Conspiracy theories can have a lasting influence on believers and the skepticism of a population. The Skeptic article chosen is about chemtrails conspiracy theories. The argument the author produces is that this conspiracy theory is false and that there is no good supporting evidence to prove the existence of chemtrails. The chemtrails conspiracy theory originated from contrails, which are the white streaks of cloud that planes leave behind. The conspiracy theory began with a farmer named William Wallace who noticed these contrails and thought they were poisoning people with chemicals because he and his wife felt sick. The main point that the author makes throughout the article is that correlation does not equal causation. Wallace sent a video …show more content…
His purpose was to disprove the conspiracy theory and to convince the reader that the ‘evidence’ of the existence of chemtrails is insufficient. The author presented his argument by listing the reasons the advocates believe in chemtrails and then disputing each point by discussing the science of contrails and including common sense. For example, he argues that spraying chemicals thirty thousand feet into the atmosphere would not be an efficient way of poisoning a population because the winds can blow particles thousands of miles away before settling to the ground. The author seems to appeal to an audience that has a scientific and realistic approach to thinking. He has a sarcastic tone throughout the article which could be perceived as him not taking the conspiracy theory seriously. For example, he regards the theory as strange and says “Chemtrails have supposedly been poisoning us for two decades!”. Towards the end of the article, the writer believes he has disproven the conspiracy theory and focuses more on the real environmental threat that contrails are causing. He makes sure to draw a line between real and imaginary. The emphasis on the environmental factors and the growing emission conveys a concerned outlook and may motivate the reader to help the planet and make a difference instead of blaming any illness or problem on a …show more content…
He just disputes the conspiracy theory claims by stating what makes logical sense. Due to the writer’s bias towards the subject, the opposing views are stated in a way that sounds illogical or uneducated. He does, however, include a fair amount of arguments of the believers. Although the author takes a condescending attitude throughout the article, his approach is reasonable. The perspective of the believers is recognized and explained in a fair-minded way. Overall, the author’s arguments are sound and provide reasonable evidence to disprove chemtrails. This conspiracy theory has the potential to be the subject of a future research paper. Although this author strongly disagrees with it and rejects all “evidence”, other sources can be found to explore additional arguments. Also, the history of this theory can be thoroughly discussed as a common example of how most conspiracy theories come to be. The only potential problem area that can occur is that simple scientific facts can easily shut down this conspiracy theory. Approaching this paper with an open-mind and developed research is important in dissecting this conspiracy theory in the
“How to poison the earth” by Linnea Saukko can be seen in two different aspects. The first one would be by looking at it in a literal way, in which it will make it a very harsh, inhumane and cold text. On the other hand, it could be seen as a satire, sarcastic and ironic text in which Saukko expects to catch the reader’s attention. Saukko exaggerates the sarcasm, and satire in her writing in order to make the readers realize and understand the main purpose of her essay, which is to warn readers about threats to the future of our planet.
Conspiracy theories are entertaining for many to speculate and demand a great deal of thought to constitute. A conspiracy theory is defined as the idea that many important political, economic, and social trends are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public (“The Definition of Conspiracy Theory”). Many conspiracy theories are thought up around children’s shows, which offers a feeling of nostalgia and pleasure. A few children’s show conspiracies that need a deeper light shone on them are from Max & Ruby (2002-2013), Winnie the Pooh (1977), Rugrats (1990-2004), and All Grown Up (2003-2008).
Conspiracy theories accuse others of a cover-up by secret planning. They may be based on a hunch, or even backed by evidence. To the curious mind, they bring about unanswered questions that have attracted the attention of many people throughout history. Among some of the more popular theories are the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; the death of Princess Diana; alien encounters in Roswell, New Mexico; and the idea that Elvis may still be alive. Perhaps the most intriguing theory, because of our neighboring location, is the underground bunker and seemingly strange characteristics at the Denver airport.
so. Many people believe other theories which is fine but there is no doubt that this is a conspiracy
The day that President Kennedy was assassinated, people started to view the world differently. His death was the first time that a conspiracy theory transformed into a conceivable form of knowledge among the general public. "It was because of Kennedy's death in Dallas that the conspiracy theory was born" (Wensley). It started with an article written ...
The legend of Santa Claus can be the lure to which mankind falls into a ploy of conspiracy that may fortify a manipulative mindset and devious conduct in people. It is up to the reader to ultimately decide how they feel about this article. This article analyses one conspiracy, but what about other conspiracies that are similar. Taking Mocks article under consideration and everything he talks about can open up a new perspective. This editorial is a good example of how conspiracy theorist can charm to readers through persuasion. When reading similar pieces readers should be aware of how the author lures them in.
