What They mean by “conspiracy theory” has nothing nowadays (if ever?) with what the two words actually mean.
What They mean is a theory of explanation that is opposed to (as in, stands in contradistinction to) what They want you to believe. Or to what most people believe. The theory may, or may not, be reasonable or plausible. That matters not.
Some of our fellow citizens use “conspiracy theory” as a way of comforting themselves that something so unbelievably horrific and terrible just simply couldn’t possibly be true and real. I mean, our American government, founded of the people, by the people, and for the people, in liberty and justice, it simply is not possible that that government would willingly, let alone purposefully intentionally murder thousands or millions of its citizens. That’s just unthinkable. And so it is relegated to conspiracy theory status.
Here is my question
Dictionary Definitions
Conspiracy -
a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful
Theory - a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena
Conspiracy theory -??
Words matter
I’ve long wondered this too.
What They mean by “conspiracy theory” has nothing nowadays (if ever?) with what the two words actually mean.
What They mean is a theory of explanation that is opposed to (as in, stands in contradistinction to) what They want you to believe. Or to what most people believe. The theory may, or may not, be reasonable or plausible. That matters not.
Some of our fellow citizens use “conspiracy theory” as a way of comforting themselves that something so unbelievably horrific and terrible just simply couldn’t possibly be true and real. I mean, our American government, founded of the people, by the people, and for the people, in liberty and justice, it simply is not possible that that government would willingly, let alone purposefully intentionally murder thousands or millions of its citizens. That’s just unthinkable. And so it is relegated to conspiracy theory status.