What is a Conspiracy Theory?

A conspiracy theory is a theory that tells of how an event takes place. People believe in conspiracy theories for many different reasons. Some want a sense of understanding, as well as the want to have a positive self-image. It is human nature to wonder what goes on around them and why. When we ask questions about certain events that we don’t have a solid answer to, often as humans we believe some of the first answers we come across. Some of the answers are conspiracy theories that can lead a person to believe in somethings that may or may not be true especially if there is any kind of evidence. For most major events that occur there’s a good possibility that there is a conspiracy that people believe behind it.

There are those who believe in common medical conspiracies such as cancer-causing agents that people use every day or developing certain types of pathogens to affect a certain race. People believe in these theories for many different reasons. Mrs. Stacey Colino stated "sometimes there’s a dose of arrogance or skepticism behind these beliefs." They believe this because it gives them a feeling of superior intelligence over others around them. Mr. Viren Swami stated that" when people feel alienated or powerless, they may offer a simple explanation of a complex phenomenon " This gives an individual a feel of importance and gives them a hope to be able to make a change in the world.

People who believe in different types of medical conspiracies often ignore medical information because conspiracy theories are easier to comprehend. Sciences involving the study of can be extremely difficult to understand simply because its hard to prove to someone with no medical back ground. There are many people that believe that the government has infected the African American population with HIV to have a form of a present-day genocide. There’s no simple way to prove this right or wrong but because of the higher percentage of the population of the African population to have HIV than other races it makes people wonder. The CDC stated that in 2016 in homosexual male cases there was 10,223 cases of HIV in African Americans, which is significantly higher than Hispanics which is 7425 cases and whites which is 7390 cases in the United States. In Heterosexual cases of HIV the African American women population had 1926 cases while Hispanic women had just 1025 and white women had 1032. When Africans have sexual contact with other African Americans, they have a greater risk of contracting HIV. This gives people incentive to believe in this conspiracy. But this can have a negative influence on society simply because it gives people a negative out look on the government itself. This could lead to riots and cause civil disobedience to law enforcement and other government officials.

One conspiracy is that the use of cell phones cause cancer. The theory is that the more you use your cell phone the more likely you are to develop a type of cancer. Cell phones produce different types of radiation such as X-rays, gamma rays, and UV lights. These waves can heat the skin or other tissues in the body. The American Cancer Society says " levels of energy given off by cell phones are not enough to raise the temperature of the body." There are many factors that influence your chances of developing cancer one is the amount of time you spend on your phone, if you use a hand free device or use speaker, how much energy a that the phone emits to get a proper signal, and the type of phone being used. Concerns of conspiracy theorists about cancer is that since the phone is held against the head or somewhere very close. People believe in this not only because of the facts but because they feel like they’re making the world a better place with the information they display. The problem that conspiracy theorists have with cell phones is the lack of information and lack of warning that the government gives on this issue. The negative effect about this conspiracy on society is that if this conspiracy became a major public issue in America, it would cause the decline of jobs and the decline of the cell phone industries. Companies could loose millions of dollars in stock in just a few weeks or months.

People believe in conspiracy theories for many different reasons including getting a sense of understanding and to make them feel like they’re affecting the world by making a change. While most people blow most conspiracy theories off, it’s important to be open minded to all conspiracy theories especially if there are facts supporting them. While being open minded you should also look into conspiracies with caution. Some theories can lead you to believe in somethings that aren’t real because of the lack of factual evidence. When the African population has a higher amount of HIV cases than any other races it is not something a person should ignore but something to take a closer look at.

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