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How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago by Yondoza@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories?

I was talking with someone today about nutrition. This person has a PhD in material science. They mentioned eating beef daily and I asked about the cholesterol implications. The answer was about a vague 'they' wanted us to think that, but it wasn't true anymore.

I hear the vague 'they' so frequently now it's just a normal conversation. In truth, as soon as I hear the vague they I dismiss the speaker's credibility on the subject, but how did we get here? Vague they wanted us to think X is a valid counter argument by the most highly educated people in our society?

This sounds like more of a rant than a question, but I do truly want to know how this happened? Was it pop culture like the X Files that made conspiracy theories main stream? Was it social media? When will the vague they stop being an accepted explanation? Has it always been this way and I didn't notice?

Thanks, love you!

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[–] lattrommi@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 days ago

I do the same with "we". Someone will say something like "How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories?" and my first thought is "Who is 'we'? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" because I personally don't feel like I am casual about conspiracy theories. It doesn't matter if that's accurate or not. When someone uses "we" like that, they are speaking for others in a way that might not be true and in my opinion that's a manipulative way to trick some people to think incorrectly and excludes the possibility that other people might think in a different way. I don't like when others speak on my behalf, I am not part of their "we" world.