New conspiracism floats allegations disconnected from observable reality

Evidence

Another example of sheer allegation is “birtherism.” In referring to Barack Obama as the “quote ‘president,’ ” there is no theory of when the hoax of his American citizenship originated, or how it was perpetrated, or who falsified documents, or why. The new conspiracism satisfies itself with a free-floating allegation disconnected from anything observable in the world. It offends common sense. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 64

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Useful companion to the moral-panic articles: both new conspiracism and dress-panic moral entrepreneurs trade in claims with no evidential referent driving real consequences.
• XREF: connects to: New conspiracism abandons explanatory theory and targets democratic legitimacy — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 11; New conspiracism drops explanation and evidence in favor of bare assertion — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 14; A new conspiracism form drops explanation and aims at disorientation. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 49 (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• New conspiracism dissolves shared perceptions of political reality #expands (0.95) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 373
• New conspiracism is monologic and untethered to shared facts and experience #corroborates (0.92) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 279
• New conspiracism abandons evidence while classic conspiracism theorizes it #expands (0.85)
• New conspiracism weaponizes reality disputes as a demand for public assent #expands (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 306
• Lie-telling presupposes a shared reality that conspiracism rejects #complicates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 162
• Assessing conspiracist claims requires dual suspension of disbelief and suspicion #complicates (0.75) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 40