The Origins of Conspiracy

Someone posted at the 'Lage that they're taking a college class on conspiracy theories (yeah, I dunno) and asked what we thought about the convergence of LOST and "conspiracy theory culture." I posted this in response:

I've been thinking about how conspiracy theorists are drawn to the show. I don't think that's an accident... that's really by design. Damon and JJ are well aware of the power of a good conspiracy story to hold an audience's imagination. Moreso, they know what kind of storytelling conventions generate conspiracy theories. The Hanso Foundation, the NUMBERS (which were inspired by the Illuminati's fasicantion with 23), the Lost Connections in the flashbacks... all these create the uneasy sense that there's an underlying nervous system to the world that we are not aware of... usually these are dismissed as products of conspiracy, but here they appear to be products of fate. I think it's one invaluable part of the show that they've made conspiracy theories and faith in fate two sides of the same coin. You see this reflected in the theories that spring up around the Kennedy Assassination and 9/11... that's because these are totally nonsensical tragedies that every fiber of our being tells us shouldn't happen. But our need to make sense of the nonsensical leads a few to think that these events not only shouldn't happen but that they really couldn't... not without outside help, usually in the form of a conspiracy. That to me is the origin of virtually all conspiracy theories: the need to bring order to chaos (often tragic chaos). Otherwise we feel vulnerable and powerless. Conspiracies restore that power ironically by saying that the fate of the world doesn't rest in our hands but at least it does rest in someone's instead of God, fate or no one and nothing at all.