Conspiracy Theories

Introduction

Look at the following pictures. How are they connected to conspiracy theories?

What conspiracy theories do you know about? Share what you know with your group.

Do you believe that any conspiracy theories could be true?

Some polls have suggested that as many as 18% of Americans believed that Barack Obama is a ‘closet Muslim’

What is a conspiracy theory?

A conspiracy theory is any proposed explanation that involves a group acting in secret and with hid-

den motives to achieve a social or political agenda.

Examples of conspiracy theories

9-11 was a ‘false flag’ operation

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the terrorist

attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. One common the-

ory is that it was a ’false flag’ operation.

A false flag operation is an attack by the military on one of its

own targets in order to justify a war.

In the case of the 9-11 attacks—as the theory goes—the attacks

were staged by the Americans and used to justify wars in Iraq

and Afghanistan. A related belief is that the towers were

brought down by controlled demolition and not by the planes

that hit them.

Has America used false flag operations in the past? There is

strong, but not conclusive, evidence that the Gulf of Tonkin inci-

dent, which helped to bring the US into the Vietnam war, was

staged.

The New World Order According to this conspiracy theory, the world is secretly con-

trolled by an elite group, who are waiting for the right time to

seize power openly and form a single, totalitarian government

that rules the entire planet.

In some forms of this conspiracy, the secretive group is named

the Illuminati. The Illuminati was a secret society that existed in

the 1700s and had influential figures amongst its membership. According to conspiracy theorists,

though, the movement exists to this day.

Other forms of this theory take a religious flavor and claim that the New World government will be

ruled by the anti-Christ and signal the End Times.

In 1990, conspiracy theorists became excited when George HW Bush used the term ‘new world or-

der’ in a speech to congress on the topic of the ending of the Cold War. Bush delivered the speech on

September 11.

Have any conspiracy theories proven to be true?

The concept that the American Government was spying on its peo-

ple, intercepting, recording and storing phone calls, emails and even

Facebook messages was thought to be a conspiracy theory. How-

ever, with the release of secret files by NSA contractor Edward

Snowden, much of the theory was proven to be true. At the time of

writing, Snowden is in exile in Russia and is wanted by the American

government.

From 1932 until 1972, the Public Health Service and the Tuskagee

Institute studied the effects of syphilis on almost 400 black males

who they had infected with the disease. Long a subject of specula-

tion, the study came to the public’s attention in 1972 when the Associated Press published an ex-

pose.

Another example of a conspiracy theory that is at least partially true is the ‘MK Ultra’ program. Start-

ing in the 1950s, the CIA began experimenting with mind control and ‘behavioral engineering of hu-

mans’. Drugs such as LSD were administered to test subjects, sometimes without their knowledge.

Officially, the program ended in 1973 and was unsuccessful. However, some conspiracy theorists

think it was not only successful, but still going on.

Making money from conspiracies

Alex Jones is well-known as the face behind many modern conspiracy theories. He has a syndicated

radio show and has made many documentaries on conspiracy topics. He runs infowars.com and

prisonplanet.tv. Among his beliefs are:

• Global warming is a hoax

• Vaccinations are harmful

• The government can create and use tornadoes as a weapon

• The government is hiding the truth about 9-11 and the Boston bombings

Extended Discussion

1 Do you believe that the mainstream media report the

facts without bias or agenda?

2 Conspiracy theorists often say that people need to ‘wake

up’. Do you believe there is some truth to this?

3 Do you believe in the possibility of alien life?

4 Do you believe that the government really works in the

best interests of the people?

5 Are people easy to control?

6 Some conspiracy theories are extremely implausible. Why

do you think people still believe them?

7 One ‘conspiracy theory’ that was proven true was that

the NSA monitors personal communications. Yet, most peo-

ple don’t seem to care. How do you feel about it?

8 Do you agree with the sentiments behind the following

quotes:

“Anyone who knows how difficult it is to keep a secret

among three men - particularly if they are married - knows

how absurd is the idea of a worldwide secret conspiracy consciously controlling all mankind by its fi-

nancial power; in real, clear analysis.”

- Edward Mosley

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if

nothing had happened.”

Winston Churchill

“No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth. “

― John F. Kennedy

9 Some people say that it doesn’t matter whether the government is Democrat or Republican be-

cause they are ‘all the same’. Do you agree?

10 What is the funniest/most absurd/scariest conspiracy theory that you have heard?

11 The TV show Mythbusters became famous through debunking myths, including conspiracy theo-

ries. Do you enjoy watching myths being debunked?

12 Do you feel that the government should be more open? Or does it have the right to be secretive

in the interests of ‘national security’?

Learn More:

9-11 Conspiracies:

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=9/11_conspiracy_theories

2 http://www.911truth.org/

3 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14665953

The New World Order

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati

Edward Snowden and the NSA

1 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-

surveillance

2 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/07/nsa-surveillance-program-explained-here-s-

why-we-re-freaking-out.html

Conspiracies that have been proven true

http://www.businessinsider.my/true-government-conspiracies-2013-12/#.U2iluvmSzxU

Alex Jones

1 http://www.prisonplanet.tv

2 http://www.infowars.com