Populist Reform of the Democratic Party
In reply to the discussion: "Conspiracy theory" is a way overused term. [View all]merrily
(45,251 posts)It's one thing to say certain individuals within Volkswagon conspired to do something. That would be a correct use of the word. And then, you would charge them individually. But Volkswagon is a single entity or "corporate person." So Volkwagon itself, as a corporation, did not "conspire" unless someone outside the company participated.
Maybe what I said is easier to grasp if we leave corporations out of it for a second. If one person kills someone, it's murder, not conspiracy to murder. If five people plan togeth to kill someone, it's a criminal conspiracy, even if the murder never happens. See what I am trying to say?
I addressed the issue of a conspiracy having to involve more than one "person" because I had actually seen someone post "conspiracy theory" to something involving only one person. Doubting that something happened does not automatically make the accusation that it did happen a conspiracy theory if only one person is involved.
Also, if someone has been convicted of something, we usually drop the word "theory."