We each sit in our deep armchair in the therapy room of psychologist Cathrine Moestue. After speaking with the head of the Center for Extremism Research, Professor Tore Bjørgo and psychologist Cathrine Moestue, who is an expert in manipulation and ruling techniques, and who himself has personal experience of being caught by a conspiracy theory and indoctrinated into membership in a closed group, I ask this eerie question: Can I also be deceived by conspiracies? She answers with a question that is a bit funny, but also uncomfortable.
– Do you remember the rumor that once went around, that Paul McCartney was dead?
[ Med ropene «Frihet! Frihet» trosset over 100 smittevernreglene og marsjerte opp Karl Johan. Hvorfor? ]
Played records backwards
Of course I remember that. In the seventies, there was a conspiracy theory that Paul MCcartney was dead. And that the Beatles had found a double who played the role of Paul in concerts and photos. The evidence was numerous, and easy to spot when you first got involved. And yes, I’m one of those people who looked for codes and signs by analyzing record covers and trying to play selected Beatles songs backwards to hear if John Lennon really moaned “Paul is dead”, as it was claimed.
– Yes, there you see, says Cathrine Moestue.
– There is something human about it, whether it is about whether a pop star is alive or dead, that you cross yourself in front of an important football match or light a candle when a friend is ill. This is magical thinking, and we’re not going to stop there, even though we do not really believe that much. And then it’s also a little fun.
Illuminati and aliens
Not all conspiracy theories are equally bad, some are even a bit comical. Like believing the earth is flat. Or that a spaceship landed in Roswell in 1947 and that the US Coast Guard keeps UFO evidence hidden in Area 51, a desert area northwest of Las Vegas. That Princess Diana’s death was a commissioned work from the British royal family, and that the moon landing has never taken place.
Accepting that a popidol dies like any other ordinary human being of flesh and blood can be a lot to swallow for some. Therefore, there are still both Elvis and Jim Morrison sightings around the world, and some claim that Michael Jackson was killed. By the Illuminati.
The case continues during the video!
– Is it easy to laugh or be fascinated?
– Yes, of course, it can turn out to be a fun treasure hunt. And if you want to find evidence, you will find it. Our brain is created for pattern recognition. And when something is inexplicable, we look for a pattern, something recognizable and then we like to think that nothing is random, says Cathrine Moestue.
Always doubt
On the tram home, I become aware of a poster made by Oslo tramways to remind that everyone has a duty to give way to the tram. The photo is a copy of the record cover of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”, which is one of the photos most often used as proof that Paul McCartney was dead: the fab four crosses the street in the pedestrian area in Abbey Road. First the “priest” John in a white suit, the “funeral agent” Ringo in black and the “grave digger” George in the back in denim. And second behind the “body” Paul – out of step and barefoot. Yep, here were clear signs – even though we may not have been able to believe them one hundred percent. Cathrine Moestue’s words are worth remembering:
– There is always an element of doubt at the bottom.
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