Conspiring To Confuse

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Conspiracies theories are everywhere. In mere moments after the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse wild speculation erupted. It was terrorists. It was a government plot. Five days after the massive steel truss bridge was hit by an equally massive cargo ship the conspiracy theorists are having a field day, despite the obvious facts. In the aftermath of the horrendous Crocus City Hall attack competing conspiracy theories raged around the world. Catherine, Princess Of Wales vanished from the public eye so the disingenuous tabloids along with multitudes of inept royal watchers crafted mind-boggling scenarios. Then, the Princess released a disquieting video as an explanation for her absence. This in turn prompted even more conspiracy speculation – why was she alone? Where was her husband? It must have been AI! Meanwhile, a man whose life has been plagued with and by conspiracy theories sits in deplorable conditions in the UK’s notorious Belmarsh maximum security prison. Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is informed that the UK court has ordered a delay to his extradition to the US.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark, a frequent contributor to Life Elsewhere explains that conspiracy theories are nothing new. He goes on to say that conspiracy theories are now an unavoidable aspect of our lives in the 21st century. Binoy cites examples of how conspiracy theories have and can change the course of history. He also answers the question, “Who do conspiracy theories serve?” Kampmark with his signature drool wit suggests the fundamental facts of conspiracy theories are: Error, Idiocy and Incompetence.

In August of 2015 we posed the question, “Could A Caricature Become President?” Back then that notion sounded absurd.  Yet, underlying the ridiculousness of the possibility that the most unqualified and unsuitable person could ever hold the office of president there was then an unnerving concern that it may actually happen. As crazy as it was to comprehend, Donald J Trump was running for president and as ludicrous as it seemed, we had to remind ourselves, what if he won! We go back in time to the summer of 2015 to hear a conversation with acclaimed political cartoonist and commentator, Steve Brodner.

Revisit the original Life Elsewhere page from August 2015, complete with numerous caricatures of Trump.

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