Zeitgeist
The Irresistible Attraction of Conspiracy Theories
How they suck you in
When I was growing up, my mother, a very strong, conservative Christian, would often remind young, impressionable Mark and his even younger sister that the world was rapidly approaching the End Times.
She would refer to biblical passages such as 2 Timothy 3: 1–5 and Matthew 24:21 to support this, pointing to constant wars and increasingly frequent floods and bushfires as evidence that the world was approaching its end.
She also told us that soon, there would be a “one-world government,” which would rule every aspect of people’s lives, and would try to exterminate all Christians.
During our daily family devotions, she would bring out a small paperback book with rather frightening images of a jet fighter and a skull on its front cover. The contents were even more threatening, describing impending nuclear war and worldwide destruction, referencing passages from the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
It wasn’t long before young Mark was frightened out of his skull.
I was curious about when these cataclysmic events would occur.
One day, as she was at the stove, cooking her German signature stew Eintopf (everything in the one pot), I approached her, asking in a shaking voice: “Mum, will the world end before 1990?” She looked around and said (without thinking about the implications of her answer) “Yes.”
Then the years went by, 1990 came and went, the Cold War ended and the Iron Curtain was no more. The threat of World War III abated, and her “yes” was forgotten.
It was years later, when I had become a far less impressionable adult, that I reminded her of this. She resolutely denied having said it.
I am still curious about how fixated she was on the End Times, even to when she passed away, and think to this day that her fixation was very similar to a conspiracy theory, a belief of there is a plan behind world events.
These beliefs affect many people today.
Why are People Drawn to Conspiracy Theories?
There are many reasons why people believe conspiracy theories.
As more and more people become increasingly anxious about their finances, health, safety, relationships and also politics, they are more likely to seek solace in conspiracy theories, which explain that there is an order, a plan, behind cataclysmic world events such as Covid-19 and climate change, rather than seeing these as random events.
Feeling alienated and unwanted, as well as experiencing a personal crisis, can lead to a person seeking answers in conspiracy theories.
These beliefs can take many forms, and can lead to serious consequences, as people ignore health advice or shoo others they see as a threat and perpetrators of harm.
One example is a theory that led to some believing that the Covid-19 pandemic was a well-organized hoax designed to prevent the re-election of Donald Trump — this led to many refusing to be vaccinated against it, leading to deaths.
Another is the belief that a gunman held in October 2018, and led to him killing 11 worshippers in a synagogue in Pittsburg, and injuring a further eight. He believed that Jews had a plan to smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S.
A chilling example of how a conspiracy theory can lead to the murder of innocent people occurred on a remote farm in far west Queensland (Australia) on December 12th, 2022.
Police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow went to the outback property at Wieambilla to conduct a check relating to a reported missing person.
They were then ambushed and shot dead by the owners of the property, Gareth and his wife Stacey Train, and Gareth’s brother, Nathaniel Train.
They then lit a grass fire to try and locate other police involved with the police check. Their neighbour, Alan Dare, then approached the property to investigate the fire, but was fatally shot in the back by the Trains.
This led to a six-hour siege, after which police stormed the farmhouse and shot the above three dead.
The subsequent police investigation uncovered that Gareth Train was a known conspiracy theorist, perpetuating beliefs that claim that the Port Arthur massacre, which led to monumental changes to Australia’s gun laws, was planned by individuals other than the perpetrator, Martin Bryant, who was convicted for it, and that Princess Diana’s death was a “blood sacrifice.”
What led to the Trains becoming deeply involved with these theories was a series of unfortunate events in their lives.
Gareth and Stacey had for a long time held anti-government and anti-police views, due to their association with the Sovereign Citizen Movement, a group of activists and litigants who adhere only to their own interpretation of their country’s laws.
As a result, they refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, a requirement of their continuing employment as teachers. They were subsequently sacked. Nathaniel suffered a heart attack, which led to him re-evaluating his life, walking out on his family and joining his brother and sister-in-law at the property. He then came under the controlling influence of Gareth.
The trio’s hardened anti-government and anti-police views, and their belief in premillennialism, a fundamentalist Christian belief that the end of the world will occur soon, resulted in their extreme reaction to the police check on their property.
How to approach those who believe in conspiracy theories:
- What is the evidence that supports your theory?
- What is the source of your evidence?
- What reasoning do you have to link your evidence back to the theory? The sources need to be credible and relevant (for example, climatologists in the case of climate change).
There are also some good steps to take, to reduce the likelihood that such a conversation descends into an argument:
- Be open-minded and calm. Listen to the other person and ask questions, to try and understand how they came to have these beliefs.
- Be receptive and empathetic to what they say, to try and bridge the gap between your beliefs and theirs.
- Think critically, asking the person about the evidence that backs up their theory.
- Inform them that conspiracy theories aren’t as widely accepted as they might think. For example, while a group that they associate with promotes a view that Covid-19 is a “fake pandemic” started by pharmaceutical companies, inform them that society accepts that vaccines are a means of protecting vulnerable people from the pandemic, nothing more.
- Inform them that you can help them focus on areas in their lives that they can control, rather than theories in areas that they cannot (such as adverse world events).
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