In conspiracy culture any widely accepted belief is presumed false

Evidence

As diverse as the cultic milieu is, however, Campbell fi nds in it “unifying tendencies.” One such tendency is its opposition to “dominant cultural orthodoxies.” This is a point I shall return to many times, for it is also a major characteristic of the culture of conspiracy, within which the reigning presumption is that any widely accepted belief must necessarily be false. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 172

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the core operating assumption of conspiracy culture: accepted = false.
• XREF: connects to: Conspiracy believers suspect fellow believers closest to them of being state plants — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 252; Conspiracist logic makes denial itself confirm the conspiracy — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 56; A conspiracy theory’s originator can be discredited while the theory itself survives — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 311

Broader Connections

• Conspiracist logic makes denial itself confirm the conspiracy #qualifies (0.75) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 56
• A conspiracy theory’s originator can be discredited while the theory itself survives #expands (0.70) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 311