Conspiracism differs from bullshit in its emphatic demand for affirmation

Evidence

In the myriad falsehoods he utters every day, Trump is manifestly indifferent to the truth of what he says. But his conspiracism is different. It is not bullshit. He is not blithely indifferent to the truth or falsity of his conspiracist claims. He presents an emphatic picture of political reality, and he cares very much that others affirm his reality. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 166

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes conspiracism from Frankfurt’s bullshit concept, which is useful precision for any essay on reality-claims in politics.
• XREF: connects to: New and classic conspiracism share urgency but differ fundamentally. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 51; Trump’s conspiracism is self-generated to affirm a victimized and grandiose self-image — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 158; Conspiracist validation replaces evidence with communal repetition and affirmation. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 303 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracist validation replaces evidence with communal repetition and affirmation. #expands (0.90) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 303