Conspiracy theories primarily assign blame rather than explain events

Evidence

QAnon was illustrative of two things. It showed how conspiracy theories reliably change form to encompass the anxieties of the day, which is why Trump supporters, in the middle of an intensifying investigation into Russian collusion, adopted the idea as an alternate narrative of the president’s secret competence and success. And conspiracy theories are, in the end, not so much an explanation of events as they are an effort to assign blame. More than questioning an official narrative, they are aimed at identifying the real perpetrators, the true power behind the throne, the hidden hand pulling beneath the surface. QAnon shifted in the way that conspiracy theories always do, from trying to solve a mystery to nailing the real villains and bringing them to justice. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 972

Categorization

• DEFINE: Gives the core functional definition of what conspiracy theories actually do — blame-attribution rather than explanation — worth keeping as a touchstone.
• XREF: connects to: Conspiracy theories usually aim to name an enemy, not to build a coherent story. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 64; Conspiracy theories serve as cover stories for avoiding hard realities — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 871; Specific claims are subordinate to a superordinate conspiracy narrative — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 195 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy theories usually aim to name an enemy, not to build a coherent story. #corroborates (0.95) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 64
• Conspiracy theories serve as cover stories for avoiding hard realities #corroborates (0.85) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 871