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Originally Posted by TDK1044
Facts are always more boring than contrived theories. There seems to be a human need to construct conspiracy theories about significant events in history. It's always the boring old facts that win out though.  |
So very true. I once had several run-ins with a dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy buff. He was absolutely sure of all of them: JFK, the moon landings, Roswell - you name it. One day I asked him if he knew about the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln. His eyes got big and he started breathing hard. "There was a conspiracy in the Lincoln assassination?"
I told him "Yep. Booth was to shoot the president, another guy was to kill Vice President Johnson, and a third was to kill Secretary of State Seward. The VP guy chickened out, and the State attempt was foiled by Seward's son. They hanged three people, plus Mary Surrat, the woman who owned the hotel where all the plotting was done."
When he realized the conspiracy was a real one, his eyes glazed over and he walked away. People don't want the truth; they want something exciting and different, however bizarre it may be.
Do I believe such a thing is possible? Of course - anything is possible. JFK may have been killed by the CIA, mafia, or Castro; or by secret order of Lyndon Johnson. There may be aliens stored away somewhere, and FDR may have planned the Pearl Harbor attack himself (I still point that out whenever I see the old footage of Dauntlesses in attack mode immediately followed by shots of Pearl burning). Just don't tell me I HAVE to believe it. The truth is usually much simpler, and sometimes things are exactly what they seem.