10 Key Features of Conspiracy Theories

On p 117 of his book The Hitler Conspiracies Richard J Evans says

Attempts to prove that the Nazis started the [Reichstag] fire display many key features of event conspiracy theories: 

1. The assumption that because an incident or occurrence was of enormous political importance it must have been planned in advance.
2. The claim that witnesses to the event have mysteriously disappeared or been murdered so that they are no longer able to tell the truth about it.
3. The belief that the people who benefit from an event must have caused it.
4. The feeling that to make the claim that a tragic or criminal event was more or less a matter of chance somehow excuses or exculpates the perpetrators (or, again, those who benefit from it).
5. The refusal to accept that a major historical event may have been triggered by a lone, obscure individual and not an organized group.
6. The involvement of occult forces of some kind.
7. The forgery of documentary evidence in the conviction that it is allowable because the forger knows what really happened and is justified in creating the proof for his view in a situation where other, decisive proofs are for whatever reason not available.
8. Also p 133 The missing correspondence, if it emerged, would most likely reveal the truth. But unfortunately no such correspondence has turned up. Speculation of this kind can be found in many other conspiracy theorists' writings.
9. And p 134 As an alternative to claiming the truth is buried in missing documents, conspiracy theorists also frequently cite genuine sources then accord them a weight far beyond what they will actually bear. They join the dots between authentic pieces of historical evidence to create a picture that isn't in the least plausible.
10. And p 150 The involvement of the ex-King Edward VIII is another characteristic example of the tendency of some conspiracy theorists to try to arouse interest in their work by involving famous people.

10 Popular Subjects for Conspiracy Theories

1. The assassination of John F Kennedy
2. Harold Wilson was a KGB spy
3. 9/11 Attacks
4. The Sandy Hook shootings
5. The flatness of the earth
6. The moon landings
7. Adolf Hitler survived the bunker
8. Covid-19 pandemic

9. Vaccinations

10.  The Reptilian elite

For an extensive list see wikipedia here

Life's ironies

Three things in mind here.

You may have seen the clip of Barack Obama revealing that he was unsure of how many states he is now President of. The irony, of course, is that Bush would have known that one (I guess).

Then there is Obama's mess up with the Presidential oath (whoever's fault it was). Apparently in an effort to undercut conspiracy theorists it was decided to do it again (as two previous presidents have). For some reason, however, there was no Bible available and some newspapers are already saying that there is conspiracy keen internet traffic asking why Obama did not swear on the Bible the second time round!

The other thing is this debate over whether the BBC is going to show an appeal for Palestine. The whole facade of the BBC reporting on the BBC gets me. (It's like me doing a report on my own blog - now there's an idea). The real irony here, though, of course, is that far more publicity has been generated for the appeal than would ever have been given had the BBC simply broadcast it. (Perhaps another irony is that IMHO the BBC has been rather biased towards the Palestinians).

(There is some argument about what qualifies as ironic, but all senses of irony revolve around the perceived notion of an incongruity between what is said and what is meant; or between an understanding of reality, or an expectation of a reality, and what actually happens.)