we are told that too is jet fuel melting the metal structure presumably in the exact same manner. Six hours later exactly the same thing, without the slightest variation, as neat as can be, happens to the third building, which didn’t get hit by an airplane, and we are told it was caused by “fires,” presumable a little spill over or whatever from the nearby two other buildings that have been on the ground for almost six hours. This explanation also implies that it is to be assumed that this burning jet fuel melted the metal structure on all four sides of each building in exactly the same amount of time and at exactly the same rate of speed…in all three cases. If not, at least one of them would have leaned a bit in some direction and not gone straight down. At the speed of gravity, by the way, means that the explanation of the weight of the top floors collapsing each floor under it, all the way down, would have taken notably longer.
It is also interesting to note that all the evidence was removed immediately and disposed of, particularly all that “melted” steel. Then, a couple of years later, along comes the “official investigation,” which did not question the firemen and paramedics who claim to have heard and seen explosions on the lower floors in the second building, nor did this committee ask one question or otherwise look into or even mention the third tower. I would say the third tower presents too many questions that can’t really be answered. To this day it is hardly ever mentioned, and, I suspect, a lot of people don’t even know about it.
The thing is you don’t want to question those events as officially explained or you will be branded as a “conspiracy freak” and laughed at, and people will think you are not normal and rational. That has been established in the minds of people in general and is thus the greatest protection real conspirators have going for them regardless of how many of them may be involved. It’s how they get away with their damn conspiracy. The argument that it would take too many people involved in most of these conspiracies and that with that many people sooner or later someone is going to come forward and tell all is not likely. First of all they know they won’t be believed as long as all those other conspirators keep denying the conspiracy, and beyond that they don’t want to be accused of being less than normal or rational. If one or two come forward with the truth, it is their word against all the others and the “official investigative report,” which always pops up sooner or later, usually as a way to “put it all to rest.” That it was at unrest to start with says a lot, I think.
Having said all I’ve said so far, I am not going to draw any conclusions on any particular conspiracy theory. That is the first great mistake because it goes beyond known, recorded, or demonstrable facts. At the same time, what I’ve stated is factual, on the record in some medium, much of it on film, and in my opinion defies all the damn official explanations. Simply put, something is fishy, at least in the case described above. That should go without saying, but there is one typical response you can count on: “There has yet to be any evidence to show anything other then what rational people believe.” What rational people believe is the ultimate qualifier (which is why I use “normal” and “rational” redundantly), but what exactly does it mean? Essentially, it means those multitudes of people who believe everything the authorities tell them because they do not want to stand out as questioning that authority or, worse yet, as not “rational.” Just the use of the word “rational” in that context gives it the illusion of being an absolute truth. That is simply not so but it sounds good.
Then there’s “The story that will not go away.” That is the tagline for Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie JFK. That same year, this is what Time Magazine said of JFK: “So, you want to know, who killed the President and connived in the cover-up? Everybody! High officials in the CIA, the FBI, the Dallas constabulary, all three armed services, Big Business and the White House. Everybody done it — everybody but Lee Harvey Oswald.” Ridicule works real well too…always has.
Online there are several sites that debunk both the movie and any actually conspiracy (not to mention a bunch of conspiracy theories on the other side as well). One site, which I won’t mention by name or address, goes to great length to fault the movie for its inaccuracies…wouldn’t quite call it “debunking” inasmuch as it’s a scripted movie done with a highly professional cast and crew. For the most part it is a laundry list of movie gimmicks used in handling real persons and events, meaning some of the facts are fictionalized for dramatic reasons or time considerations but do not necessarily substantially change the real story itself. In this particular instance the poster cited such things as “there were three witnesses, not one, and everyone knows they weren’t credible.” That may be a fair critique of the accuracy of the movie script, but it certainly doesn’t debunk any conspiracy. If anything, calling a witness or witnesses “not credible,” simply expressed the poster’s opinion, which is fine, but proves nothing. And the term “everybody knows” is simply fraudulent, but so common no one notices it is meaningless.
In 1994 Martin Sheen made a movie for TV entitled Roswell. It portrayed a possible scenario regarding what is popularly known at the “Roswell Cover-up,” the otherwise true story of an incident in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 alleged to be a recovered flying saucer that crashed in the desert. It got the attention it did because the Air Force officer in charge, which made it official, told the press they had recovered a crashed fly saucer. The next day the officials changed it to “weather balloon.” They have since made even more changes to their story.
At the end of this movie, as best I recall it (I have not found the exact quotes yet), Sheen, playing the part to an Army officer involved in the cover-up, apparently reveals the truth to a single person who is trying to uncover the truth. I have found in online discussion groups (who presumably support the cover-up conspiracy) that it is believed he actually does reveal the truth. Again, as best I recall the movie, he does reveal the truth…but that is not all. Having stated what seems to be the logical truth of the matter, pretty much validating what was first officially reported, that it was a UFO with an extraterrestrial occupant, he then begins to elaborate on the story until what could have been the simple basic truth began to sound totally absurd. And therein lies the real formula for debunking absolutely any story any real conspirators do not want believed. They, or more likely their agents, surreptitiously elaborate on the story and the theory until it really does become unbelievable to normal and rational people. In a word, it is a matter of the conspirators creating an absurdity, a conspiracy theory regarding themselves and suspected events, but making it so outlandish no one will believe it except those known crackpots who will then further the cause of turning the truth into nonsense. It is a simple matter of taking a number of demonstrable facts and adding to them one outrageous claim. A good example would be the “one-worlders” theorists who then say, “…and they are going to turn us all into devil worshippers.” That is where you really do lose those truly rational people in any debate on alleged conspiracies. It is the best way to destroy any debate on alleged conspiracies.
That is essentially my theory on conspiracy theories.
