{"id":290,"date":"2022-07-12T06:33:12","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T06:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/?p=290"},"modified":"2022-07-12T06:33:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T06:33:12","slug":"stranger-things-shows-how-conspiracy-theories-take-hold-and-do-harm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/index.php\/stranger-things-shows-how-conspiracy-theories-take-hold-and-do-harm\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stranger Things\u2019 shows how conspiracy theories take hold and do\u00a0harm"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/scott-dejong-1269964\">Scott DeJong<\/a>, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/concordia-university-1183\">Concordia University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" allowtransparency=\"\" allow=\"clipboard-read; clipboard-write\" data-src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/the-conversation-canada\/-stranger-things--shows-how-conspiracy-theories-take-hold-and-do-harm\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Note: The following article contains spoilers about \u201cStranger Things.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><em>Stranger Things\u2019<\/em> most recent season, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/entertainment\/netflix-says-stranger-things-sets-new-viewing-milestones-1.5975276\">set Netflix viewership milestones<\/a> and had an estimated budget of <a href=\"https:\/\/sea.ign.com\/stranger-things\/184610\/news\/stranger-things-season-4-reportedly-has-a-per-episode-cost-of-30-million\">$30 million per episode<\/a>, has a subplot focused around a famed conspiracy of satanism tied to children playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-26328105\">Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) in the 1980s<\/a>. And it\u2019s one that does a pretty good job mirroring the issues society has with conspiracy theory today.<\/p>\n<p>On the same weekend of the release of the Season Four finale of <em>Stranger Things<\/em>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/mendicino-canada-day-emergencies-act-1.6500411\">so-called \u201cfreedom convoy\u201d returned to Canada\u2019s capital<\/a> reminding us of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/feb\/08\/canada-ottawa-trucker-protest-extremist-qanon-neo-nazi\">conspiracy-fuelled event from February<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Stranger Things\u2019<\/em> conspiracy leanings point out how easily influenced people can be when they are clamouring for answers during times of uncertainty, and how in order to move forward people must be open to challenging their perspectives.<\/p>\n<figure>\n            <iframe width=\"440\" height=\"260\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sBEvEcpnG7k?wmode=transparent&#038;start=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Trailer for <em>Stranger Things 4<\/em>, Volume 2 on Netflix.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>From Hellfire to pandemic pandemonium<\/h2>\n<p>In <em>Stranger Things<\/em> the conspiracy theory sub-narrative revolves around high school basketball team captain Jason Carver. Jason\u2019s girlfriend, Chrissy Cunningham, is murdered by the show\u2019s villain (Vecna) but he, the town and its police force focus their investigation on drug dealer and leader of the Hellfire DnD club, Eddie Munson. Jason mobilizes the town to hunt down members of the club who he believes have become servants of the devil. <\/p>\n<p>Conspiracy theories emerge <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002%2Fejsp.2530\">from people trying to find answers<\/a>. In <em>Stranger Things<\/em>, Jason had questions about Chrissy\u2019s death. To him, she was the perfect cheerleader who would never use drugs, so when she was found in Eddie\u2019s home, Jason connected the dots himself to stories <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dicebreaker.com\/games\/dungeons-and-dragons-5e\/feature\/dnd-satanic-panic\">that spoke about DnD and satanism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man in a high school jacket stands in front of a crowd\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=275&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=275&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=275&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=346&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=346&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473096\/original\/file-20220707-16-17gppu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=346&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 2262w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><figcaption>\n              <span class=\"caption\">Jason Carver spun a web of conspiracies in an attempt to find answers.<\/span><br \/>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><a class=\"source\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iU0na2bTcaM\">(Netflix via SiimplyRose\/YouTube)<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a progression of truth that seems all to familiar, Jason <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Strategic-Conspiracy-Narratives-A-Semiotic-Approach\/Madisson-Ventsel\/p\/book\/9780367540890\">built his own narrative<\/a>. He took a small amount of truth (where Chrissy was found), coupled with his beliefs (Chrissy wouldn\u2019t do drugs) and went on a crusade that harmed his town and some people in it.<\/p>\n<p>Something similar happened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when there were a lot of unknowns. <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/conspiracy-theories-about-the-pandemic-are-spreading-offline-as-well-as-through-social-media-167418\">People wanted answers<\/a> and experts were scrambling to learn and explain things quickly, causing facts to be coupled with people\u2019s opinions, pushing us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/infodemic#tab=tab_1\">into an infodemic<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Information was disjointed, opinions were everywhere and, like Jason, people were connecting their own dots to form conclusions. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkglobalhealth.org\/article\/how-origins-covid-19-became-politicized\">politics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s42001-020-00086-5\">worldviews and conspiracy intertwined with facts<\/a>, false narratives developed saying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2021\/06\/microchipped-vaccines-15-minute-investigation\/619081\/\">vaccines are microchipped<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/55017002\">pandemic was orchestrated by a cabal of global leaders<\/a>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A group of people crowd a table as one person reads.