Eric Dezenhall on Conspiracy Theories
- Fred Litwin
- Mar 22
- 2 min read
Smart people believe conspiracy theories not because they suddenly become stupid but because the human brain is wired to process resonant plots. Neural pathways cannot accommodate randomness or mystery. It’s simply too distressing to believe we are hurtling through space, subject to forces beyond our control. This is why religion flourishes, not to mention Hollywood.
Then there is the issue of pleasure. Conspiracy theories are mental potato chips: we know they’re bad for us but can’t stop eating them because they taste so good. Food companies know this and conspire to sell us more Pringles. The thing is, though, there is an abundance of evidence that corporations do this. Do you know what they don’t do? Magic.
Finally, espousing a conspiracy theory is a device of vanity — the guy at the local bar, the blowhard Gern Blanston, who draws a crowd by claiming to know who Mayor Florbel hooked up with at the EconoLodge on Poledance Boulevard last night. Once Gern has everybody’s attention by name-checking Trixy Wiggins, he doesn’t want to lose it, so he starts up with how the Trilateral Commission teamed with the Mossad using gadgets provided by the CIA to fly planes into the twin towers so that Bush would go to war with Iraq to seize the oil for ExxonMobil, which gave the Rothschilds a fee so that the Vatican would hide the cash the Kennedys gave them, which was why the Mafia killed JFK.
The important thing here is not proof, it’s attention. If you don’t believe me, go on YouTube and see how many followers wackadoo conspiracy theorists get compared to those who debunk them with evidence. Again, potato chips.
Please read the entire essay and subscribe to Eric's Substack.
Previous Relevant Blog Posts
A short documentary by James Lambert.
A Paul Krassner article from 1978.
Oliver Stone played a significant role in the rise of conspiracy theories.
A Richler article from Playboy Magazine.
A good primer by Jacob Cohen.
