What's funny is how BB pretends liberals don't engage in conspiracy theories at the same time luther is entertaining us with his conspiracy theory on how Fox News was attacking Hillary before they were even created.
From a study published in the
American Journal of Political Science, by University of Minnesota researchers:
1) Individuals with a high level of trust in institutions are less likely to endorse conspiracy theories. Individuals with a high level of skepticism in institutions are more likely to endorse a conspiracy theory.
2) It is only logical then, that a Trump supporter would be of an open mind to a conspiracy theory because Trump has spent so much time disparaging the competency and credibility of institutions, including his own Department of Justice and the Attorney General he appointed, as well as the United States Intelligence Community. Throughout the 2016 Presidential campaign, he frequently stated,
"The system is rigged, folks."
3) A highly knowledgeable individual is more likely to engage in an ideologically motivated endorsement of a conspiracy, if they believe the world is an untrustworthy place. This also fits Trump supporters because for them an individual's own personal integrity is not as important as it is for someone to "fight the system".
4) Conservatives and liberals knowledgeable about politics are less likely than their unknowledgeable counterparts to endorse incongruent conspiracies but a conservative is more likely to suspend a level of disbelief, if the conspiracy is ideologically suitable to them. This gets back to #3, for the conservative Trump supporter, the integrity of the individual is not as important as his will to "fight the system". That is birtherism in a nutshell. Trump promised proof Obama wasn't born in the United States and never delivered. That is not as important to his supporters as "sticking it to the man" or someone who will "fight the system".
Take that for what it's worth. Probably means nothing to you but I found it interesting and I think there is a shred of truth to those points. Republicans really have the conspiracies going these days at an incredible rate. Almost paranoid.