{"id":124888,"date":"2022-07-17T10:32:45","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T14:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=124888"},"modified":"2022-07-17T10:35:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T14:35:11","slug":"how-the-conspiracy-theory-label-was-conceived-to-derail-the-truth-movement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=124888","title":{"rendered":"How the “Conspiracy Theory”<\/em> label was conceived to derail the Truth Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

The C.I.A. created the \u2018Conspiracy Theory’
\nmeme to shut down the Truth Movement<\/h1>\n

State of the Nation<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

KEY POINT:<\/strong> Many ‘Conspiracy Theorists’ are actually Conspiracy Realists.
\nThe very best among them are deeply experienced Investigative Journalists
\nand highly skilled Professional Researchers. \u00a0Others are greatly respected
\nHistorical Revisionists and University Professors. \u00a0Then there are those who
\nare lifelong Truth Seekers, Armchair Detectives and Citizen Reporters.\u00a0 In
\nthe aggregate they represent the Fifth Estate<\/em>, many of whom contribute
\nprolifically to the Alt Media<\/em>.\u00a0 See:\u00a0The Fifth Estate Casts Its Shadow Like a
\nMassive Mothership<\/a><\/h4>\n
\n

SOTN Editor’s Note:<\/strong>
\nThe following essay on the “Conspiracy Theory” is perhaps the best ever to appear on the Internet. It clearly delineates the many subtleties and nuances by which the label “Conspiracy Theory”<\/strong> has been used to shut down honest public debate. It also shows how critical thinking on the part of the individual has been discouraged and mocked.<\/p>\n

\"conspiracy-theory\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The various entities which colluded to conceive the label — “Conspiracy Theorist”<\/strong> — knew exactly what they were doing alright. They have been successful in effectively terminating the traversing trajectories of truth-seekers everywhere … over many decades. However, every actual conspiracy designed to deprive the people of the truth is always exposed sooner or later. That time is now!<\/p>\n

With the pervasiveness of the Internet throughout societies everywhere, the many once isolated ‘conspiracy theorists’ are now able to collaborate with others of like mind as conspiracy realists. \u00a0In this way they are able to share their theses and theories about everything.\u00a0 Given this refreshing environment and new climate, the official 9\/11 Commission Report<\/a> has been proven to be a complete fabrication foisted by U.S. Federal Government on the American people. \u00a0So, too, has the JFK assassination been proven to be a classic CIA Execution Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By inference, the research paper below lays bare a simple fact of life: that the Mainstream Media<\/em> (MSM) is the single biggest disseminator of the many falsehoods regarding the “Conspiracy Theory”<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em> As a matter of historical fact, the MSM has published countless false conspiracy theories with the explicit purpose of misleading the American people.\u00a0 The utterly ridiculous 9\/11 narrative fabricated by the US government as well as the absurd official explanation of President Kennedy’s murder are only two of numerous deliberate deceits.\u00a0 In the interest of protecting the system at all costs, anything that departs from the party line is now labeled a ‘conspiracy theory’ by the MSM.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the MSM will be regarded as the most prolific purveyor of false conspiracy theories of all time (their utterly implausible 9\/11 conspiracy theory really takes the cake). \u00a0Yes, that time is surely upon us as many signs and events point directly to a fast-approaching day of reckoning.<\/p>\n

State of the Nation
\n<\/a>May 15, 2015<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n

\"conspiracytheorist-660x413\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Conspiracy Theories<\/em>: The Public Trust Skepticism Factor<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\n

By Katherine Smith, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cConspiracy\u201d is a real word for a real event that has existed in human societies in all cultures throughout human history. [Appendix A]<\/p>\n

The assassination of the President of the United States on national television by a \u201clone\u201d assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, who himself is assassinated the next day by another \u201clone\u201d assassin\u2014would cause even the most rational skeptic, or critical thinker, to question the institutional narrative of the events.[1]<\/p>\n

In other words, the institutional narrative, or official explanation, of a lone assassin, who was in turn assassinated the very next day by another lone assassin, is as epistemically dubious, and as equally \u201csilly and without merit,\u201d as any of the conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination.<\/p>\n

