Un-ironically, believing in conspiracy theories is a good first step towards the alt-right. I hate to say it because it sounds so alarmist and slippery-slope-ist but I believe it to be true. If you look at QAnon and a big chunk of Trump supporters, they have the same conspiracy theory mindset. A lot of conspiracy theories have anti-Semitism at the core, and believing one conspiracy theory (especially about a subject as emotionally charged and that has caused so much harm historically) is a good way to start believing more and more conspiracy theories.
We have seen in the recent past how the alt-right uses comics and “harmless” memes to recruit and it’s a big factor as to how Trump won the first presidency.
I think that there is a fine line between just stupidly believing conspiracy theories and actually asking yourself “this seems plausible, but how can I disprove it?”
I once was against fluoride due to an article. 2 months later when I was shopping for a new toothpaste I was like “wait, what does fluoride ACTUALLY do?” And I did some research. While yes, it is toxic, you have to eat so much of this stuff it’s basically impossible, while the amounts you usually take are just enough to keep your gums healthy. You might develop white spots on your teeth if you eat literal tubes of toothpaste, but who does that.
believing one conspiracy theory is a good way to start believing more and more conspiracy theories
When you find out that MKUltra, Operation Northwoods, Operation Paperclip, Operation Snow White , Iran contra, The Black Panther Coloring Book, Tuskegee experiment etc. are all actually true, it increases the probability of unproven theories being true.
Un-ironically, believing in conspiracy theories is a good first step towards the alt-right. I hate to say it because it sounds so alarmist and slippery-slope-ist but I believe it to be true. If you look at QAnon and a big chunk of Trump supporters, they have the same conspiracy theory mindset. A lot of conspiracy theories have anti-Semitism at the core, and believing one conspiracy theory (especially about a subject as emotionally charged and that has caused so much harm historically) is a good way to start believing more and more conspiracy theories.
We have seen in the recent past how the alt-right uses comics and “harmless” memes to recruit and it’s a big factor as to how Trump won the first presidency.
I think that there is a fine line between just stupidly believing conspiracy theories and actually asking yourself “this seems plausible, but how can I disprove it?”
I once was against fluoride due to an article. 2 months later when I was shopping for a new toothpaste I was like “wait, what does fluoride ACTUALLY do?” And I did some research. While yes, it is toxic, you have to eat so much of this stuff it’s basically impossible, while the amounts you usually take are just enough to keep your gums healthy. You might develop white spots on your teeth if you eat literal tubes of toothpaste, but who does that.
When you find out that MKUltra, Operation Northwoods, Operation Paperclip, Operation Snow White , Iran contra, The Black Panther Coloring Book, Tuskegee experiment etc. are all actually true, it increases the probability of unproven theories being true.
TIL that laughing at a conspiracy theory means you believe that conspiracy theory.