Conspiracy theories are older than the republic. But experts say it would be wrong to dismiss believers as simply stupid or deranged.
That’s right. You have to dismiss them as stupid and deranged. For real though, the article makes the point that it’s more than stupidity, it’s a fear of what people can’t control that turns them to conspiracies.
But why do they feel so out of control? Why do they not understand how anything works?
In my experience it seems more effective to counter conspiracies with laughter and mockery than dismantle it. Which may sound strange since it sounds intuitive to counter a falsehood with truth or reason… But disproving takes far more effort than the original conspiracy theory, and that’s how these things get out of control. But laughing it off, mockery, and general comedy takes less time and still gets the message across to bystanders.
On the flip-side I do agree doing it wrong can send them deeper into the hole because at its core it’s about a sense of community, and everyone has issues with ego and self-esteem clouding better judgment. It’s just the circumstances these people are in, well, it makes them far more vulnerable to grifters preying on their ignorance, lack of time, lack of education, etc.
