The difference between a conspiracy theorist and a conspiratologist

by Norio Hayakawa
June 24, 2011
E-mail = noriohayakawa@gmail.com


There is a world of a difference between a conspiracy theorist and a conspiratologist.

It seems to me that the word "conspiratology" has never been officially recognized or defined correctly in the dictionary.
It is a word that was claimed to have been coined by several individuals over the last three decades or so.

As far as I know, one of the first persons to have coined that word (although in a wrong context) was Gary Schultz of Santa Monica, California, who was a former colleague of mine in the early 1990s when I was active in an informal group called the Civilian Intelligence Network.

What Gary Schultz actually meant was that he was a conspiracy theorist. Instead, he accidentally described himself as a conspiratologist.

A conspiracy theorist is a person who openly espouses (believes in) a conspiracy theory or conspiracy theories.

A conspiratologist is a person who simply studies about conspiracy theories.

Conspiratology is a comprehensive study on the origins, the role and effects of beliefs in conspiracy theories on society.

It is a general study on why beliefs in conspiracy theories or conspiratorial worldview are deeply ingrained in the psyche of a segment of human society.

(The Newsweek Magazine made a comment a few years ago that beliefs in conspiracy theories have become as American as apple pie.)

There are many conspiracy theorists but conspiratologists seem to be few in number.

Therefore it is important to bear in mind that a conspiratologist does not espouse any conspiracy theory at all.
(However, if he does, he will only give an impression to the public that he does not subscribe to conspiracy theories.)

A conspiratologist simply studies and evaluates the impact of beliefs in conspiracy theories on society and how people's beliefs in such theories could be manipulated or benefited by an individual or individuals (who may or may not represent an organized group, such as certain governmental agencies or the military), partly in order to bring about certain agendas, to conceal certain agendas, or to detract attention away from certain agendas, such as muddying the waters of certain agendas.

Creation and manipulation of certain "cover stories" play a vital role in such operations.

Many large defense contractors have someone who skillfully creates "cover stories" as a means to mislead curiosity seekers among the civilian public especially during certain technological testing phases for covert or innovative programs.

For example, a creation and manipulation of such "cover stories" may have taken place during the mid 1980s to the early 1990s when several sensitive projects such as stealth technology, hypersonic spy planes as well as remotely-controlled platforms such as UAV and UCAV programs were conducted at locations such as at Area 51.

Bringing about the "laughter curtain" to the public (for example, by creation of UFO stories or "alien" technology stories to the goings-on at the Groom Lake complexes in Nevada) seems to have been a strategy conceived by both the defense contractors and the Air Force).

Going back to the idea of manipulation of beliefs in conspiracy theories, it is said that on occasion, an individual or individuals (who may or may not represent an organized group such as certain governmental agencies or the miitary) , may even assume and play the role of a "conspiracy theorist", posing himself as one, i.e., implanting himself as a "mole" in a segment of society, such as among UFO organizations like MUFON, etc.) in order to gather information on what the public or a segment of the public knows about certain specific agenda.

Immediately after the end of World War II, when a large number of German scientists, engineers and former SS intelligence officers were brought to the U.S. to places such as Kirtland Army Air Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico (present-day Kirtland AFB) in 1945 (through the U.S. program called Operation Paperclip), the U.S. did benefit from acquisition of SS offcers' know-how in intelligence operations and techniques.

The German officers were skilled in the use of certain intelligence operations and strategies, such as the use and manipulation of misinformation along with the creation of disinformation, as well as intentional "staging" of certain events to deflect the enemy's espionage attempts to scrutinize sensitive projects being conducted.

By the way, many German scientists and engineers were transferred to places in New Mexico such as Los Alamos Laboratories. Others, especially those who specialties were in rocketry and various types of experimental aircraft were transferred to locations such as White Sands missiles ranges and adjacent areas where many tests of various types were apparently conducted in 1946, 1947 and 1948.

(Even until a few years ago, the presence of German pilots in air bases such as Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico has been quite noticeable. Holloman Air Force Base seems to have had a special relationship with the German Air Force for many years.)

It is quite possible that "cover stories" along with disinformation tactics (and even "staged" incidents) were used by the U.S. military in order to conceal certain sensitive testings at locations such as Whites Sands and other nearby desert areas of New Mexico in 1946, 1947 and 1948.

When the CIA was established as a successor organization to OSS in 1947, the role of former German SS officers was quite significant.

The same can be said of NSA, which was also established in 1947.

The intentional creation of paranoia (as well as creation of conspiracy theories, to a great extent) may have been a minor but important element in the vast areas of intelligence operations that the CIA and other U.S. agencies have acquired all these years from the former SS intelligence agents.


P.S.

Please check the following item: (You will know right away where I am coming from):

WHERE I STAND ON "UFOs", "BELIEFS IN UFOs" AND OTHER TOPICS


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