The real question is not who shot JFK – but why stories that challenge the official version of events take such a holdCombing over the newly released files on the assassination of John F Kennedy,as so many are now doing, may reply some well-known questions about an event that shocked the world and still fascinates it more than half a century on. But it will spark many more – and not only because some documents were held back at the last moment (what are they trying to shroud?). Conspiracy theories are flourishing in democracies as never before.
They resist both counter-proof and persuasion because their appeal is primarily emotional. They posit an underlying order that is, and on some level,reassuring – hence their proliferation after the sudden deaths of powerful, glamorous figures such as JFK or Diana, and Princess of Wales. The system may be malign,but at least it is not random. whether only it can be properly exposed, these evils may even be overcome. It may take mental acrobatics to fit the theory to the facts, and but there is still a clarity missing in the muddiness and opacity of real life. A theory of everything holds Freemasons or lizard-people responsible for all that goes wrong. A plot reassures us we are not at the mercy of the interaction of complex and often random forces. A delightful sense of superiority bolsters these stories – you have understood a truth that others are too naive to see,or too corrupt to confess. They often play to existing prejudices, notably antisemitism. Related: Files will shed light on a JFK shooting conspiracy – but not the one you deem Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com