Why Conspiracy Theories DEMAND Understanding!

?? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????????????????. ?

I remember watching the news coverage, the feelings of horror, the shock among the country that such an event had happened. ??

I even remember the news wrongfully attributing the killer’s motive to his diagnosis of autism. ?

It wasn’t easy for many people to comprehend. Who would want to let the feeling sink in that someone was actually capable of committing such horror on innocent lives? ??

"???????? ???????? ???? ???????????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ???????! ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????!"

It was around the time this event happened that I was browsing YouTube one day and noticed a popular video trending on their home page. The video was over a half hour in length, a video I would not normally take the time to watch. ???

But the title of the video caught my attention: “SANDY HOOK EXPOSED”. ??

I clicked on it…and for the next half hour I was entranced watching the whole video! ??

?? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????????????? ????????????????. ?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???????????????????? ???? ???? ?????????? ???????????????????? ????????????. ??

I remember watching the lengthy YouTube video and being shown a bunch of chopped-up news clips. I remember the video's sound being muted, the subtitles of the video feeding me leading questions and answers ??:

“?????? ?????????? ?????????? ???? ???? ???????!” “?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ?????????!” “?????????????????? ???? ?????????? ????????!”

I remember one clip showed a father whose daughter was killed in Sandy Hook seemingly go from smiling to crying in seconds. Again, the subtitles were ready to tell me what to think: “?? ???????????? ???????????? ??????????’?? ???? ????????!” “???? ???????? ???? ????????????!”” ??

I remember another clip which showed the mother of the daughter, but she was smiling and saying words you couldn’t hear because the audio was muted. Again, the subtitles were ready to tell me what to think: “?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ?????????!” “??????'?? ???????????? ??????!” ??

I also remember the shocking realization I felt watching the video. There was this excitement, this sense of thrill within me that I was learning something the general public was not aware of. Only me and other viewers of this YouTube video were now privy to this private information! ??

The video brought me to the conclusion it wanted me to come to: that Sandy Hook never happened, that it was a hoax. ??

...Looking back on this memory in hindsight, I’m glad I watched the video.

?? ????, ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????????! ??

But watching this video helped me learn a valuable lesson early on in my life about how alluring conspiracy theories can be, how attractive they are on the surface, yet how hollow the cynicism lays underneath. ??

Thankfully, at the time I watched the video I had enough skepticism to get additional perspectives on the video’s claims.

I quickly learned there was a TON of misinformation in the video.

?? The father who went from crying to smiling? There could be any number of reasons why that happened. ?? ???????????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????????????? ???? ?????? “??????????” ????’?? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????’?? ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ????.

?? That mother who was smiling in the muted video clip? If you got to hear the video clip unmuted, you’d quickly learn she was smiling because she was sharing fond memories about her daughter. ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? ????, ??????’?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ????????????.

?? ????????’?? ?????? “?????? ??????????” ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ???? ???? ??????????????. ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????????????????????????, ????????????-???????????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????? ???? ???? ???????????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ????. ??

???????? ???? ?? ???????????????????? ?????????????!

We could use Merriam-Webster’s definition: “?? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????????????????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?? ???????????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????????????.” ??

We could also use Britannica’s definition: “???? ?????????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?? ??????????, ???????????????? ??????????.” ??

Heck, let's also add Dictionary.com’s definition: “?? ???????????? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ?? ???????????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ????????.” ??

The reason I wanted to give you all these definitions is there’s also a conspiracy theory online that the CIA created the term “???????????????????? ????????????” to silence people. This is False. ??

Even more, there’s a conspiracy theory that the source I’ve cited above, Snopes, has a “leftist propaganda political agenda”. This is again False. ??

If you’re starting to notice a pattern, the problem is that ???????????????? can be made into a conspiracy theory. The fact I'm even discussing this right now makes me susceptible to someone accusing me of being a “??????????” or a “??????????”. ??♂?

The problem is that if you share contrasting information with a conspiracy theorist, they can easily dismiss it as just being "part of the conspiracy". They can claim every fact-checking source I cited above as just “fake news” simply because it doesn’t fit their beliefs. ?

?? “??????’???? ???? ??????????????????????????, ????????????! ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????????????????????? ?????????? ????????????!” ??

Let me clarify: ???????????????????????? ???????? ??????% ???????????????? ????????????! ??

?? I could tell you about Project SUNSHINE in 1956, where the United States Atomic Energy Commission wanted to measure the long-term effects of nuclear radiation on the body. And the way they did this included collecting tissue from deceased children’s bodies without permission from their grieving families.

