 I am fascinated by conspiracy theories. I love reading about them. I love watching documentaries about them. I love listening to podcasts about them. It's an official world government plan to end the family in humanity. Secret society is about elevating members above others, us versus them. In the 1950s and 60s, the CIA conducted a sinister secret program to master the science of mind control. 9-11 wasn't inside Zoff. No one's ever walked on the moon. The vaccines are poison. Every conspiracy I've pretty much ever heard of is all pretty much true. Last time on Conspiranation, the rise of conspiracy theories, how social media and crisis situations led to a rise in conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists. In this episode, we take a look at the types of conspiracy theories out there and how conspiracy theories operate similar to pyramid schemes. And when conspiracy theories turn dangerous. But before we get into this episode, don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode in this series. This video is discussing serious matters related to conspiracy theories and may be triggering for some. Your discretion is advised. When you understand the growth mechanisms and functions of conspiracy theories and why people fall for them, very soon after, you begin to understand the game that is being played out in real time. This game has many players involved, with many different purposes and goals. But first, it's important to understand the game itself so that we can identify who are the players and who are the pawns. In the last episode, we touched on how diverse and complex the conspiracy landscape is. But in this episode, we're going to try and do the impossible. We're going to try and define and categorize the different types of conspiracy theories. For the sake of time, I'm only going to brush on the broader types of conspiracy theories in today's episode. And luckily, Abby Richards made such an incredible design and overlay on the different types of conspiracy theories and how they're all kind of connected. So let's dive into the rabbit hole on the different types of conspiracy theories. At the top or bottom of this upside down pyramid, first you have conspiracy theories that are grounded in reality. There are conspiracy theories based on events that have actually happened or conspiracy theories that have been proven to be true. Examples of conspiracy theories that fall into this category are MKUltra. In the 1950s and 60s, the CIA conducted a sinister secret program to master the science of mind control. An event that actually happened. The Bohemian Club, a real club or quote-unquote secret society that does exist. NSA mass surveillance, which has happened and may be happening. The UK and US government are both collecting massive amounts of information from the things we do on our phones and over the internet. Big tobacco lying about its products causing cancer. Beginning in the mid-20s, tobacco companies understood that the public was becoming concerned about the health implications of smoking. In the United States itself, at the end of the 19th century, a third of the entire federal revenues were from tobacco taxes. So tobacco has been a huge source of revenue for states throughout the world and that's one of the main reason governments are so reluctant to take any reasonable steps to halt the epidemic. All of these conspiracy theories are grounded in reality or may not even be conspiracy theories but things that have been proven to be true. At the very least, it's reasonable why people would believe theories related to these events. They're rooted in reality. They have happened. And the conclusions of the conspiracy theories can be clearly and logically justified. Then theories begin to cross the speculation line and turn into events that may have happened that we have questions about that we're kind of unsure about and a little bit iffy about and therefore conspiracy theories develop. These are unanswered questions such as the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Criminal Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell. This is set off a wild wave of conspiracy theories online. Princess Diana's death. There were lots of things that the French police did that really are inexplicable. Area 51. Do you plan on raiding tonight, sir? Oh, I've already been in. What was in there? Totally. What do you think is an area 51? The war machine, the Federal Reserve, the Bilderbergs, the Rothschilds, the current banking system. All of these events have seemed to be verified to the public as having a conclusion of sorts, but the public is either distrusting of this conclusion or the answers are a bit too vague leaving people with more questions. A lot of these events are shocking or almost unbelievable to some. So they make up new explanations or reasons as to why this event may have happened. Then conspiracy theories begin to leave reality. Theories like Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, Avril Lavigne being replaced. Most of these theories are believed to be false but also kind of harmless. Believing in them probably won't bring you any closer to the real truth, but it also won't necessarily cause major harm to society. We're not the only bipedal intelligence here. So is there one Bigfoot or is there multiple Bigfeet? Multiple Bigfeet throughout the whole United States except for Hawaii. With some of these theories, I can also kind of understand how it