Make You Think Thursdays: Conspiracy Theories
written by Rachel W.
What do conspiracy theories make you think of? Do they bring the image of a group of people huddled together talking about scary events? Conspiracy theories aren’t always dark and scary, and if you know how to comb through information the right way, you can come across some pretty interesting ideas!
When I used to hear the word “conspire”, I always thought of some evil villain plotting an extraordinary scheme. This was of course before I started using the Internet and social media, around the time Phineas and Ferb was on TV and I only ever heard the word “conspire” was when it was used to refer to Dr. Doofenshmirtz. However, as I grew older and started becoming more proficient at getting around the Internet, I began to see articles and videos exploring some pretty interesting topics. I wanted to dive further into these subjects and think creatively about them.
This was when I stumbled onto the best conspiracy theory source of all: YouTube. I often say this sarcastically, but like I said before, if you know how to dig through information you can often find extremely informative videos and articles. Listed below are some of my favorite conspiracy theories (nothing too dark and creepy), and maybe they will inspire you to think in a new light about some crazy events!
The Mandela Effect
One of the most recent conspiracy theories to take hold is the Mandela Effect. This is the idea that at some point in the future, time travel has become possible. When humans traveled back in time, things changed – including things such as movie titles and phrases. An example of this would be the spelling of Berenstain Bears. That’s right. It’s Berenstain, not Berenstein. Many people specifically remember the latter spelling, and there have been older books found with the Berenstein spelling. While there is not much fact-based information on this theory, it is fun to think about and find new examples!
The Illuminati
I think we’ve all heard of this classic conspiracy theory about a group of celebrities and other rich and famous people controlling the world. There is no way to know the influence of any secret organization (if the Illuminati even exists), but it can spark interesting conversation and funny explanations to some weird events that happen in the news.
Aliens/Area 51
This is another classic conspiracy theory that has been around for a long time. People think that at Area 51, a remote military base in Nevada, aliens have been contacted and/or found. Rumors started after a supposed UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and have snowballed ever since. People attribute everything from crop circles to weird lights to aliens.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most famous paintings in the world, The Last Supper, has been subject to many conspiracy theories over the years. One more recent theory suggests that the placement of the loaves of bread on the table and the Apostles hands are musical notes. Played from left to right, they don’t make any sense. But Da Vinci always wrote right to left. When played this way, they make a perfect song that is too good to be a coincidence.
Conspiracy theories can be based in fact, or they can be completely made up rumors. If you know how to distinguish between the two, you can start some interesting conversation and view the world a little differently. Just be sure to take everything you read with a grain of salt!