Human being’s crave order. Patterns are seen when they are not there. The credulous visit psychics (watch an expose); pick out the bits in horoscopes that they agree with and ignore what they do not and, remember dreams that come true and forget the vast majority that do not. This is confirmation bias – seeing what you want to see. People crave certainty in the world – yet there is no way to predict the future in that kind of details (Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series is wonderful on this – the hero predicts the broad future, but it is upset by one rogue element).
Conspiracy theories are an attempt to impose a pattern on a chaotic world. The people believing them wanting there to be a reason for things and it is better to live in a world where shadowy forces control our destiny for opaque reasons rather than in a chaotic world where random things just happen.
It was not the first conspiracy, but the Kennedy assassination has a lot to answer for. The Warren Commission patently did not do a good job and ignored testimony that did not suit the. As to the magic bullet theory that caused multiple wounds it really is just not possible, though more recent analysis make it slightly less unlikely.
I think that it is highly unlikely that Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy. I am not sure that there was the kind of massive conspiracy that some people speculate on, including the Mafia, the military, the CIA, Cuba or even the whole military/ industrial complex. It may have just been another gunman or two. The pressure for the police and the establishment to find the culprit was immense, so why not take a patsy?
It makes it easier to raise issues about other events. It is still widely believed across the Arab world that the Queen and Prince Phillip arranged for the assassination of Princess Diana because she was going to have a baby with Dodi Fayed, thus giving the future King of England a Muslim half sibling. Partly this is cultural as people abroad genuinely think that the British monarchy enjoys absolute power and is in charge of everything. For other people it was the loss of an adored, beautiful woman who people pegged their lives to (I am not one of them and was annoyed at the blanket coverage and the shutdown of everything for the funeral).
In the end Diana would have been alive I she had had her seatbelt on. Yes, the paparazzi chased after the car, but Diana courted celebrity, even after her supposed retirement from public life, and that celebrity is a deal with the devil – you get coverage but not privacy. Again – if she had chosen to wear the belt she would have survived – pretty bad plot that relied on her failing to do that.
It remains a live issue due to irresponsible behaviour from the media – especially the Daily Express, and the publicity afforded Dodi Fayed’s father. A man whose background is murky to say the least – read Tom Bower’s excellent book on Mohammed Fayed to find out more.
The internet has sped and widened the scope of conspiracy theories. The idea that 5G towers cause Covid-19 is only possible if you are scientifically illiterate and gullible in the extreme. The same rubbish was said about 3g and 4g. Modern life is full of transmissions but they do not cause viruses.
The most lunatic theory now is Qanon. A conspiracy theory that started as an allegation that Democrats, especially Hilary Clinton, were torturing, killing and eating children in the basement of a pizzeria. Even though it did not have a basement (the theory was that if you replace the word pizza with child in e mails then it shows people are eating children, or maybe it is just about pizza as it is a pizzeria?). Donald Trump is supposedly on a secret mission to save the children and expose this evil (not a mission to play golf, enrich himself and give work to his kids, which is what he has been doing). This has grown to encompass 5G, anti-Semitism and rafts of other madness. It has even spread abroad – though with less emphasis on Donald Trump being a saviour – I mean some things are too insane for the tin hat brigade outside the USA.
What a pile of garbage. The illiberal part of me wants to say anyone who believes it is too dumb to be allowed to vote.
There is more information on Kennedy’s assassination to come. But Diana died in an accident, 5G is not dangerous and Qanon is garbage.
Ultimately the world is a chaotic place where shit happens. Live with it. Just remember how bad governments are at covering things up. It is a cock up not a conspiracy – understand that and you will not go far wrong.
Thin Lizzy were an Irish rock band with a mixed-race lead singer – Phil Lynott. He lived the rock star life and died young – amazingly there is no theory that he is still alive like there are for Elvis Presley or Jim Morrison. I first heard them as Mike had a couple of their singles, later at university I heard The Black Rose album – a good place to start.
Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)
Playlist:
- Whisky in the Jar
- Showdown
- Rosalie
- Wild One
- Ballad of a Hard Man
- Jailbreak
- The Boys are Back in Town
- Emerald
- Soldier of Fortune
- Toughest Street in Town
- Sarah
- Got To Give it Up
- Roisin Dubh – A Rock Legend
- Chinatown
- Killer on the Loose
- Renegade
- Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)
- Thunder and Lightning
- Cold Sweat
- The Sun Goes Down
Five Miles Out 