“Believing conspiracy theories pushed by liars, hucksters, and foreign trolls does not make for a greater America” 

Our Proposal:

• Take measures to reduce the influence of conspiracy theories

The Goal:

• Consign conspiracy theories to the “For Entertainment Purposes Only“ category

Explanation:

Conspiracy theories have become an increasing part of American political discourse since the early 2000’s. Some of the more prominent examples include those related to COVID, the 2020 Presidential Election, and—especially disturbingly—mass shootings. Innumerable more examples exist, to the point that a recent article declared that we now live in the Golden Age of conspiracy theories. It is probably safe to assume that every major news story today most likely has someone claiming there is a conspiracy behind it. Judging from the popularity (and in some cases profitability) of conspiracy theory-pushing fake news sites and social media, there is clearly a large market that is being tapped into. So it is natural to ask: what is the appeal of conspiracy theories, why are they exerting ever more influence in our politics, and are there other factors involved?

The Appeal. There are a number of possible ways to explain the appeal of conspiracy theories, but arguably it mainly boils down to the following;

1. The feeling that things are not as they seem and that the mainstream news media are not reporting the real stories behind the happenings in our world. When there is suspicion and anxiety about the true state of things and the direction our world is going, conspiracy theories can fill a void
2. Perhaps there is an entertainment aspect as well? The notion for example that a powerful and sinister cabal exists in the shadows can be alluring, like the intrigue of a James Bond villain
3. For many followers there is undoubtedly also a sense of community, and the accompanying satisfaction of belonging to a group that believes itself to have the insight and smarts to uncover the truth

Increasing Influence. The factors behind the ever larger influence of conspiracy theories are surely complex and multi-faceted, but they could include:

1. The increasingly sorry state of journalism: as more people lose faith in the integrity of journalists and news organizations, increasing numbers have gravitated to dubious online sources from which outlandish conspiracy theories are born, nurtured, and reinforced through unchallenged groupthink
2. The fragmentation of information sources: the Internet and social media have made it easy for different groups to exist in their own alternate-facts universes. If there is no commonly accepted foundation of facts, a Tower of Babel-like phenomenon can occur, making meaningful widespread dialog nearly impossible; this in turn creates an ideal environment for bizarre ideas to fester in certain circles
3. Shameless politicians, greedy hucksters, and enemies of democracy: stoking conspiracy theories for political advantage, financial gain, or to otherwise weaken our country

Other Possible Factors:

1. Emotions can also play a role: there appears to be a mutually reenforcing relationship between conspiracy theories and negative emotions such as anger, hatred, and fear. Research suggests for example that angry individuals are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. The opposite also clearly seems to be true: conspiracy theories can spur out-of-control emotions and compel believers to engage in extreme and obsessive behavior, including employing violence against perceived enemies. It has gotten to the point that the FBI has declared fringe conspiracy theories to be a danger to national security, citing increased violent incidents carried out by conspiracy theory-driven extremists.
2. Pride and stubbornness can also insidiously come into play when believers become too emotionally invested and thus reluctant to consider anything that challenges their deeply-held conspiracy beliefs. Any counterevidence just serves if anything to reinforce their convictions—it is actually considered part of the conspiracy, ever more proof that it is bigger and wider than even initially imagined. As in the case of overly fervent believers of anything, the zealous followers of conspiracy theories choose to believe nonsense because they want to—no matter if credible supporting evidence is completely lacking. (As a side note, one could make an interesting analogy to the event horizon of black holes; once the black hole’s event horizon is crossed, there is no possibility of returning. In the case of conspiracy theories, we could call it the “conspiracy theory event horizon,” the point of emotional investment that once crossed there is little possibility of a return to reality-based thinking).

No More Nonsense

Another disturbing aspect is that conspiracy theories can quickly go viral, causing them to very rapidly have outsized influence, such as what has occurred with QAnon. For this and the other reasons explained above, effective countermeasures are needed to address the conspiracy-theory malady that afflicts our country today. The Solutions Party proposes the following:

1. Entertainment Label: popular conspiracy-theory websites, blogs, video channels, podcasts and the like should be required to put a “For Entertainment Purposes Only” label in a prominent location, and where applicable a verbal disclaimer should also be given by the host of the show. Independent and credible commentary should also be required at the end of a popular show or blog entry; certified journalists or recognized experts could offer such commentary. Even A.I. generated critiques could be implemented. The more popular the show, the more prominent the critiques should be. Such critiques should be honest, neutral, and even acknowledge if certain conspiracy theories might have (what could be perceived to be) a grain of truth to them
2. Education: as is the case with all afflictions, the best remedy is preventing them in the first place. It is crucial to educate people from a young age to spot and question the shoddy evidence that inevitably forms the basis of the vast majority of conspiracy theories
3. Robust and widely-trusted journalism: a solid foundation of widely agreed-upon facts from trustworthy news sources should go a long way to eliminating disinformation bubbles and preventing significant numbers of people from getting pulled into conspiracy theory rabbit holes. In fact, shoring up our journalism is clearly the most important step we can take
4. Politician truthfulness ratings: having in place a system to significantly penalize aspiring politicians and elected officials for lying should discourage them from selfishly endorsing lunacy
5. Eliminating reelection: making it much harder to get addicted to power should greatly eliminate the temptation to promote nonsense in order to win reelection

The Real Conspiracy?

Ironically, perhaps the real conspiracy is the conspiracy theory themselves, given how they are maliciously used for power, profit, and as a weapon by democracy’s adversaries. Politicians for example have increasingly weaponized conspiracy theories for self-serving political purposes, regardless of the damage it does to our democracy. For such unscrupulous politicians, conspiracy theories are yet another means to manipulate the emotions of the public to advance their own careers. Wretched charlatans have gotten wealthy peddling conspiracy nonsense, causing real harm to innocent people in the process. Russian trolls and others spread conspiracy disinformation because they know that doing so further divides and weaken us. How many conspiracy theories or disinformation campaigns have been started, or at least spurred on, by powerful industry groups in order to protect their business interests, even at great cost to society as a whole?

Conspiracy theories should have no serious place in America. Let’s consign them to the category of lightweight food-for-thought entertainment.