Recently I encountered some individuals who were mulling over the idea concerning ‘how did conspiracy theories actually initially come about, and then from this, to be disseminated among the wider population in the time before the Internet’?
Their answers were fairly amusing and predictable boilerplate in nature. Not one of them seem to realize that prior to the Internet, the concept of conspiracy theory was a common discourse among intelligent people. Everyone I knew was interested in such ideas, and no one was considered a dangerous crank for having an interest in the subject. From the Grassy Knoll to Karen Silkwood we—collectively as a society—had not yet been educated into being eagerly compliant consciousness serfs who automatically idolize and champion the eternally virtuous establishment and all its righteous workings.
So when they came to me regarding the origin of conspiracy theory culture—and notwithstanding that the term itself was created by the CIA in order to belittle genuine skepticism into the agencies’ actions—this is the answer I gave:
”Conspiracy theories have always been around because powerful people and organizations do wicked things in secrecy in order to retain and increase their power.
It is only in recent times that a bizarre situation has arisen whereby people think that conspiracies among the powerful can't possibly happen. Because all politicians and corporations are now—in the post 9/11 era—somehow infallible paragons of virtue.
So we are now at a unique—and frankly disturbing—situation today in that most people actually 'think' it is a sign of being intellectually elevated, to unconditionally trust an entity such Pfizer (despite Pfizer having a spectacularly appalling malpractice record) and that this time Pfizer are not in it for a fast buck. If anyone points out Pfizer‘s past misdeeds in good faith—and even supplies the numerous court judgements and massive fines as a result—then the messenger is instantly deemed a 'far right conspiracy theorist'.
This default, Pavlovian reaction takes place—with all the precision of a knee-jerk automaton—regardless of who and what this person might be who is the one delivering this information. A reaction straight out of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The facts don’t matter. Only the label and the follow up chortling matters.
When did conspiracy theories start? They are probably to be found on paleolithic cave paintings. There has always been devious psychopaths looking to get power over others and conversely—no doubt—there was also some self-impressed paleolithic individual remarking. "Leave him alone, fire can't be used to burn someone else's property you far right conspiracy theorist!" The only difference between then and now is; it was the one defending the psychopath who was deemed to be a lunatic.