Conspiracy theories are a group of wandering stories claiming a plot hidden from people is made by secret powerful elites.
In the conspiracy theory, alleged secret plots by secret elites seek political, economical or or other types of power without legitimacy and to the detriment of everyone else. The ones claimed to be affected by such “conspiracies” are often unsuspecting and, therefore defenceless. The “conspiracy” can go on because the broad masses are unaware. Some of the conspiracy theories are pushed by influencers who have endorsed Trump.
Although conspiracy theories seem capable of convincing a broader audience, they might even be more important as the ideology of the violent hard core supporters of right wing extremism. The alleged plots and the elites behind the plots are claimed to be secret. Therefore there are no open sources. Conspiracy theories do not meet the standards of reality control and falsifiability as described by Karl Popper, that claims promoted in debate in a democracy should be open to be checked, and potentially be disproven.
Conspiracy theories lack sources. If a story of a conspiracy referred to a real source, it could possibly be telling of a real conspiracy. Conspiracy theories provide a closed belief systems because of this lack of sources, since they can not be falsified. Any counter-evidence can in addition be dismissed as part of the cover up. This reduces it to a question of wether you believe in it or not.
The unchecked spread conspiracy theories and other stories makes it possible for members of extreme right wing groups to live in an epistemic bubble, cultivating a fundamentally alternative perception of reality.
Since the narratives also claim to be about alleged amoral conspirators doing dangerous acts, they lay the ideological foundation for violent actions and authoritarianism.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was a conspiracy theory used as a ideological basis for used in ideological training of the SS Scutzstaffel in Nazi Germany. Although the Nazi leadership knew it was false, the conspiracy theory was used because they thought it represented “inner truth”
The Protocols were used in SS pamphlets and training materials from SS Schulungsamt (SS Education Office responsible for ideological training for SS elite schools, even after the 1935 Bern Trial (where a Swiss court confirmed it was a hoax). Also in the SS-Leithefte (SS ideological bulletins) recycled its themes, such as the claim of a “Jewish world conspiracy” controlling finance and revolutions.
Modern conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories, and especially the “Stop the steal” conspiracy theory played an important role as motivation for the 6. January 2021 insurrection for the hard core MAGA activists like Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters. The conspiracy theory narratives surfaced in QAnons discourse, and were used by Trump and his allies in the insurrection.
Conspiracy theories are also motivation for the lone wolf rights extremist terrorists like Anders Behring Breivik, Philip Manshaus and Brenton Tarrant.
The “black helicopter” conspiracy theory is the belief that unmarked black helicopters are used by the government for secret missions to take away people’s freedoms and create a global dictatorship, called the New World Order (NWO). This idea became popular in the U.S. during the 1990s, especially among far-right groups who didn’t trust the government. The helicopters are seen as a sign of secret spying and military control.
The NWO conspiracy theory suggests that a powerful, secret group of elites is trying to create a one-world government. People who believe in this think the group works behind the scenes through international organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They fear that this world government would take away freedoms and rights, making everyone controlled and monitored.
Such helicopters have strangely enough almost exclusively been seen in USA.
Illustration from ArtStation.com
“Fake News” and “Fake News Media”
Donald Trump uses the phrase “Fake News” widely to dismiss any criticism and fact check. “The “Fake News” phrase claim that mainstream media and other established institutions spread information that is “low in facticity, was created with the intention to deceive, and is presented in a journalistic format“. The politicised use of the phrase “Fake News” is seldom pointing to any specific, documented factual error. Furthermore, the term “Fake News Media” carries the allegation that competing news organisations engage in a synchronised campaign to mislead the public.
A meme can described as a “dog whistle”, impossible to understand for the the unenlightened, but obvious to the in-group. The meme “Fake News” is perfectly understandable for those who believe in the assumption of “Fake News Media”.
The claims about the “Fake News” from the “Fake news media” is not only a top-down influence from Donald Trump to his supporters. Two research reports from USA suggests the meme has become a part of the MAGA subculture, the communication within the MAGA.
After a 15 months study of tweets, researchers concluded that online discussions about “fake news” were a way for conservatives to create a sense of group belonging (“This is the worst kind of fake news possible. We have to stop this sort of thing”) while also establishing a shared enemy (“Fake News Media is a Hate Group. They hate President Trump”). The use of pronouns that signify group belonging (like “we”) and group opposition (like “they”) are useful on social media platforms, like Twitter, where users interact with strangers. Even though users might not know one another personally, they are still attempting to cultivate a community, which is certainly true of users who tweet about politics.
