1/ In the Michael Butter book I read Saturday he made some interesting points. Up to the 1950s, in the West, conspiracy theories were regarded and completely legitimate forms of knowledge whose underlying assumptions were beyond question ( it was normal to believe in them)
2/ Following WWII conspiracy theories were delegitimized in the USA and EU causing conspiracists knowledge to be banished from public discourse and relegated to the fringe, which is not surprising considering the events of WWII.
3/ What we have seen in the past 15-20 years is a renaissance of conspiracy theories that is aligned with he rise of populist movement as there are parallels between the way that populists and conspiracy theorist argue and whom they target/perceive as the enemy.
4/ The same way that populist movements have polarized the public sphere, we're seeing the rise of ecosystems where conspiracy theories are stigmatized in some domains (ie the mainstream) but are accepted once again seen as legitimate forms of knowledge in alternative spaces
5/ The legitimacy or illegitimacy of conspiracy theories are not only a matter of knowledge, but of political affiliation reinforcing the inherent dualism of Them vs US/Good vs Evil that form a core concept of these movements.
6/ As Barkun wrote about the characteristics of conspiracy theories 1)nothing happens by accident, 2) nothing is as it seems, 3) everything is connected. For Barkun intentionality, secrecy and the dualism of good vs evil constitute the core of conspiracy theories.
7/ Conspiracy theorists have a world view that is rooted in a view of the world whereby humans can direct the course of history according to their own will and intentions (history is plannable, usually by elites or some maligned group/force).
8/ Modern social science challenges this. Maybe expanding the educational reach to a wider and younger audience can act as a protective measure🧐 as conspiracy theorists have a different view of the world that that of modern psychology, sociology, history or political science.
9/ Providing the right tools to a broader spectrum of society could be a long term goal, more often than not conspiracy theories serve as a means of stigmatization and delegitimization of a community or individuals based on skewed interpretation of facts and mainstream knowledge
10/ Another challenge when dealing with building resilience towards conspiracy theories is dealing with the fact that the content of conspiracy theories, their "evidence" the process of "doing research" is exciting and fun for those who are in these communities.
11/ This thirst for knowledge and discovering fact, this curiosity could be something positive if channeled correctly. Content from the mainstream does not provide the same type of stimulation to an audience, conspiracy theories are "fun" and "entertaining" but dangerous as well.
12/ Why people believe in conspiracy theories like QAnon is because they have offered a way to make sense of a world in crisis. Where others see chaos, violence and suffering, conspiracy theorists see patterns and intentionality.
13/ By rejecting coincidence, connecting things that others do not based on the "research" of an individual that can build an explanation that provides a coherent answer (to them) and attribute malicious intent to an enemy they can target and channel their efforts towards.
14/ This is not because they are "crazy" we really need to stop using that word and stigmatizing them, because we are too lazy to understand the complexities of the problem and would rather simply push the problem aside. Crazy is not what led to Jan 6.
15/ The field of psychology teaches us that conspiracy theories do satisfy two universal human needs: A) Humans have evolved to make connections and recognize patterns. This drives conspiracism in humans, as well as prejudice. Why IT'S A SURVIVAL MECHANISM.
16/ If human X eats purple berry & dies shortly after, his community will infer the purple berries killed human X and the community will avoid them thereafter. This does not mean that is what killed human X but that is the type of conclusions we have evolved to make to survive
17/ B) conspiracy theories offer very specific explanation to an event in questions (eg QAnon answering questions about child abuse). Conspiracy theories will say that child abuse is deliberately caused by a group of elites who feed off of their blood to stay young forever
18/ They need to understand events as a result of intentional actions as research has shown (See Brotherton suspicious minds or Van Prooijen Psychology of conspiracy theories). There is no chance, everything was planned is a response that makes evolutionary sense but's misleading
19/ Mainstream arguments would argue that (event X) is the result of systemic effects or structural constraints, or that the elites are not coordinated but they appear to act in coordination because of similar socializing or interests.
20/ The complexities of the second train of thought is something that is learnt and not inherent in our evolutionary make up. It's easier to accept that a pandemic is the idea of a group of maligned conspirators that are trying to control us rather than accept chaos and chance
21/ This is why conspiracy theories strive during period of uncertainty: like a global pandemic or political instability, especially among people who have trouble accepting uncertainty. Which is something that is increasingly becoming common practice as the pandemic goes on.
22/ This would also explain how something like QAnon, which was US centric is now being globalized and finding resonance across the world. It is important to note that ideological and material constraints govern humans and their subjectivities, were not "autonomous individuals"
23/ Therefore what QAnon offers adherents by blaming pernicious events and developments, which threaten a group, on maligned individuals with maligned intent is allow the identification of culprits for the harm that has befallen an individual or group.
24/ Additionally QAnon offers adherents the possibility of preventing and reversing these maligned events. Conspiracy Theorists believe that is simply a matter of exposing and defeating the conspiracy because they believe in human agency.
25/ This is also why QAnon can always move the goalpost, because it is always 5 minutes to midnight and never after midnight. Which is why I refer to hopeium when talking about the evolving QAnon narratives.
26/ Additionally, conspiracy demonize the conspirators but construct and idyllic view of the groups targeted by the conspiracy. It allows conspiracy theorists to put a positive spin on their own problematic behavior.
27/ If you target Kamala Harris or Michelle Obama because they are women or black you are a racist and a misogynist. But if you target them because they are Deep State puppets, pedophiles & seeking to destroy America, conspiracy theorists can shrug off criticism of their actions
28/ Conspiracy theories as stigmatized knowledge, will negatively impact relationship with friends, family and peers if only one party believes in them (see r/QAnonCasualties). However, belief in conspiracy theories, opens doors to new communities, peers, networks and friends.
29/ Being able to "decode" what is happening in the world, being able to fight evil that other cannot see, finding peers doing the same gives conspiracy theorists the confirmation of their own special status, their heroism, sacrifice and gnosis.
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