Conspiracy Theory, good or bad?

Most don't know, but "conspiracy theory" was a label created by the CIA to discredit facts exposing an "official" story. It was 1st used back in the 60s to debunk questions around the Kennedy assassination. Now that some of those documents are public, some of those theories have turned out to be facts.

Conspiracies are real, theories are just conjectures yet to be proven - or disproven. A conspiracy theory is not necessarily bad or wrong, it is just unproven. A theory is a supposition (best guess) made based on the facts at hand. A good theorist doesn't stop there, however, but uses a hunch to see if it can be backed up with solid proof. If it can't, it is set aside. Once it can be proven, it is no longer a theory but a confirmed conspiracy.  Regardless, it is a necessary part of determining the truth. And this is important. Labeling something (or someone) as a conspiracy theory (or theorist) is an attempt to shut down investigation so the truth cannot be discovered.

Investigation, however, is the normal and required procedure for any investigator, whether a detective or a journalist. It is so common, several popular shows were based on it. You'll likely remember popular detective shows offered over the years, such as "Law and Order", "NCIS" or "CSI." There's even a game based on investigation called "Clue." 

Most of us like mysteries and solving puzzles. They are always engaging.  Yet we never hear of these being labeled "conspiracy theory" shows or games, do we?

Conspiracies are very real and have been around for a long time. Judas Iscariot - who betrayed Christ - would be a conspirer you might be familiar with.

Whenever someone is quick to use the conspiracy theory label, it should raise a red flag. It is often used to shut down discourse and exploration of the facts.  Instead of shutting down investigation, it should make us ask what exactly are *they hiding and why? 

We have seen a ton of this of late with social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and the like by censoring information and even shutting down entire accounts in an attempt to stymie investigation and questions regarding "official" narratives. Not a good thing. All sides of a debate need to be considered so folks can think for themselves and make their own choice. If you stymie one voice, you can stymie another, and that other could be yours. Without the free exchange of different views, we have "group think" aka "1984."

The strategy of deceivers is to discredit their opposition (truth-seekers) by labeling them as something other than what they really are. This is the classic ad hominem attack, i.e. an attempt at character assassination. It is only necessary to use when facts and truth are not on ¹their side.  If you can draw attention away from the facts by assassinating someone's character the facts no longer matter, regardless of how significant they may be.

We should never be afraid of discussing facts. This is how we collectively come to the truth. Rarely does one person have all the facts. Others will often have a piece of the puzzle we don't. Without discussion, you may never discover the full picture. But isn't that the point? Those who try to defame someone by labeling them as conspiracy theorists don't want you to know the truth. How do those hiding the truth address this? Never by discussing the facts. That is dangerous and could result in the discovery of truth. Facts must be avoided at all costs...even if it means lying about someone or something. Their only concern is to discredit the truth by smearing ones character i.e. ad hominin attack

If someone ever tries to label you a conspiracy theorist, thank them. This likely means you are a truth-seeker and "over the target." Nothing bad ever comes from discovering the truth... unless you are the one lying.

For those worn out by the back and forth between truth-seekers and deceivers, this is part of the strategy. If garbage (aka lies) is thrown out often, and long enough, some start believing the lies or worse - many grow weary, shut down, and quit seeking the truth. This is the goal, and it has significant consequences. When this happens, deceivers win by default. 

Truth matters and lies matter. We often make life-changing decisions based on what we are told, good or bad.  As an example, the Patriot Act was the fruit of the 9/11 event. If what occurred is something other than the "official" narrative, it was unnecessary to give up the freedoms - significant, life-altering actions - imposed on us by the Patriot Act, most of which is still in force almost 20 years later. 

For further discussion, I recommend the following thought-provoking article on the nature of a "conspiracy theory" http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=14945

Be prepared for a deep dive. 

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¹To make the truth seeker look silly and discredit them (and make themselves look wise and superior), someone will sometimes self righteously ask who exactly are "they" or "them" i.e. the conspirers? The simple answer is anyone who seeks to deceive and keep you from discovering who "they" are or what "they" are trying to hide.