December 6, 2022
A sociological approach can help us understand how conspiracy rumors work. This approach focuses on the influences of history, culture, and political organization rather than on personality psychology.
Free Article: Skeptical Inquirer July/August 2022
Discussion:
- List some features shared by historical moral panics such as the Witchcraft accusations of the 1600s, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and more contemporary phenomena such as Qanon conspiracy theories. What can we learn from the panics of the past to help us understand “conspiracy rumors” today?
- According to the author, conspiracy rumors spread in acts of “collaborative storytelling.” Discuss what this means, and what sort of unique problems this might pose for the skeptics movement compared to other pseudoscientific beliefs?
- Discuss ways in which the skeptics movement might combat the “collaborative storytelling” of conspiracy theories with collaborations of our own.
Group Activity:
- Watch this report on how Qanon is tearing through evangelical America and discuss the methods used by the preachers in the story and what characteristics these share with other moral panics. For example, the claim that evidence is not a prerequisite for accusations both in Qanon-style conspiracy rumors and the Witchcraft trials.
About the Author:
Jeffrey Victor is a sociologist retired from SUNY College at Jamestown. He has published books and articles about collective behavior, such as satanic cult rumors and mass hysteria. He is a frequent contributor to SI and other critical thinking magazines.