With examples like the anti-immigrant Know Nothing Movement in the 1850s in the United States to the rise of the anti-Jewish Nazi Party in Germany beginning in the 1920s, conspiracy theories have roiled their false narratives (by definition, it is no longer a “theory” if ever proven true) in both successful and abortive efforts to usurp existing political structures. Most of us are aware of the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi movement, one that killed 12-13 million slaves/“undesirables”(including 6 million Jews who were blamed for most of Germany’s ailments), but not many of us are aware of a brief moment in our own country, in the era preceding Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
The Know Nothings (aka the American Party) fostered the overriding principle that the only legitimate rule could be by pureblooded pedigree Anglo-Saxon Protestants. That party included “more than 100 elected congressmen, eight governors, a controlling share of half-a-dozen state legislatures from Massachusetts to California, and thousands of local politicians. Party members supported deportation of foreign beggars and criminals; a 21-year naturalization period for immigrants; mandatory Bible reading in schools; and the elimination of all Catholics from public office. They wanted to restore their vision of what America should look like with temperance, Protestantism, self-reliance, with American nationality and work ethic enshrined as the nation's highest values.” Smithsonian Magazine.
These toxic false narratives, core to the very existence of conspiracy theorists, are based on information… from somewhere. Today, as much as we blame Fox News, OAN and Newsmax – with massive support from Twitter and Facebook – for the perpetuation of the false narrative that ultimately led up to the January 6th insurrection attempt, there are some more basic human realities that have made this social cancer a violent reality. One exceptionally difficult to purge. Long before the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and his followers – apparently sensing his probable demise – began to spread the notion of a rigged election, despite the massive security measures that were being deployed nationwide.
With over sixty lawsuits filed by the pro-Trump side, with many determined by Trump judicial appointees, there was not a shred of evidence in support of widespread election fraud, and the election manipulation that did surface was almost entirely traced directly to Donald Trump and his supporters. But the notion of a stolen election is the primary driver of current political violence. A justification for domestic terrorism… relabeled as “patriotism.” Conspiracy theorists who proselytize and feel the “Stop the Steal” mantra deeply, who truly believe that Donald Trump was duly elected and that only a deep state and illegitimate government unlawfully made Joe Biden the apparent victor. They see themselves as fighting to preserve the United States from un-American constitutional violators. Enemies and evil players like Democrats and disloyal Republicans. History teaches us that there is never a positive result when conspiracy theories spread into any society. With such an obviously false narrative, how did so many people buy so passionately into this toxicity?
Yale University researchers were particularly interested in how the human brain processes such social conflicts. “When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the brain. When they disagree, however, many other regions of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions become mobilized as each individual combats the other’s argument, a Yale-led research team reports Jan. 13 in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience…
“When the people were in agreement, brain activity was harmonious and tended to be concentrated on sensory areas of the brain such as the visual system, presumably in response to social cues from their partner. However, during disputes these areas of the brain were less active. Meanwhile, activity increased in the brain’s frontal lobes, home of higher order executive functions… ‘There is a synchronicity between the brains when we agree,’ [Yale research author and psychiatry professor, Joy] Hirsch, said. ‘But when we disagree, the neural coupling disconnects.’…
“In discord, she said, two brains engage many emotional and cognitive resources ‘like a symphony orchestra playing different music.’ In agreement, there ‘is less cognitive engagement and more social interaction between brains of the talkers, similar to a musical duet.’” Yale News, January 13th. In dissonance, the biological reactions are varied, powerful and very unpleasant. When you understand that conspiracy theories depend heavily on peer-to-peer communications, it is little wonder that those who embrace these false narratives avoid unpleasant confrontations and seek those with harmonious views.
Simply, people filter out conflicting information, avoid coherent arguments with those who disagree, and focus on media and individual contacts (in person, in groups or in social media) who agree with their perspective. For those being introduced to these false narratives, their conversion is deeply solidified if and when they themselves begin to embrace, communicate and defend those conspiracy theories to others. They literally dig themselves into a black hole that becomes exceptionally difficult to escape. Later, to reverse such a fervently held belief is an almost insurmountable psychological effort. Many whip themselves into an angry frenzy in defense of their now deeply felt commitment, one they have defended repeatedly to their peers.
The United States has overcome that No Nothing era, reversed its long-held views on slavery although that required a Civil War, battled through and out of the Jim Crow era, ultimately rejected McCarthyism, survived the dissonance of the Vietnam War, is still struggling with racial injustice and now faces a right-wing insurrection that is predicated on deeply embedded conspiracy theories. Will we survive as a nation? If we cannot rebuild bridges of commonality to allow the nation to move forward, do we even deserve to call ourselves Americans?
I’m Peter Dekom, and it is clear that to reunite, to function as a viable nation, people are going to have to let go of some rather firmly held beliefs… and if they cannot…
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