The 11 Strangest Conspiracy Theories: This Is How We Distort Reality
There are people who believe that a part of reality remains hidden because of conspiracies.
A conspiracy is the illicit association between people to carry out an action contrary to the norm and generally in a brutal and harmful way for someone. It is a phenomenon that has been there throughout history, such as the assassination of Caesar and other leaders both before and after in time. But sometimes some people tend to create exaggerated conspiracy theories as a way of explaining reality. From conspiracy to “conspiranoia”, the fact of seeing signs of a conspiracy everywhere, there are a few steps.
In this article we are going to see some of the strangest conspiracy or conspiracy theories as an example of how far we can go when it comes to warping reality to try to make sense of what we see and do not understand.
What is a conspiracy theory and why are they called that?
The concept of conspiracy theory refers, in a slightly derogatory manner and generally indicating the absence of belief in them, to conspiracy or conspiratorial theories that They venture to give explanations going far beyond the proven facts These theories aim to describe one or several events that have occurred or could occur due to the existence of an alleged conspiracy by one or several secret groups that manipulate events for generally negative purposes for the rest of the population.
Calling them conspiracy comes from the association of the terms conspiracy and paranoia, indicating that the theories used are difficult to believe, twisted and strange. The choice of the word paranoia is not accidental. Many of the beliefs and theories included within this group have many or all of the characteristics that delusions possess: they are generally not supported by demonstrable evidence, they are not shared by the rest of the population, they tend to be fixed and unchangeable. In fact, those who hold these beliefs often see those who criticize them as belonging to the conspiracy itself. Many of them appear due to fear, anomalous sensory experiences or, in a more interested way, due to simple political or economic interest.
If they are considered conspiratorial it is because they distort reality in ways that are not credible to the majority of the population. However, despite its great extravagance, it It does not necessarily imply suffering from any mental problem being only a more or less systematized belief.
Although there are quite pejorative stereotypes of people with this type of beliefs, the truth is that there is no prototype of a person who believes them. Any person of any sex, race, age, profession or social position can hold beliefs of this type. Those who maintain them They tend to have some confirmation bias, searching and focusing only on that information that confirms their hypotheses. It is also observed that the probability of believing in one of these theories is modified by the feeling of belonging: someone who is part of a group threatened by the alleged conspiracy will be more likely to believe it.
Totally bizarre conspiracy theories
There are multiple conspiracy theories that have been developed throughout history, of very different types and about very different events. Below we will see some of the most bizarre, as an example of the extent to which Human beings are capable of believing their own fictions in order to give order and meaning to what happens.
One of the best-known conspiracy theories is that of the Illuminati. This secret group of Bavarian origin, which truly existed during the Enlightenment and was founded in 1776 as a reaction against the elites of the time, little by little disappeared. However, conspiracy theories propose that this society continues to exist today and that it is the organization that aims to form a world order
It would be a group that decides and dominates the different events that occur in the world, having its extension in the Bilderberg club (a club that really exists and that brings together some of the most influential and powerful people in the world).
Thus, a secret group would have survived for centuries and, somehow, would have gained the power to decide everything that happens, above any other authority, without the occasion having arisen for its true power to be revealed.
2. Reptilians
Another well-known (although considered much less credible) conspiracy theory is the one that proposes that we are being invaded and little by little dominated by reptilian aliens These humanoid beings with reptilian features, apparently of great intelligence and coming from the Alpha Draconis system (although other theories would indicate that they have terrestrial origin), would disguise themselves as human beings and would, over time, replace political elites and world leaders. to seize power.
It seems that all the dynamics of domination and oppression that occur on the planet are not sufficiently evident by themselves: from this type of conspiracy, it is necessary to add the figure of an alien oligarchy to understand what is happening.
3. Nazis on the moon
The Nazi regime ended with the end of World War II. In their final moments or after the defeat of Germany, many Nazis tried to flee to avoid being prosecuted or persecuted. Some of them fled to South America, or to other countries where they could assume a new identity. However, there are some conspiracy theories about it.
One of the most striking proposed by the Germans during the World War They would have created flying saucers based on implosion engines that would have allowed them to travel to the Moon These saucers, called Haunebu, would have even allowed them to establish a lunar base where the remains of the Nazi regime could have taken refuge, all with the approval of world powers.
4. HAARP as a weapon
The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program or HAARP is a project with great potential that aims to study the ionosphere, one of the outermost layers of the atmosphere.
Conspiracy theories, however, They propose that it is a program proposed as a geophysical weapon with the capacity to change the climate worldwide, potentially causing natural disasters. In fact, some theories propose that some modifications and natural disasters have already been intentionally caused through this program, such as the Haiti earthquake.
It would be a weapon that would also be used to invade specific areas in which there were economic interests. It is also proposed that it could generate mental alterations in the human brain, thus being able to exert some control over the minds of its victims.
This type of conspiracy theory, in fact, is very similar to the old mythologies that explain climate changes as something that depends on an entity with its own will
5. Autism in vaccine
Another conspiracy theory tells us that vaccination, especially those against measles, rubella and flu, generates or can generate autism in children who undergo it. This is a belief that has been refuted on numerous occasions but in many cases it is still valid, which is the reason why some parents do not want to vaccinate their children.
