I've had a look through the wikipedia page on the
"New World Order" conspiracy theories, and I'm surprised by how many ideas I actually share with them, or have come accross over the years.
e.g. A "North american union" of the US, Canada, Mexico, the European Union as part of a step towards world government, the threat of genocide and neo-malthusian policies in response to environmental problems, the kennedy assasination, corporate conspiracies, UFOs, 9/11 truthers, FEMA camps, etc.
What started out as a fringe thinking from Evangelical Christians with "end-time" prophesies, and the Far-Right "Patriot movement", has gone pretty much mainstream. Conspiracy theories are now a part of popular culture (especially on Youtube). Whilst these things can be "fun" and entertaining, they are also politically very damaging.
The top of the list, has to be Climate Change denial which is real, man-made and does pose a thread to the future of the planet. There is a consensus that it exists, but there is no consensus about how bad it will be.
I think for the US, another example has to be about fears over Gun control laws and Public Healthcare, as extensions of government power as a way to threaten people's civil liberties, whilst other countries in the world do in fact have gun control and public healthcare without such problems. We've also seen the idea that the fact there is a (cough...black) president in the US who had to demonstrate that he was actually born in the country and was elligable to run by producing his birth certificate.
Clearly, when conspiracy theories are taken seriously, they are damaging to the legitimacy of the current system of government which remains democratic and liberal. it's not a perfect system by any measure, but its still "the best we've got". its part of a anti-political and anti-capitalist culture of apathy, cynicism and (relatively futile) individual dissent which is attacking the ideals of the very institutions many of these conspiracy theorists profess to wish to preserve. Individually, they are harmless. but collectively, its deeply corrosive.
There are of course, exceptions such as Edward Snowden producing evidence of Mass Survialliance in the US and by intelligence agencies around the world.
So I'm wondering, can we
as individuals really be tolerant of conspiracy theories or should we try to discredit them when we have the oppurtunity?
Is there a relationship between conspiracy theories and religion as a form of mysticism? Can we trust the government and yet remain alert to conspiracies when they do happen?
And (dare I say it), should the government and/or the media take steps to counter conspiracy theories to promote a democratic culture? what would they be?
[hmm... that ought to work.
]
If any of you have good advice as to how to convince people that conspiracy theories are not true, it might be worth sharing.
