I enjoy talking about, reading about, promoting, and debunking conspiracy theories of all sorts. It reaches a point that any time the topic comes up… Elvis faking his own death, the Roswell crash, lizard-men from the center of the hollow Earth… you know, all that good stuff… my kids roll their eyes and attempt to change the subject before I can get on a roll. Okay, I get that. Other people like to see history as a static, unchangeable thing set in stone. It makes them comfortable to believe the same things others believe about what is ultimately true. It makes them uncomfortable to think about how what they know might not be grounded in fact, especially if it is not grounded in fact because someone they have always trusted intentionally misrepresented or altered the facts.
I have always laughed about Elvis being sighted eating chili in a Wendy’s somewhere in Michigan. It is a joke that people are ever swayed by the spurious journalism of National Enquirer and such trashy fluff. And yet, there are questions out there that haven’t been fully resolved. People are right to wonder and demand investigation, even into silly things. There are anomalies that real investigative journalists have uncovered surrounding Elvis’ apparent demise. For instance, why does the autopsy DNA not match the tissue sample from the liver biopsy performed on Elvis in 1975? Why does all the evidence put forward by researchers only indicate that his 1977 death was faked, and nothing debunkers uncover actually disproves that? This controversy has entertainment value, and people will constantly make jokes about it and continue to clamor for more proof. Myself, as a conspiracy aficionado, I believe there is good reason to believe he did fake his death, and may still be alive. However, I also think that if he was driven to such extremes that he had to fake his own death, we should give him the peace he seeks and leave him alone. Jokes about Elvis’ love children with space aliens are much funnier when you don’t have to worry that Elvis will overhear and be offended.
Alien lizard men from the center of the Earth are another matter. Have you never heard that the Queen of England, the Clintons, and other important world leaders are actually shape-shifting reptoid aliens intent on taking over planet Earth to feed on its human population? If you haven’t, it is not because David Icke hasn’t been working hard to promote the idea and introduce it to you. This former soccer player and broadcaster makes a mint on his conspiracy-theory lectures and programs. He is very much the same kind of huckster and con man that once sold snake-oil cure-alls across this country. I have found this particular conspiracy theory easy to debunk. It does have entertainment value and makes for some very interesting humor. But it also puts lot of money in the pockets of people who are intentionally misleading others into thinking this absurdist science fiction is somehow based on facts. And it makes people distrust world leaders for all the wrong reasons. We should vote Ted Cruz out of office for his despicable policies, not because he is a lizard man from the center of the Earth.
So, why do I associate myself at all with conspiracy theories? Well, why do some comedians like Stephen Colbert whose politics are obviously liberal associate themselves with conservative politicians and focus so much on that side of the political debate? It is a source of great humor, and it actually adds meaningfully to the over-all debate. Conspiracies do exist. We have been lied to about important things like the death of JFK, the events of 9-11, and possibly, the Roswell crash. The truth matters to me. It matters almost as much as the ability to make fun Elvis sightings and lizard people like Texas Senator Ted Cruz (pictured above in his natural form).
Catch a Falling Star 