I was reading an article earlier today about the recent California wildfires. It’s amazing how much damage was done to property and the cost, while still unknown, reaches into dollar figures that we actually can’t comprehend. Most of the article was devoted to describing the devastation that the area suffered, but it also covered causes, and possible causes, for the fire(s). There are some “interesting” alternative explanations for the wildfires. One theory claimed that the burn patterns seen in some photos could only be explained by targeted lasers, which must have been operated by terrorist groups, the U.S. government, aliens or some other agitated party. These lasers supposedly were shot at California from either planes, spaceships or perhaps unmanned drones, for reasons that were not entirely clear. The story listed a few more conspiracy theories with little or no evidence to support their claims, but like most claims of conspiracy, lack of evidence doesn’t stop blogs, forums, YouTube channels and various other outlets from sharing sensational conspiracy-theorist explanations in the aftermath of most any tragedy.
Conspiracies do happen — there’s probably a kernel of truth or at least possibility behind most of these theories. There are many conspiracy theories and some are really weird. You’ve probably heard about people claiming to have seen flying saucers in the sky and others claim to have been kidnapped by the things, brought aboard and submitted to intrusive physical examinations. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center have been blamed on the government as a way to get us into war in Iraq. And according to some, the United States never did land on the moon and the entire thing was a charade to fool the world during the Cold War. Without much thought, this could become a really long list.
Why do people believe these plots and why do most of them involve government cover-ups? There seems to be a kind of universal feeling of suspicion towards government these days. Maybe that’s the reason why so many Americans believe in these theories. Maybe people just distrust authority and there’s an immediate tendency to believe the government is up to no good. Or maybe it’s just a sign of the times — the country is trying to function in a world that seems increasingly chaotic and war-like with us looking more like part of the problem rather than seeking a solution. I don’t know, but if you’ve read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, I think maybe he was right when he said, “Everyone loves a conspiracy.”
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