10 Awful Truths Behind Famous Conspiracy Theories

Top 10 Awful Truths Behind the Most Famous Conspiracy theories

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Awful Truths Behind the Most Famous Conspiracy theories.

For this list, we’ll be looking under the surface of some of the biggest conspiracies circulating the internet to reveal the real life damage they can lead to.

Is there a conspiracy theory redacted from this list? Let us know in the comments below.

#10: Flat Earth

Scientists have known that the earth was round for over two thousand years. Ancient Greek astronomer Eratosthenes calculated a relatively accurate measure of the earth’s circumference. Science has provided centuries of observable data ever since, from Magellan’s circumnavigation to satellite photos. Still, the belief in a flat earth persists. While the practical harms of Flat Eartherism are negligible, there is a real danger. The more it spreads, the more it fosters distrust in empirical science and observable fact. If 'science' is an agenda-driven field, facts are no different than beliefs. Flat Earthers are rarely persuadable, even when they accidentally prove themselves wrong. It’s a dark road that often leads to other anti-science ideas like anti-vaxxers.

#9: Violent Incidents Are “False Flags”

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in 2012, conspiracists have glommed even more onto many incidents of mass fire-related violence in America. Alex Jones went on his popular radio show “InfoWars” and suggested that the victims were crisis actors. Their family members were then harassed and threatened. Tens of thousands of people began to believe that many, if not all, incidents of mass violence were fake. Others believed they were false flags meant to justify gun confiscation. The spread of this theory has seemingly led to surges in gun purchases. As of 2023, there are 120 guns for every 100 people in the US. In 2022, Alex Jones lost several lawsuits by Sandy Hook families, and was ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution.

#8: QAnon

In 2016, a gunman walked into Comet Pizza in Washington, D.C. This restaurant, he believed, was home to a Democratic sex-trafficking ring. Since then, Pizzagate evolved into QAnon, a movement started by an anonymous supposed Trump official - or someone with links to the former president at least. Since its inception, QAnon has been an example of horseshoe theory in action. People on the far left and far right were roped in thanks to their desire to protect children. It's a gateway theory that leads to antisemitism, anti-vaxxers, and white nationalism. In 2022 and 2023, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment within the movement began to grow stronger, with politicians and activists accusing gay and trans people of grooming, fomenting hatred. The early 2020s have seen laws being passed all over the country, stripping LGBTQ+ Americans of their rights.

#7: Who Really Assassinated JFK

When you look at cinema history, there was a significant transition in the 1960s and 1970s. Traditional narratives exploded, and heroes were ground down by the machinery of mysterious, powerful forces. This reflected the broader cultural decline of trust in American institutions. ** That deterioration had many parents. Arguably, one of the first was the assassination of JFK. Presidential assassinations are rare. Kennedy’s was the first in over sixty years, and the first in the era of television. The Zapruder film put it out there for the whole world to see. When Lee Harvey Oswald claimed he “didn’t shoot anybody,” and was later killed by Jack Ruby, conspiracies abounded. Explanations of the assassination rang hollow, and mistrust in the government’s story spread around the country.

#6: The 2020 Election

The 2020 U.S. presidential election was one of the most contentious in modern history. Though former President Trump’s own government called it ‘the most secure’ ever, Trump himself promulgated misinformation. The false claim that the election was stolen led to a violent insurrection on January 6th, 2021. The attack caused ripples of damage across the country and divided many Americans about what happened. The opinions are mostly divided between the Jan 6th Committee version vs the Tucker Carlson version of the events of the day. Families in many communities are facing irreparable schisms. Hundreds of law enforcement officers were forced to deal with the physical and psychological aftermath of the attack. At least 1000 people, according to the Department of Justice, were arrested.

#5: An Inside Job

Back in the day, conspiracy theorists would have to print a conspiracy newsletter at home and mail it to their dozen subscribers. Today, thanks to algorithms and social media, lies are able to actually travel the world before the truth gets out of bed. The attack on September 11th, 2001 was one of the first major world events where news spread online. As a result, Nine Eleven trutherism benefited greatly from the internet. People shared their beliefs in emails and web forums. Some believed it to be a false flag operation, an inside job. Others blamed Israel. Though no violent civilian action came from conspiracy theories directly, the communities and bonds that formed online laid the groundwork for more modern hubs like 8chan, now known as 8kun.

#4: COVID-19

At first, conspiracies about COVID-19 focused on the virus itself. For months, people believed that the entire thing was a hoax. Even as infection and death rates surged, millions refused to believe that any of it was true. Some refused to believe the truth even as they lay dying in the hospital. The conspiracies then shifted to the vaccines. Some claimed that the vaccine was a way for Bill Gates to implant tracking chips. Many turned to unproven ‘treatments’ like Ivermectin. That often led to death either from untreated COVID or the homebrew treatments themselves.Thanks to conspiracy theories, millions of Americans absolutely refuse to get vaccinated. According to one analysis, almost one quarter of a million people in the US likely died unnecessarily from Covid-19. (1)

#3: Jewish People Control the Media, the Banks & the World

Anti-Semitic tropes are particularly insidious. Current iterations were pushed both by Tsarist Russia and Nazi Germany. Modern stereotypes are over a century old and are often culturally entrenched. People don’t always understand why seemingly positive stereotypes about Jewish people can be harmful. But those tropes are inextricably linked to the idea that Jewish people ‘control the media and the banks.’ Virtually every conspiracy theory about a ‘secret cabal ruling the world’ has Jewish people playing a central role. Anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence are on the rise all over the world. Half of the world’s Jewish people live in the US, making it an acute crisis in America. Anti-Semitism has also seemingly become part of Islamist extremism and white nationalist movements.

#2: The Government & Big Med Are Targeting a Certain Demographic

Black people in the US have endured centuries of oppression and neglect by both the government and medical establishment. Tools like redlining, Jim Crow, and segregation were used to prevent access to wealth and good health. Understandably, this has led to perennial mistrust. This compounds the damage caused by a lack of investment in Black communities. From the crack epidemic to Covid-19, misinformation and partial truths linger. When the vaccines came out, for example, it elicited memories of the Tuskegee Experiments. Thousands of Black Americans fell ill or died unnecessarily because they weren’t vaccinated. To this day, trolls and bots spread disinformation online to keep people of color distrustful of and disconnected from the levers of power.

#1: The Great Replacement Theory

In 1973, a French author wrote a dystopian novel titled “The Camp of the Saints.” It detailed mass migration from developing countries to Europe and North America. This migration destroyed the ‘white character’ of those western countries. It has since become a manifesto of sorts for white supremacists. Its premise has morphed into the modern “Great Replacement Theory.” Proponents believe that a cabal of elites and Jewish people deliberately bring in immigrants of colour to dilute white power and erase white identity. This conspiracy theory has spread like wildfire online and on right-wing media. It’s often found in the manifestos of ideologically-driven perpetrators of mass firearms-related violence. The 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue and 2022 Buffalo shootings were both motivated at least partially by the Great Replacement Theory.