IRS debunking paradoxically reinforces redemption theory’s appeal to believers

Evidence

It’s become a tidy little cottage industry, despite an irritable statement from the IRS rebutting “the notion of secret accounts assigned to each citizen” as “pure fantasy” (to redemption theorists, though, the IRS would say that, to throw everyone off the truth). — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 607

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general pattern in conspiracy studies where official denial is read as corroboration — same structure as the author’s earlier chapters on false flags. — connects to: Redemption theory fuses tax avoidance, anti-government conviction, and litigiousness — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 592; Redemption scams exploit tax code opacity and belief that others beat the system — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 645; Offering alternative explanations converts believers more than refuting claims — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate…, 230 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Repeating a false claim to debunk it increases its plausibility #expands (0.85) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 164
• Offering alternative explanations converts believers more than refuting claims #expands (0.82) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 230
• Skeptic movements can alienate former believers they converted #complicates (0.75) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 37
• Survivor bias distorts the study of religious success #complicates (0.72)