Abbasi mentions the negative societal consequences of such theories. “For example, conspiracy theories have increasingly been associated with the motivated rejected of science, including anti- vaccinated theories, link between ADHD and HIV.”
Dr. Karmani confirms beliefs in them can result in ‘negative social, health, and civic outcomes. “On a social level, they are associated with populism, political extremism, religious fundamentalism and radicalisation of fringe groups. They are believed and propagated more by people with psychopathy as a personality trait, characterised by social dominance, exploitation, and manipulation.”
“While most conspiracy theories are noticeably flawed, there have been many that could pass off with a great quotient of doubt, especially if propagated by a powerful person and fanned with the media in the wrong direction,” Ramakrishnan states. “Now that sounds like treading in dangerous territory. Besides, even if the seemingly flawed ones resonate with a small group of people, it is enough to create a sizeable awareness and possible unrest. The truth can be marred, as after all what is the truth? And you sometimes just get caught up by the wave, and at that time people don’t look for evidence or spend their time verifying the truth or using for logic. And we have seen in history how some people have single-handedly influenced almost a whole country with arguable flawed theories and this has resulted in the destruction and mass murder.”
Put an end
Dr. Karmani backs literacy, critical thinking, and general education as a whole to tackle Conspiracy Theories. “Bullies and gossipers are born in schools, and although it is human tendency to gossip, extreme forms could rely on out-grouping minorities, exploiting vulnerabilities of certain people, and affecting their self-esteem and well-being. These attitudes and personalities should be identified at an early age, and efforts must be taken towards minimising such behaviours. Given that inequality and powerlessness in a society, or any group, is a significant cause of conspiracy mongering, policy designers must address this problem.”
Abbasi’s strategy in dealing with them is to focus on facts. “Beginning with a question as simple as whether the person actually believes the conspiratorial content may reduce endorsement of the distrust evident in some theories. A next step may be the non-judgmental presentation of well-sourced facts as a possible alternative explanation. One can supplement facts relevant to the conspiratorial content with basic information on the nature of conspiracy theories and their causes. A more nuanced approach may be to personalise the subject to invoke emotion. There is modest evidence suggesting that creating emotion may, for instance, reduce short-term prejudice. Promoting counterfactuals entails having a person consider how the past or present could be different based upon alternative personal actions.”
Mark Twain has rightly said – How empty is theory in the presence of fact! And so is Conspiracy Theory…
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