“How are you supposed to communicate with those people?”
That is a question that people often ask me.
Many Americans, perhaps thousands, have let conspiracy theories take over their life in recent years.
We want to call them all “crazy” because it’s easy—maybe even natural.
It is false, though.
People I have talked to are, by and large, contributing members of society. You may know them as your kid or daughter, your next-door neighbor, or as a parent or company owner.
Disillusioned, disillusioned, and even desperate describe some of their feelings. They are not, however, insane.
One group I once encountered doesn’t even think JFK is dead; another is the large number of Americans who don’t think Lee Harvey Oswald was the only killer of President John F. Kennedy.
Most of us really believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories that other people might find ridiculous.
In times of uncertainty, this kind of thinking may reassure us by giving simple solutions to complex problems. When we find others who share our beliefs and have the “truth” on their side, it may bring us together and give us a feeling of purpose. This seems like the perfect remedy for a time when people are losing faith in institutions and when people are spending less time interacting with one another and more time staring at their phones.
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns sowed the seeds of fear and isolation, which in turn gave rise to several conspiracy theories. However, the rabbit holes of 2020 are still very much there for a lot of families. A family member or friend who, when their loved ones don’t accept their new “truth,” returns night after night at the kitchen table to continue making outlandish assertions about cabals and vaccines.
Emails, texts, and stories from random people about their brother, mom, or friend who has fallen into the rabbit hole are the result of every piece I do about these ideas. “How can I assist them?” is the constant refrain of their inquiries.
I was never really sure how to respond. I considered it my duty as a journalist covering the disinformation beat to focus on the phenomenon of conspiracy theories, their dissemination, and their impact on individuals. When I was an editor at HEADLINESFOREVER, my editor would occasionally ask if we could add anything to the conclusion of an article to make it “less depressing.” I think she was upset by how endless the subject matter seemed. None existed.
However, in HEADLINESFOREVER Audio’s new limited series podcast Persuadable, we want to initiate a fruitful dialogue on potential remedies.
The first thing to do is to demonstrate empathy.
I started to reflect on my own illogical ideas after years of chatting to others who held them.
Neither QAnon nor the cabal have my faith. Irrational ideas and obsessions, nevertheless, have been many throughout my life. I’ve struggled with anxiety, sadness, and an OCD variant that causes me to have disturbing intrusive thoughts for a long time.
As with many depressed people, I find that illogical ideas arise in my life whenever I am dealing with personal uncertainty, stress, or change. These beliefs are typically based on a distorted feeling of guilt and reasons why I should hate myself. When someone close to me falls sick, I have a tendency to blame myself. Even if it doesn’t make any sense, there are moments when I can fixate on this and convince myself that it’s real.
Here, it bears repeating that illogical ideas can exist independently of mental illness. I’m sure you can recall an instance when you found yourself mired in a never-ending loop of overanalyzing a particular matter, whether it a relationship, an ex, a job scenario, or even your own child. It was a constant source of anxiety for you, and you couldn’t shake it. It was later determined to be insignificant. Although the thinking seemed illogical at the time, it was likely driven by a real worry or insecurity, as you can see now.
Psychologists I interviewed for this episode confirmed my suspicions, saying that illogical views are hardwired into the human brain and that conspiracy theory thinking is not indicative of mental illness.
When I talk about my struggles with mental illness, it helps me understand how others might become engrossed in conspiracy theories and how to help them.
There aren’t any easy solutions, but I’d like to start a discourse about how to address this problem, which impacts countless families in the US and throughout the world.
The messenger I am is far from flawless. I often find myself wishing I had handled a conspiracy theorist differently in the past. Dissecting the complex motivations behind someone’s conviction in a falsehood isn’t always a good fit for television news.
People have less faith in the “mainstream media” than ever before, of which I am a member. A part of the blame for this lies with the press, which has been the target of constant and malicious attacks. However, part of it stems from reasonable criticism of our coverage and language when it comes to individuals who hold incorrect beliefs.
Our podcast goes into much more depth on this topic, so I really hope you give it a listen.