The human species has evolved as pattern-seeking, cause-inferring animals. As such, our nature drives us to find meaningful relationships to understand the world. Conspiracy theories are offered as alternate explanation to an important social, political or economic event (henceforward, \u201cThe Event\u201d) when the institutional narrative is confusing or unsatisfactory.\u00a0\u00a0Conspiracy, originally a neutral term, has acquired a somewhat derogatory meaning since the mid sixties, for it implies a paranoid tendency to see the influence of some malign covert agency in certain events. Conspiracy theorizing has become commonplace in the mass media and emerged as a cultural phenomenon in the United States following the public assassination of JFK.<\/p>\n

Noam Chomsky, linguist and scholar, contrasts conspiracy theory as, more or less, the opposite of institutional analysis. The latter focuses mostly on explanations based on the information found in official records of publicly known institutions, whereas the former offers explanations based on information derived from coalitions of individuals.<\/p>\n

Most academics, or the rational community, find the conspiracy theories of popular culture to be silly and without merit, and automatically dismiss such alternative explanations as ridiculous, misconceived, unfounded, outlandish and the result of irrational thinking by paranoid schizophrenics. Some academics even contend that conspiracy theories \u201cundermine human social and civic decency in society.\u201d[2]<\/p>\n

However, on closer examination, academics can see, and are forced to admit, that there is no systemic flaw to the concept of the conspiracy theory per se, because 1) there have been at least\u00a0 33 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True and <\/em>2)\u00a0it is in the nature of many conspiracy theories that they cannot be falsified; that is, proven to be false.<\/p>\n

In Of Conspiracy Theories<\/em>, Brian Keeley acknowledges this important point but then argues that it\u2019s not the theory that is the problem, but rather the theorist. The theorists, we are told, display a \u201cparticular absence or deformities of critical thinking skills when they refuse to accept the institutional explanation of The Event.\u201d He further wonders whether the problem lies in our teaching methods.[3]<\/p>\n

Keeley refers to the numerous historically verified conspiracy theories as Warranted Conspiracy Theories (WCTs), as opposed to theories that have not, or cannot, be verified and are thus, according to Keeley, Unwarranted Conspiracy Theories, (UCTs). When all the academic terminology, doublespeak and jargon are stripped away, a UCT is simply an alternative explanation of The Event that hasn\u2019t been verified by independent sources.[4]<\/p>\n

Keeley admits that he and the academic community have no justification to systematically and unilaterally dismiss conspiracy theories as silly and without merit when he writes:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no criterion or set of criteria that provide a priori grounds for distinguishing WCTs from UCTs. One might perhaps like to insist here that UCTs ought to be false, and this is why we are not warranted in believing them, but it is in the nature of many conspiracy theories that they cannot be falsified. The best we may do is show why the warrant for believing them is so poor.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the\u00a0best\u00a0he can show as to \u201cwhy the warrant for believing them is so poor\u201d is public trust skepticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is this pervasive skepticism of people and public institutions entailed by some mature conspiracy theories which ultimately provides us with the grounds with which to identify them as unwarranted.<\/p>\n

It is not their lack of falsifiability per se, but a belief in an increasingly massive conspiracy theory that undermines the grounds for believing in anything. Accepting the UCT explanation requires one to question too many of the various institutions that have been set up to generate reliable data and evidence in our world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At some point, according to Keeley, we shall be forced to recognize the unwarranted nature of the conspiracy if we are to be left with any warranted explanations and beliefs at all.<\/p>\n

And finally, as the theory grows to include more and more people and institutions and yet remains unverified, the less plausible the conspiracy becomes; because, it stands to reason that, at some point, someone would have come forward with the missing and necessary data.<\/p>\n

Notice the words, \u201cwe shall be forced to recognize;\u201d rather than, \u201cwe have proof\u201d that the theory is false. Keeley admits that academics are entitled to dismiss a conspiracy theory if a belief in that alternative explanation undermines the grounds for believing in anything. Furthermore, we are entitled to dismiss a mature conspiracy if it involves too many people. Keeley\u2019s take on the JFK assassination mature conspiracy might read as follows:<\/p>\n

