The Conspiracy Theory

American Literature Research Paper

Conspiracy

» “A secret plan to commit a crime; a plot”» Synonyms: Intrigue, cabal, scheme

Conspiracy Theory

» A theory that explains an event as being the result of a plot by a covert (secret undercover) group or organization; a belief that a particular unexplained event was caused by such a group

» The idea that many important political events or economic and social trends are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public

Who Believes?

» Not associated with gender, educational level, or occupation

» Associated with the belief that the situation for the average person is getting worse, and most public officials are not interested in the average person (1993)

» Associated with people who feel isolated or alienated from the system

Final Thought…

» "Not everybody needs a hero, some people need a villain. For some, conspiracy theories can answer a deeply personal need to make sense of an event that, if the official version were true, would be too vast and too random to fathom.... It doesn't make sense to people that a partially deranged man could have done this. The fact that a single madman could change the world in a single moment can be more unsettling than the prospect of organised action, however corrupt. The organisation suggests control; the madman suggests chaos."

» Lisa Grunwald» Life Magazine

» December, 1991

The Top Ten

1. The JFK Assassination2. Anita Hill was part of an organized conspiracy against Judge Clarence Thomas3. The AIDS virus was created deliberately in a government laboratory4. The government deliberately spread the AIDS virus in the homosexual

community5. The government deliberately spread the AIDS virus in the black community6. The Air Force is hiding evidence that the U.S. has been visited by flying saucers7. The FBI was involved in the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.8. Reagan and Bush (I) conspired with the Iranians so that the American hostages

would not be released until after the 1980 elections9. The Japanese were deliberately conspiring to destroy the American economy10. The American government deliberately put drugs into the inner city

communities»*(data from 1994)