Do you believe any conspiracy theories? I don’t, but I’m fascinated by them; I’ve read a few books about them over the years, and I used to talk about them (and aliens) with my uncle almost every time I saw him.
Some of my favourites include;
9/11:- There are those who believe that the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon weren’t brought down by the concerted efforts of Osama Bin Laden and his band of terrorists, but through controlled demolition, and insiders including President Bush, his vice-president, and anyone else in the American political structure that can be named.
Princess Diana’s death:- Prince Phillip and MI5 were the primary people behind the assassination of Prince Charles’ ex-wife, according to a small but concerted number of Diana supporters. The conspiracy made it onto the BBC TV series Spooks years ago, and it was a brilliantly-done episode.
Moon Landing:- It wasn’t long after the moon landing that the first conspiracy theories started to emerge. Stanley Kubrick, the film director, was said to have been a key figure, using the technology he used in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Buzz Aldrin was so enraged by these conspiracy theorists that he punched one of them in the jaw in 2002.
Paul McCartney is dead:- Sir Paul stormed out of a recording studio after an argument with his fellow Beatles in 1966, and had his head promptly cut off in a car accident. The man we see now is actually a look-a-like hired by the Beatles to keep their success going, and then the Beatles put clues in their lyrics to hint at this scandal they were trying to keep secret. Obviously.
JFK:- This is one of the more famous theories. Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Was there a second shooter on the grassy knoll? Was it all organised by the CIA? The FBI? Soviet Russia?
Roswell:- Did a UFO really crash-land in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947? Or, more likely, was it just a spy satellite?
Flat Earth:- I actually saw two Flat Earthers in Broadstairs once, a couple of years ago, trying to encourage people to “think critically” about the “evidence” pointing to a flat Earth. Everyone I saw carefully walked past without making eye contact, and that included me.
Reptilians:- It’s possible that this one is my favourite. Queen Elizabeth II was one such lizard, as well as many other leaders and figureheads around the world. We had been conquered without a shot being fired, it seemed, by these shape shifting lizards. Why has there never been a film made of this? Our reptilian overlords have clearly suppressed it.
I wish I could create a story in which all of these conspiracy theories were somehow true; that would make a wonderful series of books, wouldn’t it? Some very earnest and serious people think that one or more of these are true, and I’m sure that nothing I could say would convince them otherwise. Still, I think I could craft a story around that … Hmm, now there’s a thought.
On another note, the Broadstairs Food Festival is this weekend, so Bryan and I will be perusing the stalls on Sunday for lunch. I like trying different food from time to time, so bring it on.
