January 10, 2023 6:30 am

The Conspiracy Theory That Deranged American Public Life

It turns out that random drivel produced by foreigners and thrown into the enormous, all-consuming maw of American social media doesn’t have much effect.

Share this story

People protest against President-elect Donald Trump as electors gather to cast their votes at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., December 19, 2016.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Not all conspiracy theories are created equal.

The same people who pride themselves on rigorously insisting on the facts — ideally, explained in the dulcet tones of an NPR anchor — are happy to embrace conspiracy theories supportive of their own worldview.