LibGuides: Conspiracy Theories: Conspiracy Theory Examples

Featured Books & eBooks

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Assassinations : The Plots, Politics, and Powers Behind History-changing Murders A deep dive into high stakes killings, conspiracies and crimes! Ruthless killers and murderers for hire: they are here, there, and everywhere. They lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce. They terminate on command. And, in the process, they change the course of the world. They are among the world's most cold-hearted, deadly, and emotionless figures. They are assassins, and they have a long history of grievous deeds. From the cunning, calculating, government-trained warriors to the psychopathic, homegrown freelancers, you can find them all in Assassinations: The Plots, Politics, and Powers behind History-changing Murders. Exposed are the hidden agendas as well as the open warfare. The cynical preparations and devastating aftermaths are laid bare. You will quickly find yourself immersed in a world that is filled with killings made to seem like suicides, murders that were designed to look like heart attacks or overdoses, and accidents that, in reality, were carefully orchestrated deaths. Did Lee Harvey Oswald really kill JFK? Or was Oswald the patsy he claimed to be? Was Jack the Ripper, who terrified London in 1888, a madman or a ruthless secret agent of the British government? Did the United States' first secretary of defense, James Forrestal, kill himself, or was he thrown out of a window to his death in May 1949? Did Marilyn Monroe take her own life in August 1962? Was a contract put out on her? What led to the demise of Danny Casolaro, an investigative journalist who, at the time of his death in 1991, was investigating a powerful cabal known as "The Octopus"? Was Diana, Princess of Wales, the victim of a car accident or of a carefully orchestrated plot? Can sound waves and microwaves kill people at the flick of a switch? Was John Lennon's murder not at all what it appeared to be? These questions and many more are answered in Assassinations, and with more than 120 photos and graphics, this tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. It's a fascinating read that looks into how and why so many famous and influential figures just had to go!
Communicating COVID-19 : Everyday Life, Digital Capitalism, and Conspiracy Theories in Pandemic Times The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has changed the way we live and communicate. The phases of lockdown brought about by the pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work, lead our everyday lives, and how we communicate, resulting in Internet platforms becoming more important than ever before. Communicating COVID-19explores the impact of these changes on society and the way we communicate, and the effect this has had on the spread of misinformation. Critical communication and Internet scholar Christian Fuchs analyses the changes of everyday communication in the COVID-19 crisis and how misinformation has spread online throughout the pandemic. He explores the foundations and rapid spread of conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination discourse on the Internet, paying particular attention to the vast amount of COVID-19 conspiracy theories about Bill Gates. He also interrogates Internet users' reactions to these COVID-19 conspiracy theories as well as how Donald Trump communicated about COVID-19 on Twitter during the final year of his Presidency. Communicating COVID-19is an essential work for anyone seeking to understand the role of digital technologies, changes in communication and the Internet, and the spread of conspiracy theories in the context of COVID-19.
Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories in American History [2 Volumes] This up-to-date introduction to the complex world of conspiracies and conspiracy theories provides insight into why millions of people are so ready to believe the worst about our political, legal, religious, and financial institutions. Unsupported theories provide simple explanations for catastrophes that are otherwise difficult to understand, from the U.S. Civil War to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Ideas about shadowy networks that operate behind a cloak of secrecy, including real organizations like the CIA and the Mafia and imagined ones like the Illuminati, additionally provide a way for people to criticize prevailing political and economic arrangements, while for society's disadvantaged and forgotten groups, conspiracy theories make their suffering and alienation comprehensible and provide a focal point for their economic or political frustrations. These volumes detail the highly controversial and influential phenomena of conspiracies and conspiracy theories in American society. Through interpretive essays and factual accounts of various people, organizations, and ideas, the reader will gain a much greater appreciation for a set of beliefs about political scheming, covert intelligence gathering, and criminal rings that has held its grip on the minds of millions of American citizens and encouraged them to believe that the conspiracies may run deeper, and with a global reach. Provides an in-depth, easy-to-access account of conspirators and secret organizations behind key plots to control American legal, political, and financial systems Presents the history of key American conspiracy theories, taking a longer view of how current conspiracy thinking developed over generations Explains the similarities and differences among conspiracy theories held by people on the far right and far left of the political spectrum Explores the cultural significance of widespread, popular reactions to advances in science, technology, and medicine, as well as the public's skepticism about highly trained professionals and their expert knowledge Offers an up-to-date survey of popular conspiracy theories regarding celebrity deaths and the popular distrust of the American media and police investigations Details the importance of the internet and social media in organizing conspiratorial movements and spreading conspiracy theories
