Another 10 Conspiracy Theories

Following on from our popular Top 10 Conspiracy Theories list, we are now presenting you with another 10. While the theories on this list may not be as well known as the first list, I think many of them are a lot more interesting. So, without further ado, another 10 conspiracy theories.

10. Paul is Dead

“Paul is dead” is an urban legend alleging that Paul McCartney of the British rock band The Beatles died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike and sound-alike. Evidence for McCartney’s death consists of “clues” found among the Beatles’ many recordings, most of which are treated as if they were deliberately placed by The Beatles or others. Literally hundreds have been cited at various times by various people. They include statements allegedly heard when a song is played backwards, symbolism found in obscure lyrics, and ambiguous imagery on album covers. A few of them are well known, such as the fact that McCartney is the only barefooted Beatle and is out of step with the others on the cover of Abbey Road.

9. Pan Am Flight 103

Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways’ third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London’s Heathrow International Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Wednesday December 21, 1988, the aircraft flying this route—a Boeing 747-121 named Clipper Maid of the Seas—was destroyed by a bomb. The remains landed in and around the town of Lockerbie in southern Scotland. A theory for which no evidence has been produced suggests that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had set up a protected drug route from Europe to the United States—allegedly called Operation Corea—which allowed Syrian drug dealers, led by Monzer al-Kassar (who was involved with Oliver North in the Iran-Contra scandal) to ship heroin to the U.S. using Pan Am flights, in exchange for intelligence on Palestinian groups based in Syria. The CIA allegedly protected the suitcases containing the drugs and made sure they were not searched. On the day of the bombing, as the theory goes, terrorists exchanged suitcases: one with drugs for one with a bomb. Another version of this theory is that the CIA knew in advance this exchange would take place, but let it happen anyway, because the protected drugs route was a rogue operation, and the American intelligence officers on PA 103 – Matthew Gannon and Maj. Charles McKee – had found out about it, and were on their way to Washington to tell their superiors.

8. Peak Oil is a Lie

There are theories that the “Peak Oil” concept is a fraud concocted by the oil industries to increase prices amid concerns about future supplies. The oil industry supposedly is aware of vast reserves of untapped oil, but does not utilize them, so that they can maintain the illusion of artificial scarcity. Parallels are drawn between this and the diamond industry, where it is recognized that a monopoly cabal maintain an illusion of artificial scarcity of diamonds, in order to increase their value.

7. AIDS is Manmade

There are claims that AIDS is a man-made disease (i.e. created by scientists in a laboratory). Some of these theories allege that HIV was created by a conspiratorial group or by a secretive agency such as the CIA. It is thought to have been created as a tool of genocide and/or population control. Other theories suggest that the virus was created as an experiment in biological and/or psychological warfare, and then escaped into the population at large by accident. Some who believe that HIV was a government creation see a precedent for it in the Tuskegee syphilis study, in which government-funded researchers deceptively denied treatment to black patients infected with a sexually transmitted disease. It has been claimed that the CIA deliberately administered the HIV virus to African Americans and homosexuals in the 1970s, via tainted hepatitis vaccinations. Groups such as the New Black Panther Party and Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam assert that this was part of a plan to destroy the black race. Others claim that it was administered in Africa as a way of crippling the development of that continent.

6. Water Fluoridation

Fluoride is commonly added to drinking water in the United States and other countries. It is usually justified by drawing attention to the positive benefits to teeth, reducing tooth decay. There is evidence to suggest that fluoridating the water supply may be harmful for those using it, particularly children. There are conspiracy theories that this information is known and recognised by those responsible for adding the fluoride, but that they continue the practice regardless. Drug companies have been targetted as possible beneficiaries, as they will profit from a population with ill-health. Another motive that has been suggested relates to the evidence suggesting that fluoride lowers mental ability: that fluoridation is, by design, used to “dumb down” the population.

5. Drug Company Deceptions

A popular conspiracy theory suggests that drug companies are intentionally not producing cures for a variety of diseases (such as AIDS and cancer) because they profit so heavily from the drugs used to treat the symptoms of these illnesses. Additionally, other medical conspiracies charge that the pharmaceutical companies are in league with some medical practicioners to ‘invent’ new diseases, such as ADD, ADHD in order to increase the userbase of their medications. While most people consider the drug companies to be the primary drivers in this deception, some believe that there is also government involvement due to tax revenues.

4. Chemtrails

The Chemtrail conspiracy theory claims that some trails left behind jet aircraft are different in appearance and quality from those of normal contrails, may be composed of harmful chemicals, and are being deliberately produced, and covered up by the government. These unusual trails are referred to as “chemtrails” (a portmanteau of “chemical trails”). The term specifically refers to systematic, high-altitude dumping of unknown substances for undisclosed purposes, resulting in the appearance of these unusual contrails. Chemtrail advocates say these trails are often laid down in patterns, such as grids, Xs and crosshatches.

3. The Everlasting Light Bulb

Almost since the beginning of the light bulb there have been theories that state that technology relating to an everlasting light bulb is being suppressed in order to keep a strong hold on the profit margins of the bulb manufacturers. This theory has been given some weight due to the Phoebus Cartel which was a cartel of, among others, Osram, Philips and General Electric from December 23, 1924 until 1939 that existed to control the manufacture and sale of light bulbs. The cartel reduced competition in the light bulb industry for almost twenty years. The cartel has featured in fictional works which makes the line between fact and fiction difficult to discern.

2. Iraq – a War for Oil

In recent times, wars in the Middle East such as the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq have been described as wars for oil. In many cases, critics have accused the U.S. of engaging in realpolitik in the cynical sense of political action without regard for principle or morals. It has been suggested that war is a perfect way of distracting citizens, as an electoral tactic, from difficulties facing the then current administration. This premise is the basis of the film Wag the Dog, and the Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

1. The New World Order

This popular conspiracy theory claims that a small group of international elites controls and manipulates governments, industry and media organisations worldwide. The primary tool they use to dominate nations is the system of central banking. They are said to have funded and in some cases caused most of the major wars of the last 200 years, primarily through carrying out false flag attacks to manipulate populations into supporting them, and have a grip on the world economy, deliberately causing inflation and depressions at will. The people behind the New World Order are thought to be international bankers, in particular the owners of the private banks in the Federal Reserve System, Bank of England and other central banks, and members of the Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg Group.

Afterword

No one really knows what causes people to become so fascinated with conspiracy theories. What is known, however, is that they can become so popular as to be considered a form of mass hysteria. Use the comments below to tell us if you believe in any of the theories suggested here.

This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from the Wikipedia articles: Phoebus Cartel, Pan Am Flight 103, Paul is Dead, and Conspiracy Theories.