April 15, 2019. It was a sorrowful day for the world, as the Notre Dame was engulfed in flames. “I feel sad tonight to see this part of us burn,” said French president Emmanuel Macron in a tweet. Official sources stated that the fire was accidental, and it was most likely due to a technological malfunction. But it was only a matter of time before conspiracy theories about the event would circulate around the Internet.
Even before the fire was extinguished, conspirational websites such as 4chan began alleging that the fire had been started by the French government, Jews, or an Islamic terrorist group. Almost instantly, the charges spread to a receptive audience worldwide. It was the expected course of events. Big, impactful and shocking social events – a fire, a flood, a terrorist strike, a war, and so on – typically elicit conspiracy theories among large groups of citizens who question the official reading of the news.
But why do conspiracy theories seem to come up naturally when shocking events happen? How does it relate in the human life? Find out the answers over at Aeon.
What are your thoughts about this one?
(Image Credit: jambulboy/ Pixabay)
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I think it's good that conspiracies come up, we shouldn't just believe everything we see in the media because it is portrayed a certain way. Newspapers, television, news, outlets, don't just giving you the facts they outline it in a way to lead you to believe something oh, so conspiracy theorists see through this and can imagine got something else to place people are trying to cover up
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I pity the burning of the cathedral because of the loss of artifacts it represents. I can't see any effect the French government, Jews, or an Islamic terrorist group could achieve by setting the Hunchbacks's home on fire. Without any motive there is no reason to anticipate any conspiracy therory. Without andy motive the question Cui bono? stays unsanswerd.
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