Out-of-power groups always drive conspiracy talk as winners disengage

Evidence

Conspiracy talk by those on the losing end will tend to pick up the slack from the diminution of conspiracy theories from the winners who perceive less threat and feel less need to communicate conspiracy theories. … This suggests that over time, while the types of resonant conspiracy theories will change in response to shifts in domestic power, the overall resonance of domestic conspiracy theories should be flat because mostly out-of-power people will sound conspiratorial alarms at any given time. — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 590

Categorization

• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Political losing raises a group’s propensity for conspiratorial reasoning rather than causing it — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 756; Elites can publicize conspiracies but cannot invent them from nothing — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 681; Marginalized groups retain conspiracy theories longer than groups with variable fortunes. — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 107 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Out-of-power domestic groups generate most conspiratorial talk #corroborates (0.95) — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 699
• Political exclusion drives the mob toward conspiratorial readings of power #corroborates (0.88) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 311
• Conspiracy surges track rigid class structure and felt disenfranchisement #expands (0.80) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 33
• Novel bipartisan threats are the sole driver of conspiracy talk surges #contradicts (0.80) — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 584
• Conspiracy beliefs stay stable while conspiracy talk shifts with power #qualifies (0.75) — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 749
• Conspiracy theories are accessible ways to speak truth to power #complicates (0.70) — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 842