Great article on why Conspiracy Theories keep swirling just beyond the mainstream view. It’s a consequence of being social animals according to an article by Diana Gatig
The return of Flat Earth, the grandfather of conspiracy theories | Ars Technica:
The underlying premise behind conspiracy theories is that "They" are hiding the truth for shady, nefarious purposes. But you—because you are so perspicacious, smart, special, or have access to privileged information—can see things as they really are. “They” can be the government, Russia, China, aliens, Democrats, Republicans, the CIA, the FBI, Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Tech, and/or obviously, more often than not, the Jews. (Jewish Flat Earthers do not have it easy.) These entities actually have hidden the truth at times, which makes it that much tougher to argue with conspiracy theorists.
It is not hard to see the allure. It’s especially appealing when people are already feeling alienated, like everything is spinning out of their control—as people tend to do in times of intense economic inequality and rapid technological innovation. They go looking for a scapegoat to blame for their troubles, and/or a small, close-knit community of like-minded people to welcome and accept them.
Mix that desire with our brain’s predilection to seeing patterns even when they don’t exist and you have everything you need to have Conspiracy talk surface again and again in human history.
René Girard sees Scripture, particularly the Gospel, and more pointedly, the Passion narrative as the singular way of cutting through the phantasms and seeing the Truth. It’s useful to keep that in mind as modern conspiracy narratives swirl around us again. (Wall Street Bets, new versions of the Blood Libel (eg Pizza Gate), etc.)
