The 11 rarest conspiracy theories: we deform reality
There are people who believe that a part of reality remains hidden because of conspiracies.
A conspiracy is the illicit association between people to carry out an action contrary to the norm and generally in a brutal and harmful way for someone. It is a phenomenon that has been there throughout history, as for example the assassination of César and other leaders both before and after the time. But sometimes some people tend to elaborate exaggerated conspiracy theories as a way to explain reality. From the conspiracy to the "conspiracy", the fact of seeing signs of a conspiracy on all sides, there are a few steps.
In this article we are going to see some of the strangest conspiracy or conspiracy theories , as a sample of how far we can go when it comes to distorting reality to try to find meaning in what we see and do not understand.
- Related article: "Cognitive distortions: 7 ways in which the mind sabotages us"
What is a conspiracy theory and why are they named like this?
The concept of conspiracy theory refers, in a slightly derogatory way and usually indicating the absence of belief in them, to the conspiracy or conspiracy theories that they venture to give explanations going far beyond the proven facts . These theories intend to describe one or several events that have occurred or could occur from the existence of a supposed conspiracy on the part of one or several secret groups that manipulate the events with generally negative purposes for the rest of the population.
The name conspiracy comes from the association of the terms conspiracy and paranoia , indicating that the theories that are handled are difficult to believe, twisted and strange. The choice of the word paranoia is not accidental. Many of the beliefs and theories included in this group have many or all of the characteristics that delusions possess: they are usually not based on demonstrable evidence, they are not shared by the rest of the population, they tend to be fixed and unchangeable. In fact, often those who hold those beliefs see those who criticize them as belonging to the conspiracy itself. Many of them appear by fear, by anomalous sensory experiences or, in a more interested way, by simple political or economic interest.
If they are considered as conspiranoids, it is because they deform reality in ways that are not very credible for the majority of the population. However, despite its great extravagance, does not necessarily imply the suffering of any mental problem , being only a more or less systematized belief.
Although there are quite pejorative stereotypes of people with this type of beliefs, the truth is that there is no prototype of the person who creates them. Anyone of any sex, race, age, profession or social position can hold beliefs of this type. Those who keep them usually have some confirmation bias , searching and focusing only on those information that confirm their hypothesis. It is also observed that the probability of believing in one of these theories is modified by the feeling of belonging: someone who is part of a collective threatened by the alleged conspiracy will tend to believe it.
- Related article: "Confirmation bias: when we only see what we want to see"
Totally bizarre conspiracy theories
There are many conspiracy theories that have been developed throughout history, of very different types and on very different events. Next we will see some of the more estramóticas, like sample of until what point the human being is capable of believing his own fictions in order to give order and meaning to what happens.
1. The Illuminati
One of the best-known conspiracy theories is that of the Illuminati. This secret group of Bavarian origin, which really existed during the Enlightenment and was founded in 1776 as a reaction against the elites of the time, was gradually disappearing. However, conspiracy theories propose that at present this society continues to exist and that it is about the organization that aims to form a world order .
It would be a group that decides and dominates the different events that occur in the world, having its extension in the Bilderberg club (a club that really exists and that brings together some of the most influential and powerful people in the world).
Thus, a secret group would have survived for centuries and, in some way, would have gained the power to decide everything that happens, above any other authority, without the opportunity having appeared for its true power to be revealed.
2. The reptilians
Another well-known (although it considers much less credible) conspiracy theory is the one that proposes that we are being invaded and little by little dominated by Reptilian aliens . These humanoid beings with reptilian features, apparently of great intelligence and coming from the Alpha Draconis system (although other theories would indicate that they have terrestrial origin), would disguise themselves as human beings and would be with the passage of time replacing the political elites and world leaders to seize power.
It seems that all the dynamics of domination and oppression that occur on the planet are not self-evident enough: from this type of conspiracy, it is necessary to add the figure of an alien oligarchy to understand what happens.
3. Nazis on the moon
The Nazi regime ended the end of World War II. In their final moments or after the defeat of Germany, many Nazis tried to flee so as not to be prosecuted or persecuted. Some of them fled to South America, or to other countries where they could assume a new identity. However, there are some conspiracy theories about it.
One of the most striking proposes during the World War the Germans would have created flying saucers based on implosion engines that would have allowed them to travel to the Moon . These dishes, called Haunebu, would have allowed them to even establish a lunar base in which the remains of the Nazi regime could have taken refuge, all with the approval of the world powers.
4. The HAARP as a weapon
The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program or HAARP is a project with great potential that aims to study the ionosphere, one of the outermost layers of the atmosphere.
Conspiracy theories, however, propose that it is a program proposed as a geophysical weapon with the capacity to change the global climate, being able to cause natural disasters. In fact, some theories propose that some modifications and natural disasters have already been intentionally provoked through this program, such as the Haiti earthquake.
It would be a weapon that would also be used to invade specific areas where there were economic interests. It is also proposed that it could generate mental alterations in the human brain, thus being able to exert some control over the minds of its victims.
This kind of conspiracy theory, in fact, looks a lot like the old mythologies that explain climate changes as something that depends on an entity with its own will .
