How Did Conspiracy Theories Come To Dominate American Culture? - LitHub

To appreciate Thomas Milan Konda's question, one must define the term "conspiracy theory". From there, tracing the 200+ year lineage of conspiracy theories makes the answer crystal clear, but begs more questions about their enduring appeal. My own wild ass guess as an American? The American attitude means not taking shit from anyone. Intellectually or physically. If someone claims authority and forces their own agenda, Americans will push back and push back hard and damn the consequences. This gag best sums up this seemingly-insane mindset. Or better, Americans get a feeling of satisfaction spreading insane conspiracy theories for laughs. That's when the joke is on non-Americans who take Americans seriously, getting their panties in a bunch thinking a sky full of nuclear missiles is the inevitable next step. If you're brave enough to go deeper on how everything's Taken To Extremes, dig Peter Biskind's The Sky Is Falling. Trevor Payne makes sense of America's penchant for division, rather than coming together in the center, as a cultural phenomenon and asset to its perennial appeal. (CS)

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from THE ANOMALIST http://bit.ly/2X95I4z