I was taught by my father that a good argument can stand up to criticism and that finding someone who disagreed was a fine way to test your theory. I've never been too bothered when folks disagree with me. In fact, I'm eager to know why. I want to learn whether or not I'm missing something.

But these days, it seems that I'm in the minority.

The "danger" of conspiracy theories
The term has long been used in a derogatory fashion to belittle the ideas of a person who doesn't necessarily accept that everything can be taken at face value.  These days, it's used to denote a train of thought that is downright dangerous, even an existential threat to civil society.

What's everyone so afraid of?

Normies – folks who aren't big questions of the status quo – used to just shake their heads and smile at the "quirky" conspiracy theorist in their life. They considered it a harmless past-time, an eccentricity.

However, now we have the media breathlessly warning people of the innate deadly danger of conspiracy theories and the people who espouse them. Outright FEAR is being stoked. Let's take a closer look.

The FBI warning

Back in 2019, the FBI said that conspiracy theories posed a domestic terrorism threat:

"The FBI assesses anti-government, identity based, and fringe political conspiracy theories very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to commit criminal and sometimes violent activity," the document said. "The FBI further assesses in some cases these conspiracy theories very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places, and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets."