Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Why We Need Conspiracy Theory Parodies

By Mattie Knight


Conspiracy theories have always been in existence since time in memorial. We all love to talk about what other people are conspiring to do or have done. The world today is full of crazy notions and stories of what certain powerful governments, groups and cults are conspiring to do. They have been woven around some serious allegations and accusations. While these some may seem harmless, they have serious social consequences on the society. With all this, indifferent and almost extreme stories doing the rounds, we all need the laughs of conspiracy theory parodies to even out the odds.

Conspiracies have serious negative effects on societies and people. Research has found that most people who read about these stories are more than likely to act out in response. For example, those who were exposed to anti governmental, climate change and vaccination were more likely to stop voting, conserving the environment and the need to go for vaccination respectively. This is a serious development as it might cause the collapse of very important institutions and initiatives.

They have the effect of decreasing the confidence in established systems of power. It goes as far as undermining the belief in established positions. A good example is the legal process and judicial system. This affects the ability of the government to provide services and serve the people. This leads to a class of easily influenced citizens and anti-government demonstrations that may destabilize the whole state.

These speculations, more often than not, leave people feeling hopeless and powerless to change their situations. This leads to decreased social engagements because everybody is suspicious of everyone. People tend to believe that their fate is in the control of a select few powerful elite. These persons are believed to have thought out everything and enjoy absolute control. Evidence shows that these theories influence people without their knowledge.

Conspiracy can lead to the creation and establishment of corrupt institutions and governments. One classic example is the speculations released by the Nazi government that the Jewish were covertly influencing world affairs. They claimed that Zionists were ruling the world and establishing their undue influence. This caused widespread hatred in some parts of Europe towards Jews and led to their massacre in the holocaust.

Recently, the western governments wove and disseminated conjecture around the spread of terrorist networks leading to the creation of fascist policies in foreign affairs and domestically. These have discriminated against people of a certain race and religious affiliations.

These theories have resulted in several arms races between governments most notably during the cold war. Suspicion among nations has led to hostility and the rush to secure borders. This has led to the creation of weapons of mass destruction in the anticipation of war or attacks. The world is no stranger to such weapons like the nuclear bomb that almost destroyed Japan. Unfortunately, most of these weapons end up in the hands of terrorists and war criminals.

Distrust and widespread suspicion have become the center of both political and social debates in many states. Different groups have contributed to the growth of these counterproductive arguments. This has led to the demonization of one another instead of engaging in mature discussions. Thus, the need for parodies arises to help break the tension and destroy the power of speculation.




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