Conspiracy movements depend on a symbiosis of believers and opportunists

Evidence

The motives of the birthers cannot be determined in every case. Some, such as Taitz and Berg, are clearly true believers, as evidenced by the extraordinary labor they have expended in the face of highly uncertain outcomes. Others, however, appear to be a mixed group of opportunists and attention seekers who have found in this issue a device for mobilizing followers and advancing their own agendas. These two groups—the true believers and the opportunists—exist in a symbiotic relationship with each other. The true believers create enough esoteric legal argument to provide a veneer of plausibility so that the opportunists do not appear entirely bereft of a rationale, and the opportunists stimulate enough public attention so that the true believers are not completely isolated. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 905

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The true-believer/opportunist symbiosis — each group supplying what the other lacks, believers lending plausibility and opportunists lending reach — is a meaty social mechanism with broad explanatory reach beyond conspiracy cases.
• SEED: The believer-opportunist symbiosis is a reusable lens for an essay on how fringe movements (political, wellness, tech) recruit mainstream cover.
• XREF: connects to: Conspiracy subcultures require an official narrative to define themselves against — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 829; Zeitgeist’s author conceals his surname citing threats from viewers — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 854; Zeitgeist producers claim two hundred million Internet viewings by 2011 — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 861 (+6 more)