As new stories continue to emerge documenting the staggering breadth of the GOP’s attempted coup — the number of people who knew either specifically or generally something fishy was being planned... and said nothing — I’m concerned that the word “conspiracy” is going to be thrown around a lot. And, in so doing, we will risk being accused of trading in conspiracy theories, and provide exactly the focal point the “whataboutism” wing of the GOP is looking for to deflect from their own conspiracy-peddling sins.
As has been pointed out previously, a conspiracy of any size requires absolute secrecy among all its participants, and absolute follow-through on all the individual tasks the conspiracy’s goals requires — an adorable notion to anyone who’s ever been a project manager.
As we all know, conspiracy theories have identifiable characteristics. They are unfalsifiable. They allege a secret plot. They cite “evidence” that cannot be independently obtained or confirmed. They are pushed by self-proclaimed “experts” who nobody’s ever heard of before.
Qanon is a conspiracy theory. “COVID is a Chinese plot and/or hoax,” is a conspiracy theory. “Jews control $(INDUSTRY),” is a conspiracy theory for some value of industry. “The 2020 election was stolen,” is a conspiracy theory.
What’s been emerging over the past weeks are not theories. They are hard evidence, revealed through inquiries performed via the proper channels. The evidence obtained can be examined by anyone. That the evidence leads to certain implications and conclusions… Well, that’s the nature of good scientific inquiry — the theory proceeds from the evidence. If you turn the corner on to Fifth Avenue and see a still-warm body bleeding out on the ground, with a doughy guy standing over it holding a pistol with smoke still curling up from the barrel, your first inference is not likely to involve Space Aliens.
Obviously, these subtle niceties of logic will not stop the GOP and their shills from accusing us of conspiracy theory mongering (while at the same time pretending they have never heard of Qanon), which is why I think we may want to focus on the evidence, and let the readers (and the GOP) draw the inevitable conclusions.
But further, “conspiracy” has a very specific legal meaning, is extremely difficult to prove, and in many cases I don’t think is what we’re seeing here. Let me instead offer the following analogy:
Imagine a field filled with thousands of flowers, each connected vaguely to its neighbors by proximity, but all otherwise largely independent. The earth slowly turns and, as morning dawns and the sun comes in to view, they all turn to face it.
Now: Is that a conspiracy? Or is that simply their nature?
It is not necessary for an according-to-Hoyle “conspiracy” to exist to explain the evidence we’re seeing of the Republicans’ insurrection. Just a shared, common set of ideas, motives, and goals.
(Yes, I know, sunflowers stop tracking the sun and face permanently east when they reach maturity; please feel free to pick your own heliotropic flowers.)