The Lure of Conspiracy

The lure of conspiracy is all of the following:

1. "I have special knowledge that others don't acknowledge to be true."

2. "No one can disprove it!"

3. "The random horror in the world frightens me - not because it is horror, but because it is random. I cannot face up to atrocious things that happen for practically no reason at all, that are the work of crackpots and fanatics who do not need the gigantic assistance or blessing of nigh-omnipotent powers in order to bring off their plan. If I think about that too much, I would huddle in the corner and hyperventilate! So I delude myself that the only way atrocious things could ever possibly happen is when an improbably-complex conspiracy at the highest levels of power causes them. That lets me breath more easily. Knowing that there is a power in control, even though it does us harm."

4. "I'm smarter than others. I'm not some gullible sheep who swallows whole what the harmonious chorus of mainstream media outlets say about an event. Instead, I swallow whole what the discordant chorus of random internet dipsticks have to say."

The list is by no means exhaustive.