Conspiracy Theories

Introduction
Look at the following pictures. How are they connected to conspiracy theories?

What conspiracy theories do you know about? Share what you know with your group.
Do you believe that any conspiracy theories could be true?

Some polls have suggested that as many as 18% of Americans believed that Barack Obama is a closet
Muslim

What is a conspiracy theory?

A conspiracy theory is any proposed explanation that involves a group acting in secret and with hidden motives to achieve a social or political agenda.

Examples of conspiracy theories

9-11 was a false flag operation
There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the terrorist
attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. One common theory is that it was a false flag operation.
A false flag operation is an attack by the military on one of its
own targets in order to justify a war.
In the case of the 9-11 attacksas the theory goesthe attacks
were staged by the Americans and used to justify wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. A related belief is that the towers were
brought down by controlled demolition and not by the planes
that hit them.
Has America used false flag operations in the past? There is
strong, but not conclusive, evidence that the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which helped to bring the US into the Vietnam war, was
staged.

The New World Order

According to this conspiracy theory, the world is secretly controlled by an elite group, who are waiting for the right time to
seize power openly and form a single, totalitarian government
that rules the entire planet.
In some forms of this conspiracy, the secretive group is named
the Illuminati. The Illuminati was a secret society that existed in
the 1700s and had influential figures amongst its membership. According to conspiracy theorists,
though, the movement exists to this day.
Other forms of this theory take a religious flavor and claim that the New World government will be
ruled by the anti-Christ and signal the End Times.
In 1990, conspiracy theorists became excited when George HW Bush used the term new world order in a speech to congress on the topic of the ending of the Cold War. Bush delivered the speech on
September 11.

Have any conspiracy theories proven to be true?

The concept that the American Government was spying on its people, intercepting, recording and storing phone calls, emails and even
Facebook messages was thought to be a conspiracy theory. However, with the release of secret files by NSA contractor Edward
Snowden, much of the theory was proven to be true. At the time of
writing, Snowden is in exile in Russia and is wanted by the American
government.
From 1932 until 1972, the Public Health Service and the Tuskagee
Institute studied the effects of syphilis on almost 400 black males
who they had infected with the disease. Long a subject of speculation, the study came to the publics attention in 1972 when the Associated Press published an expose.
Another example of a conspiracy theory that is at least partially true is the MK Ultra program. Starting in the 1950s, the CIA began experimenting with mind control and behavioral engineering of humans. Drugs such as LSD were administered to test subjects, sometimes without their knowledge.
Officially, the program ended in 1973 and was unsuccessful. However, some conspiracy theorists
think it was not only successful, but still going on.

Making money from conspiracies

Alex Jones is well-known as the face behind many modern conspiracy theories. He has a syndicated
radio show and has made many documentaries on conspiracy topics. He runs infowars.com and
prisonplanet.tv. Among his beliefs are:

Global warming is a hoax

Vaccinations are harmful
The government can create and use tornadoes as a weapon
The government is hiding the truth about 9-11 and the Boston bombings

Extended Discussion
1 Do you believe that the mainstream media report the
facts without bias or agenda?
2 Conspiracy theorists often say that people need to wake
up. Do you believe there is some truth to this?
3 Do you believe in the possibility of alien life?
4 Do you believe that the government really works in the
best interests of the people?
5 Are people easy to control?
6 Some conspiracy theories are extremely implausible. Why
do you think people still believe them?
7 One conspiracy theory that was proven true was that
the NSA monitors personal communications. Yet, most people dont seem to care. How do you feel about it?
8 Do you agree with the sentiments behind the following
quotes:
Anyone who knows how difficult it is to keep a secret
among three men - particularly if they are married - knows
how absurd is the idea of a worldwide secret conspiracy consciously controlling all mankind by its financial power; in real, clear analysis.
- Edward Mosley
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if
nothing had happened.
Winston Churchill
No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth.
John F. Kennedy
9 Some people say that it doesnt matter whether the government is Democrat or Republican because they are all the same. Do you agree?
10 What is the funniest/most absurd/scariest conspiracy theory that you have heard?
11 The TV show Mythbusters became famous through debunking myths, including conspiracy theories. Do you enjoy watching myths being debunked?
12 Do you feel that the government should be more open? Or does it have the right to be secretive
in the interests of national security?

Learn More:
9-11 Conspiracies:
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=9/11_conspiracy_theories
2 http://www.911truth.org/
3 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14665953
The New World Order
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati
Edward Snowden and the NSA
1 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblowersurveillance
2 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/07/nsa-surveillance-program-explained-here-swhy-we-re-freaking-out.html
Conspiracies that have been proven true
http://www.businessinsider.my/true-government-conspiracies-2013-12/#.U2iluvmSzxU
Alex Jones
1 http://www.prisonplanet.tv
2 http://www.infowars.com