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Paranoia vs. Truth

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Submitted By tlisak
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I define a conspiracy as any organized plan that is acted upon based upon assumptions of guilt with little or no proof to support accusations. Conspiracies are conniving and created out of a desire for personal gain. People fear what they cannot understand and create theories to explain why some people choose to live outside of the norm. Many of these theories are inaccurate and stem from paranoia. Today, our culture has become accustomed to diversity, but during the height of the witch-hunts being different was unacceptable and seen as a sign of witchcraft. While I do not accept everything I hear with blind faith, I am skeptical of most of the conspiracy theories that I have encountered. I am not definitive in my beliefs about conspiracies as a whole because some conspiracies seem plausible, while other seem nonsensical. It was not difficult for me to believe that witches held a “Sabbath” and celebrated by mixing the fat of children with poisonous animals such as serpents. However, I do not believe that every individual that was accused of witchcraft was in fact guilty. In some cases, such as the case of Dame Alice Kyteler, evidence showed that the accused were indeed guilty. In other instances, such as the Salem witch trials, innocent people died because they were wrongfully accused. Conspiracy theorists are still perpetuating their arguments today in premises that range from government protected aliens living in Area 51 to beliefs that September 11th was orchestrated by the United States. While I do not believe in either of these theories, I cannot help but acknowledge the evidence behind certain advertisements that are immorally geared towards an inappropriate market. For example, the alcoholic drink, Four Loko, is designed to look like your average energy drink, many of which are very popular among high school students. While no advertising agency will admit

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