| The amount of harm conspiracy theories do is in direct porportion to the type of accusation and how much the people we're suspicious of are pursued. If your Susan McDougal you might wind up unjustly in prison, dressed in the prison garb worn by those who murder their children; making you an easy target in the prison system. You can wind up constantly accused, as President, of allowing 9/11 to happen, or having it done for you. Maybe you believe one, or more, of these. If they did happen, they were horrible crimes commited by those who feed upon conspiracies or the complaicent nature of the public for profit and political gain.
I am NOT against conspiracy theories. I believe in a few. I believe the conspiracy of coincidences is just as suspect as conspiracies like "we really didn't land on the moon." I also believe those who over use the "tinfoil" analogy are often attempting to shut up those who bring up topics they don't want discussed. But I do believe skepticism is proper, with a certain amount of respect most, but not all, of the time. |