Theories

by Tom Kando

It’s amazing, the theories one hears these days, based on reasonable starting points. People know something that is true or at least plausible, and then they get carried away to incredible conclusions. I am talking about points of facts, not opinions. A lot of this is on the Internet, which is rapidly replacing talk radio as the wacko forum. Examples:

1. Today, America’s rate of imprisonment is by far the highest in the world. Also, America passed the 19th amendment in 1919, giving women the right to vote. This led to more emotional voting and more permissive policies in child rearing and in the control of anti-social behavior. Ergo, the fact that women acquired the right to vote is the cause of today’s high crime rate, and imprisonment rate. Jumping from point A (the 19th amendment) to point Z (our high lock-up rate) is quite a leap, don’t you think?2. Because it is the Christmas season, there is a lot of “Christianity” around. At the same time, there is also a lot of political correctness around, e.g. we should say “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas,”etc. Half the western world is now not only indifferent to Christianity, but hostile to it. You know, Christianity was the abominable centuries-long totalitarianism responsible for the Inquisition, for auto da fes, witch burnings, obstructing scientific progress, still opposing birth control today, etc., etc.
Personally, I am not hostile to Christianity. I am indifferent to it, and I don’t believe in it. That’s all.
But some anti-Christians, again, get carried away: There is now a voguish opinion circulating that Jesus never existed! It’s the same pattern as my first example, above: Starting with the reasonable premise that Jesus was NOT the son of God, some people now have to assert that he never existed at all.
Can’t one laugh at those childish stories about walking on water and the immaculate conception, and yet understand that Jesus was a real historical figure, about 2,000 years ago? There are such things as facts. Jesus was a minor Jewish political figure who never even made it to Rome. His following somehow managed to outlive the innumerable other sects of that period, and so we got Christianity, with all its warts and all its glory. The point is, even if you feel that Christianity sucks, why argue the absurd?

3. “Barack Obama is not a true American, he is an agent for subversive foreign forces, maybe for Muslim interests, etc.” There was a lot of this on the Internet during the campaign, and there still is. Again, you start out with some true facts: Although Obama is officially totally American and American-born, it is true that his background is very international - Kenyan father, raised in Indonesia and in Hawaii, etc. And yes, his middle name is Hussein.
But how does this lead some people to conclude that he will therefore not be good for America, not protect the interests of the American people, etc.? Again, a huge stretch, don’t you think?

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy wacky theories. I have thought of many myself. But in general I recognize the difference between them and those which are more likely to be true.
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