Representatives counter conspiratorial beliefs only through trusted identification, not evidence

Evidence

This connection is sometimes sustained by recognizing that conspiracism comes with the imprimatur of the foundational democratic demand for “eternal vigilance.” If government were in fact wholly trustworthy and every conspiracist claim were false, we could attribute all conspiracist thinking to paranoia or bad faith. But skepticism is always warranted, and some conspiracist claims are true. The trust that representatives cultivate enables them to assuage fears and convince citizens that a particular conspiracy claim is indeed false. Insofar as conspiracist stories are spread and adopted because of their source—because people identify with the person (now including the president) or social group pushing the narrative of secret agents and malignant intent—only another compelling source with which people identify can get attention. When representation works well, officials can fill that role. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 327

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Conspiracy beliefs follow source identification, so only rival trusted figures can dislodge them — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 327; Countering conspiracism requires wisdom, not just factual honesty — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 393; Only elected officials can effectively counteract conspiracy for partisan voters — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 390

Broader Connections

• Countering conspiracism requires wisdom, not just factual honesty #complicates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 393