Drawn to a Conspiracy?
If you were at all around the internet the last week a conspiracy theory or two might have crossed your feed. So let's starting by considering 3 desires a conspiracy theory draws on:
The desire for understanding and certainty
The desire for control and security
The desire to maintain a positive self-image
- David Ludden, Ph.D. from 'Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?' from Psychology Today
Looking at where we are at in the world today in response to this pandemic, I think it's clear each of us long for what listed above in some way. Our response to situations that flip our world upside-down is often to cling onto things that provide us with these - serving as a form of reprieve wherever we might find them.
For some, that reprieve comes in finding blame or a scapegoat. For others, it means taking some form of action to direct their energy toward. Or it can even mean a complete disregard, dismissal, or disconnecting in an attempt to not engage the reality occurring around them. There are numerous ways this can look, the key is we all do this in some regard. It's natural, and in many ways needed to survive, but this is where clinging onto a conspiracy theory can become dangerous.
Before diving in let me just say this... I'm a sucker for a good conspiracy theory. If you've spent any time with me, you've probably heard me riff on topics like the North American primate (big foot) or extra-dimensional beings (not to be confused with extraterrestrial) with far too much passion or excitement. I'm drawn to engage some conspiracy theories because there is something fun and playful in talking about their possibility. Ultimately whether they are true, really doesn't change our daily lives nor does it have the possibility to hurt anyone.
That said, if you're like me, you might be starting to see friends who normally wouldn't spread or share conspiracy theories, begin to do so. And it's concerning to say the least. These posts and videos often appear credible due to their quality or the credentials of those in it. Adding to this, some news outlets and world leaders are sharing these as well without and critical engagement.
Compared to proving existence of Sasquatch, these theories are no longer playful what-ifs with little life altering implications, rather many are dangerous claims that can endanger not only specific individuals but society as a whole if taken seriously.
The one-two punch of our confirmation bias and what's called the Dunning-Kruger effect (or our inability to 'objectively evaluate (our) competence or incompetence') make discerning reality all the more difficult. Our default is to trust our 'gut'. We resonate those things that have held itself true in the past and trust that it then should continue to be so in the present. Then when a different idea seem to align with those previously 'trusted' positions, we often trust the new idea without critical engagement. A good conspiracy theory taps into this, as there is a thread of logic within them that pulls on our emotions and previously held assumptions. Then when we are in distress we are often more likely to believe the theory because their claim provides an understanding (or reprieve) we long for, a rational for the unknown of a situation we are engaging, and taps into the 3 needs a conspiracy taps into.
Often we just a little work, any conspiracy theory begins to unravel with just a little fact checking around the issue and the people in it. This is not to say there might not be truth in it to be considered but that it must engaged critically in order to see if it is actually factual. Unfortunately many are unwilling to do the work of checking the data that crosses their screens rather trust their 'gut'. We've all been guilty of this at some point in our lives.
So there are 3 tough pills we must swallow to move forward:
- in a lot of life there will not be a clear understanding or certainty to rest in.
- we don't have the control or security we believe we do.
- we are more fragile than we like to believe we are.
I write all of this not to say to end on some hopeless note but rather my hope is that it allows us to rise up and respond better.
That we might avoid the simple solutions or easy reprieve that things like conspiracy theories may offer.
That in acknowledging our lack of clear understanding and certainty we find, may we seek to be clear and provide certainty through how we live. May we demand understanding and clarity from our leaders and hold them accountable with they are not.
That in response to our lack of control and security, may we create spaces for us the thrive and grow together.
That in acknowledging our fragility, may we truly value the fullness of life. We value the life we have, we value the life in others, and we value the world which sustains us.
And that we commit ourselves to spending our time searching out truth and living into it for the betterment of us all.
A few resources for discerning:
