9/11 Conspiracy Theories

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From 9/11 terrorist attacks and one of the nation’s most important achievements, the moon landing, to theories about Area 51, conspiracy theories have been spreading throughout society for centuries. How would you personally feel if someone stepped up and revealed the government is pulling our strings and manipulates us as if we were puppets? Many people are in denial with what can possibly be life changing information that is out there, and much of it for the public to see. Introduction There are many wild conspiracy theories that are contrived every day. These assumptions can be created by anyone. To some, they are an interesting topic of discussion, while to others, they serve as cold hard evidence to some unsolved mysteries in events that …show more content…

They do, and in disturbingly high numbers. The idea that such beliefs are attained only by a bunch nerdy individuals is a myth. Believers in these ideas cut across gender, age, race, income, educational level, and occupational status. However, group identity is also a factor. African Americans for example, are more inclined to believe that the CIA planted crack cocaine in inner-city neighborhoods, while white Americans are more likely to believe that the government is making secret plans in a harmful act to tax the rich to support welfare and turn the country into a sort of socialist utopia. It is also found that education makes a difference in decreasing conspiratorial thinking: 42 percent of those without a high school diploma are firm in conspiratorial predispositions, compared to 23 percent with postgraduate degrees. Even then, that indicates that more than one in five Americans with postgraduate degrees show interest in these theories. If one really reflects on the statistics, it came come to be quite shocking; let us be aware, other factors are involved in creating a conspiratorial mind. In laboratory experiments, researchers have found that provoking anxiety or loss of control triggers respondents to see unreal patters that produce conspiratorial explanations. What it comes down to is that people have a need or motivation to believe in a particular idea and it is psychologically different from evidence as a conspiracy theory …show more content…

People responsible for these theories create a well coordinated plot to manipulate circumstances for the benefit of an elite few while victimizing the innocent. Some conspiracies are small scale, for example, the owner of a bug infested restaurant bribing a health inspector to look the other way, while other conspiracies are much greater. The reason behind each theory serves a different purpose, for instance, some people begin them to create awareness in our society and alert the public of the wicked schemes government. Others begin them to take action and get certain people involved to make a difference. But why exactly do rational people buy into these theories? As Richard Hofstadter wrote in his seminal 1965 book, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” conspiracy theories, especially those involving meddlesome foreigners, are a favorite pastime in this nation. Americans have always had the suspicion that someone is out to get them and believe that not everything that is presented is as it seems or made out to be. But in recent years, it seems that every tragedy comes with a twist to the story thus emphasizing on an ulterior motive, so then everything becomes questionable. While our access to information has vastly improved, one would assume it would have helped decrease such wild speculation. On the

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