By Mary Goetsch
Aurora, Ill.
This essay is a focus on conspiracy theories.
The latest is wondering how media could anticipate the March 10 failure of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The details of the collapse were in the Nation/World section of The Sun-Times, Sunday March 12 by the Associated Press.
A PBS television program entitled “Age of Easy Money” (Frontline series) aired March 14. The PBS schedule for March came out way before the bank failed. I receive the print WTTW/WFMT guide and I received mine around February 25. I read the description and expected a history of the Federal Reserve and how interest rates are set.
I was surprised this TV program was a news event with current explanations for the policies. It ended with the SVB failure and information on how FDIC insurance works. My memory may not be correct, but I recall the news of president Joe Biden covering the total losses, rather than the usual limit of $250,000 per customer which was a part of the program.
The debate on whether excuses and bailouts should be made for risk-takers flouting deposit insurance limits is not my mains concern. Rather, my concern is whether this bank failure was a timed event. Are conspiracies real? Is it going to be an engineered economy in a matter of time? I can’t believe this March 14 program had the current news on how financial collapse is being corrected because it can’t be a case of recognition of PBS Frontline writers.
For more reading, there is an excellent book in the Library: Stuff they don’t want you know, by Ben Bowlin, et al. Here is a list of conspiracy subjects on biological warfare, human experimentation, surveillance, UFOs, propaganda, coups and assassinations, secret societies, political corruption, and drugs. It is interesting and offers rational considerations of why many persons think the things they do.
I conclude that when he government is involved, the behavior (cover up or distortion of truth) and the reason behind it is normal psychology. They can’t risk political division and they most of all can not risk not warning of a potential threat such as pandemic, bank failures, war, natural disaster alert. For the case of entertainment industry now virtually requiring on-line ticketing, the psychology is the same. The bottom line is survival in a highly-competitive economy. It is less about greed (those capital venture people in Silicon Valley) than fear.
It is fear of being left behind in what may be a huge change to a different way of life. Fear is the explanation for conspiracy theories. It is entertaining to read and sells newspapers and social media time.