would be fun to believe them. It's fun to think about the possibility of the existence of aliens or the degree to which they may exist. Do they know about us? Are there other beings out there? It's fun to speculate on theories like Bigfoot or Atlantis or things that almost in a strange way show that magic and mystery is still out there. But conspiracy theories can become dangerous really quickly when you cross the line into science denial. Anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, global warming is a hoax. Essential oils can cure anything. Everybody cough in my face. Do it. Somebody come cough in my face. Yes. Every conspiracy you pretty much ever heard of is all pretty much true. The core theme of all of these theories are centered around a distrust in scientific and medical experts and their professional opinions and advice. It seems that a lot of these science-based conspiracy theories are based on somewhat logical fears. The fear of big pharma, the problems in healthcare, the desire to help the sick, including yourself. I've covered a lot of pseudoscience topics on my channel. Goop, Netflix documentaries, CBD, MLMs and essential oils. And in doing so, I found that much of the reason for these beliefs is the desire for our health to be under our own control. When it comes to feeling out of control, an emotion that leads to conspiracism, health is one of the greatest things we can feel out of control by, especially when it comes to illnesses that have no cure or no explanation, which is why the desire to live a healthier life or new age spirituality and wellness practices can lead to conspiracism so easily. And the last category on the upside on pyramid is the antisemitic. Gonna say that low for the YouTube algorithm to not pick up hopefully, point of no return. Because a lot of these conspiracy theories either have a direct tie to antisemitism or are based on old antisemitic folklore. All of the theories in this category are centered around the belief that the world is controlled by some sort of shadow society or elites or their conspiracy theory beliefs that are connected to that core belief. Secret societies are a great source for conspiracy theories and Hollywood blockbusters. Legends add to the mystique. One thing is certain, a secret society is about elevating members above others, us versus them. Once you reach the point of no return, your beliefs become completely detached from reality. You can also divide and categorize conspiracy theories in a variety of other ways. There's political conspiracy theories versus non-political conspiracy theories. There's local conspiracy theories versus global conspiracy theories. There's scientific versus non-scientific and there's detailed versus not very detailed. But this is where it gets interesting. While going through those conspiracy theories, you may have wondered, where do all of these come from? Interestingly enough, almost all major conspiracy theories can be linked back to one specific conspiracy theory, protocols of the elders of Zion. The protocols of the elders of Zion is one of the most notorious and widely distributed anti-Semitic texts of all time. The protocols is entirely a work of fiction and its entire purpose is to blame the Jewish population for a variety of problems occurring in the world. Those that distribute it claim that it documents a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world. But the conspiracy theory and its supposed leaders, elders of Zion, never existed. The exact origins of the protocols is unknown. As you can probably already deduce, this rhetoric has inspired thousands of modern conspiracy theories that we see today. So if you flip this illustration upside down, what do you get? A pyramid, which brings us to our next point, how conspiracy theories may operate in a similar function to pyramid schemes. In the book, conspiracy theories and those who believe them, a collection of works edited by Joseph E. Usinski, there's a chapter written by Ted Gertzel, titled The Conspiracy Theory Pyramid Scheme. This chapter is all about how conspiracy theories closely mimic pyramid schemes. According to Ted Gertzel, the conspiracy theory pyramid scheme has three tiers. First, writers and intellectuals who reinforce and legitimize conspiracy means. And it obviously is very stupid. Like, it's clearly not a good theory. I love conspiracy theories. Shane Dawson got me into it. Sometimes, even without explicitly endorsing conspiracy theories, that's one of the biggest issues. The more people write or cover conspiracy theories, the more it can legitimize it. The more people widely joke about conspiracy theories, the more the theories get out there and the theories spread. You have to wonder how much the Alex Jones gay frog meme. I don't like him putting chemicals in the water that turn the friggin' frog's gay. Actually contributed to people looking into Alex Jones and stumbling further upon his stuff. That can be a struggle when debating whether or not to talk about these topics. One has to constantly wonder if talking about it is going to only promote the conspiracy theories. The second tier is people with a psychological affinity for conspiracy theories. Personally, I am fascinated by conspiracy theories. I love reading about them. I love watching documentaries about them. I love listening to podcasts about them. In graduate school, I even wrote my master's thesis about them. As we talked about in our last