Rhetorical questions signal helplessness in conspiracy literature.

Evidence

The statement ends with a litany of rhetorical questions—a common device in conspiracy literature—all implying that the aliens’ ultimate aim is the conquest of the earth, and that the conspirators in government, centered in MJ-12, are powerless to prevent it. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 450

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Ominous rhetorical questions can insinuate conspiracy while making no falsifiable claim. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 67

Broader Connections

• Ominous rhetorical questions can insinuate conspiracy while making no falsifiable claim. #expands (0.95) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 67