Conspiracy theories make the world go around

CREDIT%3A+airandspace.si.edu

CREDIT: airandspace.si.edu

Gianna Ciavarella, Reporter

Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight! April 18 has passed, and we’re still here! If I’m being honest, quite frankly I’m disappointed yet not surprised. The conspiracy theory that the Malaysian airline had been overthrown by aliens and the same aliens have taken over the world have been proven false. This conspiracy isn’t one of the first to tell when the world is going to end. People make new conspiracy theories constantly! I find conspiracy theories very intriguing, they spike my interest and I like reading about them. Here are some of my favorite conspiracy theories.

The following conspiracy theories background information is provided http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/the-10-most-popular-conspiracy-theories

The terrorist attack 9/11 was an inside job. This idea proposes the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were actually conducted by the U.S. government stemming from the White House itself. It is proposed the Bush administration had advanced knowledge of the attacks and allowed them to happen so they could invade Iraq and advance their agenda. Facts supporting this claim say the jet fuel from the planes was not enough to melt the steel beams of the World Trade Center towers, which were actually brought down by a controlled demolition. This theory was, of course, widely debunked but continues to live on. One reason for the idea’s longevity is that historical facts did prove that the war in Iraq was justified using incorrect information about the supposed existence of weapons of mass destruction.

The moon landing was fake. One of the most significant scientific and political achievements of the last century, landing on the moon, often comes under attack. Some people believe the landing did not happen and its appearance was falsely created by NASA/American government as part of the Cold War, to raise national pride and one up the arch-rival Soviet Union. Supporters of the idea point to such things such as the flag appearing to move in photos from the moon, something that should not happen as there is no wind in space. This was disproved by pointing out the flag only appears to move during the moment of “unfurling”, something which would happen even without wind. A variation of this theory even goes so far as to say that the famous film director Stanley Kubrick was the creative mastermind of the fake footage of the landing.

The FDA is withholding the cure for cancer. This idea maintains that the FDA and big pharmaceutical companies actually figured out how to cure cancer a while back but are not making the medicine available to citizens. While Big Pharma has not made itself many friends among the public, there is no evidence that such a vast conspiracy is possible as it would require the participation of thousands if not millions of people in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. It makes more sense that selling the cure would actually make more money. It’s also hard to believe that these evil medical professionals would not use the cures on themselves and their families, a fact that would likely come to light eventually.

Conspiracy theories often arouse suspicion amongst the people of the world. I’d be very surprised if one of these three conspiracies were proven correct. Until then, stay curious!