Conspiracy in Camelot : A Complete History of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Assassination This is a volume packed with information on the JFK assassination that will dazzle readers. From mistresses to Mafia murders, fingerprints to dictabelt recordings, all the evidence is integrated and interwoven into complete and comprehensive perspectives on the assassination. Theories are weighed, checked, contrasted, and contradicted. Evidentiary and exculpatory material is delineated in intelligible and readable fashion, but Marilyn's sexual liaisons with the Kennedy brothers, JFK's 33 mistresses in the White House, and J. Edgar Hoover's homosexuality provide a counterpoint with the shadowy psychological underbelly to this story. Kroth provides a fresh statistical analysis of 86 'mysterious deaths' of witnesses in the assassination and weighs the merits of prevailing theories on who carried out the assassination, and why; he profiles the actors, the witnesses and the investigators. He includes recently released documents and speculates over the large portions of information that remain barred to public scrutiny.
Denying AIDS : Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, and Human Tragedy Paralleling the discovery of HIV and the rise of the AIDS pandemic, a flock of naysayers has dedicated itself to replacing genuine knowledge with destructive misinformation--and spreading from the fringe to the mainstream media and the think tank. Now from the editor of the journal AIDS and Behavior comes a bold exposé of the scientific and sociopolitical forces involved in this toxic evasion. Denying AIDS traces the origins of AIDS dissidents disclaimers during the earliest days of the epidemic and delves into the psychology and politics of the current denial movement in its various incarnations. Seth Kalichman focuses not on the "difficult" or doubting patient, but on organized, widespread forms of denial (including the idea that HIV itself is a myth and HIV treatments are poison) and the junk science, faulty logic, conspiracy theories, and larger forces of homophobia and racism that fuel them. The malignant results of AIDS denial can be seen in those individuals who refuse to be tested, ignore their diagnoses, or reject the treatments that could save their lives. Instead of ignoring these currents, asserts Kalichman, science has a duty to counter them. Among the topics covered: Why AIDS denialism endures, and why science must understand it. Pioneer virus HIV researcher Peter Duesberg's role in AIDS denialism. Flawed immunological, virological, and pharmacological pseudoscience studies that are central to texts of denialism. The social conservative agenda and the politics of AIDS denial, from the courts to the White House. The impact of HIV misinformation on public health in South Africa. Fighting fiction with reality: anti-denialism and the scientific community. For anyone affected by, interested in, or working with researchers in HIV/AIDS, and public health professionals in general, the insight and vision of Denying AIDS will inspire outrage, discussion, and ultimately action. See http://denyingaids.blogspot.com/ for more information.
Hijacking America's Mind on 9/11 : Counterfeiting Evidence An international researcher of long date and an expert in international law and human rights, the author''s approach to the questions of 9/11 is essentially forensic. The book is narrative in style yet is highly factual and heavily annotated.
Holocaust Denial : The Politics of Perfidy Holocaust Denial. The Politics of Perfidy provides a graphic and compelling global panorama of past and present variations on this toxic phenomenon. The volume examines right and left wing French negationism, post-Communist Holocaust deniers in Eastern-Europe, the spread of denial to Australia, Canada, South-Africa and even to Japan. Leading scholarly experts also explore the close connection between Holocaust denial, global conspiracy theories, antisemitism and radical anti-Zionism- especially in Iran and the Arab world.
Murder, Lies, and Cover-Ups : Who Killed Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Princess Diana? Uncover the real truth behind mass media accounts of how they died, and learn the reason for their murders. These five deaths stopped the whole world in its tracks. We all famously recall where we were and what we were doing when JFK was assassinated, as well as the moments Elvis, Princess Diana, and Michael Jackson died. As for Marilyn Monroe, the candle flickered out long ago, but only now can the truth be told about how--and why--she died. After combing through thousands of recently declassified FBI files and interviewing key witnesses, crime analysts, and forensic experts during years of research, investigative writer David Gardner has unearthed new information that will transform the way we look at these iconic tragedies that have long fascinated and intrigued the general public. Murder, Lies, and Cover-Ups reveals that Elvis Presley died not as a self-obsessed caricature but as a genuine hero who may have signed his death warrant going undercover for the FBI; how Marilyn Monroe's secret affairs with JFK and his brother, Robert, left her in the crosshairs of a lethal conspiracy; why Princess Diana's death was no accident; who ordered President John F. Kennedy's assassination; and how on three occasions Michael Jackson "died" of painkiller drug overdoses in the months before his death. In the wake of new evidence and testimonies, Murder, Lies, and Cover-Ups provides many of the answers that have been elusive for so long, while explaining what it was about these enduring legends that made their legacies burn so bright.
Weird Earth : Debunking Strange Ideas about Our Planet Aliens. Ley lines. Water dowsing. Conspiracies and myths captivate imaginations and promise mystery and magic. Whether it's arguing about the moon landing hoax or a Frisbee-like Earth drifting through space, when held up to science and critical thinking, these ideas fall flat. In Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas About Our Planet, Donald R. Prothero demystifies these conspiracies and offers answers to some of humanity's most outlandish questions. Applying his extensive scientific knowledge, Prothero corrects misinformation that con artists and quacks use to hoodwink others about geology--hollow earth, expanding earth, and bizarre earthquakes--and mystical and paranormal happenings--healing crystals, alien landings, and the gates of hell. By deconstructing wild claims such as prophesies of imminent natural disasters, Prothero provides a way for everyone to recognize dubious assertions. Prothero answers these claims with facts, offering historical and scientific context in a light-hearted manner that is accessible to everyone, no matter their background. With a careful layering of evidence in geology, archaeology, and biblical and historical records, Prothero's Weird Earth examines each conspiracy and myth and leaves no question unanswered.

