A billboard in South Gate, California, in 2010 alluding to the conspiracy theory claiming that U.S. President Barack Obama was not born in the country and was therefore ineligible to hold office. WND.com is a conservative Christian news aggregator that sometimes promotes conspiracy theories. Original public domain photo by Victor Victoria.
In the next episode of Frameshift, out Tuesday, we wonder at the rise of conspiracy theories in American culture and their impact on modern political discourse.
Reading List
Did Hillary Clinton start the Obama birther movement? by Jon Greenberg – PolitiFact
Was Hillary Clinton the Original ‘Birther’? by Robert Farley – FactCheck.org
President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate – Whitehouse.gov
Barack Obama birth certificate statement – live coverage, by Richard Adams – The Guardian
Conspiracy Theory Poll Results, by Jim Williams – Public Policy Polling
Understanding the Iran-Contra Affairs – Brown University
Watergate: The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon – Watergate.info
Explaining Volkswagen’s Emissions Scandal, by By Guilbert Gates, Jack Ewing, Karl Russell and Derek Watkins – The New York Times
On the Viability of Conspiratorial Beliefs, by David Robert Grimes – PLOS ONE
9/11 conspiracy theories debunked, by twin towers, by Chris McGreal – The Guardian
Conspiracy Theory – Logically Fallacious
The 5 telltale techniques of climate change denial, by John Cook - CNN
Bringing Closure to the 9/11 Pentagon Debate, by John D. Wyndham – Foreign Policy Journal
Infowars (Alex Jones) – Infowars.com
Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories? by Michael Shermer – Scientific American
Study: Media Can Foster, Reduce Conspiracy Beliefs, by Brandon T. Bisceglia – Science 2.0
Sandy Hook Exposed? by David Mikkelson – Snopes
The Influence of Control on Belief in Conspiracy Theories: Conceptual and Applied Extensions, by Jan-Willem van Prooijen and Michele Acker – Applied Cognitive Psychology
Here are 10 more conspiracy theories embraced by Donald Trump, by Jose A. DelReal – The Washington Post
Donald Trump says the election will be ‘rigged.’ Half of his supporters seem inclined to agree, by Greg Sargent – The Washington Post
Music Notes (In order of appearance)
The Freeharmonic Orchestra – Unconquered Sun
Salmo - La chute de la tête du roi
Nisei23 – Full of Holes
J Hacha de Zola – Better Run
“Unconquered Sun,” “La chute de la tête du roi” and “Better Run” used under a Creative Commons Attribution International license. “Full of Holes” used under an Attribution 3.0 Unported license.