When planes flew into the twin towers on 9/11, Americans watched the massive structures virtually disintegrate before their eyes, while the New York City air filled with debris and people fled in panic. People wondered how this could happen. They wanted answers.
Lanea Gaor, 22, child development major, never suspected America’s own government to be behind the attacks on 9/11 until the smoke cleared and the explanations were unclear.
“I feel like 9/11 was something the government had full knowledge of, if not had some kind of involvement,” she said.
Gaor, like many other people, are strong believers in conspiracy theories. She and others believe that not everything the government says is completely true about certain events in history.
“Film can be altered. I noticed that every time I saw the videos of the planes going into the buildings, there was always this sharp, quick blackout. It wasn’t just one of the cameras, it was all of them,” Josh Brown, 24, chemistry major said.
Resembling a rumor, conspiracy theories are said to spread like wildfire due to the easy accessibility of the Internet, according to a New Scientist article. Conspiracy theories are given that name because they are fringe theories that explain a current event or moment in history created by people in power and conspirators.
While the reasons why people believe in conspiracies are endless, some of the most popular are associated with mental illness, mistrust in the government and the most simple of all, fear.
“Perhaps people like to think someone is in charge in a world wherein no one seems to be in charge. Perhaps people like to think a powerful few control the powerless masses,” Bruce Peppard, English professor, said via e-mail. “Whether it is one of these reasons or another one not mentioned, people have a tendency to mistrust authority and government.”
On Tuesday’s ballot, the people of Denver voted on a proposition that will force the government to reveal all evidence it has about UFO sightings and make the information public. The proposition did not pass.
The conspiracy theory claiming that aliens are indeed out there and that they have landed on our planet is one of the oldest and most consistently debated topics among those interested.
“With the aliens theory, I think that if there is something, then it’s already been here,” Josh Brown, 24, chemistry major said. “I think we know about these things and we have them at our disposal, but we keep them hidden.”
Brown outlined why he believed in the fact that governments, societies or agencies are keeping these secrets, tying it in with another hugely popular conspiracy topic: the New World Order.
According to www.educate-yourself.org, people who believe in the New World Order conspiracy think there are a few elite, powerful political leaders who want to create a facist government to control every person on Earth.
“What I really think is going to happen is that they are going to use their secrets to their advantage and they are going to scare people,” Brown said. “They’ll maybe stage a landing, or something like that, and it’s going to make everyone in the world scared. When people get scared, they unite, and by uniting it’s the first step in the New World Order.”
One theory that has sprouted up in recent times is the claim that the Illuminati control the music industry.
“Illuminati in the music industry is a really big one. It’s pretty apparent when someone is involved within the music industry; it’s actually in a lot of lyrics,” Brown said, referencing Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Tupac Shakur.
In many of Jay-Z’s music videos such as “Run This Town,” he, Rihanna and Kanye West make the triangle signal, representing the pyramid in the Illuminati. Rihanna sings the lyrics “victory’s within a mile,” which according to vigilantcitizen.com “means that the realization of the New World Order is at its final stages and that the Illuminati-sponsored revolution is about to happen.”
“Even Lady Gaga, you’ll see it in her music videos. She’ll make a particular symbol with her hand,” Brown said, demonstrating a gesture where he puts his fingers in a “666” position, “and that’s pretty clear evidence.”
Mental illness has also been said to be an adding factor to the belief in conspiracy theories. According to betterhealth.com, paranoia is a sign of mental illness and the belief in conspiracy theories can be defined as a symptom.
“I personally don’t believe in them, but people always want explanations or a reason for any disaster that occurs” Jennifer Turcios, 19, psychology major, said. “People will always believe what makes more sense to them, no matter how crazy it may be.”