307: Conspiracy Reflex Syndrome
As Cole Allen sprinted into the news cycle, social media accelerated to cover the story—and the conspiracy-beast in the basement flexed his fast-twitch muscle fibers. The now third assassination attempt on Donald Trump (this time at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner) had to be staged. What else could explain it? The one time Trump shows up, an assassin is waiting for him. What are the odds? How about the guy who just calmly kept eating his salad?
A highly suspicious AI video showed a security agent’s hat morph into his hair, while another had Allen running faster than humanly possible, which fit with an elaborate story about the shooter actually being a time traveller.
We break down what happened, how quickly the conspiracy theories spread, and the cultural and political dynamics of this ubiquitous reflex.
