The inimitable Bookworm was kind enough to comment on my ongoing series on Crackpot Conspiracism. She makes an important point:
Conspiracy thinking is an interesting thing. We know that conspiracies really can and do exist. We know that even paranoid people have enemies. But how do we know whether any given theory points to a legitimate plan, goal or movement, or simply reflects our own fears and biases? Two conspiracy theories have been in the news lately: the 911 Truthers and the Obama Birthers. Because both have assumed a great deal of importance within certain segments of the Left and the Right, the problem of distinguishing between real and crackpot theories is legitimate and important. Over at David Horowitz’s Newsreal, a companion site to FrontPage Magazine, David Swindle takes a crack at separating wheat from chaff when it comes to conspiracy theories.
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