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The new age of conspiracy theory
Like the conspiracy theorists will tell you: it's all connected. Seemingly disparate stories are really part of the same fabric, from the Salisbury attack, to anti-semitism in Labour, to BBC bias, to Brexit judges.
They're not, mercifully, evidence of the same plot. They're evidence of the same mindset. It is popping up seemingly everywhere, especially on the far left and right, but also in the centre. It's a conspiracy squint, that sees shadowy forces manipulating events behind the scenes wherever it looks.
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This is a very dangerous moment, in which institutions, which are key to maintaining a liberal society, are being robbed of any status and presented as shadowy forces of darkness and conspiracy. Objective truth is dismissed, on an almost conceptual level. And tribes become so stark and all-encompassing that every news item is interpreted by whether it is useful to one's side, rather than on the basis of its accuracy.
In all likelihood, things will get worse before they get better. The best way to stand firm and prevent yourself slipping into conspiracy theory is to insist on evidence and reason and avoid tribal instincts. But that, of course, is easier said than done, especially when everyone else seems to be going the other way.
They're not, mercifully, evidence of the same plot. They're evidence of the same mindset. It is popping up seemingly everywhere, especially on the far left and right, but also in the centre. It's a conspiracy squint, that sees shadowy forces manipulating events behind the scenes wherever it looks.
---------------------
This is a very dangerous moment, in which institutions, which are key to maintaining a liberal society, are being robbed of any status and presented as shadowy forces of darkness and conspiracy. Objective truth is dismissed, on an almost conceptual level. And tribes become so stark and all-encompassing that every news item is interpreted by whether it is useful to one's side, rather than on the basis of its accuracy.
In all likelihood, things will get worse before they get better. The best way to stand firm and prevent yourself slipping into conspiracy theory is to insist on evidence and reason and avoid tribal instincts. But that, of course, is easier said than done, especially when everyone else seems to be going the other way.
[link:http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2018/04/06/week-in-review-the-new-age-of-conspiracy-theory|
Just cause you're paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you!