This theory states that the contrails left by airplanes due to condensation are actually chemicals designed to generate various diseases, sterilize certain populations or make them require the consumption of drugs. Some of the questions that arise about this are why would someone use such an expensive and imprecise method to spread chemicals.
7. Artificial creation of AIDS
HIV is a virus that has caused many deaths throughout history and even today there is no known way to eradicate it, although fortunately the development of medicine has allowed people infected by this virus to live a long life. normal life with a chronic but not lethal disorder like before.
The conspiracy theory in question would refer to its emergence: HIV and AIDS were not known until relatively few decades ago. Initially discovered in apes, it is proposed that its passage to man is due to the performance of artificial modifications of the virus carried out intentionally for introduced into the population. The objective would be to weaken and defraud the homosexual population, the African population and prostitutes, who at the time the virus appeared were frowned upon and persecuted by a large part of the population.
8. The 2004 tsunami
During 2004 we saw how a gigantic tsunami devastated the coasts of much of the world, including Indonesia and Japan. There are those who say that this tsunami was actually caused, either by HAARP or by atomic detonations in the ocean Those who believe these theories rely on the fact that different analyzes and studies carried out do not coincide when trying to locate the epicenter of the earthquake that generated said tsunami.
9. Plots to kill
Some of the most believed conspiracy theories deal with conspiracies prepared to kill historical figures of great importance or whose relationships or knowledge could pose a danger to a high official.
An example of this was the assassination of President JFKennedy, which according to different theories could have been ordered by a political rival or by the mafia, although it was also believed that he was eliminated by the FBI or the KGB. The fact that his murderer was in turn murdered two days later increased the belief in these theories, which are still valid for many today. Another case was Marilyn Monroe who was found dead due, according to the official version, to an overdose of barbiturates.
However, it is believed that his death could have been ordered by the government due to his relationship with high-ranking political officials such as the aforementioned president. A third case, this time on British soil, was that of the death of Lady Di, which some theories indicate that she could have been eliminated by the British secret services due to her separation from Prince Charles and her relationship with Dodi Al Fayed.
10. Area 51 and the Roswell case
Area 51 is one of the most mythical and popular areas precisely because of the conspiracy theories that derive from it. In this military base the remains of the well-known supposed UFO that fell in Roswell would be found, and different experiments would have been carried out with its occupants. It is also believed that in that area tests with alien materials and technologies
11. Space conspiracies: fake moon landing and unrecognized cosmonauts
The exploration of outer space was one of the areas in which the United States and the Soviet Union They competed hard during the Cold War In this sense, there are multiple theories and statements that things were not as they were told to us, on the part of either side.
Officially, Gagarin was the first human being to travel in space. But there are theories that suggest that he was simply the first to be recognized as having returned alive, the Soviet Union sending other cosmonauts who, similarly to Laika, died in his odyssey. Likewise, the United States is also involved in these theories. One of the most popular and believed is the one that indicates that man never really reached the Moon. For those who support these theories, the moon landing was a recording prepared by the United States and edited by Stanley Kubrick to ensure that the United States was the first to achieve this feat.
Another point of view
Conspiracy or conspiracy theories are a way of trying to explain a reality that we do not fully understand, or giving it our own interpretation based on our beliefs and experiences during life. In this sense we can consider that they try to fulfill a specific function.
It is not that in all cases they are free beliefs: in many cases the people who believe them have supposed proof of what happened. Furthermore, although externally they may seem irrational, the truth is that some of them make sense if looked at from the same perspective as those who defend them: it would not be the first murder that has been committed in an orchestrated manner, there have been numerous real conspiracies throughout of history or information has been hidden and manipulated on other occasions. It is also true that many people have believed things that have made them the subject of criticism and have ultimately been proven right.
Furthermore, it must be taken into account that sometimes real conspiracies are taken for conspiracy theories, such as the assassination of Trotsky or the MK Ultra project. Likewise, at the time, phenomena such as the Holocaust were considered inventions of this type of theory.
However, it must be taken into account that these beliefs They are generally resistant to modification attempts even if evidence to the contrary is presented Although it would not be impossible to modify a test, one should at least consider the possibility of being wrong and not assume that people who doubt are part of a plot.
It is also necessary to assess whether what is considered evidence is really causally related to the alleged conspiracy (which is not the case in many of this type of theories). In the same way, a titanic effort would be required to carry out some of these conspiracies, an effort and power that in most cases could hardly be had The interpretation of these theories also tends to give excessive importance to unimportant details, considering them key.
In conclusion, conspiracy theories are mostly based on unproven or unverified premises or directly on some that have been proven false. Although a few are partially viable, they focus too much on specific aspects of reality as a way of explaining the world and what happens in it, and the persistence and unchangeability of these beliefs despite the fact that contrary evidence may exist makes them of little use to evaluate the environment. Furthermore, they tend to make those who do not share them either ignorant or a possible threat, not valuing other interpretations that could perhaps be closer to the truth.