episode, apophynia, conspiratorial thinking, a conspiratorial worldview or conspiracism may cause someone to have an affinity for conspiracy theories. Pattern processing became increasingly sophisticated with expansion of the cerebral cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex and regions involved in image processing. As we evolved, the brain got so good at finding patterns that it sometimes sees a pattern in completely unconnected data. Enter the conspiracy theory. And the third tier are people who feel threatened by a specific issue and become persuaded that a conspiracy theory is at work. Humans are storytellers and our tendency to create narratives and find patterns has served us well throughout history, allowing us to predict, react to, and change the world around us. As someone who has made quite a bit of videos on pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing, I definitely think that there are a lot of similarities between pyramid schemes and conspiracy theories. First, there's the dream that is sold to you. You're told by your recruit that this new system is the answer to unlocking the promised land or uncovering the secret, whether the secret is making lots of money or a conspiracy plot that only you know about. All of a sudden, you are in the know and everyone else going about their nine to five, completely clueless of this secret are just sheep. Wake up, sheeple. You feel empowered, maybe even emboldened by knowing this information. If you feel truly and deeply to your core that you know this truth or the real secret, you may all of a sudden feel the need to share this important, valuable information with all of your friends and family who end up feeling a similar way and sharing it with their close circle and all of a sudden conspiracy theories are spreading in the exact way that pyramid schemes do. Just like how those within an MLM are encouraged to pour all of their time into motivational speakers and gurus and to just focus on the positivity within their MLM or pyramid scheme, conspiracy theorists encourage each other to stay away from mainstream media and mainstream news outlets and mainly focus all their time and energy into conspiracy theory gurus and their respective social media conspiratorial groups. This, of course, can form an echo chamber in which all the perspectives that you surround yourself with closely mimic your own perspective and even at times embolden it. All of this can also be explained as a confirmation bias, the tendency to look for information that supports rather than rejects one's preconceptions instead of having to evaluate every little bit of information, it's kind of easier to only evaluate information that aligns with your existing beliefs. It's more efficient in a strange way. Instead of having to deal with the fear and uncertainty of thinking you might be wrong, it's a little bit easier to only look for information that validates your own beliefs and allows you to feel more confident in believing them. Confirmation bias makes it extremely hard to change a person's mind or even reason with them, especially if they've been indoctrinated into believing that anyone who isn't with them is against them. So that's how conspiracy theories can relate to a lot of aspects of pyramid schemes. But the problem is the conspiracy world and conspiracism isn't just a straightforward pyramid, it's a complex web. Once you've opened yourself up to one conspiracy theory, not only mentally, but also socially, and follow the social channels connected with that conspiracy theory, all of a sudden you become open to more and more conspiracy theories. And more and more conspiracy theories social channels are presented to you. The problem with the internet and social media sites is that you can choose any reality you want. You now have a prairie fire of misinformation and you have a prairie fire of conspiracy. For example, to believe in QAnon, one already has to believe in a few other conspiracy theories. Pizza gay, Democrats are evil, global elites. And then once you're introduced to all those theories, then you're introduced to QAnon. And QAnon itself is so complex with so many moving parts. 4chan, Facebook groups, Telegram groups, ever-changing ideas on who Q is, deciphering Q's messages and the codes that they're using, the storm, the great awakening. Even in just this one conspiracy theory, all the different moving parts and separate theories interwoven into one are so complex that even experts are having a really tough time wrapping their head around it. The world of conspiracy theories has become so dynamic and so diverse that it's almost developed its very own language. I think we're dealing with demonic aliens. The shadow government has been engaged with these non-human entities. They're basically planning a planetary takeover, the scenario described in the book of Revelation, which is the apocalypse. I think they come from other dimensions to roll out this global dystopian technocratic piece-matric system. And we will become enslaved. They're being programmed with inocent magic, occult magic, and they're basically casting spells and curses on us. Conspiracism, in a way, is its very own secret society. So how does one leave a secret society? If you've recruited friends and family into a deeply ingrained belief system or have surrounded yourself socially only with people who think like you, how do you leave something like that? As you can probably imagine, leaving