November 22 is just another day on the calendar for most Americans. It is a bittersweet day for me as I clearly remember my seventh grade class at Irving Junior High was called together to let us know the President had been shot. Waiting in the auditorium, we soon heard that he had died. I do not think I really understood what it all meant, but I could tell by the emotions of the teachers that this was a tragic event. Fifty one years later my first grandchild, Hank was born. I remember thinking it was a great day to be born as he may well become the type of the leader we lost so many years before. Happy birthday to Hank and recognition for the legacy of a brave Veteran and Commander in Chief.
I became a bit obsessed by the Kennedy assassination and remember reading everything I could on his life and times and on the conjecture about the Conspiracy. I was certain that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only shooter and that it had to be a Cuban led effort in retaliation for the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. In spite of federal investigations finding no such evidence – it is reported that up to 80% of the country in 2004 suspected there was a cover up. My flashback in time brings me to today. “Conspiracy theories resist falsification and are reinforced by circular reasoning; both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth.” What? The conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than something that can be proved or disproved. Psychologists attribute finding a conspiracy where there is none to a mental phenomenon called illusory pattern perception.
Today, many of us are amazed by those who believe the coronavirus is a hoax, the disease will be gone by Easter, wearing a mask is only the first step in the conspiracy to take away our guns, Fearless leader really won the election, Democrats are raving socialists, there is no racial inequality in our country – among the defined effects of conspiracy logic is to reduce trust in scientific and historic evidence, radicalization and reinforcement of extremist groups, and a distrust of the political process. My limited research suggests the solution for these extremes is maintaining an open society and improving the analytical thinking skills of the general public. I am convinced relieving the country of our own pathological liar and conspiracy retweeter is an excellent beginning.
I truly hope the national conscience can be restored. It will take inspired transitional leadership of a new President and historic Vice President and each of us getting involved. Hank will not be ready to take the reins for a few years.
Keep wearing those masks and protect those you love over the holidays. Mike