Conspiracy Theories Affect Political Views Essay Example

Conspiracy theories are very common in society today. They are not new to people. In the society today, almost every person has that conspiracy theory he believes in. Right from the argument on the assassination of President John Kennedy to many people considering that it might have been an inside job. This means that alternative meaning and explanation about particular essential events always appeals to many individuals in the world. Conspiracy theories play a very paramount role in society as they influence politics, job satisfaction, environment and even one's health (Coady 70). A conspiracy theory is defined as an explanation of a situation or event that will evoke conspiracy that will mostly involve a harmful or illegal act carried out by powerful actors or government without any presentable evidence. The primary aim of this paper is to explain why and how conspiracy theories affect individual's political view.

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Regularly conspiracy claims usually make their way from the fringes to the media polls and mainstream media which is familiar to every person (Clarke 140). An example is in the American politics some days back when people believed that George Bush did not win in Ohio in 2004. There were fears that through the training exercise, President Obama was trying to take over the city of Texas. While it might be possible that positive news coverage of some of these events can help promote democracy in society. However, the main question is how these theories affect people's mind on a political view. Below are some of the reasons as to why people believe in conspiracy theories, therefore, changing their political opinion?

Conspiracy theories are supposed to mobilize people together and come up with a plan to force political change. However, this is not the case. Most experts think that conspiracy theories make people less active when it comes to pushing for political change. Most political conspiracy theories are causing people to engage less in politics. Socialization plays a very paramount role when it comes to people's political view and conspiracy theories (Stempel et a., 362). Just like ideology, political party affiliation starts right from childhood through parents and education. In countries like American, most people are brought up and socialized in a way that makes them skeptical of many theories that conspire. The people are taught and made to believe that any figures in authority are benevolent (Wood et al., 771). But this does not apply always. In society, some people are exposed to different socialization process and patterns. Thus they are socialized to be more accepting of conspiracy theory that accuses powerful individuals and government of secretly causing harm to unsuspecting people.

We have some conspiracy theories that come out to be true. People who lived in the 1970s who thought that Richard Nixon had a conspiring attitude against the people of US were not on the wrong side. Nixon managed to subvert the country's constitution and attempted to cover up the whole story. The government gathered enough evidence, admissions made, hearings made and in the process, some people were jailed. However, if there is no evidence, there should be no a reason to discourage millions of US citizens who believe and affirm to any conspiracy theory. It is right to say that almost every person in the US has a firm believer in one or two conspiracy theories. But according to research, most people believe in many conspiracies. The conspiracy ideology of the left-right political wing that is often discussed in the country is a determinant of how the citizens receive and interpret new ideas and information, view on authorities and leaders and a more understanding of the world. The most exciting thing is that polls and social scientist say that this kind of thoughts exists independently from left to right and Democrats- Republican dimensions. This means that people supporting both sides of the political divide are most likely to see conspiracies in equal measures.

It is almost impossible to reduce or stop fringe and non-fringe activities when it comes to making claims of the conspiracy. Therefore, the media plays an essential role when it comes to how people's political view is affected by Conspiracy theories, As I mentioned earlier, conspiracy theories have been there for the longest time ever. In most cases, some are true while others are not. Naturally, human beings learn by what they see and hear. When it comes to decision making in the society, the media play a paramount role (Oliver & Wood 957). The media communities have an essential obligation to evaluate their claims carefully on the stories they cover in a day. This balanced and independent examination is a critical component in a democracy that is functioning. Some of the stories published by the US media have led to people taking sides when it comes to political affiliation. Therefore, pollsters, media and researchers need to be careful and consider what and precisely on conspiracy stories is important and newsworthy to the people. Political ideology has typically a universal value and belief system that is expressed in the way people react to and view their social movement.

There is a close association between trust in the legal system and unconditional political support that is interpreted to be a diagnostic for any conspiracy thinker. For example, in American political ideology on either side of the political wing, the leading association is the peoples believe in these theories. Particular ideologies in politics tend to disseminate and unify some shared beliefs, policies and values of identified groups in the society. Therefore, doctrines are supposed to offer a good vision on the functioning of the community by providing a specific means to help accomplish the idea. People are suffering due to lack of information. People should be educated to understand better sources that we can trust. We cannot always trust and believe in everything we hear and read. If a thing sounds contrived and peculiar, there is a higher chance that the information is accurate (Simmons & Parsons 590). If somebody is aware of the conspiracy theories that are circulating every day, they should be ahead of the game to prevent false information from spreading.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the American people, scholars, and journalists need to be encouraged to think positively and carefully on how the reporting of conspiracy theories can shape the country's ties with the democratic compact in an event a conspiracy thing emerges. Our political stand should be based on ideologies and not on conspiracy theories. The government and the ruling class use most of these theories in the society for their selfish benefits. By doing this, we will make the community a better place where every individual can realize that which is best in themselves. However, the right part of all this is that it becomes difficult for any conspiratorial thinking to spread and overtake the people and the country by influencing policies.

Works cited

Coady, D. (Ed.).. Conspiracy theories: The philosophical debate. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. (2006)

Clarke, S. Conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorizing. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 32(2), 131-150 (2002).

Oliver, J. E., & Wood, T. J. Conspiracy theories and the paranoid style (s) of mass opinion. American Journal of Political Science, 58(4), 952-966. (2014)

Simmons, W. P., & Parsons, S. Beliefs in conspiracy theories among African Americans: A comparison of elites and masses. Social Science Quarterly, 86(3), 582-598 (2005).

Stempel, C., Hargrove, T., & Stempel III, G. H. . Media use, social structure, and belief in 9/11 conspiracy theories. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 84(2), 353-372 (2007).

Wood, M. J., Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(6), 767-773.(2003)