“INSTITUTE FOR HISTORICAL REVIEW.” Propaganda and Disinformation: How the CIA Manufactures History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
He includes references from scientists with different backgrounds and public statements from government officials to support the claims that he made. Not only that, Scranton is a doctoral candidate in English at Princeton University, and he has written for The New York Times, Boston Review, and Theory & Event. Also, Scranton has published a novel about the Iraq war. His achievements and academic background certainly increase his credibility. His scientific and political sources add to his credibility even more so. The examples included in the logos paragraph is only a representation of the evidence featured in his article hence the use of the plural version of scientists and government officials in this essay. Even though Dr. Scranton has credible sources, he does fail to consider a portion of UTA readers. He mentions that the “question is no longer whether global warming exists” but instead questions how we are going to deal with it (par. 9). As a result, Scranton ignores the readers that might not believe in global warming; he does not recognize this small audience in his article, and as a consequence, readers might find Scranton to be slightly arrogant. Despite the failure to acknowledge this alternate view, Scranton does have the public’s interests at heart. The purpose of the article is to convince readers to take action and help save humanity
Brian Keeley’s short essay, “Of Conspiracy Theories” discusses conspiracy theories and their value in an epistemological context. Keeley defines a conspiracy theory as “a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons-the conspirators-acting in secret (Keeley 1999, pg. 116).” Keeley seeks to answer the question of why conspiracy theories are unwarranted. His interest in the warrant of conspiracy theories focuses on ¬the unfalsifiability of conspiracy theories and how conspiracy theories are founded upon an extraordinarily large amount of skepticism. In section III, Keely discusses what a conspiracy theory is, and contends that there is no grounds for distinguishing a warranted conspiracy theory from an unwarranted conspiracy theory (UCT). Keely expands upon section III in section IV, by introducing falsifiability and skepticism and giving a deeper analysis on the difficulties of UCTs. In section V, he discusses the issues raised and the implication of their popularity. A brief conclusion is given is section VI, in which he discusses the morals that should be taken away from the essay.
Such as, did inside traders know about attacks before the event even occurred, Why did the world's most powerful air force fail to intercept any of the four hijacked planes, Why did the Twin Towers collapse so quickly and a good question is why was the crash site at Shanksville, Pennsylvania so small and why was the aircraft debris not visible. Many of these conspiracies got most of the world thinking about the tragic event that occurred on september 11, 2001 and if it was an event that was made up by the government to set up the terrorist and their
Conspiracy theorists, calling themselves Truthers, have provided evidence to support their claims numerous times in attempts to convince the general population. Truthers start by pointing out the FBI Crime They demand the government to explain what really happened and that justice be fairly served. They have not had an open playing field, however, they received opposition at every move they make with explanations, counterarguments, and information from the government, police forces, first responders, and the residents of Newtown.
In researching this and many other conspiracy theories, one can see many uses of sensationalism, mainly by the media. This media- the news (local and national), magazines, tabloids, television shows, movies, and so on- has a huge e...
He begins his article by describing a timed test such as the SAT to help support his claim. Howard organizes his paragraphs by stating his topics otherwise known as his grounds. Next he describes his backing with somewhat of a very little piece of his warrant. But Gardner overall does not support his backing or warranty with much of actual evidence or data, resulting in an off balance of the rest of the argument. For his grounds, though he simply states reasons that he thinks. Now for his rebuttals he does make good points and backs them up through his own points. This is shown in the lines “My own guess is that most people would not take much extra time, but the decision would be theirs, not that of a screening body” (Gardner 795), as shown the author uses very weak rebuttals. He does somewhat use qualifiers to help the readers be more lenient with his reasons. Overall the effectiveness of his organization would most likely be improved if added stronger concepts and impressions (Gardner
Since the beginning of settled civilizations, people have had more mutual sharings than ever before. By the same token, there have been some conspiracy theories that are usually against the culturally accepted beliefs of religions, science and society. A conspiracy theory can be described so differently. However, as in his text, Marshall Brain explicates, a conspiracy is generally defined as a theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act (Brain). Especially, after the new media has become quite popular, more and more conspiracies are theorized every single day, which aim to catch society’s attention via such media tools as the internet, journals and newspapers. Thus, people who theorize those conspiracies tend to use such objects as spiritual and mysterious ones in order to interest people. To illustrate, many examples can be given. For instance, many people have claimed that they were abducted by aliens, although they could show no evidences. Here, a citation from Blackmore could facilitate to understand the circumstance better. She states that people occasionally claim that they have been abducted from public places by aliens, in this case that may provide them with witnesses and affirmations but no evidence could be shown so far (Blackmore). As it is well known, only a small number of people believe such alien abductions, however, rating of this kind of news is quite high on media, because humankind has been wondering if there are extraterrestrial creatures out of the earth. Another example can be conspiracy theories which are about the origins of religions such as the rejection of Jesus Christ. There are some people who pay attention to...
On the whole, the article is well-organized, and logical. Despite the abundance of unconfirmed statements, the alleged consequences of many of the events listed are believable. The article would be significantly more believable if there was a balance of arguments, of if the arguments listed were less disputable. The article should be considered a working, even persuasive, theory, rather absolute