this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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This is my favourite conspiracy theory, the one about conspiracy theories. While the concept has existed probably forever, the term "conspiracy theory" didn't start getting used until after JFK, and we start to see a lot of other stuff like fake moon landing, lizard people etc. getting their start and being lumped in with the JFK assassination around that time. The difference between a conspiracy and "conspiracy theory" is "Who benefits?" actual conspiracies have conspirators with specific goals in mind, "conspiracy theories" have some vague nebulous bad guys hiding the "Truth" for unknown but nefarious reasons, they're often lumped in together because one automatically discredits the other just by being compared to it.
It's a crowning achievement of the Dulles-era (and the immediate "post" Dulles-era which was still essentially a Dulles organization) CIA, the master stroke being Allen Dulles sitting on the fucking Warren Commission.