Another study based on Voter Study Group looked at trust in news media. They suggest that “fake news” functions as a “shibboleth,” or a way for Trump supporters to distinguish themselves, ideologically, even from other Republicans. (A shibboleth is a word, phrase, pronunciation, or custom that is used to identify members of a particular group and expose outsiders who do not know or use it correctly).
Neutrality is hard to achieve, and any description of reality contains the view of the writer. The news media also have their own editorial line. One should therefore read news critically.
The claim that there exists “Fake News Media“, on the other hand, can not be seen as resulting from a critical media analysis. It is a general claim, and it is not clearly defined who the “Fake News Media” are supposed to be. The claim about “Fake News Media” constructs a closed belief system, as it has no verifiable sources. It is not possible to check the fact content of the claim. You have to choose if you belive that mainstream media produce “Fake News” to mislead, or not.
To accept the claim is to reject the possibility of any shared, reported reality, since fact-based journalism remains one of our fundamental means for understanding the world. This is a fundamental question that affects our understanding of reality.
To critically evaluate claims like “Fake News media” , you can apply the following questions, which are based on journalistic and fact-checking standards:
- Is it specific? A legitimate critique should point to a specific error in a specific report (e.g., an incorrect date, a misquoted source). Vague accusations against an entire outlet or “the media” are a red flag.
- Is the claim falsifiable ? Does it point to any concrete sources that can be checked ?
- What is the evidence of coordination? Ask for evidence that different competing commercial news organisations are cooperating to promote a view, not just making similar editorial judgments.
- What could be the motive for the news organisations for such a coordination ?
- What is the motive for the one who raises the claim about “Fake News” from the “Fake News Media” ? Consider who is making the claim and what they gain. Is it to avoid answering a question, distract from another issue, or mobilise political support by portraying opponents as deceitful, or discrediting fact checks ?
“Pizza gate”
In the span of a few weeks, a false rumour that Hillary Clinton and her top aides were involved in various crimes snowballed into a wild conspiracy theory that they were running a child-trafficking ring out of a Washington pizza parlor, the New York Times reports.
The “Pizza gate” conspiracy theory have been spread actively by Trump supporting influencers.
The “Pizza gate” conspiracy theory claims that the United States and the world are run by a secret elite of paedophile power figures in the Democratic Party. In the story, these are said to hold children captive underground, sexually abuse them and drink their blood. This has led to demonstrations at which supporters carried posters such as “#Save the children” and “Stop child trafficking”.
Newsweek reported that American mothers were led to believe they were supporting the fight against child abuse by supporting Q-anon under the hashtag “#SaveTheChildren.”
This false story seems to have triggered a misplaced protection instinct. This wandering story has also directed attention away from the organisation Save the Children, and its important and tireless work against real abuse of children and for children’s rights, for over a hundred years.
This conspiracy theory also led to man, armed with an assault rifle, to enter a pizza restaurant firing shots, but he soon found out that there was no basement and no children in the restaurant.
He surrendered after the episode and almost immediately apologised, saying he had made an “incredibly ill-advised decision” to try to save endangered children. The attacker said in the court that “The intel on this wasn’t 100 percent”, reported the New York Times.
BBC describes how the story was spread from the social media platform 4chan to the alt-right Reddit and from there into the mainstream Internet.
As shown in chapter 5, a similar conspiracy theory with anti-Semitic content about Jews allegedly practicing ritual murder to secure the blood of christian children was launched in the Nazi-controlled weekly Der Stürmer in 1939.
Q-anon and “The deep state”
Conspiracy theories affect people that are unaware that they are exposed to manipulation, and therefore are easily misled. But the “Q-anon” conspiracy theory says predicts that the “truth” will be known. The Great Norwegian Encyclopaedia explains that the conspiracy theory Q-anon supposedly comes from an anonymous online profile, “Q”, which is claimed to have high security clearance. “Q” reveals a criminal conspiracy, mainly by Democrats, in the state apparatus: “the deep state”. This conspiracy will, it is suggested, be revealed through “The Storm”. “The Storm” is when Donald Trump will come forward with what he knew, arrest the guilty and overthrow “The deep state”.