Hi John and Doves,
Don't you hate it when journalists and analysts over complicate things? The majority of people are not nutcases - looking for ghosts behind everything. If anything, most people have had a healthy suspicion of anything that smacks of alternative thought to the mainstream narrative. That is until 9/11. At first, we were all totally convinced that this appalling atrocity was committed by radical Islamists. George W Bush rode the wave of this unquestioning belief in authority and the high office of POTUS. When the first 'conspiracy theories' emerged, my first reaction was one of disbelief. We naturally don't want to believe that there is some nefarious motive behind our (previously) trusted governments actions. As the years have gone by - our eyes have been forcibly opened.
I was a baby when Marilyn Monroe was killed in 1962. I was still a baby when JFK was assassinated in 1963. These 2 deaths - particularly the JFK assassination - stirred the adult world around me. They began questioning. Their 'innocence bubble' was in danger of bursting. My 'innocence bubble' burst when Princess Diana died. I was the same age and my babies were born in the same years as hers. The grief we all felt was beyond description. We were mourning the loss of our innocence as much as we were mourning her death. We began questioning the reality of the world around us. Evil, it seemed, wasn't just in the realm of comic books. It wasn't just in the realm of the Nazi's and communist regimes. Evil exists way more closer to home. Within our own (previously trusted) governments. Our own royal family. The shock of this has taken a long time to assimilate.
We are not stupid conspiracy theorists. We have become cynical because of the evidence! The bald, true evidence. We see the truth but the evil media keeps trying to convince us that we are 'conspiracy theorists'. Dumb, stupid idiots who cannot discern between deceit and truth. WOW! These are the classic tactics of an abusive partner or family member. Classic gas-lighting techniques.
Stay brave and strong, Doves. Jesus is coming soon. Doubt it not.