5. Autism in vaccine
Another of the conspiracy theories indicates that vaccination, especially measles, rubella and influenza, generates or may generate in children who undergo autism. It is a belief that has been refuted on numerous occasions but in many cases it is still valid, which is why some parents do not want to vaccinate their children.
- Maybe you're interested: "The 4 types of Autism and its characteristics"
6. Chemtrails
This theory states that the contrails left by airplanes due to condensation are actually chemical products designed to generate various diseases, sterilize certain populations or make them require the use of drugs. Some of the doubts that arise before this are why someone would use such an expensive and imprecise method to spread chemicals.
7. Artificial creation of AIDS
HIV is a virus that has caused many deaths throughout history and that even today is not known how to eradicate it, although fortunately the development of medicine has allowed people infected with this virus can live a normal life with a chronic but not lethal disorder as in the past.
The conspiracy theory in question would refer to its emergence: HIV and AIDS were not known until relatively few decades ago. Discovered initially in apes, it is suggested that his passage to man is due to the realization of artificial modifications of the virus carried out intentionally for introduced in the population. The objective would be to weaken and drain the homosexual population, the African population and the prostitutes, who at the time the virus appeared were badly seen and persecuted by a large part of the population.
8. The 2004 tsunami
During the year 2004 we could see how a gigantic tsunami ravaged the coasts of a large part of the world, including Indonesia and Japan. Some say that the tsunami was actually provoked, either by the HAARP or by atomic detonations in the ocean . Those who believe these theories are supported by the fact that different analyzes and studies do not coincide when trying to locate the epicenter of the earthquake that generated the tsunami.
9. Conspiracies to kill
Some of the most widely believed conspiracy theories deal with conspiracies prepared to kill historical figures of great importance or whose relationships or knowledge could pose a danger to some high position.
An example of this was the assassination of President J. Kennedy, which according to different theories could have been ordered by some political rival or by the mafia, although it was also believed that he was eliminated by the FBI or the KGB. The fact that his murderer was killed in turn two days later increased the belief in these theories, which today are still valid for many. Another case was the Marilyn Monroe , which was found dead due to the official version of an overdose of barbiturates.
However, it is believed that his death could be ordered by the government due to his relationship with high political offices such as the aforementioned president. A third case, this time on British soil, was that of the death of Lady Di, which some theories indicate could have been eliminated by the British secret services due to her separation from Prince Charles and her relationship with Dodi Al Fayed.
10. Area 51 and the Roswell case
Area 51 is one of the most mythical and popular areas precisely because of the conspiracy theories that derive from it. On this military base would be the remains of the known UFO supposedly fallen in Roswell, and different experiments would have been conducted with its occupants. It is also believed that in this area tests with alien materials and technologies .
11. Space conspiracies: false moon landing and unrecognized cosmonauts
The exploration of outer space was one of the areas in which the United States and the Soviet Union they competed hard during the Cold War . In this sense, there are multiple theories and assertions that things were not as they were told to us, by neither side.
Officially, Gagarin was the first human being to travel through space. But there are theories that suggest that he was simply the first recognized to have returned alive, sent the Soviet Union to other cosmonauts who, similar to Laika, died in their odyssey. In the same way, the United States is also involved in these theories. One of the most popular and believed is the one that indicates that really, man never reached the Moon. For those who hold these theories the moon landing was a recording prepared by the United States and mounted by Stanley Kubrick to get the United States was the first to achieve this feat.
Another point of view
Conspiracy or conspiracy theories are a way of trying to explain a reality that we do not quite understand, or to give it an interpretation based on our beliefs and experiences during life. In this sense we can consider that they try to fulfill a certain function.
It is not that in all cases they are gratuitous beliefs: in many cases the people who believe them have supposed proof of what happened. In addition, although externally they may seem irrational, the truth is that some of them are logical if viewed from the perspective of those who defend them: it would not be the first murder committed in an orchestrated manner, there have been numerous real conspiracies throughout of history or information have been hidden and manipulated other times. It is also true that many people have believed things that have made them subject to criticism and finally it has been shown that they were right.
In addition, it must be taken into account that sometimes conspiracy theories are taken as real conspiracies, such as the murder of Trotsky or the MK Ultra project. At the same time phenomena such as the Holocaust were considered inventions of this type of theories.
However, we must bear in mind that these beliefs they are usually resistant to attempts at modification even if evidence is presented otherwise . While it would not be impossible to modify a test, one could at least consider the possibility of being in an error and not assume that people who doubt are part of a plot.
It is also necessary to assess whether what is considered evidence is actually causally related to the alleged conspiracy (which in many of these types of theories is not so). In the same way it would require a titanic effort to carry out some of these conspiracies, an effort and power that in most cases could hardly be . The interpretation of these theories also often gives excessive importance to unimportant details, considering them key.
In conclusion, conspiracy theories are based mostly on premises not proven or verified or directly in some that have been shown to be false. Although a few are partly viable, they focus too much on concrete aspects of reality as a way of explaining the world and what happens in it, and the persistence and unchangeability of these beliefs even though there may be contrary evidence makes them something unhelpful to value the medium. In addition they tend to make those who do not share them or an ignorant or a possible threat, not appreciating other interpretations that perhaps could be closer to the truth.
