Conspiracy Theories Are BAD! M’kay?

Kids, today we're going to talk about conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are bad! M'kay? 1

From JFK to the U.S. landing on the moon to Bush v Gore and all points between, before, and after, conspiracy theorists have presented possible alternate explanations some of the most significant news stories in history. The tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is no exception. Theories that explosives were used in concert with or in lieu of hijacked airliners to destroy the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon and theories that the Unites States government was somehow complicit in the attacks began circulating around the Internet shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On Sunday, May 1, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind that planned and executed the 9/11 attacks, was brought to justice and killed in a raid by United States forces in Pakistan. The media displayed dozens of images throughout the country, including at the White House and at the New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies baseball game, of joyous citizens reacting to the news of bin Laden’s death.

I personally see celebrations of justice and freedom. 3

On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall posted on his Twitter page, “What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...” Mendenhall continued, about an hour later, “There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to #think.” Now deleted, Mendenhall also tweeted, “We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style.”

That sure looks like an airplane causing the destruction to me. 2

Naturally, these remarks sparked controversy in the sports world. How could anyone make remarks that have so much as a hint of sympathy for a man that many consider the most evil of the third millennium? Of course we have heard bin Laden speak. He wanted to kill as many innocent Americans, and any other people with whom he did not agree, as possible. We have heard his side and it is reprehensible!

Then I reread one of the comments, the one about not believing an airplane could take down a building. And I thought, “Oh no! Not you, too! Not after all of these years…!”

Whenever a person makes remarks that ignite controversy, I always try to ask myself, “What was that person thinking? What was the intent behind the words?” I think that Mendenhall is no more than either a conspiracy theorist or a person, minimally, open to the possibility of conspiracies. I do not think Mendenhall is a terrorist sympathizer. I do not think he is anti-American. I do, however, think his remarks are monumentally insensitive and insulting to all Americans, especially the friends and families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Reading Mendenhall’s Twitter page, it is clear that he is a person who makes comments for the purpose of garnering attention. Many of his other posts contain pithy one-liners about relationships or are reposts of other Twitter members’ philosophical quotes. People have a right to explore alternative theories to conventional wisdom.

I can't help but wonder if Mendenhall has a conspiracy theory about his costly fumble in the Super Bowl. 4

However, what is often overlooked is that any event that is of enough significance for there to be a conspiracy theory has likely had enough impact on the lives of people for the event to be important enough to develop an alternate theory. When that event is a tragedy that results is a massive loss of life, the feelings of the survivors and loves ones of the victims are paramount to the right of another person to publicly peruse alternate possibilities of that event.

When the person doing the exploring in a public manner is, himself, a public figure, such as a professional athlete, that person should understand, beforehand, that, good, bad, right, or wrong, his words are going to receive more scrutiny that those of any member of the general public. The notion that anything happened on 9/11 other than that 19 al-Qaeda (run by Osama bin Laden) backed terrorists hijacked four American airliners and were responsible for crashing them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, triggering events that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people on American soil is preposterous. The mechanism that actually caused the towers to fall or the total damage to the Pentagon, if one even fathoms that the airplanes were not the sole explosives involved in the destruction, is irrelevant.

Call me crazy, but it looks like the airplane that hit the Pentagon caused an awful lot of this damage. Then again, perhaps the building simply wasn't up to code. 5

If Mendenhall wanted to promote and explore alternate theories of 9/11, including who was responsible and which additional parties may have been involved, Monday was not the appropriate time and Twitter was not the appropriate venue. I personally believe that Mendenhall should heed the words of a profound retweet from his own Twitter page, “It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. Solution, DON'T ARGUE. #islam #wisdom #think”

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1) Image from motifake.com; Mr. Mackey is a trademark of Sout Park Studios and Comedy Central
2) Image from xrlq.com
3) Image from islamizationwatch.blogspot.com
4) Image from espn.com
5) Image from september11news.com