Featured Articles

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Featured Streaming Media

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BBC "Six Seconds in Dallas" (03:28) Detailed accounts of the assassination were published shortly after the killing. Audio and ballistic evidence points to three assassins. Josiah Thompson casts doubt on Oswald being a shooter.
BBC 9/11: Truth, Lies, and Conspiracies (46:51) Ever since the attacks on America in September 2001, conspiracy theories—some credible, others less so—have persisted about what actually took place. Fifteen years after 9/11, this documentary takes a look at some of the theories surrounding the attacks and investigates whether information is still being held back. The film presents a range of views, from families who say they haven’t been told the full story by the U.S. administration to insiders who say how they believe the attacks could have been prevented.
The Climate Change Denial Industry (01:04:32) This episode of The Green Interview features James Hoggan, the author of Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming. He explains how oil and gas companies and their PR firms manufactured the false debate on climate change. Hoggan, who works in the public relations industry himself, explains how public relations techniques allow businesses to use psychology to shape public opinion. Hoggan discusses the climate change deniers, the use of industry-sponsored propaganda and how ethical business should be conducted.
In Search of History: Secret Brotherhood of Freemasons (56:58) Conspiracy theorists call it a sinister cabal. Others have called it a harmless social club, a charitable organization, or a brotherhood of learning and enlightenment. So what, exactly, is Freemasonry? This episode of In Search of History investigates as it takes a probing look at arguably the world’s most famous secret organization.

Featured Open Access

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