Open democratic societies make any secret association read as malicious

Evidence

In democracies, conspiracists have often fastened on secret groups for scapegoating. The reason is obvious: in an open society, any underground association suggests malicious intent. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Freemasons were charged with covertly controlling the press, manipulating the economy, and directing government. Everywhere, Jews are a favorite object of scapegoating conspiracism; the message of the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion, published by Henry Ford, is repeated over and over, and it is with us still: the Jews are plotting to dominate the world. Conspiracists saw the papacy and Catholic priests as secretly working to weaken Protestantism. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 141

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Frazer/Escott Frameworks of Prejudice material on scapegoating conspiracism and to older sources on the Protocols. — connects to: Masonry’s secrecy let nativists link it to any evil group — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 609; Outsiders misconstrue tightly organized social groups as secret conspiracies.
• SEED: Potential essay angle: scapegoating requires a recognizable, bounded target group, which is why the openness of democratic societies keeps generating secret-cabal narratives.

Broader Connections

• Masonry’s secrecy let nativists link it to any evil group #exemplifies (0.85) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 609
• Outsiders misconstrue tightly organized social groups as secret conspiracies. #corroborates (0.85)