History, Truth & Conspiracy Theories

Of the topics raised in class, that of Conspiracy Theories seems to really hit home with some students as evidenced by student emails on this matter.  This course is not the proper forum to discuss the merits--or demerits--of these cases.  The point is raised to demonstrate the general challenges encountered by historians in assessing events with contradictory truth claims in the pursuit of the Greater Truth.  Nevertheless, students are encouraged to explore for themselves the contradictory truth claims on various matters. 

To begin, a contrast must be drawn between the micro and macro.  On the micro level, there are numerous efforts on the part of individuals to shade or obscure the truth; e.g., my wife asks me "how do I look today."  Regardless of the truth, the best answer is "Great!"  Of course people will lie, and some--alone or in a group--will have a hidden agenda they are pursuing.  But with Conspiracy Theories we are not talking about these micro scenarios.  Instead they are macro or large scale alleged cover-ups of the truth.  Some of these are:

• the conspiracy manufactured by right-wing 'America First' elements in the USA to discredit FDR by fraudulently claiming him 'responsible' for the Pearl Harbor attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941
• the Senator McCarthy witch-hunts in the 1950s against largely non-existent communists allegedly trying to wreck the USA from within
• attempts to 'conspiracise' the deaths of JFK, Marilyn Munro and Diana POW
• the highly profitable and surprisingly durable fantasy perpetrated by Baigent, Leigh et al about the alleged bloodline of Christ surviving through the Merovingians and the Templars up to modern times. 
• The attacks of September 11 were an inside job and not an attack by external radicals.  This is a particular new favorite.

Some conspiracies have turned out to be proven true; e.g., there indeed was a Watergate cover-up perpetrated by the Nixon administration.  Former Enron executives perpetrated an elaborate fraud that destroyed their company.  Then again in contrast, there was the Clinton administration having to back off the claim of a "vast right-wing [Republican] conspiracy" to bring down Democratic President Bill Clinton when evidence surfaced of a DNA sample on Monica Lewinsky's blue dress.

However, one should be aware of the perils of engaging with some of the major conspiracy theories that are out there.

There are shared themes in most major conspiracy theories.  Collectively, their accusations form a meta-narrative or all-encompassing explanation in which the "official story" cannot be trusted, and in which nothing ever seems to happen by chance but instead by a carefully orchestrated and concealed process.

The catch is that a double standard is at work if you choose to engage with a "Truther" (euphemism for one who holds to a conspiracy theory or theories).  For example, one "Truther" writing on Amazon.com to challenge a book critical of those who hold to macro conspiracy theories declares "the problem is that conspiracy theories are just that, theories.  For the most part, they are NEVER proven to be true. The names of the people behind them are never revealed, and most likely never will be, because there's too much at stake & too much invested in the lie to allow it to be."  Get it?  There is no way that this can ever be proven--or disproven.  There is no veracity--truth--test possible.  Thus no amount of evidence is likely to change a truther's mind. 

You can see this illustrated in relation to the 9-11 conspiracy case (one truther scenario is the "Loose Change" video at left) in a program by National Geographic at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/9-11-science-and-conspiracy as various "Truthers" on this matter brush off all attempted scientific tests of their alternative explanations as ill conceived or flawed, and when all else fails, these new people involved in challenging their claims are now deemed part of the ever-growing conspiracy; i.e., everyone who disagrees with your truth claim is always wrong.

The day that one of these major Conspiracy Theories is proven to be true, then that will be a game-changer and among other things, this webpage will have to be changed.  But until then, the most likely, straight-forward and least complex explanation (Ockham's razor) or the "official story" will have to prevail as the Greater Truth

And while it’s tempting to dismiss conspiracy theorists as preposterous, it’s hard to deny the extent of conspiracism’s influence on Americans throughout our history. As Patrick J. Kiger writes "virtually since the inception of the [American] republic, its citizens have eagerly envisioned dark cabals and cover-ups of heinous crimes by powerful figures both inside and outside the government, at various times in league with secret organizations, foreign governments, religious and ethnic groups with nefarious hidden agendas, and perhaps even space aliens."  This fascination with Conspiracy Theories continues into the present and is very apparent, Kiger continues,  "in popular culture, as indicated by the sizeable genre of Hollywood conspiracy movies such as JFK, Wag the Dog and Conspiracy Theory, TV shows such as "The X-Files" and "Fringe," and the runaway success of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which explores a fictional conspiracy within the Roman Catholic Church." 


David Aaronovitch's book Voodoo Histories probes a dozen conspiracy theories to try and uncover common themes, and examine why people believe in conspiracy theories and why they can exert such a strong grip on otherwise rational, smart people.  He points out that conspiracists tend to be on the "losing side" (politically, socially, or economically) of society, and that believing in conspiracies is therapeutic for them. They can explain why they are on the losing side ("we were robbed, deceived") salve their hurt ("the people who deceived us are so powerful, so evil, it's understandable that they appear to be the winners") and then restore their egos ("we have seen the truth, we are so much cleverer than ordinary people who are happy to be sheep-like in their acceptance of things; we are illuminated, in the know, we are special").  Thus in the conspiracy theory of choice they find comfort in adopting a belief-system that 'THEY' are somehow responsible for the conspiracist's personal failures and misfortunes.  It is comforting to believe that Those Who Have Power are secretly controlling the world, and that you are part of a small select band of heroes who 'knows.' 

Some people find a narrative of intention and design comforting, and cannot accept the random and accidental element responsible for most of history's major events.  Yes, there will always be missing evidence or holes in the official story because we will never in life have 100% certainty for things.  These holes, however, can become black holes for some who are sucked into this world of conspiracies.  Conspiracy Theories will always retain an appeal because they offer empowerment and certainty for the "Truther."  So have fun, but be careful that you're not drawn down into this morass of secret cabals and heinous cover-ups. 

Related link:  http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/9-11-science-and-conspiracy-4067/Overview#tab-conspiracy-vs-science

but beware the Black Hole which sucks in everything.