I
chose to read about conspiracy theories. The argument I read is called “The
Negative Social Impact of Conspiracy Theories.” Karen Douglas is the author.
Here is the link to the argument. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/01/04/are-conspiracy-theories-all-bad-17/the-negative-social-impact-of-conspiracy-theories
Karen
Douglas argues that conspiracy theories may appear as a harmless joke, but some
in fact are very dangerous and are destroying social society. She goes on to
say that people will read these theories for fun, and not realize how much it
really influenced them. They will then be susceptible to making bad decisions.
Douglas gives a few examples to back up her argument. She talks about a study
her and her colleague had on climate change conspiracy theories. What they
found was that people who read these theories were less inclined to change
their negative impacts on the environment. The opposite effect happened to
those that read nothing on climate change, and those that read anti-conspiracy
articles. (Douglas, 2015).
I disagree
with Douglas on this issue. I will give her that some conspiracy theories are
indeed “out there”. However, they’re harmless, they keep people sane, and they
are based on truths. I believe that society would go insane if conspiracy
theories were not around. The world is full of secrets, and the American government
is home to a lot of these. It’s no secret that we have secret societies, for
example one being the CIA. It’s frustrating to me that when someone mentions
aliens, or the JFK assassination being an in-side job, they are shut down. The
news and government officials immediately tell the public that person is crazy,
or that idea is insane. Isn’t that a conspiracy theory in itself? Why not just
tell the public that information is false? All I’m saying is that people need
answers, even if it’s only a theory. Otherwise, humans will go mental.
Adding
to my argument, conspiracy theories prompt and help create art. Think about how
many books, paintings, movies, and music that would not exist without
conspiracy theories. These are the bases for creative ideas. The brain for human
culture lies is these theories. Looking back at ancient civilizations is easy
to see human beings are meant to tell stories. It’s our way of life.
Reference
Douglas, K. (2015, January 4). The
Negative Social Impact of Conspiracy
Theories.
Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/01/04/are-conspiracy-theories-all-bad-17/the-negative-social-impact-of-conspiracy-theories
