Conspiracy theories are a fascinating thing that can intrigue us when you listen to their theories. For Wenner Moyer “a conspiracy theory can provide comfort by identifying a convenient scapegoat and thus making the world seem simpler and more controllable.” Conspiracy theories give a person hope and comfort and could help people who suffer from anxiety or feelings of loneliness, that's why they scapegoat conspiracy theories to help with their mental state or whatever they are going through. Although conspiracy theories help people overcome their problems, they have more negative than positive impact on the individual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A conspiracy theory can play a negative role in a person's head and can promote violence such as the pizza shop attack or the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. In Moyers' article he draws on psychologist Daniel Jolley who states that "conspiratorial thinking can incite individuals to behave in a way that increases their sense of helplessness, making them feel even worse." In Tara's Westover Educated, Tara describes her father Gene as a paranoid and delusional man as he prepares for "The Days of Abomination". This belief leads him to isolate himself greatly from everyone, forcing him to refuse to go to hospitals or clinics to seek medical assistance, describing doctors as corrupted by "Satan". Gene also refuses to allow his children to attend school, believing that the government will only "brainwash" them. This shows how an extreme conspiracy theorist thinks that he will have a negative way of thinking that will lead him to become paranoid and make others feel the same way. This would cause fear, anxiety and a sense of loneliness to anyone they promote as such with Gene promoting all of these beliefs making them feel so bad. Another way conspiracy theories are bad for your mental health is shown in Moyers' article which says about 39% of Americans feel more anxious about their health, safety, relationships and finances. It also states that “a 2017 study found that promoting anxiety in people also makes them more prone to conspiracy. Feeling alienated or unwanted also seems to make conspiratorial thinking more attractive.” These issues like safety or health are usually some of the ways a person uses a conspiracy theory as a scapegoat. An example of this is shown in cults, as many give you a false sense of hope and usually lead to something bad, promoting all these good things by making you feel more important than others. In Richard Feynman's article he writes “Doubt is clearly a value in the sciences. Whether it is in other fields is an open question and an uncertain question.” He states that doubt is something we need because it is very important for us as it helps us to see a new direction and overall we would not get new ideas. Doubt is used almost every time when hearing about a conspiracy theory as it recognizes how some are usually false and used to gain media attention. A prominent example of doubt was when President Donald Trump won the election leaving many stunned and doubting that he had won rightfully as it was clear that he was somehow the loser, leading people to believe that the Russians were meddling in election polls causing a big disagreement. with the American people dividing them into two groups: Democrats or Republicans. However, the theory of Russian interference has been proven.
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