?? I could tell you about Prohibition in the 1920s, where the federal government pressured manufacturers to add poisonous substances to their alcohol to make it undrinkable. Unfortunately this did not stop people, and it is estimated thousands of people died from drinking this tainted alcohol.

?? I could tell you about MKULTRA, a CIA-sponsored program in the 1950s to 1970s where experiments were done on human test subjects including the use of LSD, hypnosis, and electric shocks to develop methods the government could use for future interrogations.

All of these happened! ??

And if you want even more examples, look up Lincoln's assassination, COINTELPRO, Operation Northwoods, the CIA's many failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro, Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the list goes on! ??

My point is, I'm not saying conspiracies have never happened or that world governments have never done anything shady or corrupt. They have! And there’s a lot of classified information we in the general public will never be aware of. ??

Citing the incidents above, it's not at all irrational to feel cynical and distrustful toward the government or people in authority. They're the ones we're supposed to place our trust in, yet knowing all these past wrongs makes it a lot harder to, right? ??

The difference with my perspective is ??’?? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?? ???????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ????????-???????????????? ??????????. ??’?? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???? ?? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????????. ??

It’s important to remember that when we demonize “?????? ????????????????????” we’re also referring to THOUSANDS of people, from the postal service to the armed forces to Congress, each with their own separate positions and functions, each with their own families and set of values, each of them living their own individual lives. ??

It’s this very problem of overgeneralizing I even have to remember myself! I'm guilty of it too! ??♂?

I'm aware I have a habit of criticizing what I often call “?????? ??????????”. I need to continually remind myself it's not a singular entity, that it consists of thousands of news outlets and thousands of individual people with different intentions and agendas. ??

It would be foolish of me to assume the negative actions of 1 or 2 journalists was a reflection of the entire field of journalism, right?! ??

My point is: don’t let your obsession over a few bad apples spoil the entire bunch. Or as I always say: ??????’?? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ??????????????????. ??

A while back I watched the Netflix documentary “Behind the Curve” about Flat Earthers, people who believe the world is flat and that this truth is being covered up by NASA. ??

I think for many friends of mine you’ll be quick to laugh even hearing that such a community exists. But I actually did take away a valuable lesson watching the film, and I’ll tell you what…??

Sure, the Flat Earther arguments lack critical thinking. Sure, it’s very easy to disprove their claims with less than five minutes of research. Funny enough, the Flat Earthers even disprove their theory after they conduct a science experiment in the documentary! ??

But putting all that aside, there is one valuable lesson I took away from the film: ridicule of Flat Earthers (or any conspiracy theorists, for that matter) is NOT a helpful solution! ??

My point is: we need to apply this same understanding with the people around us. ??

????’?? ?????????????? ?? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????????? ???? ???????????????????? ????????????????.

As the saying goes: "?? ?????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ??????????." You won't change anyone's mind by ridiculing them. ??

Mick West says the same thing in his book “Escaping the Rabbit Hole”. The former co-founder of Neversoft Entertainment, Mick first became introduced to conspiracy theories when he was studying aviation weather for his pilot’s license. ???

He was introduced to the Chemtrails conspiracy theory, the belief that condensation trails left by aircrafts are toxic chemicals being sprayed by the government to poison people. ??

What initially started as a website he created to debunk the theory led him to debunking many more theories. As of today, Mick is the founder of Metabunk and has spent over 10 years debunking conspiracy theories. ??

But, there’s a difference between Mick and many others who just want to prove conspiracy theorists wrong. ??

From his many interviews with current and "????????????" conspiracy theorists, he advocates for understanding and respectful communication. ??

In his book “Escaping the Rabbit Hole”, he argues we’re ALL susceptible to conspiracy theories. Whether we want to blame the government, the pharmaceutical companies, or George Soros/the Koch brothers we all can be tempted down the rabbit role. ??

???? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ??????????. ??

???????? ?????????????? ???? ???????????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????????????? ????????. ??

???????? ???????? ???? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ??????????, ???????? ????'???? ?? ???????????????? ???? ?????????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ????????, ?????? ???????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ???? ????????????????????. ??

???? ???????? ??????????????????, ?????????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????????? ???? ?????????? ????????????. ??

What's unfortunate is that some individuals fell way deeper down the rabbit hole than we ever did. ???

So, Mick's personal mission with his work is not about shaming conspiracy theorists but rather on helping them climb out of the rabbit hole their cynical minds have become stuck in. ??♂

His biggest piece of advice: be respectful and understanding. Remember: it could’ve just as easily been you under the same circumstances. ??

