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27 WINTER 2024 "In the best of circumstances, mainstream news is where conspiracy theories should go to die," D'Angelo tells the class. But that doesn't always happen, "because people who believe conspiracies are apt to blame the mainstream media for undermining their conspiratorial thoughts. So now 'the media' becomes part of the populist rant." What's a conspiracy theory? According to D'Angelo, it's an "explanation of an event or set of issues that challenges established accounts, and instead refers to the machinations of powerful actors or secret societies" as those responsible, almost always implicating mainstream media as a player. Conjuring conspiracies to explain events is "kind of attached to our history, our culture," says Eric Bridgewater, a student in Arndt's class last fall. Conspiracies "give people the power of narration." Bridgewater, a five-year Army veteran, admitted he wasn't thinking much about conspiracy theories before he took Arndt's class. But he quickly got into it. He was particularly engaged by speculation about a man holding open an umbrella in the sunshine of Dealey Plaza when JFK was shot, though he was not convinced the guy had any role in the assassination. Neither was Arndt. In interviews and in class, both he and D'Angelo acknowledged personal antipathy to many prevailing conspiracy theories, but say they attempt to strike a balance. For one thing, says D'Angelo, "the line between when misinforma- tion becomes disinformation is not always that clear. It's hard to know." Arndt says he is transparent with students about his skepticism. "I tell them on the first night of class that I have my mind made up on most of these topics and that I am the furthest thing from a conspiracy theorist," he says. "But I don't judge students or grade them unfairly if they happen to buy into any particular theory. Students are always encouraged to bring out their true opinions even if they clash with my own." Historically, false and often bizarre narratives aren't a new development in America or elsewhere, say both professors. But things started getting out of this world in 1947, when a rancher discovered some strange wreckage in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Whole industries of entertainment and political intrigue followed, none of it to cash in on the official explanation: a crashed weather balloon. Aliens are not uncommon figures in the literature. Arndt's class spent some time looking into the work of David Icke, an Englishman who has posited that many of the world's powerful elites are actually shape- shifting reptilians from outer space, and also, Jewish. Today, online, you can buy a create- your-own-conspiracy-theory set of refrigerator magnets, complete with a tin foil hat. Still, public derision of woo-woo apparently does little to curb the bottomless appetite for it. So who believes this stuff ? D'Angelo, treading carefully, says that studies show it's people with relatively lower "news literacy" scores, "and yeah, it does tend to thrive more on the right, obviously, than the left." The problem, of course, is that the embrace can turn dangerous. Take Pizzagate, the narrative that posited Moon Landing The doubters: Footage of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon was shot on a secret film set. Its pull: In the 1970s, 30% of Americans believed it was fake. About 10% still believe it's a hoax, despite ample scientific evidence to the contrary. JFK Assassination A second story: Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only shooter on the scene. A growing concern: Days after the shooting, more than 50% of Americans questioned whether Oswald acted alone. In 2017, a poll showed 61% of Americans believed some conspiracy surrounding JFK's death, including some who say that the CIA was involved in the assassination. Paul McCartney is Dead The fanfare: In 1969, rumor spread that Paul McCartney had secretly died three years earlier and that the other Beatles had been covering up his death — they hired someone who looked and sang like McCartney, and then the band dropped clues about the secret to fans through lyrics. Let it be: When the story started, McCartney had been on vacation at his Scottish farm with his wife Linda, and infant daughter Mary. Today, he still writes songs and performs. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD Here's a rundown of some of the most persistent conspiracy claims out there.

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