conspiracism can be just as hard, if not harder than leaving a pyramid scheme. Especially when combined with the extremism and radicalization of conspiracists, things can really take a dangerous turn. I can't speak to the experience of leaving a conspiracy theory group, but there are those who have spoken out. Jatarth Jadeha explains his experience leaving QAnon. It's almost like a drug he told the Rolling Stone. You read a Q drop and he tells you something and you're like, whoa dude, that's crazy. A hit of dopamine goes off in your brain and you have to go in deeper and deeper and deeper in order to get that feeling again. When Q first started posting, I felt like here's an explanation that while it doesn't make sense, if it were true, explains the situation better than the current explanations I'm getting. Jadeha also disconnected himself from many of his friends. At the time that he was deep in this conspiracy theory, he was also isolated and intensely struggling with depression and bipolar two disorder. I was, I guess you could say, a prime candidate for Q to take hold of me. Looking back, it seems obvious that I was like probably in a deep depression when I found Q. Jatarth Jadeha, who is 32, says he found QAnon on the internet in 2017. I think superficially it did seem like it gave me comfort. I didn't realize the nefarious kind of impact it was having on me because it was very insidious how it slowly disconnected me from reality. It took years for cracks to begin to emerge for Jadeha, who slowly began to realize that Q drops were filled with logical inconsistencies. A turning point for him was when a follower asked Q to try to get Trump to say the term tippy top as proof of Trump's deep knowledge of the conspiracy. When Trump did say the phrase during a 2018 Easter egg roll speech, Q believers rejoiced, believing that this was confirmation that the conspiracy was all real. And we keep it in tip top shape. We call it sometimes tippy top shape. Jadeha ended up doing more research and ended up finding out that Trump had said this exact same phrase many, many times before. And everything was tippy top. I like tippy top. I like every, everybody goes to my buildings and my clubs are tippy top, right? Tippy top. It's gotta be in tip top shape. Our nuclear is old and tired and his nuclear is tippy top from what I hear. That's when I realized this was all a very slick con, he says. Link Apparen became roped into QAnon after feeling frustrated by the 2016 election and the Democratic Party. She spent hours reading the Hillary Clinton emails. It was within that sense of injustice and rage and disappointment that we really started coming together and sort of doing our own research and connecting the dots, parents said. Link is here, Link is a former QAnon follower. So as soon as you click or like or share on a video or a link or what have you that might have some basis of conspiracy or some agenda, you know, by the end of the week, your entire new speed is filled with very similar material. When people don't feel secure, when they don't feel safe, when they don't feel like they can put a roof over their heads, give their children healthcare, equal education or what have you, they turn to something where you feel powerful, like you can make it happen. And you do become dependent on it because you just feel like you're making a difference. Conspiracism and the belief in conspiracy theories can be so interconnected to mental health. It seems conspiracism can be comforting and also at the same time exhilarating a very odd combination that can lead to that dopamine feeling that makes you want more and more and more. There have also been some people who have gone on popular news channels and spoken out about their belief in these conspiracy theories. I'm going to this sh** scene and do you like it? I'm not playing anymore. Really lost all touch with reality. It was the worst day of my life. I was having a complete mental break. I really became all consumed in the QAnon conspiracy theories because of a mix of fear, anxiety, depression, uncertainty. I was losing my business. I was watching people around me lose their business. I felt hopeless. I didn't know what to do. So I went to the internet. I had to make a very serious decision for my health and my family. And that was voluntarily seeking mental health treatment. I went and I did a PTSD and trauma program, which was really ultimately what I was dealing with. How did you get into this world and go down this rabbit hole? Well, I started seeing TikToks and I didn't know that it was conspiracy things. Well, I was wrong. How do you feel now knowing that you believed all this stuff? It's weird. I think I spent a lot of time this year isolated from everybody. You know, I've just been home a lot. I've lost my job last April in 2020 and I was super depressed. And I think in a way, I'd probably lost touch with a little bit of reality in that almost that common sense. And so I'm not so much embarrassed for what I believed, but I mean, I feel foolish. The reality is a lot of people are afraid to talk about it after they leave. People who have spoken out after leaving a conspiracy theory have been doxxed, harassed and threatened. And for anyone that is extremely scary and dangerous to experience. Another challenging aspect of the conspiracy landscape is family members and loved ones of those who have fallen deep into the conspiracy theory world. The conspiracies may isolate themselves. They