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Why So Many People Believe Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are for losers,” says Joseph Uscinski, associate professor of political science at the University of Miami and co-author of the 2014 book American Conspiracy Theories. Uscinski stresses that he uses the term literally, not pejoratively. “People who have lost an election, money or influence look for something to explain that loss.”

"A lot also depends on demographics, with belief in the theories generally inversely related to education and wealth.

"One survey showed that about 42% of people without a high school education believe in at least one conspiracy theory, compared to 23% of people with a post-graduate degree. A 2017 study found a household income average of $47,193 among people who were inclined to believe in conspiracy theories and $63,824 among those who weren’t.

“In this case, conspiracy theories can be like emotional poultices,” says Joseph Parent, a professor of political science at Notre Dame University and Uscinski’s co-author. “You don’t want to blame yourself for things you may lack, so you blame anonymous forces instead.

[time.com]

LiterateHiker 9 June 20
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8 comments

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0

The phrase "Conspiracy Theory" was a brilliant invention by the conspiracy.

I actually worked for them, but I cannot go into details as no-one would believe me anyway. Plus there are all those confidentiality agreements I signed.

3

I think that this makes a great deal of sense, it also accounts for why the disaffected and less well educated are voting for people like Trump because he offers them oversimplistic answers to their grievances...such as MAGA!

1

Or because they are stoopid ?

1

Yeah

bobwjr Level 10 June 21, 2019
2

It is only logical. If your range of knowledge, access to information, and reasoning power are limited, one is more likely to attribute events to unexplained forces.

3

I once read, of the JFK assassination: (words to this effect)

"If you put the Nazis on one side and the Holocaust on the other, that balances. You have a great evil force and a horrific deed. People can comprehend that.
But put Lee Harvey Oswald, an anonymous loser with a rifle, on one side, and the killing of the young, handsome President of the United States, on the other, and it doesn't balance out. People believe something greater must be responsible for such a horrendous crime.

They want a dark conspiracy. It's too frightening to believe that one random man with a rifle can change the course of history."

3

many of those well educated ppl never believed that the trickle down BS from reagan was a conspiracy by the elites to increase their share of the national wealth/income: much to their detriment.

0

If they promote the idea that the forces against them are too overwhelming to confront, it’s their excuse for not acting.

Varn Level 8 June 20, 2019
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