I read Larry “AKA” Lawrence Berger’s (our local conspiracy theorist) latest letter. Even he could not mount a full throated conspiracy theory about the insurrection. Somebody should take Larry aside and tell him the events of the insurrection were streamed on live TV….but that’s not my point.
How do conspiracy theories get started? We’ll let use Larry “AKA” Lawrence Berger as an example. So, one day I decide to post on my social media that Larry is a card carrying liberal communist and he is secretly recruiting others. So, this would be my post “I don’t know if this is true, but people are saying Larry “AKA” Lawrence Berger is a liberal communist and people have proof and the proof will be published soon.” Then someone on my social media group sends it out and adds people like Larry are infiltrating our rural communities. What got dropped was my opening comment “I don’t know if this is true” Next a local conspiracy theorist writes an op-ed to their local paper about how liberal communist like Larry are infiltrating towns like Monticello.
Speculation begins to spread on social media about this phenomenon and we must stop this spread of liberal communism lead by unpatriotic people like Larry. Now we have a national crisis looming in rural America. Next an op-ed is written for Bright Bart news that has a national audience stating that people like Larry are communist liberals and hiding in plain sight in rural America. This writer sites example’s like rural church attendance is down and ties this directly to the influence the communist liberals like Larry are having. Now not a bit of this is true but its sounding like it could be. Then one night Tucker Carlson opens his Fox show with the panel discussing how rural American is not being overrun by liberal communist and ties this back to what happened in Monticello led by that communist Liberal Larry. Now folk’s we’ve found the truth...it’s one Fox... but wait it was never true. So next time you see Larry “AKA” Lawrence Berger around town ask him if he is a liberal communist trying to infiltrate our local community and keep people from attending church. And that my friend’s is how a conspiracy theory gets started and becomes the truth.
Reese Reynods