may start to believe that others around them are the enemy and are against them and the conspiracy theory they believe. Their entire reality can become completely different than yours, something that can be extremely difficult to navigate. A Reddit forum called r slash QAnon casualties was created for this very reason. The community description reads, have a friend or loved one taken in by QAnon? Look here for support, resources and a place to vent. Learn to heal, deal and de-program. Some of the top all-time posts on r slash QAnon casualties detail heartbreaking stories. Today, my mother said, I want my daughter to be. There isn't a word in the English lexicon for the anger I'm feeling. Seething, infuriated, rabid, frenzied. All of them fall short. My mother has fallen completely into QAnon. She posts that drivel on social media 50 plus times a day every day. She's given up her business. She never does anything but doom scroll and posts 20 plus hours a day. She barely sleeps. I called today out of concern. I tried to be as loving and caring as I could. I wanted my damn mom back. I want the kind caring woman who raised me who always told me she loved me more than anything but that woman is gone. QX violently attacked me minutes after the inauguration. I'm all right in currently working through a bottle of whiskey in a hotel room, still an absolute shock over this. The emotional pain is so much worse than the few scratches I have which I photographed immediately. Today, my ex-girlfriend and I were in separate rooms watching the inauguration when she attacked me completely unprompted. I ended it a few weeks ago after putting up with the Q nonsense for months and I was planning to move out at the end of the month. She had never been abusive in the least before now. Less than five minutes after the inauguration she pounded on the door, didn't wait for a response and rushed in screaming incoherently. She threw herself at me, scratching at my face so it bled. I'm a foot taller than her, big strong guy but I was so taken aback that someone who has never for a moment been violent or abusive could suddenly be trying to do me harm. I tried to hold her hands back but she started kicking so I pushed her away and ran out of the room to the bathroom and locked the door. The bathroom door locked. I grabbed my meds and toiletries. My documents and most of my clothes were already in the car. I could hear her running around the house ranting about how I was glad the pedophiles won. When I sensed a moment of calm I went directly to my car and drove to a hotel an hour away. I'm not going back ever even to get the few clothes I left but I wanted to warn people that you cannot trust someone who has left reality behind. So belief in these conspiracy theories can really mentally affect the individuals who believe them and can severely affect their family and personal relationships. In the first episode I mentioned how believing in conspiracy theories has been found to be a very human thing that has existed throughout centuries but that doesn't mean that conspiracy theories are completely harmless. Believing in a conspiracy theory and going down the online rabbit hole can lead to damaging real life consequences. So in a lot of ways this is not just a game. Conspiracy theory addiction is a very real thing. According to the addiction center it's possible to harm your mental health and relationships by developing a conspiracy theory addiction. Conspiracy theory addiction is a behavioral addiction that can have an impact on the way that you perceive events and has been linked to a more negative attitude. Conspiracy theories can create an endless cycle of distrust and disempowerment, increasingly more and more not trusting others and simultaneously more and more not trusting yourself and your own control over your life and your surroundings. And the risk of conspiracy theory addiction is really long-term negative effects. So how do you escape conspiracy theory addiction? Researchers have found that promoting messages of self-control and empowerment can reduce conspiratorial thinking. Someone who has a conspiracy theory addiction may want to seek help from a counselor who can help them work towards personal goals and increasing a sense of personal empowerment. Conspiracists believe that they don't have much control in the world and even at times may believe that the world is ending soon and that this impending doom is completely outside of their own control. So what can help combat this is creating an action-oriented mindset and encouraging self-responsibility and control. When you start to realize that you are in control of little things throughout your life, you may slowly but surely become more comfortable and confident in society. So there is hope and there is a way out and no conspiracist is fully a lost cause. You can help someone get help but you should never do so at risk of your own personal safety and mental health. The web of conspiracy theories interwoven and interconnected into our lives all connected through a common thread theory all designed to take psychological hold of us as pawns and mouthpieces. This is the game and it's being played out right now as we speak. On the next episode of Conspiranation we examine the players, the participators in this conspiracy theory game otherwise known as the influencers, the politicians and the platforms that allow conspiracism to go almost as viral as COVID-19. See you next time.