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=299&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=299&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=299&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=375&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=375&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473085\/original\/file-20220707-18-43mygb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=375&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 2262w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><figcaption>\n              <span class=\"caption\">Eddie Munson, the Dungeon Master, reads from a playbook in the campaign for his life.<\/span><br \/>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><a class=\"source\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/tudum\/articles\/stranger-things-season-4-volume-2-photos\">(Stranger Things\/Netflix)<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like Jason, people were coming to conclusions based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/10\/24\/132228\/political-war-memes-disinformation\/\">opinion, belief and little kernels of truth<\/a>. We see this in all conspiracy theories, and this becomes a serious problem <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-features\/qanon-expert-joesph-uscinski-1242636\/\">when communities form, or leaders emerge like Jason<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/9781108990936\">taking these ideas and acting on them<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p><em>Stranger Things<\/em> and Jason\u2019s quest reminds us that our interpretation of the world, or perspective, is <a href=\"https:\/\/thenewpress.com\/books\/strangers-their-own-land\">central to our understanding of what we believe in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>The danger of perspective<\/h2>\n<p>How people are raised, what they\u2019re taught, who they are and the experiences they\u2019ve had all inform their perspective. This can be great, it can drive people to debate, question things and further a collective understanding. But if <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.scientificamerican.com\/guest-blog\/understanding-our-polarized-political-landscape-requires-a-long-deep-look-at-our-worldviews\/\">people\u2019s perspectives become too polarized and they are unwilling to be challenged, they can become problematic<\/a> and disruptive to the safety and health of those around them.<\/p>\n<p>Many people draw lines in the sand when it comes to what they believe. If a narrative doesn\u2019t fit their worldview, it\u2019s deemed untrue, worth ignoring and sometimes re-framed entirely. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Five people stand looking forward\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=316&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=316&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=316&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/473086\/original\/file-20220707-20-frr26z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 2262w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><figcaption>\n              <span class=\"caption\">The Hellfire club was made out to be the culprit, centre to a local conspiracy theory.<\/span><br \/>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><a class=\"source\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/tudum\/articles\/stranger-things-season-4-volume-2-photos\">(Stranger Things\/Netflix)<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jason was just looking for an answer. He used the knowledge and tools he had to come up with one that seemed to make sense. The problem was that even when confronted with alternate facts, Jason refused to challenge his perspective. <\/p>\n<p>His <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2015.00206\">conspiracy was birthed from emotion<\/a>. He was grieving and his sadness and rage clouded his understanding. Emotions can make it even harder to have an open mind when it comes to challenging one\u2019s own perspectives. <\/p>\n<p>Conspiracy isn\u2019t just something on TV; it\u2019s running rampant in our society. A recent study showed that <a href=\"https:\/\/abacusdata.ca\/conspiracy-theories-canada\/\">44 per cent of Canadians believe in conspiracy theories<\/a>. If almost half the population believes in disinformation or something conspiratorial, we must challenge their perspectives, broaden their worldviews and encourage them to move past emotional responses. <\/p>\n<p>People are immersed in <a href=\"https:\/\/mitpress.mit.edu\/books\/swarm\">a constant flow of information<\/a>. Information might look harmless, but be part of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/25\/world\/europe\/disinformation-social-media.html\">entire industry of fake information production<\/a>. It\u2019s important people assess where their information is coming from. Broadening sources will help ensure society stays free of an infodemic.<\/p>\n<p>Before pulling a Jason and going full crusader for a worldview, let\u2019s question the stranger things in life and seek to learn from them.<\/p>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/scott-dejong-1269964\">Scott DeJong<\/a>, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant, Communication Studies, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/concordia-university-1183\">Concordia University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/stranger-things-shows-how-conspiracy-theories-take-hold-and-do-harm-186536\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scott DeJong, Concordia University Note: The following article contains spoilers about \u201cStranger Things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowu7GVCw:productID":"","_crdt_document":"","activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[4210,936,16267,11755,722,16269,16268,11235,9484,16266,16270,15493,16265],"class_list":["post-290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-films","tag-9-11-conspiracy-theories","tag-canada","tag-chrissy-cunningham","tag-conspiracy-theory","tag-creative-commons","tag-eddie-munson","tag-jason-carver","tag-pseudohistory","tag-qanon","tag-satanism","tag-scott-dejong","tag-stranger-things","tag-worldview"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/file-20220707-26-gb1vag-1024x510.jpg","blog_images":{"medium":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/file-20220707-26-gb1vag-300x149.jpg","large":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/file-20220707-26-gb1vag-1024x510.jpg"},"ams_acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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