Fifty years ago today, President John F Kennedy, one of the most charismatic leaders of modern times, was gunned down by a lone gunman in Dallas, Texas. Or was he? The majority of people in the US and many people around the world doubt the “official story” and instead believe that JFK was, in fact, the victim of a conspiracy involving members of the mob. Or the CIA. Or communists. Or extreme right-wingers. Or the military-industrial complex. The list goes on.
The idea that JFK was not the victim of a lone deranged gunman has been referred to as the “mother of all conspiracy theories” although some might argue that this accolade should nowadays go to the claim that 9/11 was an inside job. Although these two conspiracies are probably the most widely held, a wide variety of other conspiracy theories are also endorsed by large proportions of the population. These include the idea that Princess Diane was murdered, that the Americans never actually landed on the moon, that the HIV/Aids virus was deliberately manufactured with genocidal intent, and that the world is, in fact, ruled by giant shape-shifting lizards. What is it about conspiracy theories that makes them so attractive to so many people? And why is it that some people are more drawn to such theories than others?
One possibility, of course, is that all of the above conspiracy theories are true and based upon a cool and rational analysis of available evidence. The only reason that some people do not believe in them might be because they have not looked at the evidence and instead, like mindless sheep, have simply accepted the lies of the establishment, Guardian informs.
