CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



Conspiracy Theories — Fear That Hides In Plain Sight

Sep 10, 2018
by Caroline Miller
conspiracy theories, Donald Trump, Golden Ratio, pedophiles in Catholic Church, pedophiles in Democratic Party, QAnon, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hanity
2 Comments

Rush Limbaugh courtesy of google.com

Is America becoming more conservative or more liberal? That depends upon how you read the demographics.  Four out of five Americans live in urban areas, (“Notes” The Week, August 17/24, 2018, pg. 16), and if your believe  a report in the Washington Post, urban areas tend to vote liberal.  Others suggest the country is already liberal, despite the rantings of TV personalities like Sean Hanity and Rush Limbaugh. The crowd they cater to is dwindling, white men and woman, mostly  evangelicals, who “see themselves as losing their grip on the country amid rapid cultural and demographic change.” (“Talking Points,” The Week, August 17/24, 2018, pg. 17.)

Anxiety provides fertile ground for mischief, not the least of which are  budding conspiracy theories.  One conservative group called QAnon  issues frequent warnings of  imminent social danger.  The purpose is to keep the base on its toes and loyal.   Those of us who imagine ourselves sane might shudder at some of the stories they tell, especially those about  our nation’s capital. Much of it has to do with alien invasions and depicting Donald Trump as the great white hope.  Any criticism leveled against him they see as a  plot to destroy the man and, therefore, the country.  Since a good deal of Trump criticism comes from Democrats, true believers see the party as part of an evil empire. One QAnon member was so convinced Democrats were running a pedophile ring to fund their nefarious projects, he blocked off Hoover Damn, demanding the release of relevant documents. (Ibid, pg. 17.) 

The charge might be plausible.  After the  ongoing pedophile scandals in the Catholic Church, I can entertain any possibility.  But to be convinced, I need more than a whisper.  I need evidence.  Of course, that’s the beauty of conspiracy theories.  They don’t require evidence, only someone’s willingness to believe.  And while such theories may strike most of us as absurd, those who do believe are in numbers large enough to harm our democracy.  

Is the country moving to the right or left, politically?  I don’t know.  I’m a centrist, myself.  If the Golden Ratio is good enough for nature, I suspect we humans might benefit from being guided by it, too.   I do admit conspiracy theories aren’t the sole province of conservatives.  I’ve heard whoppers from the other side, liberals whose  sanity I thought I could trust.

I submit we’re all a little crazy.  So, what harm could it do to listen to one another? Listening doesn’t mean we agree with what’s being said, only that the speaker, if he or she isn’t promoting a riot, has the right to speak.  Who knows?  If  we listen long enough, we might catch a peek of the person trembling behind the mask and come to a better understanding of him or her.     

 

Social Share
2 Comments
  1. Kathy gustafson September 10, 2018 at 7:32 am Reply
    Good morning Caroline, Mark and I have a ‘friend’ that is a believer in Q. We were shocked to find out he subscribed to these ideas. I follow him on FB. As much as I want to I unfriend him for his crazy accusations, I feel like it’s better to know what others are thinking, and not not be blind to the other side. .
    • Caroline Miller September 10, 2018 at 8:30 am Reply
      We are of the same mind on this one.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller