Why do people feel the need to believe in conspiracies?

[Brawndo]

Topics like Illuminati, New World Order, UFO cover-ups, etc are all extremely popular on most forums I go on. I'm amazed how many people truly buy into these things. Most real conspiracies involve money, drugs, murdering a spouse, or other pedestrian criminal activity. The biggest revealed conspiracies involving the government acting "evil" were things like the Pentagon Papers, covering up the My Lai massacre, and overthrows of foreign leaders orchestrated by the CIA. Even then, these are just PR embarrassments and realpolitik, there are no mystical or supernatural forces at play.

Maybe I'm wrong about this all, but I view the governments of the world as the Vogons: always assume apathy and inertia before malevolence.

 

[Zantos]

It's fun. I'm revving up all my old conspiracy theories in prep for The Secret World.

People that actually believe them, no idea.

 

[LostCrusader]

its not the government hiding the conspiracies, its sasquatch.

 

[hiphop8004]

i thought of an fun example to explain my answer

Boy(citizens): Dad whats in the adult part of the video store?
Dad(goverment): its private and only other mommies and daddies can see it

*boy ask another boy*
Boy1o you know whats in the adult part of the video store?
Boy2:I heard there where aliens in there.
Boy3: i heard all the cool video games where in there

to summarize, were curious and its natural for us to be curious. some believe the crazy theories, some dont

 

[Kragg]

let me tell you something brother, the New World Order is real brother, me and my 27 inch pythons are proof brother !

 

[Arluza]

Conspiracies occur when people try to find answers to questions, but do not use reason and logic to make their claims. If you are given the official story most people will say "I bet they (the government or similar group) are holding back info." and create their own wacky ideas. some more wacky than others.

 

[Irridium]

Hm... thats what they would say!

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

My death is a conspiracy.

Captcha is dndena says. What does dndena say? It does not tell me. It's a conspiracy I tells ya!

 

[TriggerOnly]

America did 9/11

Most people use it as a way to explain something so it makes sense and they feel better, you know like religion.

but some times things start to look suspect. I think its better to ask why then just say "well the government said that's not what happen", But hey when has the government ever lie.

(Can you hear it THE FLAMES ARE COMING)

 

[Levitas1234]

America told japan to bomb them so that they could enter ww2 and save the world.

 

[burningdragoon]

Part of it has to do with how the brain works. Here something enough and you start to believe it no matter what the 'facts' say. Same thing with cults, etc. Annnnnd someone should come in with the Cracked article I don't feel like looking for.

 

[Sticky Squid]

I don't know but this topic's captchas are clearly a conspiracy.

 

[DanDeFool]

Example 1: The JFK assassination.

Is it more comforting to believe that one crazy asshole can take down the most powerful man in the world for no good reason, or is it more comforting to believe that only a massive conspiracy of very powerful individuals and organizations with tremendous resources and a carefully planned agenda could accomplish such a feat?

I think the majority of us would find it terrifying to think that some random jerk can change the course of history if he feels like it, but that's probably pretty damn close to the truth.

Example 2: 9/11 - The Destruction of the WTC

Again, is it more comforting to believe that a bunch of crazy assholes with minimal training and very little intelligence can perform a terrorist act that can kill thousands and cause worldwide political and economic chaos if they just happen to get lucky (which they did), or that it would take some kind of global conspiracy to execute such an event?

Most people probably don't want to consider the former case, but it's true: causing massive panic, destruction, and chaos is, apparently, surprisingly easy if you have the right plan and fortune on your side.

 

[SpearedSkunk]

BECAUSE THE ALIENS ARE MESSING WITH OUR HEADS, MAN!

Anyway, I would pin the blame on the fact that the human mind loves making ways for stuff to happen. Sadly, the human mind does not always like making LOGICAL ways for stuff to happen.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

People believe all kinds of crazy or stupid crap and it's considered normal. Not to be an atheist prick, least not a massive one, religion is full of all kinds of insane crap and there's no stigma about believing that. Actually it's the opposite, there's a stigma for not believing in God, but that is a different argument.

Thinking that the world is controlled by a shadowy organization and that all elected leaders are just puppets sounds rational but fails to hold up to the reality that the world is so screwed up there's no possible way there's all one force behind it. It's just a form of irrationality, which everyone is prone to.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

Conspiracies in this sense are just rumors.Who here has thought of the new nintendo console and at least hoped the thing turns out to be real?

 

[AyreonMaiden]

It's less believing in conspiracies as it is not buying everything the media, businesses or the government tells me.

I don't believe in every conspiracy, but I also don't believe we're not being fucked with. Something in my gut. Hard to explain.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

There have been previous conspiracies in the past orcastrated by governments as propaganda, that have been brought to light and exposed as facts, including a coalition of Western Governments starting a land war in the Middle East to secure an important resource. What?
No, I was talking about the Suez crisis, what were you thinking of? ...Oh, right.

But seriously it is a way of instilling mystery and magic into our boring scientific world. There are no more monsters, mythical beasts, undiscovered lands etc. and now the things we do not know about are what goes on in governments or the military, so obviously it must be something so super awesome and secret because they wouldn't tell us. Instead of the information instead just showing how incompetent and greedy everyone who runs the country is.