The danger of conspiracy theories

At first glance, conspiracy theories seem to simply be an interesting and thought-provoking topic to read about. You can often find people researching about 9/11 and questioning if it was an inside job, or reading up on the moon landing and debating whether or not it was a hoax. However, as fascinating as they may seem, they are not always fun and games. There are often ulterior motives behind these conspiracies, usually benefitting the person or party that created it in one way or another. It is also not uncommon for conspiracies to be hypothetical and highly speculative, rather than based on firm evidence. While it often goes unnoticed, it is important to acknowledge that political propaganda plays a role in most conspiracy theories, especially when they are formulated by our own leaders. Frequently,  leaders engage in conspiracy to further their own agenda, whether that means scaring an audience into submission or defaming their political competition in order to sway the people’s opinions. In August of 2019, Donald Trump did just that, spreading rumors about the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein and claiming that the Clintons were involved. However, his death was later ruled a suicide and Trump’s allegations were proven to be baseless conspiracies, with the intention of making his rivals look bad in the public eye.The majority of conspiracy theories circling the internet right now have to do with the recent outbreak of coronavirus, especially regarding  the origin of the disease. According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, less than half of Americans believe that the coronavirus came from a natural source but rather that humans had involvement to a certain degree. Many share the belief that it began after a man consumed a bat in Wuhan, China. Others are convinced that it was created in a lab, whether that be accidentally or on purpose. These conspiracies have pit people against the government and bred distrust.Because many conspiracy theories are often based off of false information, they can potentially put people in danger. There are currently several going around that are only fueling the public health crisis by claiming that certain races are unable to contract the disease and that it is unnecessary for them to take the same precautions as the rest of the population. This puts people that fall into this category at risk of not only getting sick but also contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. If these people were to not practice social distancing and other methods used to stay safe.  Whether it pertains to Epstein or Ebola, from the Clintons to Coronavirus, conspiracy theories are fundamentally dangerous to the well-being of the American public. Just today, the Los Angeles Times published an article about arthritis patients facing shortages in their medications and reported the death of two people because Donald Trump tweeted that random Malaria and anti-inflammatory drugs can provide immunity to coronavirus. Conspiracy theories are not just long-lost reddit threads written by low-lives about alternate endings to Star Wars. They are not YouTube videos about celebrities in the Illuminati or about paranoia or partisanship, they are about power. Conspiracies happen when the powerful use fear to control people which is wrong. They are fundamentally unethical and fatally malignant.