3.5 Reasons Why African Americans Believe Conspiracy Theories
Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory and the majority of Americans believe in at least one. They allow the ability to disconnect from reality and feel as if one has some certainty about the world. From the theory that 2Pac fled to and is currently living in Cuba, building the suspense of his next album, to the 9/11 attacks being an inside job conducted by our own government; conspiracy theories are created so that people can find comfort when evil and chaotic events occur. There ARE sinister activities going on behind the scenes and these theories are created in order to not only cope with the true trauma experienced, but also to neglect the damage that is done as a result of these sinister dealings. Here are the top 3.5 reasons why black people believe conspiracy theories.
1) 400 Years of Slavery/The Government
Many people know that America is inherently racist. Native Africans were taken from their homelands, stripped of their identities, and faced inhuman conditions for countless generations. Slavery lasted for over 400 years and African Americans are still suffering from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. With Jim Crow laws, which were created to systematically segregate African Americans and the infamous “War on Drugs” campaign which President Nixon’s administration used in order to distribute large quantities of drugs into African American communities; it’s easy to see why African Americans do not trust the government. The low levels of political trust cause blacks to resort to conspiracy theories and construct false narratives.
2) Tuskegee Experiment
Why don’t black men go to the doctor? One reason is an experiment which lasted from 1932 to 1972 by the U.S Public Health Service. In this experiment doctors gave over three hundred black men syphilis. The experiment was to see the effects of the virus when left untreated. It killed numerous people involved in the experiment and no one can determine the lasting effect it had on that community. The entire ordeal sounds like it was written for The Twilight Zone, but it’s real. African American’s have actual documented proof of instances that the government was “out to get” them.
3) The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
The high profile assassination of our most prolific civil rights leader is one of the most tragic events in US history. There has been a lot of smoke surrounding King’s murder since his passing April 4, 1968. Ray a petty thief escaped capture for sometime and almost fled to Europe on a fake Canadian passport. He plead guilty to the murder of King to avoid the death penalty, but maintained his innocence to the day of his death. In 1999 the King family won a wrongful death claim against Loyd Jowers and “other unknown conspirators.” The jury found Jowers to be complicit in a conspiracy against King and that government agencies were apart of the operation.
3.5) We Get NO Love
African Americans get the short end of the stick when it comes to living in America. Systematic racism clouds the judgement of leaders in society. Just a foot note for the world to hear.
My name is Londen Berksteiner; I tell jokes for chicken wings.