?????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ????????. ??

Apart from conspiracy theories, we all as human beings have what’s known as cognitive biases. They are patterns of thinking which psychologically distort how we view the world. ??

Some of the most common include:

?? Negativity Bias: We’re more likely to give attention to negativity than we do to positivity.

?? Confirmation Bias: We’re more likely to believe information that reinforces our worldview and more easily dismiss information which doesn't.

?? Black-and-White (Dichotomous) Thinking: We’re more likely to see the world in polar opposite extremes. Good versus Evil. Us versus Them.

?? Illusory pattern perception: We’re more likely to see patterns among things which have no relation to each other. It’s why in science there’s the skeptic principle: “Correlation does not equal causation”.

But one of the biggest culprits, especially being illuminated now in our culture, is:

?? The Dunning-Kruger Effect: We’re more likely to overestimate our ability to do something we’re actually not really good at. The unintelligent individual is more likely to overestimate his intelligence, while the intelligent individual is more likely to underestimate his intelligence.

Or as philosopher Bertrand Russell put it back in 1933 as a response to the rise of Nazi Germany: “?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ??????????.”??♂

Again, we ALL suffer from these biases, some of us worse than others. They're not limited to conspiracy theorists, although they may be more greatly illustrated through their example. ???

But the reason I’m sharing this all with you today is because during times of stress and anxiety, especially during these times of COVID-19, conspiracy theories are far more prevalent and far more likely to be embraced as truth. ??

Conspiracy theories increased after 9/11. They increased after Sandy Hook. They increased after the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting. And they increased throughout COVID-19. I’m sure you saw the 5G conspiracy being shared. ??

More than ever, it’s going to be easy to fall into these cognitive traps so I want to remind us all to be extra mindful of this. ??♂

???????? ???? ?????? ?? "????????????????????" ??????????????; ????'?? ?? ?????????? ??????????????, ???????????? ???????????? ???? ????????????????, ????????????????, ?????? ????????????????. ??

As Dale Carnegie reminds us: "???????? ?????????????? ???????? ????????????, ?????? ???? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ??????????. ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ??????????????, ?????????????????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ????????????."

?? “??????’???? ???????????? ?????????????? ?????? ??????????, ????????????! ???????? ????!”??

The questions I challenge everyone to ask themselves:

?? Do you possess your beliefs? Or do your beliefs possess you?

?? Are you able to step outside your own ideology and understand your critic’s points of view?

?? Are you able to summarize your opponent’s arguments and understand their position thoroughly without immediately dismissing them?

?? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? "????", ??????'?? ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ????????????????????. ??

In addition, I challenge you:

?? To get sources from MULTIPLE points of view, including information that may go against your beliefs. Not all information is created equal.

?? Stay mindful of your cognitive biases and genuinely seek to understand other people's points of view. See if you can summarize their argument to their satisfaction.

?? Give others who disagree with you the benefit of the doubt. Don’t automatically assume malicious intent. There's a possibility you may learn something from them you didn’t know before.

This is not just a reminder for you all, but also for me! I need to hear these reminders at times too! Again, I’m not immune to a lack of self-awareness. It's an ongoing process! ??♂?

WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER! ??

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Below, I am providing resources which have greatly helped me develop my critical thinking skills! ??

??????????

?? "Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational" by Michael Shermer

?? “Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect” by Mick West

?? "Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts" by Carol Tavris & Elliott Aronson

?? “How to Think – A Survival Guide for a World at Odds” by Alan Jacobs

?? “You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself” by David McRaney

?? “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion” by Jonathan Haidt

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???????????? ??????????????????

?? CrashCourse Navigating Digital Information – A 10-episode series dedicated to teaching critical thinking skills for browsing the Internet.

?? CrashCourse Philosophy – A 46-episode series dedicated to teaching philosophical ideas, which in turn practices your critical thinking skills.

?? CrashCourse Media Literacy – A 12-episode series dedicated to teaching the history and psychology of media.

?? A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Psychological Research on Conspiracy Beliefs: Field Characteristics, Measurement Instruments, and Associations with Personality Traits

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????????????

?? Wisecrack – What Makes REAL Science?

?? Wisecrack - How Conspiracies Changed & The Decline of Expertise (Flat Earth, Anti-Vaxxers)

?? Wisecrack - How Fake Science (Pseudoscience) Can Fool You

?? Wisecrack - The Internet was a Mistake

?? SciShow – The Science of Anti-Vaccination

?? SciShow Psych - Why Do So Many People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?

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