Even if the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, Police Departments and Coroners offices in two cities, were part of a large conspiracy to cover up their incompetence in the public assassination of JFK, \u201cit is impossible to believe that not a single member of the any of the agencies involved would be moved by guilt, self-interest, or some other motivation to reveal the agency\u2019s role in the tragedy, if not to the press, then to a lover or family member. Governmental agencies, even those as regulated and controlled as the military and intelligence agencies, are plagued with leaks and rumors. To propose that an explosive secret could be closeted for any length of time simply reveals a lack of understanding of the nature of modern bureaucracies. Like the world itself, they are made up of too many people with too many different agendas to be easily controlled.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Keeley asserts that, \u201cwe do live in an open world, but only because to think otherwise would lead to disastrous skepticism.\u201d For Keeley, the theorists lack critical thinking skills because they don\u2019t recognize that a belief in a UCT invalidates every other social belief they need to function in society.<\/p>\n

In his attempt to prove the theorists are guilty of too much skepticism, Keeley overlooks the implications of\u00a0the nature, logistics and institutional narrative of The Event. Everything that can be shown to be true about the mature conspiracy theory\u2014unfalsiabiality, skepticism, epistemically dubious\u2014applies to the narrative of The Event.<\/p>\n

A close look at the JFK assassination mature conspiracy will illustrate my point.<\/p>\n

The JFK Assassination: A mature conspiracy theory case study<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is the institutional narrative of the Oswald lone assassin theory, any more epistemically dubious, or any less \u201csilly and without merit,\u201d as the JFK tin-foil hat conspiracies?<\/p>\n

The CIA killed JFK; the Mob killed JFK; the CIA and the Mob working together killed JFK; last but not least, Fidel Castro contracted with the KGB to have JFK killed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Neither the institutional nor the conspiratorial explanation of the event is a warranted belief and should be dismissed on epistemic grounds. That is, there is sufficient reason to believe that the institutional view, just like the conspiratorial view, of the JFK assassination is false, yet neither view can be falsified.<\/p>\n

A conspiratorial explanation of the nature and logistics of The Event is really no more or less rational and logical as the institutional narrative. Thus, Keeley should have written:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no criterion or set of criteria that provide a priori grounds for distinguishing warranted conspiracy theories (WCTs) from UCTs\u00a0or the Institutional View<\/em>.\u2019 One might perhaps like to insist here that warranted conspiracy theories, UCTs\u00a0and the Institutional View <\/em>ought to be false,<\/em> and this is why\u00a0we are not warranted in believing in any of them<\/em>, but it is in the nature of many historical events that they cannot be falsified. The best we may do is show why the warrant for believing\u00a0in either the conspiracy or the institutional explanation<\/em> is so poor.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Errant Data and The Conspiracy Theory Paradox<\/strong><\/p>\n

No discussion of conspiracy theories would be complete without a discussion of errant data. Anomalies and discrepancies surface immediately upon the announcement of The Event and increase as the conspiracy matures. Errant data, or data that cannot be reconciled with the official explanation of the event, is the\u00a0chief tool of the conspiracy theorist.<\/p>\n

Again, the JFK Assassination illustrates my point. The rational community ignores the details of the rifle, the bullet and the witnesses who heard other shots from other directions (errant data) on the grounds that there is no reliable way to gather social data, as opposed to scientific, data about the human world.[5]<\/p>\n

Furthermore, when pressed, people will be ready to admit that the anomalies and inconsistencies (errant data) in the institutional view could never be chance occurrences. They escape the obvious improbability question by correctly pointing out that the errant data, even if true, does not constitute proof of anything, especially that the event was a conspiracy.<\/p>\n

Related to errant data is what we shall refer to as the Conspiracy Theory Paradox.<\/p>\n

Why would the conspirators, with the ability to plan and manage a conspiracy involving the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, Police Departments and Coroners offices in two cities (e.g., the JFK assassination), come up with such a convoluted senseless plan riddled with so many mistakes, anomalies and discrepancies (errant data)?\u00a0\u00a0And then, inexplicably, that same errant data is ubiquitously exposed in the media for everyone to question.[6]<\/p>\n